Have Race, Will Run

And run we did amigos... regardless of the inclement weather. Inclement doesn't do yesterday's conditions justice. It was as bad as it gets... 40º, 25mph winds and rain. This was the kind of weather that weeded out sick people in the 1700's. This is the kind of weather you get when you sail a boat around Cape Horn. This is also the kind of weather you get in Ohio from time to time... most often on days when you're going to be outside.

Sunday was the 32nd Mini Heart Marathon and I planned on running both the 5K at 9am and the 15K at 10am. I convinced my boy, Bradley, to run the 5K with me, but after a text message the night before admitting his unwillingness to run in the rain, I was skeptical as to whether he'd show up in the morning. But show up he did. It was cold and windy when we made our way outside from the Westin's lobby, but bearable. It wasn't until the rains came as the gun went off that it almost became unbearable. But away we went. His goal was to run the whole way and with the weather and hills, that was no easy task. He was able to accomplish it in fine form with a 26:48. A job well done seeing as it was his first race ever. I tried to tell him that the weather was really about as bad as it gets. I hope he'll join me in more.

And after some stretching and chatting, my sister, her boyfriend Dan and myself made our way to the start of the 15K. The weather hadn't improved. If anything, the wind had picked up. But the gun went off as did we. I had planned on doing better, but after some stupid preparation mistakes, I'm not sure what I expected. I didn't eat at all before either race. I probably had more beers than what I should've Friday night and I ate like crap all day Saturday... and only twice for that matter. So, of course, the last 5K ended up being the worst. I ran out of gas, plain and simple. But overall, I can't complain. Finished with a 1:03:32. Good enough for 89th overall and 9th place in the 2 Beats Challenge (combining your 5K and 15K times). What makes for a better story is that Dan, who's only run a 5-miler up to this point, ran alongside my sister for the 15K... and he made it the whole way. Sounds like something I would do. Special thanks go out to my parents who were there to act as "bag drop". They have no idea how important that component is and along with the support provided, it makes their contributions to the weekend immeasurable. I had brought the mini digi, but didn't take a single picture.

So the weekend in Cincinnati was a good one. We got the basement clean at Envoi and we had my mom's chicken 'n noodles on Sunday at my brother's house after the race.

‘Tis the Season

I caught these two death dodgers on the tracks as I made my way out to my car after work. This could only mean one thing, it's mating season. What else would make papa goose pull a stunt so daring... so maddeningly masculine? I didn't stick around to see if he was able to prove his worth to his lady friend via a game of chicken with 4,000 tons of CSX pain.

Visitation

Erica came and visited me at the office between her scheduled appointments. I was hoping she'd have some kind of snack in tow... but I got nothing.

The NCAA tournament has once again eluded me. I doubt I can lose every year, so maybe 2010 will be mine. But I am enjoying all the hoops, regardless of their outcomes. I really did think UD had it in 'em, but I can't say I expected OSU players and coaches to forget how to break a three-quarter court trap. I hope there's a contest for lousiest game because that HAD to be it. Oh well.

The 'burgh

We spent St. Patty's Day weekend tearing up Pittsburgh, PA whilst visiting a friend of Erica's. I don't know about everyone else, but I had a great time. Who knows what it is, but I fall in love with places like this. The grittier it is, the better. Throw in two rivers and crazy hills... OMG!

Erica and myself along with her friend, Amy, and her significant other took the "Mon" incline down to the river Friday night and spent the better part of it belly up to a bar watching basketball and enjoying a deceptively good burger. We missed the last ride up the hill, but it's literally a $5 cab ride up. In my younger years, I may have challenged someone to a climb. You cover less than two-tenths of a mile but end up climbing almost 450'. Mt. Adams... maybe. Mt. Washington... probably not. Then it was into Redbeard's for a couple of night caps. It's a locals bar. I haven't seen that many backward hats since we went out in Cheviot last fall. It's one of those places that's doing just fine without you, thanks. In fact, that whole neighborhood would be better off if you just went back from where you came. Somewhat tense at times, especially when the guy at the door started in on Erica as soon as she walked in. So yes, it could've ended badly, but I had to step in and say something. Luckily, we were able to enjoy a couple of beverages which the bartender was tipped generously for and we finally found our beds a couple blocks away later that night.

The next day was the St. Patty's Day celebration. I would've liked to have seen the parade, but no one really got moving until later in the morning. But we were able to walk around the neighborhood, eat some some local fare and enjoy people watching as some folks had had more than enough by noon. The rest of the weekend was spent on the outskirts of town just hanging out. The pictures were taken at Amy's place in Mt. Washington. Her dog, Riley, in the upstairs window and some wandering shots amongst the nameless streets.

Parked

We spent Saturday at Griggs lounging on a warm blanket hoping the sun would give us more than the occasional peek. Unfortunately, the clouds never really gave way and the wind never really let up. I'm tired of the wind. It's been going non-stop for over two weeks now. It made Sunday and Mondays' runs particularly tough.

It was a low-key weekend all around. We did hit up the first Dewey's location in Columbus on Friday night. They recently opened up shop down the street from us. I thought for sure they'd incorporate some kind of "Buckeye" pizza into the menu... but I lost that bet and had to pay.

We attended a "Soup"er Sunday party yesterday at a former co-worker of Erica's to cap off the weekend. His partner made the soup and they were all pretty outstanding... especially this lime chicken concoction. It was basically chicken in a lime broth, but then you poured it over crushed tortilla chips and added cilantro, fresh avocado, chives, some kind of crumbled cheese and more lime if you pleased. It was much like a fiesta in your mouth.

Olentangables...

I'm listening to T.I. and Rihanna right now so I can't really tell you just how hard it is not throw in a "ahey-ahey-ahey"... but that has nothing to do with my Friday morning long run... although I regret that now.

What a difference a couple days make. I was running around Lunken Tuesday morning with temps in the teens and I wake up this morning to 55 balmy degrees. After a late start, I made my way to the Olentangy via King. Hit the bike path and I headed due south for the next 5+ miles along the river. This is basically the route that used to get me to the Miranova back in the day. Passed a homeless camp just south of 5th, the tunnel under 315, across 33 and back over the river at the confluence. But rather than heading up Mound to head back toward Grandview, I jumped back on the path and took it south to Kinnear. It's a fairly unimpressive part of the path. The bottom middle shot is looking back at the nearly-completed Main Street bridge. So I got a nice tail wind on the way back north up Front... and then around Goodale Park to Neil Avenue. I like incorporating Neil into any run I can. It's not bad to look at when the magnolias bloom in spring. And once I turn left onto King, I put my head down for the next 15 minutes and hate life. It's a gradual downhill for a half mile to the river, and then you start a gradual mile-and-a-half climb back to Glenn Avenue. It sucks and at the end of a run, it seems to go on forever, but I can't complain too much. At least I could feel my toes the whole time.

So that was my Friday morning. 12.40 miles for the day.

Hocking Hills

We took a well-deserved weekend off to hit up the best Ohio has to offer thanks to a Christmas gift from my mom and sister. We made it down Friday night and kicked off the shoes, put in a pizza and cracked open some Funky Llama. The rest of the weekend was spent hiking through the hills of Hocking.

As we were heading home Sunday, we stumbled upon a great trail for anyone that might be in the area. Conkle's Hollow Rim Trail, located in Conkle's Hollow, just off 374. Sure, it's only Ohio but those cliffs are high enough to make your head spin a little bit. And when they say Rim Trail, they mean it. You're most often walking along the edge of the cliffs and are never more than a couple feet from the edge. It's a great little natural sanctuary.

So, thanks to my mom and sister. It was nice to get into the woods... but with a hot tub and TV, they don't make it all that tough on you.