Week 2 Marathon Training - Looking Up!

Well it was a good week for marathon training. I started out the week with a 4 mile run on Monday as scheduled and then followed that up with running 4 miles on Wednesday and Friday with 2# “heavy hands”. The HH make the run more difficult and provide an increase to the cardiovascular system. I intend to keep using these in my training to make the shorter runs at least a little more challenging.

On Saturday, I headed to Mill Creek Park to get in my long run. It was still cold and I told myself before leaving for the run that if it was too bad, I would cut my run short. It was 10ْ˚ when I got out of the car. I think it was somewhere around “0” with the wind chill. Although the air was crisp, it did not feel too bad (maybe I am getting used to this weather I thought to myself).

I ran into my son and his friends in the parking lot who were there waiting for some more people to arrive. I told them I was leaving and off I went. I started off slowly and was intent to run every bit of this run and climb every hill. I decided prior to getting to the park that I was going to run my usual 10 mile loop backwards just for a little change of pace.

The first mile or so was pretty cold. My hands were cold and when running along the edge of Lake Cohasset I could feel my face tighten up as the cold air blew across the lake. I shook my hands and rubbed my face. I was dressed adequately and knew once I got going I would warm-up just fine. After the first substantial climb up Big Bear, there was not a cold spot on my body. I was actually wiping sweat from my face before it could freeze on my brow. The nice part about this section of the park is that it is closed in the winter, so there was no car traffic and it closely resembles running on trails as the roads were completely snow covered.

I cruised this entire run. I am not sure which way is easier to run, but the elevation increase/decrease would be exactly the same. Towards the end of the run I decided to add an extra loop onto my run. Instead of walking down the steel staircase on the end of Lake Glacier, I ran down Glenwood Ave. to Mahoning Ave. and made my way a few blocks east before turning down a block and heading back into the park. I added at least a mile and it felt good.

I decided when I got back to the entrance of the Rose Garden that I would pick up the pace a bit and see how it felt. I made my way down the road and could actually feel the wind hitting me harder in the face as now I was moving into a headwind. It started to snow just a bit. I put my tongue out to catch the little pieces of moisture. I tucked my head slightly and continued to drive my legs into the wind to get back to the car. I was breathing harder and the cold wind made my breath look like it was white frost coming out of my mouth. Very cool I thought. I made it back to the car in 1 hour 28 minutes for about an 11 mile run. I was happy and actually felt I could have went a little further.

I followed this long run up with an easy 4 mile run around town on Sunday. It is funny but after running in Mill Creek Park, there is no hill around town that even makes me look twice at it. In the fall when I was running around town with the cross country boys, I noticed every hill, no matter how big or small. Now I would describe McDonald as being pretty much flat.

My total miles for the week was 27
Average pace per mile 8:30
Weight still 200 but I feel lighter!
Long Run = 11 miles at Mill Creek (felt great)
Continued use of heavy hands to increase effort on short runs and strengthen my arms and upper back.
I have also incorporated stretches into my routine to loosen and strengthen my lower back. I was given some great routines to do by my physical therapist after injuring my back. So far my back feels great!

So that is week 2. I am keeping my head up and plunging forward. Next week will present me with different challenges, but I am prepared to run at various times to get my miles in. Stayed tuned for details!

Week 1 Marathon Training - Blah!

Well my first week of official marathon training was anything but spectacular. In fact, it should be labeled as forgettable. I started off the week on January 14 with high aspirations of running the schedule I devised. I was pumped. I had planned on a nice easy 5 mile run after work on Monday to recover from the hard10 mile run I had done on Sunday the 13th.

Unfortunately that all changed when I arrived to work Monday morning to find that the Department of Health had arrived at our facility to do our annual Medicaid compliance survey. In simpler terms, this meant that Tronk would be working at least 50 hours this week along with coaching swimming in the evenings. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday amounted to leaving the house at 5:30 a.m. and returning at 9:00 p.m. Not much time (yet alone energy) to even go for a run. I chalked this week up in my mind to getting in whatever I could and start officially next week. One week can’t kill me right? I was grateful that the survey came when it did because I would rather it happen now than in the middle of my training.

So my training for this week amounted to (3) five mile runs on Friday, Saturday, and on a cold Sunday I chose to run on the treadmill (Ughhh!!!). It really sucked!

My weight remains at a steady 200 pounds. One thing I did do was try to use this week as a recovery of sorts. Since I was running less, I did some stretching in the evenings, drank plenty of water, and did some light weight exercises. Next week will be better, and I have already started off well by running my scheduled 4 easy miles on Monday the 21. Boy it was cold out there but I have told myself it is time to put up or shut up.

Continue to follow the blog for updates. It will be at least weekly but may be more frequent if I have an interesting experience that is worth telling the world wide web. See you “On the run”!

Cleveland Marathon

Well, on January 10, 2008 I sent in mine and my son's application for the Cleveland marathon. This will be my first marathon since 1998 and the fifth of my life. Including the one 50k I have completed and two training runs, it will be the eighth time I ask my body to run more than 25 miles at one time. For my son Taylor, (who has a long list of running credentials) this will be his first run of this distance. My previous 4 marathons have all in been in the great city of Columbus, Ohio the first being in 1992. Since then this itch has come and gone and this is one year that I cannot ignore it. I want to run in the same race as my son on his first marathon. Although we will probably not be together, it will be fun to share the experience with a first timer and tell the many tales that follow a race of this magnitude. So on May 18, 2008 you will know where to find me. I will be toeing the line next to my son enjoying every minute of the experience.

Over the next few months I will be chronicling my training along with any other intersting things I can to throw in. One thing this blog will contain will be my weekly mileage, my body weight, training mile pace, long run for the week, and anything else that I think a reader may find worthy. So without further ado:

1. Total miles for this week was 25
2. Body Weight = 200
3. Training at 8:20 pace for long runs
4. Long Run = 10 miles ~ roads in Mill Creek (every big hill I can find)
5. Cross training (sort of) I started jumping rope for 2 minutes in between (8) 600 repeats - I am trying to get my heart rate increased on the days I run shorter. I also carry 2# "heavy hands" on the 600's. I also started isometrics on off days or shorter days, i.e. sit-ups, push-ups, L-seat dips, and Russian twists.

My ultimate goal is to be around 190# for this marathon. I have not been under 200 for the past 11 years! Stay posted and any words of encourgament would be greatly appreciated.

5K Jingle Bell Run 12-31-07

My wife Pam, my daughter Kyrsti and I traveled over to the Canfield Fairgrounds today to run the Jingle Bell Run sponsored by the Boardman Rotary. As we were pulling in to the parking lot, we met up with my son Taylor and his friend Bobby, who runs x/c for McDonald.

(Bobby, Kyrsti, Tronk, Taylor)

I was also surprised to see Jay Layshock (Jay Lay) helping out by parking cars. Jay is a great runner who finished second this past year at the YUT-C 50K. I shook his hand, wished him a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and then the four of us went to check in. Pam does not run but acts as a great support crew holding onto everything, cheering for us during the run, and talking with all of her friends before and after the race.

This race is getting bigger and bigger every year. The first time I did this race was in 2001 and there was probably less than 100 runners. Since then, it has grown in a monster of a day and I would guess there were close t0 300 runners in the 5K and probably about 75 runners in the kids 1/2 mile. It was awesome. With the sounds of bells ringing, (each person can wear small jingle bells if they choose), it makes the run even more special. This was also the best weather I can remember at the Fairgrounds for this race. It was close to 40 degrees with only a slight wind. It was ideal.

The course itself is not fascinating. In fact, it is quite mundane. You run on the roads around the fairgrounds and basically weave back and forth and round and round. You do this loop twice, which is kind of nice because you come through the central area of people cheering twice before finishing in front of the crowd. It also lets you see other people in the race because as you are going one way, they may be going the other way. I got a chance to see my friends from work Tony and Jan and wished them encouragement as I went by.

At the end, I was satisfied with my time of 22:30. Just last month at the Firefighters 5k I ran 23:10 so I was happy to be a 40 seconds faster (although it was a completely different course). My kids both ran well and I think Taylor may have been slightly ahead of me (I am not sure as I never saw him). Here is a picture of Taylor running

I should mention one last thing about this race that brings me back every year. The swag for a 5K is tremendous. Each runner received a sweatshirt, a water bottle, coupons to Dick's Sporting Goods and a Power Bar. In addition to that, the after race refreshments are second to none, with cookies, donuts, fresh fruits, Power Bars, hot chocolate, coffee, Gatorade and bottled water. All of that provided by some of the nicest race sponsors and helpers you would ever want to meet. What a great day and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

West Branch State Park Witch Run 12-26-07

I traveled with my son Taylor to West Branch this evening to meet up with Brian and Jeff Musick along with Gombu for a night trail run. We met at 5:00 and it was just starting to get dark. Last year on this exact date Brian and Jeff encountered a haunting in these woods so we thought it would be a good idea to go see for ourselves. After Brian and Jeff's experience last year, they did a little research and found out that local folklore tells a tale of a witch that was killed by the locals in these woods by piling stones on her until she died. Many people believe that she still haunts these woods today. You can read Brian's account on his blog http://brianmusick.blogspot.com/.

When Brian and Jeff arrived Taylor and I were already playing Rob Zombie, "Dragula" which lyrics go something like "Dig through ditches, burn through the witches". He thought it was cool so I did a little witch dance for him. He filmed me and I thought I looked pretty good doing my witch dance.

Anyway, we had enough fun in the parking lot so we donned our headlights and warm clothes and set out for our night trail run. I had just purchased a headlamp (Princeton Tec Quad LED)and was eager to see how it worked on the trail. It did not take long for me to find out it worked real well. Even at the lower settings, it provided plenty of light for a night blind person like myself to be able to find his way down the trail.

We ran on the trails made by CAMBA which is a mountain bike association from the Cuyahoga Valley. They have done a real nice job making and maintaining these trails. We ran deep into the woods and made so many turns and creek crossings that I was truly unsure where I was at. Gombu continued to lead and gave us directions at the intersections as he seemed to know these trails well. After about an hour, we all stopped, turned off our headlamps, and enjoyed the night sky. On this particular night you could see Mars very clearly. It was shining amber with a brilliant luster to it. We also noticed all of the other star groupings, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion etc. After a short while we continued on our run.

About 15 minutes later, Gombu said he was taking off and headed for the car. We decided we were going to go a little longer so we headed directly to the spot where Brian and Jeff had encountered the witch last year. Brian wears a GPS watch so it was real easy to get to the location right down to the exact spot. We got on a trail marked for "experts only" by CAMBA and Brian informed us that this was the spot. After not feeling anything weird at all, I called out to the witch. Nothing. We ran to the end of the trail and decided to double back as this is how they experienced her last year. On the way back we walked quite a bit as the trail was rocky and slippery from the water on the ground. We still did not see or hear any witch.

Once we got back to the main road, we decided to head back. We ran for about 20 minutes and returned to the car without incident. We laughed and talked a while in the parking lot and looked at the stars some more. After sharing some Christmas cookies, it was time to part ways and head home. We had a nice 2 hour 15 minute run in the woods at night, but no sign of the witch. Oh well, there is always next year.

Christmas Morning Run

I ran this morning. Not much, but enough to qualify it as a run. After opening gifts and spending the earlier part of the morning in front of a warm fire, I decided I needed to get out and do a little running to stretch my legs out after the 3 hours of running yesterday.

It was cold so I dressed for the weather, plugged in the IPod and took to the streets of McDonald. I didn't plan to do much but once I worked out the kinks in the first 20 minutes I felt like I could run all day. It was very serene in McDonald this Christmas morning. No one was out. Everyone was warm in their houses enjoying Christmas morning. I ran in the middle of the street. I cruised all the streets that run East to West which in McDonald transfers to ups and downs. It was a good run and after I got home 45 minutes later, I was glad I ran. I did not see one living person nor pass a moving car. What a weird feeling! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Run 2007

As a member of TeamPR I have several opportunities to go on group runs with a variety of people. On the morning of Christmas Eve, 7:30 a.m. December 24th I got just that chance. I met Bob Combs (Gombu), Bill Losey (Shubi), and Jim Harris (Slim) at the Lily Pond parking lot in Mill Creek park in Youngstown, Ohio on a cold, blustery, windy morning. After we said our hellos and Merry Christmas, we decided we had better hit the trails. We started off walking, talking and catching up on each others lives. I hadn't seen Shubi in quite a long time nor had I seen Gombu much. I have the good fortune of seeing Slim at area road races with his family but we rarely have a chance to talk. So off we went.

We started by following the ridge around the top of the Lily Pond and then getting on the trail at the top of the ridge that is part of the YUT-C course. We remarked that a new sign had been placed there indicating this was trail 1. We ran and joked and tried to warm up as the wind pushed across Lake Glacier below us. This lake was aptly named on a day like this. The pace was leisurely and we enjoyed the sights, sounds and views of the park. We were quickly to the log cabin which is the hub for all the action at the YUT-C. It acts as the start and the finish for Youngstown's only Ultra Trail run. Talk quickly turned to the upcoming event in September and Gombu gave me the usual ribbing about doing it again. I reported to him that it is on my list of races for 2008 along with the Cleveland Marathon. He seemed pleased with that but reminded me of his disdain for road races by singing "Roads Suck" to the tune of "Love Stinks" by the J. Giels Band. I laughed and on we went.

We criused through the Lake Cohasset section of YUT-C and soon found ourselves on the Monkey Trail which is a great section of hill climbs and descents that take the most out of your legs. Gombu stated he wanted to try and make the first climb more gradual and have a few switchbacks in it to make it more runner friendly. After many course trials (us running in the snow on the side of a hill over fallen trees and rocks) Gombu felt he had a plan. We moved on and soon we were at Lanterman's Mill enjoying the fast moving water flowing over the falls. I thought the water looked like chocolate milk, but Slim thought more like coffee with cream.

Then comes Lake Newport. This is a section most of us don't like because there is about 1 mile of it on the road. After running the trails, it is a drag to switch over to roads. I caught myself singing Gombu's song "Roads Suck" yeah yeah! Fortunately we cruised around Newport fairly quickly (it is always better when you are running with others) and we found ourselves crossing the foot bridge to get back to the deck side of the Mill. We ran down the deck, onto the trail and quickly back up the first climb onto the Monkey Trail Extension. What a climb. It never gets easier and I tell myself I am going to start doing workouts on this trail to strengthen my legs.

Once on the Monkey Trail and traveling the other way, Gombu, Slim and Shubi start eyeballing what it looks like coming from the other way, because in the YUT-C you run the course both ways. After much debate, and more trekking on the side of the hill (more that the first time), Shubi and I decide we are going to start running again. We leave Slim and Gombu on the side of the hill debating which tree would be best to go around. Shubi and I run together from the end of the Monkey to Pioneer Pavillion and I tell Shubi that I'm going to take off (as I still have Christmas shopping to do).

Just then we see Slim and Gombu by the dam so I decide to wait a few minutes for them to catch up. Once they get there I tell them I am heading to the car which is about 5 minutes away. After some choice name calling, I am running down the trail with the three of them delaying my arrival to the car (I succumbed to peer pressure). We traveled towards Lake Glacier, came out to the road, forged our own trail into the woods and trekked to the top of the hill to find the trail on the ridge above the Lily Pond. Shubi was covered in dingleberries (burrs) and I stood and watched as he tried to pick them off. We each ran this last little section our own way. Slim ran up and down the sides of the hill like a madman, from the top to the bottom and back up. Gombu went half down right over the side of the hill and then came back up. I am not sure exactly where Shubi went but I think he was avoiding the dingleberry patch. I cruised down the main path and enjoyed the view from above the pond.

It was nice running with these guys on Christmas Eve morn. We enjoyed some good "man time" had a nice relaxed three hour run, and in the end enjoyed a nice cold adult beverage as we toasted the holiday. I think we should make this a holiday tradition and do it every year!