RCSP Loop

Today I had planned on making a trip to Seward PA which is the location of the finish line of the Laurel Highland Trail Race. I was going to do a run of about 16 miles - eight out and eight back, just to get a feel of the trail and to see what I could expect come June. I had everything packed last night and was ready to go this morning. The only thing was it was raining this morning and it was a cool 37 degrees. I would have hated to drive an hour and a half only to find out it was pouring rain. I'm committed to training but I'm not crazy.

I decided instead to drive up to to my old standby - the 20 mile loop at Raccoon Creek State Park. After driving up there and parking by the lake it was still raining. I told myself that I would skip running today and make up for it tomorrow when I would run to and from work. I pulled up to the T - intersection and stopped. If I made left I would be pussing out and go home. I decided to make a right to the trail head of the Heritage Trail. I got out of the car and started running figuring on just doing a couple of miles to see how things worked out. After I started running the rain let up just a little. I then started to sweat some so took off one of the two long sleeve shirts I was wearing. My plan then was to run to Highway 18 and if it was raining hard then I would cut the run to a 10 mile loop. If the weather started to corroborate I would continue on the loop and do a 20 mile training run.

As I crossed Highway 18 I knew that I was going to do the 20 mile loop. I really wanted to do the loop because this year I had not done one due to my injury and this could be the last chance for this year.

It turned out to be a good decision. There was just a sprinkle of rain and the weather was cool enough to be good running weather but not cold enough to be uncomfortable. The trail was damp and in some places really muddy. It was so muddy going down one hill that I almost wiped out. I have run many miles on trails and have yet to take a fall. This was the closest that I have come. I was going down a pretty steep hill and I ran into some mud which was hidden under the leaves. I was going pretty fast but every time I tried to break I would slide, so I just had to move my feet that much faster. The end result was that faster I would go, the more I would slide and the more I would slide, the faster I had to go. Things were pretty hairy for awhile.

I ended up doing the 19.5 miles in 4:01:39. I felt pretty good until the last couple of miles then it felt kinda rough. I had a Cliff Bar at the halfway mark and then a Chocolate Gul at the 15 mile mark.

Fair Weather Running

Today I went running on the Montour Trail. It was good running weather - 36 degrees, cool and cloudy. I had planned on running 20 but because I had a pretty hard run yesterday and tomorrow I promised my wife I would run with her, I decided to just to 16. On the weekend, the trail is usually full of people. There are people running, people walking dogs, and of course people on bikes. It amazes me the number of people who only exercise when the temperature is above 70 degrees. The best running weather - at least for me - is when it is between 30 and 40 degrees. Today I had run 12 miles before I saw the first person and another two miles after that before I saw the next. Fair weather runners don't know what they are missing

Psycho Running

This is the best running commercial that I've ever seen. I saw it on TV one time before the offended whiners and complainers got to Nike and they pulled it. I thought it was great. I recently located it on YouTube.



I don't think there is any runner who has watched a murderous psycho chasing someone through woods and didn't say to themselves, "He'd never catch me once I got two steps on him". I know I drive my family nuts saying that while watching horror flicks.

Running Partner

Today I finally convinced someone to do some trail running with me. I took a friend of mine (SSG S.) that works up in G-1. It was a great day for running, cloudy, with a temperature of 34. For the first time on trails I took him on the Eastern Loop at RCSP. It is a ten mile loop with the first half on the Heritage trail relatively flat with the exception of a very steep climb at the beginning. The second have on the Forrest trail has climbs over three ridge lines. It's good training because of the climbs and steep downhills. He did good but he started off a little too fast so by the time we got to the steep climbs he was a little spent. He hung in there through and we had a decent run time of 1:48.

Lead with the Mind and the Body will Follow

Today I went running on my favorite trails at Raccoon Creek State Park. I wanted to run more then the 9.5 miles of the Eastern Loop but didn't want to run the whole loop of 20 miles. I came up with the idea to run the Eastern Loop and add a loop of the Lake Trail to it for a distance of 13.5 miles. I like the Eastern Loop because it has the steepest climbs and downhills of the entire loop. Add the Lake Trail Loop and you increase the climbs by three. A great workout.

While running I saw a Red Tail Hawk and a couple of Pileated Woodpeckers. These woodpeckers are my favorite of the woodpeckers and it is always a thrill to see one. They are very shy and hard to get close to although you can hear them pecking for long distances. These two were across the lake but were easy to spot because of their size.

I have often been asked what do I think about when I'm running alone for long distances. To be honest I usually don't think of any thing but where to place my next step or should I run the upcoming hill, walk-run, or just walk the entire hill. Well this time out of nowhere I came up with a motto for ultrarunning. I'm not a very poetic person so I don't know if I had heard this somewhere and had just suppressed it until now, or if I had actually made it up. My legs were pretty well tired and I was coming up to a hill, when all of sudden this though came to my mind: "Lead with the mind and the body will follow." This is cool stuff because that is what it takes when running long distances. It is not so much the body that keeps you going, it is the mind. It is the mind that keeps you going when your body is begging to stop.

The Opening of Ewing Road

Good news. They have finally opened Ewing road here in Pittsburgh. In my run and bike ride into work this was the only choking point of the entire route. It was a narrow road with a very narrow shoulder. There was also a hill to climb so cars could not safely pass until they crested the hill. They closed it this summer to build a corporate park on the north side of the road. I fortunately found an suitable alternate route which turned out to be better then Ewing road ever was.

Well today I ran to work and decided to check on Ewing road. To my surprise it was open. The good news was that they had repaved and widen the road. They also put in a nice roomy shoulder. I can't wait to ride my bike on it. On top of this, this weekend we sit the clocks back. I've been waiting for this for awhile. Right now it doesn't get daylight until after 0715. Now it will be safer and I'll have more time to make it to work.

Thanks to the new road, I'm now looking forward to a good winter of training. I'm planning on doing the Bel Monte 50 miler near Waynesboro, VA and have to start training now. Hopefully the winter won't be too bad this year.

Oh and by the way, I had a great run in to work this morning. It was about 31 degrees outside and I forgot the number one rule in cold weather running - put on all the layers you think you will need and then take one off. I ran really strong but warmed up after the first 1.5 miles. I could have done without one of the two long sleeve shirts I was wearing.

Home Coming

Well, the kids were supposed to come home last night but given the state of today's airline service, it wasn't surprising that they didn't make it. It seems that their United Flight was canceled due to so called "bad weather". This actually turned out to be a good thing because even though their THY flight from Istanbul arrived 30 minutes early, they sat on the runway for over an hour. Because of this they wouldn't have made their connection anyway. United did do a good thing by putting them up in a hotel and scheduling them on a direct Delta Flight at 0835 this morning.

I woke them up this morning at 0545 to make sure they made the hotel shuttle to the airport at 0630. They should have had plenty of time to make their flight but because their cell phones are dead, I'm unable to confirm it. I'm now tracking the flight but as of now (0900) it isn't showing that it has taken off.

Update at 0906: I just checked the Delta website and it shows that it took off at 0832 and is expected to arrive 15 minutes early at 1011. Time to go to the airport. Don't want to be late.

Update at 1114: Picked them up and got them home. Both of them glad to be home. Alis says she's not going to leave the house for three days. It is good to finally have them home. Now we just got one more to get home.

Indian Summer

Today is a beautiful day. The temperature is in the mid 70's and the sun is out. It was a perfect day to put in 10 miles at my favorite place for running - Raccoon Creek State Park. It was a little chilly when I started out so I had on a long sleeve running shirt and a pair of running shorts. I quickly regretted the long sleeves as I climbed the first big hill. It was my first real trail run in quite awhile and it felt great. The Spring and the Fall is the best time to run out there. In the summer briers and weeds start growing over the trail but in the Spring and Fall they go to ground.

With such a beautiful place and with such great trails, I'm really surprised that not more runners take advantage of the park. I've been running there for four years and can count on one hand the number of other runners that I've seen running there. Good for me, bad for them

Fall Ride

Today I rode my motorcycle up to Raccoon Creek State Park to see the fall colors and to get some photos. The sun was out but it was quite windy - still it was a good ride. I rode Old Steubenville Pike up to Florence and then took HWY 18 to the park. I went down the western side of the park and saw a bunch of horse trailers. I followed the horse shit up the road to where the rode split off to the left onto a dirt road. I was hoping that they went left because I had planned to follow the dirt road for awhile. I got almost a quarter of a mile down the road when I saw the horses. I didn't want to pass them on a motorcycle so I turned around. I crossed HWY 18 and entered the eastern part of the park. I took it slow and easy to the lake where I took some photos. The colors are just starting to come out but I think I got a few good shots.

APFT

I took the Army Physical Fitness Test today. I had not planned on trying to run it very fast, just to have a nice comfortable run and come in around 14:30 or so. When I arrived to do the push-ups and sit-ups, I found out that this young Sergeant (28) was also going to be doing his test. During the last test he made it known that he wanted to beat me. He didn't but said he would next time. He also ran in the Army Ten Miler on our team (which placed third in our catagory) and beat me by 40 seconds. This time is was pay back.

We started out pretty fast, faster then I wanted to but I stayed behind him through out the first two laps. As we started the third lap he slowed down and I was able to past him. I stayed ahead of him for the rest of the two miles and I managed to come in at 13:16 and he came in at 13:46. That 30 seconds is going to cost him a lot of grief for the next six months until the next test. It feels good to beat someone 13 years younger then you.

My time had slowed down some since the last time I took it in April. I managed a 12:54 then, but I didn't do too bad because I didn't get to run as much this year as I wanted. I was out for two months with drop foot and had only recently got back to running. It is really hard to start back when you have been out for so long. The problem is now fixed and I'm looking forward to planning my races for next year.

Highway 33

This weekend we held an Officer Direct Commission Board for enlisted Soldiers to become Officers. We held it in Richmond VA and had a great turnout. On my way back to Pittsburgh on Sunday I decided to take what my dad always called "a wise old Indian shortcut". Leaving Richmond I followed Highway 33 all the way to Interstate 79 in West Virginia.


I was blessed with beautiful weather and beautiful scenery. Stupid me had left my camera at home. I had it in my hand before I left and then put it back thinking I wouldn't need it - never again. I had often drove parallel to the Shenandoah Skyline but had never crossed it. Highway 33 cuts right across the top of it. I didn't know what I was missing. It is a great drive and the leaves were just starting to turn. The view of the valley from the top was awesome.


As good as the drive was in Virginia it was especially good once I got into West Virginia. The rock formations at Judy Gap and Seneca Rocks were strange. I had never seen rock formations like that in the Appalachian Mountains but had seen similar ones in the Alps. I am putting both of these places on my list of places to visit again. This time I'll make sure I have my camera and plenty of time to hike some of the trails.


The wise old Indian shortcut from Richmond to Pittsburgh took me 8 hours but it was 8 hours well spent.

Army Ten Miler

Today our team placed third in the Army Ten Miler under the category of Army Reserve Mixed. I didn't do as well as I would like but given the fact that I was unable to do any running for two months and very limited running in August I didn't lose too much time from last year. Last year I ran a 1:13 and this year I managed a 1:20:55. Not a bad race but the heat and humidity was high. I found out later that one runner died 200 yards from the finish line and that they ran out of water at the Aid Stations at Miles 4 and 6. There were reports that some runners were looking for water from discarded water cups.

This was a new kind of race for me because it was the first race where I was fully funded. The team captain who is an SJA Officer, figured out how to get MWR funding from FT Dix, NJ. They paid for everything to include: travel, rooms, entry fee, and even the pasta dinner. I could definitely get used to this. I'm trying to get him to see if he can get funding for the Marine Corps Marathon next year. I really don't like doing the ATM. If I'm going to go to DC, then I want to make it worth my time. A ten mile race is almost like a sprint. You don't really have a lot of time to enjoy it. With a marathon you can take your time and enjoy yourself more...at least during the first 15 miles.

Enroute to Istanbul

This morning I took my wife and kids to the airport. They are going to Istanbul to visit my in-laws. This will be the first time my wife has visited in five years. It was sad to see them go and coming back from the airport I wished I was going with them. The kids will be coming back on October 23 but my wife will not be coming back until November the 5th. Because of the time they will be getting into JFK, I will have to pick them up. Either that, or they will have to spend the night and fly out the next day. My Dad will be coming up to go with me to pick them up.

The above photo is one that I took in 2002. The sky has been changed with Photoshop

Running or Lack Of

I haven't been able to run since the end of May. I have a very strange aliment that even puzzles the doctors. I woke up one morning, unable to bend my right foot toward my shin. There are no marks, swelling or pain. It just doesn't work so when I walk or run it just kinda flops down.

I have had electromagnetic testing done to test my nerves and while there was a slight abnormality, there was nothing major wrong. I'm pretty sure it a nerve problem but I know have to go for an MRI and see a Neurologist. Hopefully this thing will go away because in the last few days it seems as if it is getting better. On Tuesday, I actually went running and did 2 miles. I ran in 16:34 but it seemed as if I had run ten miles. I can tell that I'm out of shape and it will take sometime to get back into it. Hopefully it won't be long.

Alternate Form of Transportation

Well I finally bought myself a motorcycle. I bought a 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD off of a coworker. His wife owned it and only drove it 126 miles. At first I wasn't too crazy about the color but now I like it better then black. It is really a nice ride and has a lot of pep. I I have bought a passenger back rest for it and hope to have a new photo soon.

Bikes and Rain

Today was the first day I rode my bike to work since the weekend ride.  It was a beautiful ride in - just wished it was the same coming home.  At around 1700 we started to noticed very dark clouds coming toward the office.  I quickly changed and started riding as fast as I could.  I only made it half way when it really started to pour.  It was like a monsoon with thunder and lighting.  I sit at the edge of some one's lawn under a group of pine trees until the lighting started to get closer.  I noticed that a shed with an open porch on it.  I sit under it and decided after waiting 20 minutes that the rain wasn't going to let up.  I called my wife who was working and she said that she was on the way.  Meanwhile the rain let and I wanted to finish my ride; however, my wife had already left.  She would have been pissed if she had drove out to get me and I wasn't there so I waited.  I loaded up the bike wimped out and  road home in the car.

Scarlet Tanager

Today I went running up at Raccoon Creek State Park. I decided to run the Eastern Loop twice - once Clockwise and the other Counter Clockwise. It would give me 19 miles of good trail running. I decided to do two loops of the Eastern Loop instead of the loop of the whole park. The western part of the trails are not as hilly and in places the trail is covered in weeds and briers and is often very muddy in places.

I felt very good throughout the run but did start to tire a little at the end. The trail was the most crowded that I have ever seen it. On my return lap I ran into eight hikers in five different groups. Previously I had never seen more then three people. The amazing thing about this run was my split times. I ended up doing the first lap in 1:541.16 and the second one in the other direction in 1:54.23 - only 7 seconds apart.

I also saw a bird that I had never seen before. As I was running through a stand of old pines, something red fly past my face. It was almost close enough to reach out and touch. I thought that it was a Cardinal but when it landed I saw that it was too small to be a Cardinal plus it had black wings. It was a Scarlet Tanager. I had seen photos of them before and knew that they were in this area but I never expected to see one. It is a very beautiful bird and wasn't very afraid of me. I was able to walk within ten feet of the tree that it was on before it flew away.

Sometimes It Just Isn't Your Day

Sometimes things just doesn't go right. This morning after just returning from our training at VA Beach, I couldn't wait to ride my bike to work. I have been riding it pretty regular at least 2 - 3 times a week to work. I got dressed and went in the garage ready to ride. As soon as I walked up to the bike the back tire went flat right before my eyes. I quickly pulled the tube out and patched it up and put it back in. I told my wife that I was leaving and to standby the phone - just in case. I only made in a mile and a half when it went flat again. Another sign that things just wasn't going to work out for me was that I had slowed down real slow to ride through this grassy area when my chain slipped off the lower ring. Anyone who rides knows, when you stop going forward you had be unclip fast. I wasn't fast enough and tipped over. That was pretty embarrassing but not as embarrassing as sitting on the side of the road waiting on your wife to pick you up. It just wasn't meant to be so I ended up driving.

Run to VA Beach

Today I ran from Dam Neck to VA Beach. It was a total of 16 miles - six to VA Beach, two along the Boardwalk, and back again. The run was good and I had plenty of energy. I ran on a MUP that ran all the way to the Boardwalk. Most of the run was on a paved path but some was on concrete and my legs are feeling it. It's good to know that I can still finish a 16 miler. I need some more time to prepare for the 18 mile trail run coming up in June but I should be okay with at least one more long run. I'll probably do a 20 at Raccoon Creek State Park.

Dam Neck

We are having our annual Retention Training with includes a Ball in Dress Blues. The best part is that it is at Virginia Beach and I have some time to catch up on my running and cycling. Today I had a great run. We are staying at Dam Neck Navy Base, which is right on the beach. I ran the length of the base to the South Gate, turned left to the beach and ran the 2.5 miles along the beach back to Lodging for a five mile run. The weather was perfect for running - cloudy with the temperature cool at 64 degrees.