MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Best to all and to all a good night!

Finally-A Thanksgiving Report!

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post! Over the holidays, we had Mike, Merri Lynn, Kathleen and Paul in town for T-day. We all had a great time! This photo was taken at the Cincinnati Zoo on a beautiful, crisp fall day. Paul slept through the entire event, but the girls had a great time checking out all the cool animals. As usual, we headed over to Wyoming, OH for a Cordes dinner that couldn't be beat. Friday took us to the Boathouse for a great Rib dinner, then on Saturday, we headed over to Grandma's house for even more food. Ack!
Mom and Dad have a new addition to the family! About a month ago, after Foggy's passing, the parents decised to get a DOG!!! Worried at first, I am happy to say that they have really stepped up and have done a great job with their new family member, Real...the Springer Spaniel. He's extremely friendly and very cute! He has been going through rigorous training and is quite the charmer. We are looking forward to taking care of him while Mom and Dad are in Texas over the Christmas holidays.

Halloween Fun - The Joker, Batman, Mario & Luigi

When you mix the weekend, great weather, and terrific costumes together, you can't help but have an awesome Halloween.

Greta(Joker) and neighbor Frankie (Batman) along with Hanley (Luigi) and friend Sophia (Mario) are showing off their costumes. Trick or Treat started at 6:00pm and went till 8. When all was said and done, we ended up with about 30 pounds of candy and two worn out tooth brushes!

Training -wise, I am finally recovering after my 50k held on the 19th of October. I was really tired up until the last week and have been able to get in some good 6 milers this week with just a little IT band pain. I am going to go easy for another week and then start to ramp it up. One thing I would like to do is incorporate more speed-work and hill training to build some much needed strength in these areas...if I can remain injury-free, that is!!

TTFN

Stone Steps...DONE DEAL!!

Everything started out just great this morning. With about 67 runners participating, the race started promptly at 8:00 am, temperature in the mid 40s. Throughout the event, it rose to about 65 and the sun was out the entire time.

The course was beautiful and I felt I had prepared fairly well for the event, though as mentioned in previous posts, I was a bit concerned about IT band and hamstring issues. Everything seemed to be working fine until about mile 23, just as I was beginning the final two loops, a 3.5 miler and the final 5.3 miler. I was very sluggish going into the smaller loop and found myself walking more than running. I was also running alone, which is usually not good for me. Fortunately, someone caught ups to me and gave me some encouraging words. I managed to work my way to the check point and prepped myself to head out one last time for the final 5.3 miles. I downed some PB&J sandwiches and a GU and started out.

About 1 mile later (27), I bonked...everything hurt. My toes, IT and hamstring started to really ache. I fell into a brisk walk to try and recover, but with every descent, my toes screamed, "stop!" I kept catching roots with my shoes, further intensifying the pain. The constant barrage of stones and roots on the trail also caused extreme discomfort as it forced me to shift my footing constantly. Mile 28...3 more to go. I pushed on at a steady gait. My goal was 6:30, and I was 5:50 hours into it.

Still alone, I walked for the next mile or so and reached the fourth and final ascent of the stone steps. This felt pretty good as it helped to stretch everything out a little bit and I was able to run on a smooth part of the trail for about half a mile. I was getting so close, but the pain resurfaced and forced me to walk again for the next 1.5 miles or so. 6:15 and still another 1.75 mils to go with another steep descent and nasty climb before the finish. At 6:35, I reached the 30.5 mile mark and knew it was going to be OK. Thank god for a small group of runners coming up behind me. This boosted my adrenaline just enough to scramble to the finish with the family waiting.

Sophie, thanks for the encouragement. I met a guy there with a VHTRC shirt on! I think his name was Bill Lohse (?).

Ouch, I hurt, but I did it! 6:42 hours later I have completed my first ultra! Unfortunately no photos, but plenty of memories. It's going to be a sore morning!

TTFN

Stone Steps Training Update

I have been icing/stretching/resting a lot (maybe too much - only about 8 miles this week) and taking my ibuprophen regularly, so I'm hoping come Sunday, things will fall into place. I'm just going to go out slow and hang on for 31 miles. But if things start to tighten up too much, I have no problem with calling it quits.
Weather is going to be sunny and cool in the morning (low 40's) with a high of about 65. I'm hoping for some fog...that would be cool to run through! I'll have photos and a race update next week!
TTFN

Stone Steps...this Sunday

Aaaaagh...I have just sent in my registration. I am hoping that I have trained enough, despite the sore left leg issues. The course shown at left (click to enlarge), is a series of loops: 4 large loops (5.3 miles) and three small loops (about 3.5 miles). The weather is supposed to be great...cool in the AM and warming up to the 70s by noon.
I have been trying to follow Sophie's fueling, stretching and icing advice for the past week, but I'm still sore. I am hoping the adrenaline and other runners will smooth things out and make for a great adventure in downtown Cincinnati!
TTFN

StoneSteps 50K Training Update

Given that Mt. Airy Forest in right next door to downtown Cincinnati, it is a beautiful park and a surprisingly great place for an ultra-marathon...the Stone Steps 50K. I went for a long training run on Saturday, about 16 miles, and the trails are totally clear of debris from Hurricane Ike. Unfortunately, my hamstring and IT issues have resurfaced. I am stretching like crazy and hoping that plenty of rest and rehab will make the Stone Steps a reality. With just under 2 weeks to go, I am going to wait until race day to register. So for now, I'm going one day at a time. This afternoon, I struggled through about 1.5 miles with discomfort.
Frustrating indeed.

The Speidel Reunion

It's a rare opportunity when the Speidel brothers get together. This weekend, we had that opportunity, though bitter sweet. It was my Uncle Dick's memorial service. Yet, despite the sad circumstances, it was great to get everyone together to share stories, photos and laughter.

We had a great collection of Speidel family including Scott, Kathy, Conner and Nancy, RaeAnn and Reeve, Liz, Erin and Kate, Champe and Lisa, Russ and Walter, Whitney, Uncle Jack and Nancy, and Rusty and Sophie.

Anyway, the plan is to get together again under more positive circumstances...
Let's do it!

TTFN

How's My Training Going?

Well, I'll tell you...
I have had a few good weekends, putting in a 14 and 12 miler in over the previous two weeks. But I have a nagging pain that just doesn't seem to get better. It's right at the top of my femur...a sharp pain that kind of wraps around my butt! After about 10 miles, my legs start to go almost numb and I just shut down and start walking. Sciatic nerve, perhaps? This has put a major cramp in my training for the Stone Steps 50K. My hope was to do a 17-20 miler today, but soreness and heat pretty much screwed that up; I managed 7 miles; and with the race in mid October, I may have missed my window for getting in a quality long run before the taper.
Speaking of Stone Steps, turns out Hurricane Ike, which paid us a visit last Sunday, really tore up the course. According to one runner who checked it out, the trail is littered with fallen trees and limbs. I guess it is up to the Cincinnati Park Board to take care of this.
Anyway, I will push on and probably still give it a go. I always seem to find added stamina when I'm running with others.

See you next time!

Lost Yet Another Friend...and Uncle

These "Lost Another Friend" posts are getting old and I don't like them. But, unfortunately I regret to say that my Uncle Dick passed away this morning around 7:00am from complications from cancer. He had been fighting this awful disease for quite a while and it finally got the best of him while vacationing in Cedarville, MI.

Surrounded by son, daughter and friends, he passed peacefully in his beloved vacation home on LaSalle in the Les Cheneaux islands. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Ironically, this photo was taken at the memorial gathering for his wife Liz, who also passed away from cancer. But finally, they are together once again, enjoying peace and love in heaven.

It's not fair, and while I dread these posts, but I don't want to forget the people that have touched my life.

TTFN

Group Training Run-SS50K

Hi all,
Went on a nice training run at Mt. Airy forest this morning with a great group of Ultra-Runners. The pace was slow and steady and I heard some great stories from some ultra veterans. Everything went well until my shoe "broke" as I pulled the laces tight. The piece of plastic that tightened the shoe around my ankles snapped off, so I felt a little wobbly during the run. I got in about 3 hours(12 miles) of running before things started to get painful. The shoe in question: Montrail Hurricane Ridge. I had read some reviews about this shoe and found that this flaw has happened to others. To be honest, this broken piece rendered the shoe useless! Ouch!
Anyway, things are on track for the SS50K in mid October.
More to come...
A

Foggy Update

Well, thing are not looking as good as we had hoped for Foggy...she is again missing as of Wednesday night. Last time we saw her she was laying in the flower bed, but looking very skinny, weak and dehydrated. I brought her inside, put her on her bed and assumed that I would be back in the morning to bury her. Next morning (Wednesday) she was gone, and I mean not in her bed!

Visions of "Pet Cemetery" entered my brain as I searched the house, expecting Foggy to creep up from the basement with sunken eyes and a low, eerie meow. I looked all over the house...nothing. I noticed that I had forgotten to close the back screen door. My hope is that she found a safe place to lie down and pass on, again.

Eeek.


TTFN

Found a Friend!!!

Foggy has been found! I still can't believe it, but we got word this morning that a dark brown calico cat had been found in the neighborhood. Just two doors down from my parents place, Foggy wandered into their back yard. Assuming she was lost and in poor health, they took her in, went to the vet and got her checked out. Turns out, she is in good health, but has a hyper-active thyroid. So...with proper medication and plenty of food, she should be fine. Who knew?
Welcome back, Foggy!

Lost Another Friend - Foggy the Cat

For 2 months I have been taking care of my parent's cat, Foggy, a very frail (20+ years old) calico. Well, for the past few days I have not seen her anywhere - not in the house - not outside. Last time I saw her she looked really tired and very "old." My fear is she has wandered off to put herself to rest. I have searched the entire house in hope of finding her sleeping in some remote corner, but no luck. I talked to a few cat people and both have assured me that cats do have a sense when their time is near and tend to find a safe, quiet spot to go...though I am still keeping an eye out just in case. Anyway, we miss her and glad she had a great life.
TTFN

Newtown 5K

Finally...after all my years living in Anderson Township, I ran the Newtown 5K. What the hell took so long? I have no idea. But this morning was a beautiful day and I woke up inspired. And with little time to spare, I threw on my running gear, grabbed a $20 from the petty cash jar and high-tailed it down the street to register, and I am so glad I did.

My race report: Fast course. After registering, I had about 30 minutes to warm up among the 600+ other participants. Walking around the starting area, I started to feel really old, as I realized most of the participants were middle and high-school cross-country runners putting in some needed speed work for the up-coming season. I was fine with that..
.
I felt pretty good gearing up for the start. After the gun, we made our way. Less than 7 minutes later, I heard the 1 mile volunteer blurt out, "6:50."
Now, I usually don't take off this fast, but this was great. "Was that the FIRST mile?" I asked the old man running next to me.

OK, so the first mile is basically down hill, but it was great inspiration to keep it going strong. I finished just a tad over 22 minutes and was very pleased with the results...8min/mile is my usual standard!

Ok then...TTFN

Ultra Wannabes-Visit Mt. Airy Forest

I admire ultrarunners. The stories I read always involve high levels of comraderie, cool equipment, intense situations, and an awesome post-race social atmosphere. In my running career, I have run 5 marathons, 3 halfs and numerous 5 and 10 k's, yet I have never taken on the challenge of an ultra.

Reason? I believe it's partly due to geography. Trail running in my part of the world did not blossom until recently, and those who had an interest had to travel to another zip code to experience a great trail. Eventually, Cincinnati runners discovered local parks that could provide a decent trail running experience, Mt Airy Forest and East Fork Lake are two good examples.

Over the last few weekends, I have made the 30 minute commute to Mt. Airy for some nice 10 mile trail runs and have really enjoyed the adventure of cruising along the single-track route, dodging root and rock, trying not to sheer an ankle or take a tumble. The experience is serene, quiet and tough! The goal: The Stone Steps 50K in October.

The race is several loops through the rolling park trails, with one major climb per loop up a huge and steep hill of stone steps. It is not pretty! But...it is a nice view once you reach the top.
Anyway, if all goes well over the next few months, I will take the plunge and give the Stone Steps a try. Wish me luck, because I know if I complete one of these things, I'll be itching for another.
TTFN

Michigan is Dog Country!

Summer vacation was a little touch and go for me this year as I spent the first few days horizontal with a sinus infection; but it eventually passed. Courage was finally able to make his first trip to the UP. He had a great time playing in the water and just hanging out. He's getting on in years, so he moved kind of slow, but none-the-less, we were glad he joined us. This photo shows Maura and Courage at a beach east of Cedarville towards DeTour. The water was a balmy 60+ degrees. OUCH! 

Ouch! My IT Band hurts!

I'm stretching and taking Ibuprofin...but I know it's going to take some time to get this back to normal. Rats!
I've been doing some easy runs, but after about three miles, it tends to flare back up. It's a frustrating process but it will get better.
That's where I am now...
TTFN
A

Lost Another Friend

I got to know Matt Schaefer when I started dating Maura. He was her next-door neighbor. When I was browsing through the photos posted on his Caring Bridge site, I came across this one and immediately recognized the hair as the classic Matt look. That is how I remember him best, and will continue to remember him. Wonderful guy...

Matt passed away, peacefully with family at his side, on Tuesday evening (yesterday) from cancer.

Fun Memorial Day!

It's a rare treat when the VA Speidels visit us in Cincinnati. We took total advantage of their presence this Memorial Day weekend when we headed down to Coney Island t take in a few rides. Here are the three cousins ready to roll! We spent a few hours takin in the rides and eating some fine food...the Montgomery Inn Combo meal was a big hit...NOT! Poor Rusty had some issues with one of the rides, but we all survived, puke-free!
Looking forward to another get-together soon!
TTFN,
Andy