Chicken Jalfrezi Drivin' Me Crazy

A little nostalgia goes a long way. My hometown's newspaper in recent weeks has been posting archives of area high school sports & sporting events and this past week was a spread of track pictures from April 1993.

At Zane Trace High School 26 years ago as a high
school junior, my flowing locks are long gone.

Several photos included people I used to know, some folks I still hang out with and a handful of yours truly. This one in particular made me laugh and had an even longer thread than I ever imagined.

After sharing this picture, one of the guys I run with weekly now - Seth - commented on the guy in white in the lead in the picture (mentioning him by name) saying, "He was a good runner". I replied back that I knew the dude well (Brad Lykins), having finished behind him for nearly three years. "I guarantee we ran against each other back then too," he says.

Sure enough, moments later Seth sends me a photo of results from a tri-meet from about this time. The schools taking part were my high school (Southeastern), Seth's (Waverly) and the school Lykins attended (Piketon). And in the results you see all three of us mentioned, showing Lykins winning the two mile with me finishing behind in third and Seth second in the half mile, finishing second to - not joking here - Brad's twin brother Chad.

Weird, just weird

Now I vaguely remember this meet, but it was even more weird that Seth and I had gone to schools about 15 miles (20 minutes) apart and had to have run against each other for a couple of years. Here it is 20 years later and we are still running with/against one another. We know each other as 40-somethings through our mutual running pal Traffic Panther Gary. He, too, is from southern Ohio and went to Logan High School and I can bet money that if you looked hard enough, you could find meet results from the early 90s (track or cross country) where all three of us appear.

We are teammates now on a Columbus Running Company Advanced Training group and meet every week with a number of others for a track workout and enter races on weekends. It is simply silly at how small the world really is sometimes. Oh, and for what it's worth, Seth's Waverly squad won that tri-meet back in 1993 beating my Southeastern team by six points. Despite their heroics, those Lykins boys and their Piketon team finished last - serves them right.

With the spring weather being warm and more than decent, L and I paid a visit to our friends at Staas Brewing  last weekend. The food truck on hand this night was Two Fatt Indians and upon my asking, it was suggested I get the Chicken Jalfrezi (Jal-Fray-Zee). The gentleman behind the counter asked how spicy I wanted it and being a spicy food addict, I asked, "How hot can I get it?" I was told to pick from a scale of one to six, with six being the hottest. He then said, "I will give you a five, then the next time you can come up to the six. I want you to actually taste the food because it is really, really good."

I agreed to this and he was right, it was excellent and as spicy as I wanted it to be. My scalp started to sweat and L pointed to my face as it started to glisten - but I loved it. I had a huge plate full of food and took only a small portion of leftovers home for later in the week. I highly recommend these guys the next time you are in and around Columbus. The food went great with the Double Coffee Chocolate Oatmeal Stout Staas had tapped that weekend.

As April's end nears, the OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon has returned and the approach to this year's event will be a bit different than last. In 2018 I was working on breaking the 90 minute barrier and did so by 3:30 (1:26:30) while tagging along with Gary and Seth. This stood as my half marathon PR until two weeks ago when I hammered out a 1:25:53 at the Athens Half Marathon in the downpour.

We were expecting excellent spring weather for this version of the Cap City so the odds were in favor of improving on that two week old personal record on this relatively flat course of which I know all too well.

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Of course race week couldn't go smoothly. After an easy four mile run on Sunday, my left knee was a bit sore. That evening it was downright painful and swollen in the area of the meniscus, just above the tibia. With Monday being an off day, I iced the area as much as I could and most of the swelling had evaporated by Tuesday afternoon. It was still a bit tender and I moved gingerly, but not because it hurt. It was because since it had hurt before, I was expecting to feel pain and purposefully avoided putting my full weight and motion on to it.

At Tuesday's track workout there was some stiffness and it was little uncomfortable, but I needed to see if I would get some work in without favoring that knee. Running with a group would offer more of an opportunity to move around and it did the trick. I ran along with CRC Westerville Teammate Ken for our 2000 x 1500 x 1000 x 500 with decreasing rest in between workout. There was some soreness, but nothing to worry too much about. It was now time to crank down the pace & miles to prepare for Saturday morning.

The Cap City Half had the same course as last year, starting and finishing in downtown Columbus. The route heads south into German Village, then turns back north to downtown and into Victorian Village, lingers through the Ohio State University Campus before turning back south and eventually crossing the Arena District and finishing on the backside of the downtown location where we started.

We couldn't have asked for better weather: blue sky, sunshine and 50 something or other degrees with a light breeze. Squeezing into Corral A, Traffic Panther Gary, Columbus Running Company Teammate Mark & I ready for the start as we hoped to pull each other along to lower some personal records. As we take off the three of us are cruising along comfortably, mingling with like minds while being passed by over zealous runners and those who are just simply that good. At mile one, the three of us are in at 6:21 - not too fast, not too slow.

Near mile marker three

Making the turn and headed for mile two, I laugh as we come upon a small group and I go left to go around - out of the corner of my eye I see Gary go right to go around and Mike is directly behind them waiting for the Red Sea to part (we have you surrounded!). It doesn't feel like we've sped up, though we are starting to gain on a few others. At the marker we come in at 6:25, I'm right - we aren't going faster, some folks have just slowed. We turn back north and Gary and Mike fall out of my peripheral, ahead I see a couple of folks I recognize and focus on them. Also, my legs feel really good and without thinking keep stride to maintain the distance between us.

At miles three & four, I've sped up but I'm not feeling it (6:15, 6:13). The sun and the cool air are making everything comfortable and to keep myself focused I continue gazing at the familiar folks about 20 years ahead, along with reviewing my mechanics. Now downhill towards the mile five marker at Goodale Park, I see L and I'm still a bit surprised at how good I'm feeling (6:17). The next few miles along Neal Avenue and into the Ohio State University campus are at a slight incline and I see a couple of those in the group I'm transfixed on have dropped off and I'm reeling them in.

Approaching mile marker
twelve, about to mingle
with the quarter marathon
crowd.

From here on at each mile marker, I glance at the clock as I go by and instead of searching for my mile split I do the math on what I need to do to keep pace with the potential PR - it is exciting, I'm way ahead. As expected, miles six, seven and eight are slower (6:27, 6:21, 6:23) as the slight up hill winds through campus. The group in front is smaller and has increased their distance, but not by much. We've turned to make the return trip and I can feel some fatigue creeping it's way in, but the next few miles are at a decline. A bit worried about crashing, I focus on my mechanics and realize I haven't been passed for several miles.

Miles 9, 10 and 11 go by (6:19, 6:21, 6:16) and I'm able to take over a handful of folks - each time egging them on to go with me to the next person. During this time I see Traffic Panther Kevin & Susan throwing out some encouragement, the familiar faces & voices are comforting. It is getting real and the next two miles back into downtown Columbus are at an incline. Officially wearing out now, I'm going through the motions as best I can and just as the half marathoners meet up with the remaining 10k participants I am over taken by another at mile 12 (6:31).

At the finisher's party: Traffic Panthers Sarah, Gary,
Mark and I

I pass by L a second time as I weave in and out of the crowd of slower quarter marathoners. I'm passed again just as I reach the straight away home stretch on High Street. I feel like I'm in quicksand and the finish line seems to get further away. As the clock comes into view, it's in the 1:23 range and 1:24 is approaching fast - I throw all I have left in an effort to make it in before it changes. About five feet before I get there, one of the quarter marathoners (who are told to say to right, the half participants stay on the left) drifts left and raises his hands in celebration directly in front of me. Not feeling like taking a detour, I'm still full steam ahead and run into this left shoulder and raised forearm which in my path. I shoved his arm aside, cross the finish line and stop my watch.

Attempting to catch my breath, I'm looking around and see no water or liquid refreshment in sight. I don't bother to look for the guy I just ran into, at this point I'm too annoyed to wonder. Shuffling at a snail's pace through the chute, I'm handed a finisher's medal - but still no water. I remember to glance at my watch and fist pump to myself as I see 1:23:54 - I did break, barely, 1:24. This is over 2 1/2 minutes faster than at this event last year and a new PR for me - beating my previous best (from the Athens Ohio Half Marathon) set two weeks ago by a full two minutes. I then look around and say to everyone, "Where in the hell is the water?".

Walking what seemed like forever (somewhere between 100  & 200 meters), I finally come to the water stand and grab a bottle. As I begin downing it, I see Gary to my right. He, too, has garnered a bottle of water and says to me, "They need to have that water much closer to the finish."  

"That's exactly what I said!", I reply.

Patio beers at Ill Mannered: Dark Ego Black Gose &
Feeling Dangerous Belgian Tripel.

We continue through the chute and make our way to the finisher's party and meet up with the Traffic Panthers who also took part in the event - Mark, Sarah (both ran the quarter marathon) and Patricia (who also ran the half). Not too long after, L joined in the fun and helped me partake in the finisher's pizza, Land-Grant Beer, Patron Margarita and White Claw Hard Seltzer we all received. When all was said and done, I finished 44th out of 5,272 and 4th in my age group. I felt bad for picking it up a bit early when Gary, Mark and I were still in our own pack, but all three of us ended up with PR's - Gary finishing 50th and Mark 66th. Looking at the full results I noticed the guy I tagged along with for most of the Athens Ohio Marathon two weeks ago and finished ahead of me by nine seconds, finished ten seconds and two spots behind me on this day. There is something to be said for consistency.

After hanging out for a bit L and I headed north to nearby Powell to grab some food and beers at Ill Mannered Brewing and watch - in hysterics - the 1st Annual Alternative Sports Extravaganza Palooza Fest taking place on the patio in the full sun. This included some serious work in the categories of: Staring Contest, Coin Flip, Cowboy - Ninja - Grizzly Bear and Thumb War; fun was had by all. Beer friends Tom, Dan and professional mouth Spartan Biscuit did an excellent job of hosting & emceeing.

We now have a nice break until the New Moon Half & Quarter Marathon, Crescent Moon 5K around our hometown in Delaware, Ohio on Memorial Day weekend - I'm running the half and L is going to try her hand at the quarter marathon.

Oh yeah... on Sunday, the day after the half marathon, L's parents informed us of a cool looking table one of our neighbors had put out for someone to take. Interested, but preoccupied, L simply forgot about it. Later that night, just as we were about to go to bed, L says, "I forgot about that table, do you wanna go take a look at it?"

I look at her as if her hair has been replaced with snakes, "...It's 10:30pm?"
"I know, but I just remembered."
     Perturbed, I relent, "Fine, where are we going?!"
"Mom & Dad says it's across the street from the elementary school"

The Sunday night roadtrip pain in the rear

We get in my car and drive two blocks down, it is in good shape, could be useful, but it is not small. We attempt, but it will not fit in the trunk or the back seat. I'm now more annoyed, L is disappointed and says, "It would probably would have been easier to walk it home in the daylight."
She ponders for a moment or two.

"L, do you want the table or not? We are parked in the middle of the street, in the middle of the night unsuccessfully trying to Tetris a giant free-to-a-good-home table into my Passat! I'm sure the cops will be coming shortly."

She pauses again, I roll my eyes and bite the bullet, "Do you WANT to WALK the table home?"
Behind a sheepish smile, she looks up and says in a slow, giddy draw, "Yyyeesssss"

I drive us home in protest, park the car and we hoof it back down the street. After finding the best way to handle the awkward monstrosity, we lugged it in the worst black ops mission ever two blocks back along the hilliest portion of our neighborhood having to stop twice in order to take a breather. The table will come in handy and does need a bit of maintenance, but looks great on our carport patio - though I wanted to burn it in effigy that evening.

With that said, L and I are ready for summer - we have a garden planned, my homegrown hops are taking off, we are organizing our wedding, have our honeymoon set and aren't taking ourselves too seriously. Yeah, we aren't your stereotypical couple. We plan things around races, brewery visits and bird watching ventures - all of those typical couple things, you know, there all hype. We'll stick to the awkward lines that we know...

The Cordial Sins - Sick of the Hype

I’m just sick of the hype and it shows

It never is enough

I’ll just stick to the lines that I know

Because they’re good enough

Photos Courtesy of Lauren B., CRC Teammate John Teal & CapCity Sports Media 

Race SWAG 

The race camera caught the collision

The end is near!

A closer finishing version

The reward!

42 Hours, 28 Miles, 2 Cities, 1 PR

It's crazy at what some people will do in order to motive others, to reach some sort of grand measurement or status. With the third installment of The Buck Fifty - Southern Ohio's Premier 150 Mile, 24 Hour, 10 Person Team Relay on the way, our team captain Mark (the same guy who initially put our team together then ditched us prior to the event's first year to go on a cruise) wanted team Traffic Panthers to make a giant splash.

With all of us now running regularly, his proposal was this - if we could finish, as a team, in under 23 hours he would punish himself by running the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon come October. Not that we needed incentive, but the experience of watching Captain Treadmill...er...I mean Mark...suffer filled us all with glee. This is the guy who watched us struggle with the Buck Fifty two years ago from the tropics and sent pictures of his fun times to rub it in. His nickname, Captain Treadmill, comes from his penchant for not liking the cold and running indoors nine months of the year.

The task is possible. Our finish at the initial race in 2017 had us finishing 18th of 38 teams in 24:36.24 and last year 19th of 69 teams in 23:51.20. If the ten of us could shave five minutes - total - off of our three routes, we would be golden. Though, here is the challenge. We have changed up the roster so that everyone will be running three routes brand new to them this year, so familiarity would not benefit us. And Van #1 & Van #2 have switched, meaning not only would we be running different routes, we would be covering different time frames and portions of  Ross County as in year's past.

Being now a member of Van #1, we would begin Friday afternoon with Mark leading us off at 5pm from Ohio University-Chillicothe. Our finish would be, hopefully, less than 23 hours (and 150 miles) later at the same location. This year I was the owner of the fourth position, meaning I would be running legs 4, 14 and 24. We would be greeted with sunshine and temperatures hanging around 70.

My first leg's (Route #4) description, according to the The Buck Fifty:

1. Turn left onto St. Rt. 550 and stay to the left as much a possible.

2. 0.6 Miles turn left onto Biers Run Rd.

3. Follow this across the bridge over US 35 and stay on Biers Run Rd. all the way

to the checkpoint at the intersection of Biers Run and Caitlin Dr.

I gathered the baton from Traffic Panther Eric at Sun Valley Campground at dusk on Friday night and within moments I pass a competitor. Shortly thereafter I turn to navigate the bridge over the state route and a glance to my left was a picturesque view of the red, yellow and orange sunset slowly evaporating over the horizon.

A relatively flat route evolved into in a small hill before flattening out again and I would pass two additional competitors before reaching my first exchange. It would officially be nighttime as I hand off to Traffic Panther Dave, having covered the 4.49 miles in 30:02. The first team transition at Adena High School would be odd for us as this was the place we began the previous two years. Doing just the opposite had it's benefits as the school had lots of food available. I had a slice of pizza, a bowl of potato soup and was given several peanut butter sandwiches in zip top bags to take with me for the rest of the way.

This monster used me as his bed

Dave arrives and hands off to Van #2's Traffic Panther Sarah, and our first mission is completed. We head off to Traffic Panther Mark's nearby house to crash for about two hours before our next round. While there I kept with a personal tradition and drank a beer during the downtime, a Lagunitas Hop Stoopid from Mark's fridge would do. His wife Anna would have a giant plate of scramble eggs and two pounds of bacon for us (six dudes) to scarf down before getting some rest. Just like years before, I didn't really sleep. I sort of closed my eyes and relaxed with Mark's German Springer snoring away while spread eagle on my lap with the sounds of sports highlights being detailed from the talking heads on the TV. At about midnight (90 minutes later), we shook off the cobwebs and piled into the van for our next destination.

At the grain mill we meet up with our Van #2 members for the second transition. Soon Traffic Panther Chris and her headlamp emerge from the darkness and she hands of to Mark for his second route, the time is about 1:15 in the morning.

Following Mark, a couple of us get to navigate the trails of Great Seal State Park. At the exchange prior to mine, the folks at the shelter house have a giant fire to ward off the chill. It is about 50 degrees, but it isn't warm if you are just standing and waiting. They also have baked beans and pulled pork sandwiches available, which smelled awesome. Though, I couldn't take part for I would be running again soon.

My second leg's (Route #14) description goes like this:

1. Runner will leave the parking lot checkpoint and stay on the purple trail headed through

the grassy area.

2. Go across the creak and head into the trail system. This will be point R. This trail will

climb about 400 feet in elevation in the first .8 miles but will leave you with a beautiful

view over the city of Chillicothe at night. You will go to EE, O and then to Z for the points

on the maps in the Great Seal Trails.

3. As you work your way up the trail system to Mt. Ives you should be able to see

headlamps up to your left as you ascend and then down to your left as you look back from

Mt. Ives.

4. Follow the ridge of the trail past point X and on to point N. At this point you will really be

working your way down the hill to point M where you will exit the park by crossing a small creek, and then turn right onto Lick Run Rd.

5. Follow Lick Run Rd. past the Ross County Human Society and turn to your left at the stop

sign onto Lick Run Rd. Follow this past Blacksmith Hill which will be on your right, and

continue straight to Springfield Township fire house dead ahead. This will be at the corner of Lick Run Rd. and Musselman Station Road.

Traffic Panther Eric and his safety lights appear coming down from a trail, crosses a road and hands off to me at the exchange just after 3am, it is 45 degrees. I then race back into the woods onto another trail to disappear into the darkness. Now I have a headlamp, but I brought along my Knuckle Lights as a precaution and I'm thankful I did. I even wore my glasses (held in place by my skull cap), but it was still difficult to see the trail. There were reflective signs indicating the Buck Fifty route every so often, but the between portions forced you to be on guard and scanning for directions at all times.

Chillicothe knows what is going on

After crossing a creek, it is uphill on some switchbacks and about five minutes later I start to see the faint safety lights of the competitor in front of me. I notice I'm gaining on him quickly, that's when I realize he is struggling up the giant hill with the ridiculous grade. I'm working the incline, but feel like I'm running in place. No matter how much effort you put in, you feel like you are stuck in third gear. The key is keep moving in one way or another and not attempt to look up hill. I make my way to him and he is now walking, but moves to the side to let me go by. I'm not walking, but I'm at a snail's pace and my legs, and lungs, are on fire.

Moments later, I glance up to see the top of the hill. The faint change in darkness from the ground above and the night sky was a welcome sight. I made it and I'm still running and I didn't walk, though I so wanted to, and I'm paying for it as my body is aching. Scanning the ground to make sure I'm on the trail, I can see the lights of the Chillicothe horizon in my peripheral as the winding downhill allows my legs to recover. I trip and catch myself with my hands and right knee, but bounce back up to continue on in one motion. "Yeah", I thought, "that's gonna leave a mark." The lights of road below emerge and before I know it I'm off the trail and I have hit asphalt again, turning to my right I crank up the pace knowing the exchange is a bit more than a mile away.

Van Transition #2, a mix of Traffic Panthers

Being able to stride out without hesitation, I soon pass two more competitors along the dark road and into focus comes my second exchange. I pass an official who asks for my team number, she then texts ahead to the exchange to let everyone know who was coming in. I see the Springfield Township Fire Station, hear some music, see some people and a number of cars, but I don't see the exchange chute and I'm closing fast. With what energy I have left I yell, "Where am I going?! Where's Chute!?" Scrambling teammates and officials direct me to the exchange that had been hidden by the vehicles parked in front. I find Dave and hand off, having covered the 525 feet of elevation gain and 3.83 miles in 32:11. My hands, tights and shoes are covered in mud and my right knee is decorated with a nice strawberry and large bruise.

We travel to transition #2 at Walnut Creek Campground and meet up with our teammates. We chill out next to another campfire until Dave arrives to hand off to Sarah. She had been worried about running the back country roads at night for fear of stray dogs and what not. We, of course, made sure to rib her about it. As she takes the baton and heads out, we yell to her to watch out for things from dogs and zombies to werewolves. While still running the opposite direction, we see her and her safety lights turn back towards us and she flips us off before continuing on her merry way, touche. It is now around 4:30am, Van #2 heads out and we are off to Traffic Panther Van #1 driver Mike's house to crash for a couple of hours. I have some donuts, a banana and a Cliff Bar to go along with a Great Lakes Brewing Eliot Ness. I close my eyes and fall asleep for about an hour or so with my teammates in Mike's basement.

Around 8am, we gather our things and pile back into the van for our final run to begin at Southeastern High School. On the way there, we have to wait for a train to pass. This can also be an unfortunate roadblock for runners. On this day, it was. As it passed, we saw three runners having to restart their journey. We arrive at the high school and meet up with our teammates. It is refreshing to have blue sky and sunshine again. The exchange location has coffee, donuts and music blaring. I drink about three cups of coffee before Chris arrives to hand off to Mark for the second time.

Following Mark, the rest of us get to navigate the trails & roads of Scioto Trails State Park. At my next exchange, we are high atop the park at the fire tower waiting on Eric. As we watch runners come and go, our estimate for when Eric is to arrive passes with no sign of him. We then begin see to other runners arrive indicating they had missed a turn and had to backtrack in order to move on. Before much longer, Eric arrives and as I take the baton for my final route I hear him pepper an unhappy explanation for his lateness with several expletives indicating a missed turn and a two mile detour. It is now just before the noon hour.

My third leg's (Route #24) description:

1. Leave the Fire Tower and head back on North Ridge Rd where your previous

runner just came from and follow this for approximately 2.45 miles on the

gravel road. At this point you will enter into the trail system at Point #13.

Look for the large green and white sign with an arrow to your left. This will

now be a trail run for the remaining 4 miles. The first part has some ups and

downs but there is a large downhill section where you will cross a small creek.

2. This is at 3.75 Miles you cross over Moss Hollow Rd. Go straight across back

onto the trails at Point #14 which leads you up a hill to point #15. Then to

point #16, #17, and #18. There are 3 more hills after the last creek crossing.

3. End at parking lot on 1300 Toad Hollow Road, Checkpoint #24.

Most of the Traffic Panthers, finished for another year.

The route traverses a somewhat paved road, then onto a gravel road. I pass two competitors before turning onto the trail of rolling terrain, then the hills begin. Just like the previous route they are steep and extremely rugged. I pass another competitor who has come to a walk, "The freakin' hills man!", he says as I pass. The uphills, of course have downhills, but this route - known as the Double Black Diamond - keeps throwing those uphills at you. I pass a couple more competitors who are struggling to keep moving and after a welcomed long downhill I cross Moss Hollow Road and then back up a hill on the same trail. This portion resembles a hastily clear cut temporary footpath for wildlife and is covered in a mixture of mud, clay and speed bump-like mounds to redirect drainage.

Again, I'm moving everything in a running motion but I'm barely going forward at all. Every now and then, as the sun beats down and the temps reach the mid 60s, I glance up to see how far away the next turn is and focus on what I'm doing. After each turn, it's uphill again along the same terrain. At the top its flat for only a few moments, just enough time to catch your breath and prepare for the next uphill. After a few of the inclines, I make sure to take deep breaths as I feel a little lightheaded after the exertion. A couple more competitors are passed and I'm going all out downhill. And just as I did before, I catch myself before face planting and right as I bounce back up I wipe my clay covered hands across my shirt several times. During this time, since it is that time of the year to see them, I see at least three snakes slither across the path in front of me. I am not a fan of snakes and was hoping I hadn't ticked off a Copperhead or two.

Having passed seven competitors and flying downhill I start seeing people, cars and the baton exchange below. I reach the bottom, find Dave and hand off then down and drench myself with two bottles of water. The six miles and 900 feet of elevation are covered in 51:13. We head off to the final transition at Open Door Church and meet up with the rest of our team. There our team is celebrating having finished, while the others are anticipating their final stage. I see Mark grab a beer out of his cooler and he offers me one. At this point, I'll take any sort of refreshment and the Budweiser Select was just as good as anything else - it was what was available and I didn't care. Dave arrives around 1:30pm to hand off to Sarah, we head to the finish at Ohio University-Chillicothe to gather our cars, rest and shower. I head to Mark's to clean up and afterwards had to wake him up to return to OU-C for the arrival of our teammates and the Buck Fifty finish celebration.

Our team arrives, Chris makes her way in and - as is the case with this race - we cross the finish line as a team 150 miles later in the same spot we left from the day before. I was the only one not wearing our team shirt and caught flack for it, but the black shirt was covered with smeared muddy hand prints from the trails. We did not reach our goal of under 23 hours, but we finish with our best total time ever. And Mark will be running the full Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon in October anyway because he has put too much into it to simply not do it.

According to the results, team Traffic Panthers placed 27th out of the 78 teams who finished and in a time of 23:41:28 - a 10 minute improvement from 2018. No, we didn't reach our initial goal though we did show that there's a commitment to continue and to make 2020 even better.

I spend a short time celebrating the finish with our team and toss back a Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat, but I head out early. Why? For I have another race the next morning.

Click below to watch this cool video Traffic Panther Sarah put 

together covering our epic weekend in Ross County, Ohio

**We back EVERY pair with 

FREE Replacements if Lost or Broken**

**Each order also secures 11 meals 

to fight hunger through 

Feeding America**

We are an independent sunglasses company for those who don't want to buy from a massive, faceless company that has been operating the same way for decades 

shadyrays.com

                                      

After the first two Buck Fifty Races, Traffic Panther Gary ended up running the Athens Ohio Half Marathon the next morning. Of course we all thought he was a jerk and a show off, but since he has done a fair job of ribbing me about races he thinks I should be running - poking harmless fun at one another - I bit the bullet and decided joined him in the ridiculousness this time around.

After running 14 miles over a 24 hour period Friday & Saturday in my hometown, I would travel the 58 miles directly east of Chillicothe to the home of Ohio University to run the 13.1 mile half portion of Ohio's longest running marathon (52 years) on Sunday. Along the way I stopped by the Southeastern Valero and picked-up two grilled chicken sandwiches from the restaurant portion of the convenient mart, the same store that sits on the Buck Fifty's Leg 20 route at the corner of Jones Road and U.S. Route 50 & where Traffic Panther Chris has passed through that morning.

In order to avoid having to drive the hour and 15 minutes to Athens stupid early Sunday for packet pick-up, L booked a hotel for me for Saturday night and she would drive down on race day morning. The hotel would be about a mile from start and a bit more than that from the finish. I arrive a bit more than an hour after leaving my Buck Fifty teammates Saturday afternoon.Tired and not wanting to go anywhere to grab dinner, I had one of the remaining Cliff Bars in my possession and two peanut butter sandwiches - yes, THOSE peanut butter sandwiches. I then spent time cleaning off my mud caked shoes and running tights. (And my apologies to the Highlander Motel folks for the amount of dirt clods scattered throughout the room) My shoes rested over top of the vent of the room's central air the rest of the night in an attempt to dry them out.

The official out & back marathon and half marathon routes, "...start together at the corner of South College Street and East Union Street in uptown Athens by Ohio University College Green. Both races will be on the scenic Hockhocking Adena Bikeway which is fast and flat.  Both courses are USATF certified and well marked. The marathon course serves as a Boston Qualifier. Both races will finish on the track at Pruitt Field." Funny, this year's Boston Marathon would take place the following day.

Packet pick-up that morning was less than a mile away from the hotel at Ohio Valley Running Company and less than half mile further was our start line. I'm a bit sore and worn from the previous day's running, but have plenty of time to rest up before Sunday morning's affair. I watch the Reds beat the Cardinals in the first game of this year's Mexico Series, then go to bed.

I get up at 5am to make myself coherent and complete packet pick-u, then find a decent parking spot near the start line. All the while, it is raining and it has been for several hours. I'm a bit stiff, but as I move around it wears off. Standing under the porch over hang of an Ohio University building in downtown Athens, the downpour arrives. About ten minutes later, it is back to a light drizzle. Nearing the gun time, I make my way to the start line and endure the less than warm droplets pelting me from above. The rest of the running crowd slowly joins.

As we take off I attempt to keep within myself, luckily there are a few folks I'm hanging with who are of my ideal pace. The beginning portion is all downhill and we have to listen to that one person who tries to hard to be funny and everybody's friend. His jokes aren't funny and I fully expect him to fall behind soon, it is quite clear we aren't amused and he has no idea what he's doing. I feel good and the lead group is relatively together, my first mile passes at 6:18 - not too fast and the pacing is comfortable. We leave the streets of Athens and onto the bike trail and the jokester is long gone. We have thinned out a bit more, but there is no giant gap. 

The rain continues to fall and is somewhat therapeutic as it has a sort of calming affect while concentrating on what I'm doing. The trail is lined with the spring's bright green vegetation and the tunnel like atmosphere is helping to keep the focus. I had feared fatigued would set in, but it hasn't and the next couple of miles pass at an average around 6:30 - ideal for me. Around mile four I recognize a singular figure on the left spectating, a quick smile and wave and L bellows out some encouragement in return.

I'm in the red, in the middle, in the drizzle

The drizzle hasn't slowed and I've been passed twice, but I haven't slowed and I'm focused and chasing a small group ahead. We reach the turn around (my split is 43:20) and a few of those ahead continue on for the full marathon, those running the half marathon come back toward me and it is now a much smaller crowd I'm chasing. Just after the turn someone following us and headed the opposite direction alerts us (myself and the dude directly behind me), "You guys, are 7th and 8th".  This was exciting news since I could easily see all six runners ahead of us now that the marathoners are no longer among us.

About halfway through mile seven, the downpour returned and I notice the jokester from the start of the race creeping along on the other side, he looks to be suffering - serves him right. A couple guys come up from behind and we jockey for position, two get some space ahead, one of them falls back behind me and I jet ahead of a dude I've been following for quite some time. It is now getting down to crunch time and I'm feeling pretty good, my pace is better than expected and I'm focusing on each passing mile. No one is making a break for it and we aren't all that far behind the nearest group ahead. I passed L a second time and things are getting real.

I followed the dude in the black to the
finish. I don't know, but I think this
picture of me is kinda bad ass.

The dude who had been on my tail drifts ahead a bit, I tag along but stay behind. The trail splits and we head to the right, one of those I had been following drifts back and disappears. Around the two mile mark, I pull ahead of the dude who passed me just minutes before and I feel a congratulatory pat on the backside followed by, "Nice pace man!" He would drift back ahead, but I stay with him. A glance further down and I can see runners being directed off the bike path, the dude I'm with moves ahead a bit and the stadium finish is in clear view.

We cross a muddy patch of grass and into OU's outdoor track facility, I hear my name announced as one of those coming in to finish as I navigate the track's turn two to then finish on the other side. At this point, I've only glanced at my watch when I felt the buzz for each mile progressed to keep tabs on pace and entering the straight stretch home I see the clock to my right, I'm going to finish in the 1:25 range. I cross, stop my watch grab my medal and see 1:25.53 (6:34 pace) - a PR by 37 seconds. Just then I'm stopped by the photographer for a quick picture. I grab some water and quick food and as it continues to rain, I am now freezing my ass off. It has rained the entire time, I'm drenched and it is maybe 50 degrees.

I place myself under the massage tent to avoid the rain and scan the crowd for L. Moments later I see her wave and I meet up with her and she, thankfully, hands me a jacket. I hold tight underneath the awards tent as she goes to bring her car around. While there, I'm a bit annoyed that the board with the age group award winners has a dude I beat by about three minutes as the winner of our age group. I want to say something, but I'm more interested in warmth at this time. Minutes later, L arrives and we hop in her car with the heat on full blast. We get my car and we drive to the motel. I have lucked out with the fact that I have a full hour before my scheduled check out time, here I shed my soaked running gear and take a welcomed hot shower.

Out of curiosity, L asked if I had seen Gary and I, too, had wondered why I we hadn't crossed paths. Come to find out, he was in less than stellar shape from the day before - as was I - and isn't a fan of running the rain, so he skipped the Athens race this year.

We browse the OU campus for a few minutes before heading to Little Fish Brewing Company for celebratory food & drink. While there, the sky clears and we have a sunshine, a blue horizon and an absolutely beautiful day. The weather had changed on a dime. I try to check the results online and I see everyone, but myself on the list of finishers. I drop a quick, friendly email to the race director and about an hour later I get an apology and confirmation that I have been added to the results. Finally, I have confirmation that I have finished 10th out of 588 half marathoners and yes, I did win my age group. Why my information had been skipped over, I don't know. I guess I'll let the dude who thinks he won live with his lies.

We drove home following one another and crashed the rest of the day. Having taken Monday off as well, I didn't move much as most of my body was in pain in it's attempt to recover from a crazy weekend of running. I was, though, thoroughly satisfied.

Running the Buck Fifty and Athens Half Marathon on back to back days was probably not the smartest thing I've done, but no one wants to wonder "What if?". Maybe it will become a cool story to pass down in the years to come, running 28 miles over a period of 42 hours in locations 60 miles apart. At the moment, we're now focusing on the OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon in two weeks. My previous half marathon PR was established here last year and if all goes as planned, I'd like to be replacing a two week old PR with a more fresh and lower set of numbers and be...you know...better than ever...

Illuminati Hotties - (You're Better) Than Ever

All my favorite socks are getting holes in them

All my favorite people got a load on them

But I heard that you feel better

Better than ever, than ever

All my jeans and hoodies smell like parliaments

All I wanna do is skate back to your bed

I heard that you got better

Better than ever, than ever

It's not to say that I'm unfortunate

Or that I haven't been succeeding

But I'm a hushed and quiet resonance

When i wanted to be screaming

All the things I used to do are boring now

All the baddest words i knew came pouring out

When I heard that you feel better

Better than ever, than ever

It's not to say that I'm unfortunate

Or that I haven't been succeeding

But I'm a hushed and quiet resonance

When I wanted to be screaming

All day long I waited for my phone to ring

I counted every glow star on my ceiling

Texted you a picture where you looked pretty

And wondered if you saved the ones you had of me

But i'm sure you must be better

Better than ever

Photos Courtesy of Lauren B., the Traffic Panthers & the Athens Marathon

The entire Buck Fifty race route

The Buck Fifty Start/Finish line

The Traffic Panther jersey, before the mud.

At Little Fish Brewing

Finishing as a team!

Nearly the entire Athens Marathon/Half
Marathon looks like this.

At the Buck Fifty finish with a
beer & finishers' donut

Picture doesn't do it justice,
this is after my last leg. My
shoes are actually black w/
orange trim.

On the "OUT" portion of the Athens Half Marathon

After the Athens Half w/ L and the
welcomed jacket. I'm trying to smile here.

The pose after the finish, as
requested by the half marathon
photographer

Looks like I might know what I'm
doing

Two days, two races, two medals