TRIGUYJT TV GUY--TRIATHLETE--ULTRA MARATHONER.. PARADISE IS WHERE YOU ARE

Running the Burning River 100 Ultra Marathon

2011-08-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

You could say I am touched. Thats why I lined up with more than 300 other twisted souls and ran the Burning River 100 mile Endurance run.
5am Saturday, I took off with Suzanne Deming, and Tim Harber to test our endurance, and insanity.

It would be a day where temps reached 90 degrees, and Clouds were scarce. Times we could not hide from the sun, but many times we were in part of the Metro Parks and the amazing Cuyahoga Valley National Park. If we met all the cutoff times, we would be in Cuyahoga Falls Sunday AM and receiving a highly prized belt buckle. In 2010, I was told only 4,000 people finished a 100 miler. Thats a teeny, tiny part of of America.

I come to trail running from triathlons. I have done 3 Ironman distance races and over 100 triathlons. I have lots of experience racing in hot weather, and extending to the limits, the abilities the Good Man upstairs gave my body. But, 100 miles appeared daunting. This is not road running, where each step is not a mystery. Much of this is over roots, and rocks, and ledges, and down valleys to cross creeks and back up the other side. But the varied terrain is like cross training. Each step, different from the one before. Ankles tested, twisted. On severe downhills, your toes jam up into the front of your shoes. You can lose toe nails. Popping Advil pills is part of the routine.

Roughly every 5 miles is an aid station, where you can get water, replacement fluids...food. Pretzels, Cookies. Pizza, M & M's..Watermelon. You take in roughly 300 calories an hour. Thats 9,000 calories.

Tim Harber had some injury issues that he dealt with all day long. He gamely tried to run in pain and left the race about 55 miles in. Suzanne dropped out not long after. Meanwhile, I kept on pushing. I started to feel stronger, at mile 60. I was getting excited to join my son Patrick at mile 80, so he could pace me the rest of the way. Mike Mayher paced me for awhile and was saying, there was no doubt I would finish. I had ankle tendon flare ups. My knees were getting a little sore, but nothing so troublesome that I would even think about "dropping" out of the race. Late night around 11pm, I could hear fireworks booming from nearby Blossom Music Center. I felt good enough to try to join the music fans, but I had an appointment with downtown Cuyahoga Falls for Sunday am.

When you run this long, you have to adhere to the cutoffs set forth by the organizers. At each aid station (There are 20) you have to come in before the cutoff time. My cushion was 20 minutes as I came to Pine Hollow. I had to run a 3.3 mile Loop, filled with hills, and stairs in about an hour, said the official. But, when I came in to the next aid station, the official said I was done. I was shocked. No way I had lost the whole 20 minute cushion over 3 miles. No way. I was stunned. I tried to argue my point. No avail. I had to give him my number. I then had to call my wife who was waiting at the Covered Bridge aid station. I would not be able to run with my son to the finish. I considered, just taking off and running "unofficially" but that would not have been cool. I was so confident I would finish under the time. I never give up on anything. It was a shocker for me.

The disappointment has given way to resignation, and now to determination. This wonderful day of racing with friends pushing me on was inspiring and very much something I want to be a part of again. So, the good Lord willing, next year I will race the Burning River again.

I am in!!! Burning River 100 mile ultra

2011-07-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Still Tempted about a 100 mile Run

2011-02-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hi....got in a very good weeks worth of training...Hitting weights hard...doing more tempo runs, but have not ramped up the mileage much. thats gonna change. My week was fabulous but not even close to our friends in Egypt. What an incredible turn of events.. The people have spoken.
The idea of running a 100 miler is very tempting and I know the proof in the performance is in the training. The mental toughness. Running 50 miles is one thing. I can only imagine 100 is about 5 times the stress. I have 3 Ironman triathlons under my belt and I think a 100 miler would be tougher. Do the math. I need about 15 hours for the Ironman...the 100 miler will take 30 hours... Well theres only one way to find out....so.....
I enlisted the writing skills of Scott Dunlap. (He is unaware of this. It just means I read his blog. I think its one of the best anywhere.) Scott ran the Burning River 100 miler and raved about it. It was a fun read and it shows just how amazing the race is in many respects. Kudos to the Race Director Joe Jurcyk and all the volunteers. Scott has been all over. You will come away from reading this piece thinking the Burning River is a cool race. Here is the link below.

http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/08/pr-at-burning-river-100-miler.html

Life's a Blast

Keeping me in Suspension!!

2011-02-07T17:59:00.001-08:00

Been doing this suspension training for 4 weeks now at local gym Fitworks..One Class a week. One hour of hell. The Devil's name is Matt. (Thats him above) Of course I am kidding but I enjoy being pushed and Matt certainly does that. "Lets go, go,go,go". "Don't stop..modify and keep moving".

(What did I sign myself up for??)

TRX is a copyrighted program, that uses Straps hung from a ceiling. As you can see in the photos, you can use the straps to do hundreds of movements. All of them use your body weight as the resistance. If you want more weight, then the angle you use is important. The workout never stops..We can go from chest presses right into squats, or lunges. Mountain Climbers. You name it. One drill right after another. I am close to my anaerobic threshold for a good chunk of the workout.. As I continue to work on my triathlon base building, I rely alot of doing workouts like these. I will do two of these per week soon.
On another note. I predicted the Steelers would win by 10 in the Super Bowl. Very wrong there.. I was impressed with Aaron Rodgers of the Packers. Looks like he is in a class with Brady and Manning now.
Life's a Blast.

A New Triathlon Guppy

2011-01-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

greetings gang

I ran into a guy this morning at the caffeine fillup stop...aka.. Starbucks. He knew who I was from the television. So, after I answered a few questions about the Browns newest coach, He asked me about racing in triathlons. Turns out he got into the sport last year. He was a tall guy, well built. Athletic. Could probably swim-bike-run circles around me. I told him I have done alot of triathlons. Over a 100. Started in the sport when I was 32. I am now 57.6112 years old. I asked him what problems he encountered in his first race.

He paused. Collected himself and said he rented a wetsuit for the race day. It was a race at Mentor Headlands. He made the mistake of never using the wetsuit before race day. Thought he could just pop it on and swim like a fish. Turns out he panicked. Two reasons. 1. The suits, for those of you who have never raced, or worn one; can be restrictive in the chest area. Better word would be claustrophobic. 2. He was not prepared for the rush of swimmers around him. He said once he got into the race and panicked, he had to unzip the suit a little to catch his breath and to chase away the anxiety. Took about a minute and then he adjusted.

So, if you are getting into triathlons and want the wetsuit experience, make sure you swim a few times with the wetsuit. Funny thing is, once you get used to it..you feel very secure. Why else would I strap on a wetsuit and set off to swim for a breakwall close to a mile away and come back.

Happy training and racing..
Life's a Blast

Iditarod for Humans

2011-01-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

Shocked aren't you??? I have posted twice now in 4 days. The recent post, which came after six months off..dealt with a rope skipping workout I did. Intense..but well within the realm of "Giving everything you have, but wanting more"
Today, I drove to the Brecksville Reservation to catch up with old buddies, whom I have raced with in some triathlons. Dynamic couple..Eric and Aimee. Each is an Ironman, and cool folks. Aimee is the "Snow Queen" as she, Eric and Dale helped me learn some of the trails a few years ago in the CVNP when I got into trail running. Also today, we ran with Tina, a cancer survivor and Deb.
Started at the Station Road Trail Head. -4 Degrees when we got going. Trails had lots of snow and the cross country skiers had knocked down some of the snow. I wanted to do close to two hours, but was just along with the gang and not being technical about anything... It was a good time. Eric, whom I nicknamed Yellow Buck because of his jacket, had a way of running ahead of us, then because the trails in the woods were serpentine, he would amazingly appear out of nowhere. Took me a bit to realize he was darting through the deepest woods, probably ticking off the deer, who I joke are probably distant cousins... We were out about an hour and 20 to 30 minutes..navigating was slow due to the snow, but it was great!! Some coffee and a breakfast sandwhich at Paneras and it was a good, good morning..
Still mulling over race plans. One of my co workers, Doug is getting into Triathlons this year and I think is racing at Wendys in Columbus early in the season. It will be his first. I was thinking that could be a good race to do....(done it before) and would give me chance to give Doug any pointers..last minute, or ease any worries.. We'll see.
Toodles. Life's a Blast

J.T. BACK AT YAH!!!

2011-01-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the abyss.

I am back to blogging. Its been awhile. I will try to post twice weekly, and the missives might be more brief. Its my own shrinkage thing, I guess. The last 3 months have been pretty eventful for our family as my Mom took ill and passed away on Nov 21st. We stayed at hospice for the better part of 5 weeks until she went to meet her Lord and Saviour. I am at peace because Mom so very much was a woman of faith. She lived it. I humbly try to follow her example.
However, the working out was pretty consistent but the diet suffered a bit. Hey, it was also the Holidays. For about a month, I have been really strong in my workouts and am still pointing towards a couple of ultra marathons on the trails.. 2-3 triathlons, and I might even toss in a 10 mile plus open water swim.
As I mentioned, I will keep you up to date on workouts and goals. I will also detail, on occasion some of the behind the scenes things that go on when one reports and anchors the sports on television. I am now in my 31st straight year here at Fox8 in Cleveland. Folks tell me thats some kind of record. They also say I am insane for covering losers for so long!!
This week I did my second workout using the suspension training called TRX. I will detail one of the classes soon. For now, heres a sampling of one rope skipping workout I did just this morning. (1-19-11) (Note the bermuda shorts!! Its Not what you wear, its what You Do!!
Warm up 10 minutes straight..medium tempo
Do 10 sets of :30 seconds MAX intensity with :60 REST.
3 Minutes easy skipping.
Then, do 5 sets of :30 seconds MAX intensity with :30 Rest
2 minutes easy skipping
5 minutes strong tempo, then cool down....
Thats it folks. Good luck with your training and racing..
Life's a Blast

57 Reasons to Go Up

2010-06-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

You turn 57 and you spend lots of time doing endurance sports... so when the day comes...you think of a wild way to celebrate another day on the planet....and of course to celebrate the Big Man upstairs who gives me the ability to always compete in an event to the end....never quit.

Saturday am......I went to my fav spot..North Chagrin Reservation and the trails. The trail behind Squires castle reaches up to the upper level of the park. There is a loop.... 3-tenths of a mile ...the first part is a healthy incline...and is an S- curve.. when you reach the upper part..the upper S.....the incline..according to my Garmin is very steep. My plan was to run this hill.... 57 times....yes.... 57 straight times..... It was already getting hot and humid at 8am when I began... I saw Mike, Suzanne, and Chris early in the trek... then Dave came by and ran about 5 of them with me... But I ran..and I sweated....and I ran... The total mileage of this???? 17.20 miles... With all of the elevation change...according to Garmin again...I went up approximately 11,000 feet ......of course I also descended 11,000 feet during the whole run... I never walked...I was steady the whole way... Played mind games to keep going. Saw several families trying to take walks and many wondered what this sweat drenched man was up to. But I did it and it felt great....Tiny blisters in two toes...but nothing bad... I had my cooler at the bottom of the hill and I could use water..or G2 or some Gu's as I went along. All told, I needed 4 hours, 25 minutes to accomplish the goal. Fantastic. Of course when I finished, I was soaked through....knees felt okay, even though all the descending can play tricks on your patella tendons...

So..I am now 57 and feel like a kid. I know the body is not as fresh as it was at 20...but in endurance sports, I will take my chances competing against people younger than me... Ice bath never felt as good...
Update....two days later...calf muscles very, very sore...one patella tendon (left knee tender)..ran 1 hour to get back)

Life's a Blast

Tremendous Week Training

2010-05-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Sun is setting on a gorgeous Sunday night in Downtown Cleveland. My desk overlooks Lake Erie and it affords some spectacular sunsets... Tonights is a treat. Hope your week went well.
Heres what this late 50's ultra endurance goofball has been up to this week.
Monday
easy run of 40 minutes on trails
Tuesday
20 Minutes Rowing
40 Minutes on Treadmill
Light weights.
Wednesday
2 hour, 10 minute trail run, concentrating on attacking hills. Very strong effort
Thursday
Upper Body Weights workout, lots and lots of yardwork..gardening etc.
Friday
20 Minute intervals Treadmill
1 Hour workout led by my Son. Combination of Crossfit principles, Sprints..Squats till I cried...you get the picture. He pushes me to the max!!! Awesome!!
Saturday
3Hour, 30 minute trail run. Worked on my replacement fluids, goos..gels, etc..
developed a little strain in left shin...but have iced it and its responding.
Sunday
Day off..painted our dining room and now at work getting ready for the late news, which goes on after the Coca Cola 600 airs on Fox!. Prepared early shows in case it rained in Charlotte.
Monday is Memorial Day. One of the best days of the year. Our family always goes to the local parade..cheers for the soldiers and kids in the bands and the little baseball and soccer kids..its a fun time... Then a big cookout at our house for the family... Hope you have a great day too.!!!
Life's a Blast!!

J.T. is still Alive

2010-05-25T09:49:00.001-07:00

Greetings gang. Its been quite a while since I last posted. Would you believe just before Christmas!!?? 5 Months is a long time.
I continue to train as an ultra-distance trail runner and still cross train should I jump back into some triathlons this year.
Raced in the Fools 50k ultra in late March. It was the muddiest by far, that I have been involved in. The elite racers finish in around 4 hours...but for the back of the packers like me...you are talking about another 3-4 hours dealing with the rain and the muck.. We got it done and we move on. I hope to run a 100 miler this year but have yet to totally commit to one race. In the meantime, I love my time in the woods...free lancing some trails and clearing my mind.
The job has required a ton of mind-clearing, as our Cleveland Cavaliers were dumped by the Celtics in the playoffs..and now, we face, each day, a new rumor about LeBron James future and that has many Cleveland fans near suicidal!!!
My son, Patrick is now a personal trainer..and a spin instructor. That makes me very proud that he got into triathlons and working on his fitness. Lately, he has ditched his car (in our driveway) and commutes to his apartment in Ohio City on his bike.
The Bride continues to train clients..kick her hubbies butt and conduct boot camps and Pilates workshops.
Hope all of your training and racing is going well
Life's a Blast!!

Seasons Greetings

2009-12-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.

The Bride and I went to Florida to visit her folks. Her mom has several physical issues. Diabetes, blindness and other health concerns but she has a fantastic outlook on life. Her dad lives the vows they made many years ago. Its cool to see them together and how they love each other. Good example for all of us, really.

My father-in-law has been a fan of The Confederate Railroad. Its a country band and its just so much fun to see him singing along to some of their songs. Songs like "She Took it Like a Man". "Jesus and Mama". "The Big One" .

Training has been going very well...but I have been enjoying the holiday food a little too much. I am keeping my eye on the prize but won't turn down goodies just for the sake of it..

I am working tonight, Christmas eve, but will be off on Christmas day. We will have lots of family over. The Bride and The Daughter, The Chef have been cooking for two days. The food will be amazing...

Heres a picture of tonights anchor team with our reindeer antlers....Bill Martin, next to me. (If you go to Facebook, he's the guy who taunts me daily and I give it right back!!) Stacey Bell, and legendary weatherman Dick Goddard. I like to say Dick gave Noah the first 8 day forecast.. Buhhh rummmmp!!! I am jealous of Goddards big antlers!!!

Keep training and keep reaching for greatness. Life's a Blast!!

FROM ANIMAL HOUSE TO COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

2009-12-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

Had a great time with The Bride going back to our alma mater...Ashland University for commencement ceremonies. Thats where we met. It was an out of body experience in many ways. They put us up in a suite that is on the top floor of the womens dorm The Bride lived in. I was recalling all those times I was in her room past visiting hours...haha... even through fire alarms and such...

It was very tough crafting a speech that wasn't too "preachy". I just wove lots of Ashland moments into it..and experiences during my career that related to the overall message... Yes..."Paradise is where I am". I asked that students get involved in mentoring someone..as I was very much influenced by people who mentored me. One of my profs, Larry Hiner, was a great guy who encouraged me alot. He and his wife were there at our invitation and sat with The Bride.

When I was introduced, it was mentioned about how I have been an endurance athlete all these years and that I have gotten more into ultra marathons and how my goal is to run a 100 mile race. I could tell people were reacting like "is he insane"?? The answer is...the running is my therapy..so maybe without the running, I would be insane. LOL!!

Training...

Great week but little running. Lots of crossfit. I took The Brides boot camp on Thursday that my son Patrick and The Bride co-taught. Very challenging. Even did an improvised crossfit workout Saturday am before the commencement ceremony in the suite. Pushups, Squats, Burpees..Handstand Pushups (I can manage 2) and more. My weight issues have been dealt with nicely this week and so, as I write this on a Monday am...all things are good.

Everyone have a great week.

Training Continues

2009-12-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

Catch you up on some training.
Friday Dec 4
30 Mins Elliptical
Saturday Dec5.
2 hour, 9 minutes on trails...good chunk of them on hills
10.0 miles
Sunday Dec 6
Off
Monday Dec 7th.
3 Rounds
Skip 1 min
15 Pushups
Skip 1 min
15 Situps
Skip 1 min
15 Med ball slams
Skip 1 min
15 bicep curls (20 lbs)dumbells
Skip 1 min
15 dumbell over hand presses 20 lbs each (Total time 28:30)
Cool down 10 min elliptical.
Tuesday Dec 8
30 min on stationary bike 125 heart rate
5 min easy jog treadmill
2 min row with 30 sec rest time 5.
(4 rounds of)
20 box bounds 22 inches high
10 pushups total time 4:55
Life's a Blast

JT THE TRAINING FREAK

2009-12-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

LeBron James is a freak. Of course, having covered him since his high school days, I know what he can do. On Monday, after an interview, James grabbed a football and threw a cross court pass that went 94 feet and nothing but net. Maybe you saw it. Our camerman was the only shooter who keep rolling after LeBron ended the interview. Now everyone wants it.FOX8.COM LINK ESPN took it and made it one of the Top 10 Plays. Folks, I see this stuff just about every week. LeBron takes a medicine ball, weighing 16 pounds and makes a 3 point shot with it. He is amazing and yes, if he applied himself, he could make it in the NFL. But with all the concussion stuff going on, he would be insane to try it.

Having said that, let me lay on you this freaks training for the past few days..(Laugh out loud here folks)
Tuesday Dec 1.
30 minutes strong effort on spinning bike.

Weds Dec 2.
Run 4.5 miles on muddy trails at North Chagrin. In the middle, I did 5, one minute sprints with 2 minutes recovery. Try sprinting in mud and on a trail.. Not smart. But I did not wipe out.

Thursday Dec 3rd (today)
Skip Rope 5 times 1 minute hard with :30 sec rest
Skip Rope 5 times 1 minute hard with :15 secs rest
Superset 5 sets of 20 pushups, alternated with 5 sets 20 situps.
Bicep Curls 20 lbs dumbells 15 reps 5 sets
Skip Rope 5 sets of 2 minutes hard with :30 sec rest
40 pound weigh carry... 5 sets
5 up and back bounding in Training Room
Kneel on Stability ball 3 minutes using light medicine ball making odd movements to test balance..
Skip Rope 5 straight minutes.

Life's a Blast!!

Interval Boy

2009-11-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hi there..

Training: Saturday 7.7 mile trail run on a somewhat brisk, but awesome, dry day at North Chagrin. Some good climbing in parts. Nice rythmn. Nice run. Took 1 hour, 28 minutes.

Sunday off, and ironically, so were the Browns. (Rim shot!!..they lost again)

Monday: more intervals...
Skip Rope 1 minute with :30 sec rest times 10.
Row 1 minute with :30 sec rest times 10.
Squats 30 reps with :60 sec rest. times 5.
Situps 100 reps as fast as possible.
Calf raises 100 reps with light weight in 3 segments
Stretch....

Good workout...good way to start the day.

Sunday, we had amoung other stories an internet piece on Indians Grady Sizemore, who found out that photos he sent to his girlfriend (racy photos) were leaked to an on line sports blog. deadspin.com . The shots, of him in vartious stages of undress were stolen, he claims and the team and players union is trying to find out who is responsible. Sizemore is a huge favorite of the ladies and this will only put his name out there even further... We decided not to use the photos last night because they were stolen property and we respect the legal system. However, I am sure others did. If you google him you might see if they are still posted. Its possible they have been removed.

Ohh, just another day at work...haha!!
Life's a Blast!!

2009-11-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

I am writing this on Thanksgiving night...I have a little time as my 10pm newscast is coming up soon. Its not crazy working Thanksgiving...(any holiday for that matter) The gang had lots of food here and plenty of desserts. No shortage of grub. Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

Today, I went to the gym and did another version of a Crossfit Program. I adjusted the program from Tuesday and did 4 rounds..but with more reps...

1. Skip Rope for 200 hops

2. 20 Pushups

3. 20 Situps

4. Carry 2, 45 pound plates 4 round trips (60 feet and back is one trip)

5. Medicine Ball toss overhead..20 reps

6. Bicep Curl 20 pounds for 15 reps, strict form.

7. 20 Squats

I did this in 27:40. It was exhausting and it felt great.. You don't need a shiny new gym to do Cross fit. Check out these soldiers in Afghanistan. I was eating Turkey tonight , safe and sound because these guys are busting their butts defending our country.

Wednesday, I ran 5.5 miles on the trails...nice easy pace... I will do a long trail run on Saturday. On Friday, I will go easy for about an hour and since I have the day off, The Bride and I will see a movie. We will not go near any stores. Nope.

Life's a Blast

BACK FROM THE ABYSS

2009-11-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

I know you are shocked.. Yes, I am posting again. Its been too long.

I cranked up my training mileage to 30 miles two weeks ago. Ran Half of the Bad Ass 50k as my work schedule only allowed me to be at the trail for about 3-4 hours...hence only half done. However, given my coming back from injury and other factors, I must admit, the 50 K would have been near my limits..

My goal of running the Burning River 100 mile Ultra marathon next Aug is what is motivating me to work on other aspects of my conditioning that could serve as an aid when the going gets tough. Hence, my embracing the Cross-fit, slash boot camp style of training. Google Crossfit and you will see many sites and ways to skin the cat... I have written several workouts WOD's . Heres an example of one I did this morning.

5 Rounds (time yourself for the entire workout.)

Skip Rope 100 hops
Pushups- 20
Situps 20
Carry 2, 45 lbs Olympic Barbell plates across Fitness Room and back (60 feet each way. do 3 laps)
20 Medicine ball overhead tosses. (ball is 12 lbs)
Bicep Curls dumbells strict 15 reps 20 lb dumbells
15 Squats.

I did the first one in about 5:30..the second about 6:00 and kept the pace pretty even the rest of the way. I took a real quick water break after 2 rounds. Finished the 5 rounds in 27:30. Great workout. Stretched to finish out.

My goal is to do 2 of these kinds of workouts per week, but also to get those long runs on the weekends. I will also be swimming more, as I still want to do a couple triathlons next season. The ultimate goal is to do the 100 miler, then in the next season, return to do an Ironman distance triathlon. Its been 8 years since I did an Ironman.

My weight right now is 198, but to accomplish the 100 mile goal, I will have to be under 180.

Work has been very busy. High School Football is in the final two weeks. The Browns have been missing in action most of the year and the Cavs are almost done with thier first month of the season.. In fact, in a couple of minutes I will be heading to Cavs practice.

Have a Great Week and Happy Thanksgiving. Life's a Blast

GREAT MOTIVATOR

2009-10-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since I posted. Mea Culpa!! Please check out the great piece in the New York Times by Pete Thamel on a man I have been covering for many years here in Cleveland. He is a life changer and he is more interested in the kids becoming great men, than each one becoming the next Heisman Trophy, or Super Bowl MVP. (He did coach, I mean he did save the life of Troy Smith who is a Heisman winner.) Ted Ginn Sr. told me once that he went from "picking cotton to picking colleges". A poor kid from the South, who knew great discrimination came to a point where, 3 years ago in February he had a ceremony on national signing day when 22 of his kids got scholarships. He once said in a pre game speech to the kids which we shot before a playoff game "We are just passing through here men, we are on our way to heaven".
Ted never envisoned himself as a great X's and O's coach..just a man who wants to make a difference. Check out the article and you may see his way...to have an academy with more hands on teaching, is the only way to get things accomplished in the inner city. HERES THE LINK

Training has come in fits and starts. I injured my arch on my right foot a week ago and have had to shut down a bit. Was on track to run the BadAss 50 K in mid November but will seriously take a look at whether its worth it to risk further injury. Trying to be smart.

Work has been wild. We had the Browns Braylon Edwards allegedly assault some guy at a nightclub, then the Browns traded him away 2 days later. I got LeBron to comment on the incident (guy assaulted was a LeBron friend) and LeBron ripped Braylon for being childish and picking on someone only 130 pounds. Great stuff.!! If theres a link of the interview on our website, I will drop it in.

In the meantime..Life's a Blast!!!

30 IS THE NEW 20

2009-09-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Good news.

Got a new one year contract which means I will be around Fox8 next September. That would mark 30 years at the station. I am truly blessed to mark that kinda milestone in such a fickle, wacky business. The things I have seen over the years!!!!! I am happy I got the deal because up until recently, the contracts were month to month, due to the economy. This is one year which is a step towards the old 3 year deals we used to get. But I take nothing for granted. Period.

Training is going alright. Am pretty sure I will do the Bad Ass 50K in November. Nice write up in todays Plain dealer about the 24 hour endurance challenge this weekend at Edgewater Park. Zach Lewis is right to point out Cleveland is becoming a mecca for ultra-running.

Take care and Life's a Blast!!

SPECTACULAR FALL

2009-09-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

Spectacular Fall????? You think I mean leaves all a-blazing with color?????

Nope, though the colors are getting amazing here in Northern Ohio..but the spectacular fall, was a..head over heels-dust kicking up-J.T. cursing-and garmin watch nearly getting decapitated sprawl performed at North Chagrin Reservation.

Thursday am, I did 1 hour, 25 minutes at the park. I would like to say, this trip happened when I was tired..near the end of the run, but , alas, I cannot. The trip was in the first 50 seconds. Left foot hit a root. Right foot lurched forward, as I tried to maintain balance.. Right foot gained some balance but the left foot hit another root and then I was airborne. I saw this baby go down as in slo motion. I literally hit the ground on my left shoulder, "Sunnnuva-bi$#*" I yelled, but I rolled as if I was in some Chuck Norris flick and the bad guys were after me. Problem here is I was right on the edge of a ravine..and I came to a stop about 8 inches from the edge...

(NOT ACTUALLY J.T. BUT A CLEVER DUDE'S PHOTO ON FLICKR)

I was very lucky. However as I got up, dusted myself off I realized that Tim Harber, my running buddy, who is likely chillin this week after doing Punxsy 50k last week, would be jealous. He is always the man who takes a spill on group runs. I'm gaining on you Timmy!!!!

This week, I got 3 runs of longer than an hour. I also have a new short term goal to shoot for.

The Bad Ass 50 K is November 14th. Its a low-key 50k put on by Chef Bill Bailey. I am setting that as a goal . I know I can get my mileage up and be ready for that race. Anyone else thinking of doing it.?????

Life's a Blast.

GROUNDHOGS CAN RUN

2009-09-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hi..

Game one of the NFL season is in the books. Browns hung with the Vikings for half of the game. Too much talent for Favre-Peterson and company. Browns lacking in many areas, but there is some promise. We'll see. Congrats to Cantons Josh McDaniels, (Broncos coach) whom I covered a lot in high school and college (John Carroll) for getting his first NFL win in his first game. It came because of a miracle, deflected pass for a t.d., but Josh doesn't care.!!

Many of our area ultra runners were resting their feet Sunday after the Punxsutawney 50 K on Saturday in PA.

Props to Vince Rucci in the middle , Mark Godale on the left for finishing 1st and 2nd respectively.(The man on right is a Punxy resident who was third) One of our close family friends, David Wank came in 5th in the race. Thats fantastic. Props to all the folks who train at North Chagrin for their showings in the race. I am still trying to find out how everyone did. Kanye West was not entered in the race but still claims Beyonce is the greatest trail runner ever.

Training continues. Worked up to a 90 minute trail run with no complications from the summer ultra. Progress.

I am off to a local high school to do our Athlete of the Week piece.

Life's a Blast

PLAY WITH JOY

2009-09-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks. the title means something, but no, it doesn't mean getting silly with some woman named Joy!!!...

It sums up how longtime shortstop Omar Vizquel plays baseball. I covered Omar for many years when he was an Indian. Now, he's 42 years old, owns 11 Gold Gloves for fielding excellence and still might play one more year.

I interviewed Omar a couple of days ago and he even hinted he would love to play his final year in Cleveland. A few years back the Indians began their youth movement and Omar ended up in Texas. Thats where he still plays and even at his age, has put up some Sportscenter Top 10 plays this year. Simply stated, he played the game with flair and you always could tell he was having fun. If you think pro athletes are jaded and stale you haven't seen Omar. Plus he as always been the same...good and bad. His first year in Cleveland, 1994, he committed 3 errors in one game... We were dumbfounded. He stood at his locker and answered all of our questions. Thats a real pro.!!!! A real pro is there when times are bad..not just when its all roses. I think Lebron James could learn something from Omar.

On the workout front. Today. In the am, I lifted upper body and did a tough leg workout. My sessions are always high tempo. I use the push--pull method. For instance. One set shoulder presses (push) followed by a set of bicep curls (pull). I get it done fast. For am cardio, I set the Concept 2 Rowing machine. 10 intervals... 200 meters with 30 seconds rest. I wanted to do each on in 48 seconds. For the most part, the reps were

48.5 seconds..a few 49-plus and one at 51 seconds. Good strong effort.

This Afternoon, I ran the trails at North Chagrin. 40 minutes. Gorgeous Day.

Son Pat might race at Geneva Sunday. I can't as the Browns open the season vs Favre and the Vikings. I will be busy.

Life's a Blast

JUST ADD WATER

2009-09-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hi.
A gorgeous morning on Lake Erie got even better for me Saturday am. I went to a place in Willoughby called.."Just add Water", which mostly caters to scuba divers.

I had heard you can purchase prescription goggle lenses...kinda like when you go to Walgreens and find those reading glasses. I asked the guy to let me test out the different strengths of lenses and find the ones that fit my blind eyesight.....haha!!

It took awhile, but we got the formula and put the goggles together.. Best thing was each lense was about 8.50 and the actual strap and middle plastic was about 7-something.. got everything for about 25 bucks.. Great goggles....and...of course...in the water...I am..no longer.......Blind!!!!!!!!!

So, I went to the Lake. I always have my swim stuff in the trunk.(what triathlete doesn't right,??) I hopped in and cruised along the shore for about 40 minutes. It was amazing!!! First of all, Lake Erie is very clean, a far cry from when I was a kid. Now, ....wow!! I was watching little fishes swim around, as I cut through the water....

What a great way to spend part of your Saturday.
Saturday afternoon, I got to the station a bit early so I could get much of my work done, producing the sports I anchor.(7pm eastern, after Fox Baseball). That way, I could go up on the roof of Fox 8 and watch the Thunderbirds perform in the Cleveland National air show.. I never tire of watching those amazing machines..
On Friday, I got in a very strong 1 hour, 15 minute run on the trails. I did 10 sets of hill sprints of 30 seconds up..and jog back.. Good workout!!.

Life's a Blast!!

THE TOES ARE TALKING

2009-09-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

This whole barefoot running thing is gaining momentum. No, the whole world is not ditching the 150 dollar shoes, but more and more people are questioning the need to run with such highly cushioned shoes. It seems to me..the more cushion on the shoe, the more force you bring down on the ground with each strike.....

I resolve to spend 10 minutes twice a week, running barefoot to strengthen my feet and to always go shoeless in the house....even in winter...

But don't take my word for it..... The New York Times had a recent piece on the whole thing... Here is the link. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/business/30shoe.html

Meanwhile, my training is getting more and more hour runs.,I have no ill effects from the 50 mile ultra I did in June...full speed ahead. I am going to run a 100 mile ultra marathon next year....I am leaning toward Burning River in August. My goal this month is to get a 3 hour run in as I will start to pile on the miles. Game on people. Game on.!!!

Shoutout to one of my favorite bloggers-triathletes. DC Rainmaker who pr'd at Ironman Canada. Expect to see him in Kona oneday. I gare--own-teee it.

Life's a Blast

TRY TO DIE LIVING NOT LIVE DYING

2009-08-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hi again,

Got in a one hour trail run this morning and thus, a very good week of workouts and keeping with a better eating plan. I confess, I did a one day liquids only fast last Sunday and that got me back on track a bit.

Last night was our first Friday Night Touchdown Night over high school football coverage. We cover 20 games..using 7 cameras and its an wild scene, especially when everyone gets back in the building around 10p and has 35 minutes to edit..write etc all the highlights. My 3 games were all affected by thunderstorms...postponements..delays...etc. Crazy night but we hit the air and knocked it out of the park.

I read a short piece in Sports Illustrated about ultra marathoner ArthurWebb. He has run 12 straight Badwater Ultra marathons. He is 67. He is my new role model.. hahaha. Badwater is the 135 mile race from Death Valley to an elevation of 8,500 feet. Run in a furnace for about 2-3 days and thats Badwater. Arthur had a quote I love. "I'd rather die living, than live dying" I think that sums up many of us endurance junkies. Any one of us could be smoked right in the middle of a race or a workout. I look back on Daryl Kollai, who at age 53 last year died on a training bike workout. Live your life to the edge...and hey, you'll love the view"

Speaking of Daryl. Kim Shaheen, who trained alot with Daryl, is racing Ironman Louisville. No doubt she will be thinking of our late friend when she crosses the line and hears.."You are an Ironman" Good luck to all who are racing.

Life's a Blast

INGLORIOUS ULTRA GUY

2009-08-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hi again...
I am trying to get in the habit of posting 3 or more times a week...so here goes.
Saturday, I ran 70 minutes with a group getting ready for Punxsytawney 50 K in early Sept. It was great being with a group and getting the running insults and give and take.
Monday, I did upper body. Tuesday, I ran for an hour on the trails. Today (weds) I hit a full body workout in the AM.... and then got in a brisk 35 minutes solo on the trails while The Bride taught a Pilates class.
Saw Inglorious Basterds. Very well done flick..with yes...alot of gore...but it was suspenseful. Great acting..especially the guy playing the German SS officer. Yes, Brad Pitt was good too.
The Bride got lots of new toys and is blasting her clients with some innovative techniques. She had me do a few variations of some lifting sets...using kettlebells. Big time tough!! I vow to do more of these kinds of workouts....

I want to mention a young man who is very inspiring. Cory Skoczen, Ashland U. football player suffered a spinal cord injury 2 weeks ago and was initially feared to be paralyzed. He has shown great determination and has slowly gotten some feeling back..and now has been released from the hospital. He was advised to take a year off...but Cory has already vowed to go classes and to resume a normal life as best he can. He will be on the sidelines this fall, I am sure and will boost the morale of his Eagle teammates. Keep Cory in your thougths.

Life's a Blast

Long Time Running Buddy

2009-08-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hi folks....sorry its been about a month since my last post. I am back running and have put 2 weeks together with a longest run of 1 hour and 10 minutes. This is great because I could not even run up until 3 weeks ago. I feel very much healed from the 50 mile ultra. Plans for future upcoming....

She was a running buddy of mine from the first time I saw her. She always wanted to test my limits and our jaunts at Euclid Creek Reservation were soul searching time. The Bride encouraged me to run with her and I always came back from our runs with a better attitude. Everything about Bailey was good. Devoted friend. Un questioned love towards me and to everyone. I ran with her until about 2-3 years ago. In the past year, her health went downhill. I always wanted her around and selfishly thought this could be the case , at least until next year. But sadly no. Two weeks ago, The Bride and I had to let her go. It was heart breaking but we feel she is in a better place.

I always think of her when I lace up the shoes. I know part of her will be scattered at the park and also in our backyard amoungst the gorgeous flowers and plants The Bride has placed.

Bailey lived nearly 15 years. She will live on in our hearts forever.

God Bless our Bailey

TURN LEFT AT THE BURRITTO

2009-07-27T04:52:00.000-07:00

You gotta love a triathlon that has a theme. The Fairport Pirate Triathlon is not only one of the best small triathlons around...it gets into the theme..thats for sure. Notice the pirate stuff all over the Finish area. The triathlon is very inexpensive..How about 20 bucks!!!!!! I have done it many times...this year however, I sat it out as I am recovering from my shin splints and stress fracture I suffered from my 50 mile ultra marathon in June.

My son, Pat raced..and this is him...speeding to the start area out of transistion as he was running late. The day was goregous...breezy..clear..

Ohh..and did I mentioned they get into the act??? Brian Davidson was giving his witty pre race instructions and dropped a few ARRRGHHHS!! too. By the way, he stripped out of the constume and raced as well.

One thing he told the triathletes was to make sure to swim to the left of the GIANT BURRITO floating in the water. One sponsor is Chipotle. Talk about product placement!!!! That silver thing that looks like a bullet was actually a buoy.

The course has a steep..but short hill coming out of transistion that catches some racers in the wrong gear. This view looks down into trans..and the lake beyond.

The bike finishes as racers speed down the hill....brake and dismount.. I was too slow..but thats Patrick in yellow shirt going down.

And thats Pat coming back up to begin the short run.. He was moving well...and making up for the bike. His tires were low and he said the wind was fairly brisk in open stretches....

Patrick finished strong and hung out a little with our buddy Eddie Police, who had a very good race coming off a 5:18 showing last week at the Musselman Half Iron. At Fairport, Pat was 4th in a very competitive age group.!!

Fairport is just a great small race.. I really enjoyed watching and shooting pics and chatting with all the racers and their families. Next week I am swimming for Team Dawud in the Cleveland Triathlon. This week I will try to run a couple miles on the trails at North Chagrin. The leg is much better.

Finally..Props to Lindsay Buckingham and Meagan Hayes ..two of our Fox 8 producers who finished their first triathlons at Huntington Beach. Pictures will follow.!!

Life's a Blast

GIANT BURRITO

2009-07-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

I SAW A GIANT BURRITO IN THE WATER AT THE FAIRPORT PIRATE TRIATHLON. TOO MUCH. HAVE A LITTLE REPORT UP. DID NOT RACE BUT IT WAS A BLAST TO WATCH....

PHOTOS ETC TO FOLLOW.

YouthFul Desire

2009-07-15T18:59:00.001-07:00

Testing Headlight in darkened room eating huge bowl of pasta!!!

J.T's shoes prior to 50 miler...fighting over who gets to start!!!!!

Sitting into front of a pixel challenged screen..my laptop and looking for the words to describe the athletic state I am in now. 56 years and looking to recapture the joy of being a kid. Do you know the John Mayer song 1983 ??? Heres some lyrics "Here I stand, six feet small.... romanticizing years ago"
He goes on to sing " these days I wish I was six again..oh make me a red cape...I wanna be superman.ohh if only my life was more like 1983 ".

(click link below for Mayer live)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM_nBYerDKs

Mayer captures the feelings I sometimes get when I think back to youth, when all was play and responsibility was years in the future. We played hard. We laughed and we made our rules and we lived by them. Now we Train. We sometimes put the joy out of our psyches as we mindlessly log our miles and look ahead to the next race. the next workout..the next accomplishment. Do we really savor just how special a workout might have been. How long do we celebrate meeting a goal??? When I finished my 50 mile ultra, I immediately started thinking of what I could do next. Why was I so fixed on the road ahead and not doing the cha cha in that moment. Shame on me.
I can be guilty of this when I interview athletes. I might ask them about enjoying what they just did..but I bore in and ask about whats next. "Can you guys really beat the Steelers now that you've handled the Jets.
There are so many things I do want to do in endurance sports but I just have to remember to play while straining....to wink while wilting in the sun..to chuckle as I churn the gears. If I don't p.r. an event, I have to be bold enough to announce to the world.. "The time I just posted is a number, but the fun I had in getting to this point has done me a world of good.!!!!!

Quick training notes. 4 swim workouts in past week. Two pool workouts. 1.2 miles each. 2 swims in Lake Erie. Lifting well. Eating too much, but am using this recovery time to enjoy the things I was too strict about training for the 50 miler. I have love handles. Better show The Bride!!!
Life's a Blast

SHAQ-TACULAR

2009-07-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...17 days removed from the 50 mile ultra and I have been doing lots of weight lifting and a little elliptical work, but my left foot-ankle is still troublesome..so I am being very cautious.

I was going to start running Monday the 6th, but on Saturday night I was walking briskly from the studio to the control room at the station and I got some pretty intense pain...so I am backing off. I will go see a specialist.

But, while I was trying to get better I got the good news that my blogging buddy (actually he is buddy to many as he is well read) DONALD.. finished the incredibly tough Western States 100 Endurance Run.

That is Kona to triathletes. Carnegie Hall for pianists and Yankee Stadium to baseball players.

I might be somewhat new to ultra running, but I always credit Donald for his guidance into the ultra running world and for his ability to write very thoughtful pieces with humor and interest. He is a very good journalist, and if you visit his blog, you'll read about his experience in that very arduous race. Congrats Donald. And thanks for helping me get more and more into the trails, thanks to your writing.

Since he is a journalist, he might get a chuckle about my exchange with Shaquille Oneal when Shaq came to Cleveland for a press conference. Snippets were all over the media. Shaq was pretty funny. I think I was the 3rd reporter to get the mike before an overflow gym at the Cavs facility.

TRIGUYJT " John Telich Fox 8 ...Welcome to Cleveland...I'm shocked you are not tweeting up there on the dais?? Why not?? (Shaq is a big fan of Twitter)

SHAQ "Cuz I'm up here answering your question (laughter from everyone)

TRIGUYJT "Yeah, I appreciate you paying attention..(laughter). I notice alot of law enforcement people here today. Can you tell us what kind of involvement you will have here".?

SHAQ "I'm actually undercover here (laughter)...no.. I do have an interest and I will be looking into some things... but really..I'm just here for one thing. "Get a ring for the King". (applause..laughter)

and on and on the press conference went. As I have written before, its fun stuff and it will be pretty wild around here covering both LeBron and Shaq.

On the training front, our swim club at Fairport Harbor beach starts Tuesday the 7th...if you are in the Cleveland area...drive out... 7:30am. We have kayaks to assist people who might be intimidated by the open water. Usually, we swim about 1.5 to 2.0 miles..give or take a little yardage... After that, we have breakfast.

I have no idea what will be my next race...I just want to make sure the foot is better...My mom always said patience is a virtue and I am trying to practice that.

In the meantime..Life's a Blast!!!

50 MILES VS IRONMAN TRIATHLON

2009-06-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hi folks. Its been 8 days since I scaled the 50 mile ultra mountain and I have been thinking back to that day and trying to wrap my mind around the task and comparing it to my 3 Ironman distance triathlons.

Which was tougher??? I said initially that the 50 miler was more stressful to my body. However, I examined some facts from each discipline and came up with these conclusions.

Ironman distance Triathlon.
1. Longer amount of hours and effort. First one I did was in 16 hours and 45 min...then the next two were in the upper 15 hour range.
2. More areas of the body aching. Back discomfort from the Bike. Knee issues from the marathon segmernt of the triathlon.
3. Psychological Aspect . I was constantly fighting my inner demons during the Ironman races. Will I be fast enough to beat the bike cut off?? Can I deal with the day turning to night and still being out on country roads with only a neon necklace to ward off stray cars. My races were small events compared to the corporate races in the M-Dot format.
4. Nutrition knowledge was less when I did the three Irons. (Most recent one was 2002). I never bonked, but I know I was not properly fueled besides Gatorade and water.

50 Mile Ultra Marathon
1. It was a solo event, so I controlled the run...I was under no pressure to beat anyone or try to stay with any person. I say that was a benefit. Also, having my son run the last 20 with me was a huge benefit.
2. Body issues. I traumatized my tendons to my left ankle at mile 25 or so.. I kept running. Not really smart. Once I got that issue controlled in my mind. (ibprofen helped) I was able to finish. I ran it in 11 hours. 54 minutes.
3. Fitness level was about the same as the Irons, but I felt I had alot in the tank when I finished. I think I can run a 100 miler some day. I am not sure, I could do a double-Ironman.
4. My nutrition was much better. Roctane Gels were used and really helped. PB and J sandwiches were beneficial as were the trail mix and the Coke-Gatorade-Water I constantly used.

Those are some points and I have concluded that the Ironman distance gets a slight edge on which is tougher. Very slight. I also know if I attempted a 50 miler in August when the temps are in the 80's with humidity I would easily vote for the ultra-marathon being tougher.

I am blessed to be healthy enough to be able to. complete 3 Iron distances triathlons in my late 40's and do a 50 mile ultra at age 56. I know I will do a 100 miler some day and I am not done wtih long distance triathlons either. Speaking of 100 milers....good luck to Donald in the Western States 100.

Those are my stories and I am sticking to them.

On a work note. Things will be lots of fun covering the Cavs now that Shaq is on the team. He is a funny guy and he'll keep us on our toes..LOL!!!

Life's a Blast

50 MILES, LOTS OF SMILES

2009-06-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

The 50 mile Birthday ultra run was a smashing success!!! Race Director J.T. is happy and so is the runner himself....J.T.!!!

What day. Its a day later and I have my left foot propped up and its red and swollen. I will have to see a professional about it. More on that.

These things all happened.

1. Nearly arrested

2. Garmin nearly died

3. Ran some mileage on pavement...yuck

Weds night I tested out my new head lamp. Princeton Tec. Turned out the lights and ate pasta with the lamp!!

Thurs morning..cool. slight rain...I headed to North Chagrin Reservation. Had all the supplies and was ready. Started at 3:30am. Plan was to run 2 or 3 mile loops and get to car at Strawberry for supplies..

Got in my first loop and returned to the lot. Whoops!! Ranger there with lights flashing. "May I see your license? Are you aware the park is closed???" I stammered some responses, he checked the license and then...after making me wait 10 minutes issued a warning. Leave the park and do NOT return til 6am. Ohh yeah..my license tag was one day expired.

So from about 4am till 6am this is what I saw. Ran on Chardon and Chagrin River Road. Headlamp was great for the drivers. They saw me coming. By 6am I was 11 plus miles in and could return to Strawberry and resume on the trails.

Saw Betty and met Becky and they encouraged me. I started free lancing the park and using my Garmin to keep track. Did loops to Squires. I would return every 3 miles are so to load up.

I used tons of water.. 8 GU ROCTANE. (Love that stuff) Trail Mix, 6 ibprofens in a small bag with salt. I would grab a pill and couple pinches of salt when I took a pill. Gatorade was also used.

I played mental games to keep the run fresh. Kept The Bride aware of my progress. She was gonna come by a couple times and and my son Pat planned on getting there to run the final 20 with me.

25 miles in, I felt discomfort just above my left ankle. I thought it was a tendon getting traumatized but I kept running. I was really fighting it but what kept me going was something all endurance athletes rely on to battle through adversity. The inner will to test yourself to the limit!! I had been watching David Goggins videos on YouTube and they inspire. I also thought of the kids who deal with Cerebral Palsy. I have been associated with the Cleveland organization this past year. Last summer, I swam for Team Dawud. (see my sidebar, me in swimcap and Dawud in helmet) I became friends with Kristen who's daughter Julia has CP. I thought of the strength and courage these kids and their families muster up to perform daily tasks is remarkable. I knew running 50 miles would be thought as a big deal by many, but deep down I knew the kids with CP have more toughness and determination that a race filled with ultra runners.......so....I pushed on...and on.

The weather remained overcast and somewhat cool. Perfect Day!!!!

Patrick arrived at mile 29 and that was perfect timing. 3 weeks ago, he ran 50k to celebrate his 30th birthday. I was dragging a bit when he got there and we starting running some different trails that he is accustomed too...and after awhile he was getting the lay of the park. Up till about 38 miles I was slowing a little more and fighting the pain in left foot. But by mile 37 I started to really get my rythmn and we were moving very well. 10 minute miles and the pain was more in the back of my mind.

The Bride showed up again at mile 42 and we had cookies..some o.j., which I never had in a race before. It helped. We kept going and I could see the end. Running sections of the park that had roots actually helped, because I was focused on the ground and could feel like I was moving very well. By mile 48 the Garmin was warning me that power was low.. I was obsessed with breaking 12 hours and beating the Garmin to finish. It worked. 11 hours, 54 minutes.

Afterward, I iced my left knee and my left ankle and we headed home. Two strip steaks bit the dust. I ate everything in sight.

This morning I spoke with my doctor who says I just traumatized the foot and to keep it elevated and keep the Aleve coming. If it persists, I will get an ex-ray. He also referred me to an orthapedic professional who is a runner and who would understand why I need to do this and why it is so fulfilling to attack a challenge and not back down and why we always must strive to be our best...every day....every mile.

Life's a blast!!

THE BIG 5--6

2009-06-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Another week of solid training is in the books...
Heres how I broke it down.
Monday, upper body and leg workout..
12 minutes of Rope Skipping high cadence
Tuesday 6 mile trail run...attacking hills..and strong tempo..working on easy gait, but quick turnover...
Wednesday--Same as Monday
Thurs..5 mile trail run running uphill much of the first 1.5 miles...work on strong finish to the run..in the rain
Friday Light lifting and Skipping Rope
Today early start to a planned 11 mile trail run. Got underway at 6am..cool morning..but perfect... Heres a couple of pics of what I ran into at North Chagrin Reservation. Got 5.8 miles in before I met up with Andy, Dale, Betty and Dick and Suzanne. I ran another hour with Andy while the others settled into their own paces and trails. I finished with 10.5 miles. Good effort and best part is I am at the stage where my legs are recovering very well from longer runs. For the week, 22 miles, which was a planned down week. Next week, I will ramp up the mileage.
Weight situation. I dropped another pound and thats 13.5 to date. I am close to the weight I am comfortable.
Also...next week, I hit the big 5--6. So, in keeping with the insanity that is my birthday-fitness challenges..I am pondering a way to bring it in. Last year at 11:59pm, on a high school track, I did everything 55. 55 laps on the quarter mile track. 55 reps on each weight exercise..etc..
This year, I just might take off an try to run my own 50 miler. I did the math. I can plot a 2 mile trail in the woods. If I run 25 of those...I will hit 50 miles. That way, I have many chances to swing by the car and grab any water-gu's-nourishment I need. Buddies, Tim, Suzanne and others are running the Mohican 50 miler next Saturday and I am really bummed that my schedule won't permit me to make it to Mohican. I wish them well.

JT...BORN TO RUN

2009-06-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings.
Training for the first ever attempt at running a 50 miler is going well. The only stick in the mud is I don't have a race that fits my schedule...so I am working on that... I am really considering staging my own 50 conquest and will enlist the likes of my son, and others to run some of it with me.
Have been getting in some long Saturday runs and the cross training with weights, or balls or rope skipping has gone well too. Last week, when my son ran his 31.8 miles for his birthday, I got in one 16 miler and another 15 miler and other runs...... a total of 40 for the week.
This past week, I only totalled 27 miles...but got many of them this morning... 17.5 miles with Tim and also with Suzanne at North Chagrin. Both are running the Mohican 50 miler.

My Eat Clean approach has been great. 12 pounds lighter and its helping my ultra-training. I slipped a little the past few days..in fact, right now I am eating a Hormel spaghetti dinner.... get this....1400 milligrams of sodium. Holy heart attack.
Its still possible my next race will be a triathlon. A sprint triathlon. I have done very little biking or swimming as I have been concentrating on upping the trail mileage.

I have tweeted about this book and I can't say enough about it. "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. (CLICK HERE FOR AMAZON REVIEW & Q AND A WITH AUTHOR) Very entertaining look at the Tarahumara runners of Mexico's Copper Canyon region and about how some elite runners competed against them. I have actually started re-reading the book, it was that good. I highly recommend it. He makes some good points about how man was designed to be a marathon machine..and how long distance running is the reason man is still here...as many thousands of years ago..the only way to survive was to hunt the prey, by simply running it to death. He also makes the point that, although people think ultra runners are insane, they are simply doing what evolution has commanded them to do...run...long..sustained efforts.
I think its a great book. No, I have never met the author, nor do I have any connection with him or the publisher. Any endurance athlete will read this book and I think see parts that resonate.
Next week, I will concentrate on some tempo runs.

Work is a little less insane, now that the Cavs were eliminated from the playoffs, but it seems, LeBron James is always in the news. Refusing to talk after the loss. Not shaking hands and then having surgery on his mouth. I said on the air, he should have been more gracious in defeat, but lets not make this look like he caused the swine flu. He apologized and I think he will grow from the experience.
Keep Training.. Life's a Blast.

OUR SON THE ULTRA MARATHONER

2009-05-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Pat did it. Our son completed his goal. He wanted to run an ultra marathon to celebrate his 30th birthday. his 30 miles would have been fine...but since I had run a 50 k about 6 weeks ago, he mapped out a course that was 31.8 miles...just over 50 k. Why not one-up the old man??
He recruited his friend Bridget, who is married to his longtime pal, Chuck. Bridget used to be a bike messenger and she knew she could go the hilly mileage. They started in Chardon. Pat had the camelback..Bridget had lots of water in the back of the bike, and I packed lots in a cooler.
I was gonna sherpa the run. Diving in and out along the way and running about half the mileage.
Chucks house is about 1200 feet above sea level. Chardon is one of the high points in north east ohio. So the run would take two big elevation drops and climbs before finishing in Ohio City where Pat lives.
I ran the first 2.5 miles, said so long and ran back to the starting point to get the car. Pat wanted to do 6 hours. It was warm but not real hot. There was a breeze and some cloud cover. Driving to catch up to the pair, I did not see them... "No way they have gone this far"?? But they had. He was making good progress.
Near 12 miles is Chagrin River Road and Wilson Mills. The bridge was being worked on. I tried to talk the construction guys into letting them walk through when they got that far. Nope. So, we had to put the bike in the trunk and drive a detour of 5 miles to got to the other side of the bridge which was only 200 feet away. I told Pat, that its just a long water break. Don't let it get you down. We got to the other side..Pat ran 200 feet extra to make sure and off we went. I ran 2 miles up Wilson Mills, then ran back down to the parking lot on the south end of North Chagrin.
They were making good time. By the 22 mile mark (Monticello & Mayfield), Pat was feeling dizzy and storm clouds were coming. We rested a bit...he ate more and drank more and the air cooled, but the rains came. Not heavy rains, but cooling rains.

Pat was struggling at the point and I could see the doubt on his face. The Bride called and was worried about the weather. I called Fox 8 and the experts said the storms were lessening in intensity and any new ones to come would not have thunder. That reassured the pair and of course The Bride.
He kept motoring. The run down Carnegie is more than 5 miles. Then a tour past Progressive field and then over the Detroit/Superior bridge and home free. Finish point was The Old Angle Tavern on West 25th. Pat and I went to his apartment two blocks away and Bridgets family joined her in the Tavern. I got Pat the bag of ice...15 in the ice bath and he was on the road to recovery. Though he felt lousy the rest of the night..he was very happy to reach his goal.
We are very proud of the two of them. Pat ran in just over 6 hours. I tallied 15.9 miles in my sherpa-running buddy role. As I write this the next day, Pat is demolishing a good chunk of pork grilled on our grill. I think he's gonna be fine.
This Saturday I am aiming for an 18 mile trail run. Anyone game???

TRAILS TRADITION AND FRIENDS

2009-05-24T13:12:00.001-07:00

I write this on a Sunday with a thousand things going on. First, the training. This past week, I had 2 strong upper body workouts and 2 leg workouts. I had two 6.0 mile trail runs and I capped the week off with a very strong 15.9 mile trail run at North Chagrin. I treated the first hour as a very quick paced, out and back down on the Bridle Path. It was cool and very pleasant. I felt real strong and definitely feel the effects of weighing 11 pounds less than when I started the Clean Eating Lifestyle. I got in just under 7 miles in the hour..stopped...got plenty of fluids,..a Gu Roctane, and half of a pb and j. Saw Betty, Andy (props on Rite Aid marathon) and Pat. I took off and worked on getting 16 miles in. Weaved all over the trails and got the workout in. Near the end, I saw Mike, Tim and others and they were trying to see if I wanted to run the Punxtawney 50 K in September. We'll see. After, an ice bath, I was good to go, but somewhat ravenous. Ate under control on Saturday, but today, I am going bonkers. We are cooking out at the station and look out!!!! Monday AM, I will get in a solid weight workout and then 45 minute run and then, its one of the favorite days of the year. We honor the veterans and our family in Euclid, always mans a corner and cheers wildly for all the vets. We really appreciate the service to our country. The Bride and I will entertain family as per usual and burn a few more burgers and dogs.... Work has been insane with the Cavs in the Eastern Conf finals and perhaps you saw LeBron James miracle shot friday night. Nothing he does amazes me. I have seen this stuff for years. He made that shot after being on the cover of Sports Illustrated and usually the cover means some kinda jinx. Didn't work this time. Cavs have a tough battle with the Magic. Weds, my oldest son Patrick turns 30 and he will be running 30 miles to celebrate it!!! I will run about 12 miles with him and another friend of his will be on her bike with him the whole way. He will run from near Chardon to his apartment in Ohio City on Clevelands near west side. I am really proud of Pat. He is now in year #3 of triathlons and I love racing with him and training too. Its pretty special.

Kudos to Darrell Nagy aka "Pudge". He's my childhood buddy who qualified for Boston and realized a long time dream this past April.

Heres a picture. (He is 17430 in white cap, arms raised) Pudge ran a 3:52:49...very strong . Us 50's guys gotta stick together.

Finally, you heard of the turtle who was mugged by two snails. Cops asked him what happened and he said "I'd don't know, it happened so fast". Its a little joke I use when I speak but it means more to me. Everything is relative. My speed might not make an Ironman champ blush, but my speed is my speed and my progress as an athlete is MY progress. I train hard and you trained hard as well. Don't be discouraged if a part of your training is not moving at the speed you want. It will come. Just keep plugging along.
I also want to thank the Sherwin Williams Womens Club for having me speak at their annual dinner. I love my public speaking and I always use the forum to try to motivate others and keep people reaching for more in their lives. Several of the women told me afterwards they are working on their running and biking and I simply encourage them to try their best.
and ohhhh yeah...Life's a Blast.

MAN ON FIRE!!!!

2009-05-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the city that TNT buffoon Charles Barkley refers to as "The Mistake by the Lake" Cleveland Ohio. Charles is harmless and memo to Chuck. The joke is about 25 years old. Get some new material. Another memo to Chuck. You'll feel differently Mr. when you need to come to the world class Cleveland Clinic for health concerns. I will give him credit for one thing. He predicted the Nuggets would make the finals and he might be right.

Enough of that. Our city just put on the Cleveland Rite Aid Marathon and 10K on Sunday and a record amount of runners took part. 12,400 according to officials. Many Cleveland runners, both road and trail know Elizabeth Hansen. Wow!!! what a race she ran. She finished second overall in the womens division of the Half Marathon. I was really excited for her and mentioned her on the 10pm news. Great job E-Speed. Check out her blog (on sidebar) and I am sure she wrote about it.

Finished a great week of training. The effects of dropping 9-10 pounds have been great. More zip. Quicker stints when skipping rope. Weight training is more intense. Its all good. Capped off week with a 12 mile trail run Saturday and followed by some tempo on the treadmill for a 14 mile day.

However, I am an endurance weenie compared to Epic Bill Bradley. His motto is "Show up and Suffer" Heres the link to his website and check out the video on the Triple Ironman. That says it all. The man is on fire!!!!~! Wow!! He never claimed to be a great runner. He is just mentally tough and he will out work most people. He is getting me all charged up. The 50 miler is gonna get done...Hell, if I focus on Bill, it won't be long before I do a 100 miler.

Join me on Twitter "telichtwit8"

or on Facebook John Telich

Enjoy your training...your racing and your Life!!

Life's a Blast!!

JT is Alive

2009-05-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings.. quick note to let you know that yes...I am still alive. Some notes and then a promise to be more punctual with posts.

1. Last 2 and a half weeks have built up my long trail runs to 15 miles...gonna go 16 Saturday.
2. My weight has dropped 9 pounds due to the Eat Clean Plan.
3. I have not decided on a 50 miler. Mohican sounds great but there is likely a conflict.
4. Not running the Rite Aid Half Marathon. Might still go there and cheer on some runners from my bike.
5. Been Tweeting more on Twitter and getting lots of feedback on Facebook. Facebook response is more from folks who comment on sports stuff, although I always post about other things... Twitter seems to be filled with lots of marketing types but there are cool things too.
6. Wanted Mike to win Biggest Loser but props to Helen for winning.
7. Gilles should win the Dancing competition on ABC. The Bride loves how hot he is. She still loves me however.
8. Enjoying watching and covering the Cavs in playoffs. They are 8-0 and won't play again till next Weds vs the Celts/Magic winner.
9. Have a creative way to use Horse Poop to run my fartlek workouts on the Bridle Paths. Will explain in future post.
10. Good Luck to everyone running in the Rite Aid....

Lifes' a Blast

WHATS EATING J.T.??

2009-04-27T13:14:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Mike, Chris, Suzanne, Dave, and Betty for the company on Saturday as I finished off the week with a long trail run. Ran with the group for about 7 miles and then finished off my 12 miler at North Chagrin on my own. Great run... Awesome day.

Just spectacular weather. Met the weekly goal of mileage and weight workouts.
This week will see me get a long run in of 14 miles. My son, Patrick tuned up for his 30th birthday run of 30 miles by cranking out an 18 miler, from North Chagrin to Chardon. He is stoked.
I am starting this eating program modeled after the book "Clean Eating" by Tosca Reno. Nothing revolutionary about the program, but I think its much needed. Could stand to lose 15 lbs and know that will make a difference in my quest to jump from the Ultra distance of 50 Kilometers..to 50 miles. The Bride really wants me to lose the weight so I will snore less!!! LOL!!
Found this little gem on the internet and thought I would share with it with you. 3:01:50 at the Boston Marathon. The man has one leg. Amazing.

Cavs blew by the Pistons in 4 games and now wait to see whom they will face in round 2. Browns drafted 8 guys and got 3 players from the Jets. They need bodies.
Signing off for now. The weather is gorgeous and its crazy being inside.
Life's a Blast

TRAIL BOY

2009-04-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my sanity checkup.

Having met last weeks running goal...a modest 23 miles, with a long run of 11 on the trails, I made this weeks goal to be 28 miles with a long run of 13 miles.... I am still trying to see which race I will use to get my first 50 mile Trail Race in. Kim says I should do Mohican in June. Its tempting. The family schedule might prevent it. We'll see. We may travel to California to visit our son, Joe, who boldly set out for L.A. 4 weeks ago and has already got a place and a job in the tv-film industry. I love his adventure-attitude. He is 26 and theres no time like RIGHT NOW to pursue your dreams. Face it, the perfect time never comes up.

This morning, I set out to run 7 miles at North Chagrin. I think you have read before how much I love this place.

It was cool and we had a bunch of rain the past few days and so I planned to stay on the Bridle Paths exclusively. I hardly ever run on the multi-purpose paved trails anymore, and lately I have "Gone off the Grid" and free lanced all the minor trails that go into the woods, with the many areas of soggy spots, and little bridges and steps and trees fallen over the tight little trails.
I began at a very easy pace and noted , how one of the creeks was running pretty well. I even heard it, which is a big deal for me. (I wear hearing aids when not training).

The 7 mile run would feature about 3,800 feet of climbing (and same of descending of course). The Bridle Path I was on is called NC2..its a 4.54 mile loop and goes by Squires Castle. I would tack on additional mileage to make the 7 miles.

About 35 minutes into the run is this creek and a stone walkway. The water was moving pretty good here.
Once past Squires and a little visit to the restroom, there is a switch back that has a very steep incline. I always try to attack this incline a couple of times a week.
All told, me and the Garmin 305 covered 7 miles. Nice and easy and 11 minutes per mile... Perfect way to start the day.

The Bride had personal training sessions with 3 different clients so I caught up on some blogs, facebook and twitter and then spoke before my dads Rotary club meeting. Now, I am writing quickly before heading to the Q to cover game 2 of the Cavs-Pistons. Speaking of the Cavs...the guys did a very cool take-off on the Heineken Commercial. Heres the link to it...
Later guys. Life's a Blast.

PURPLE TOE-NAILS

2009-04-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone....
Its been nearly 2 weeks since the 50 K and I am checking out more and more races in the trail running community.

I am also the proud owner of two purple toe-nails. I figured you only needed to see one foot. Imagine the other foot and a twin. However I have many interesting events to think of entering. This week, I set an easy goal of 25 trail miles and am more than halfway there. I did have a minor issue with my patella tendon in my right knee and am taking precautions. However, its an exciting time to think of the goals I can set and just what type of endurance events to tackle.

Matt suggested a 4 mile swim in Lake Erie this summer and I am thinking about that. I will have as a base this season, 2-3 Olympic distance triathlons, and perhaps 2 sprints. I think, since I am getting into the longer trail running...the ultra's....... I will not tackle a half Ironman this year . I reserve the right to jump back into the Longer triathlon mode. My most recent Ironman was 7 years ago and so I really need to get back to one. But, I have to be honest, the trail running is just an incredible elixir. Its magical in many ways. The past 2 days I did 6 mile trail runs..each one with about 2500 feet elevation climb and, while I was worried about the knee, I easily got into a zone and just ran..and climbed...and descended the hills or rocks etc..

Heres a little pic from one of the trails. I wrote on Facebook, that nothing clears the mind like a trail run, and I meant it. The process of running on the roads or on a community paved multipurpose trail doesn't mend the soul, the way a trail run does. My son, Patrick is training hard for his own way to celebrate his 30th birthday. He is going to run from Chardon to Cleveland and end up at his apartment in Ohio City. He mapped it out (30 miles, of course) and is psyched. I figure I will run 10 miles or so with him.

Work is getting busy with the Indians season underway and the Cavs beginning the playoffs on Saturday. Lots of practices to go to or games to cover. The Browns schedule came out and one date, I was hoping that would be free is October 25th. I wanted to enter the double-marathon on trails called "Run with Scissors". However that date is a home Browns game on Fox and so we will be doing some specials. Forget that one.!!! I do, however think sometime this year I will attempt a 50 miler.

Heres an example about how you have to think twice before speaking. I have to commend our anchorman Lou tonight. I was finishing up and being told in my ear how much time I had. I told the producer that I would kill S-7. S-7 happened to be slugged "John Madden Retires". The producer said in Lou's ear..."John Madden is dead". Then as Lou was hearing that, I could see the wheels turning. He almost blurted out something about Madden. Bless Lou for pausing and using his head. It could have been embarrassing.

Enjoy your training and racing. Good luck to the Boston Marathon runners.
Life's a Blast.

TAYLOR SWIFT IN THE WATER

2009-04-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

Little loose ends from my Fools 50K ultra marathon finish on April 5. According to my Garmin, I burned 4455 calories..and we climbed nearly 11,000 feet of elevation all told during the course of going up and down hills and across ledges and up and down steep steps. Good fun!!. I averaged just over 13 minutes per mile to post the 7 hour, 1 minute time. Don't think I am insane, but I am toying with the idea of entering a 50 miler. Have recovered pretty well. Ran on Thursday for a short bit and will resume running this weekend. Want you to meet a young lady, whom I did a story on for Fox 8. Taylor Hetrick from Chardon High School. She is a sophmore. With apologies to the talented singer Taylor Swift..my young friend is the real Taylor Swift. I actually first saw her as she ran with someone during a triathlon. At the time, I did not know she was a nationally ranked swimmer. She is 16. A very personable kid. Popular and driven for success. She holds 3 American records and is gunning for a spot at competing in London in 2012. I am really glad I had the chance to meet her and of course, then have the chance to introduce her to you.

I have the link to the website HERE. When you get to the Fox8 home page, go to the video section. Look for the story.....Blind Swimmer Breaks Barriers. Thats right, Taylor is blind. Check it out. The story is less than 2 minutes and I know you'll come away with a great respect for her and will be inspired. Hey, life with inspiration is life well lived.

Take care!! Life's a Blast

JT GOES ULTRA

2009-04-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.

If you have followed this blog, you might be aware that I have been a triathlete for about 25 years. But that means I came to tri's in my early 30's. Before that I ran. 8th grade cross country. 10 and 11th grade cross country. The past two years I have gotten more and more into training on trails and its like returning to my roots. I love it.

So..to say I loved competing in the Fools 50 K Trail race Sunday, would be right on the money. It was a blast. I had failed in the middle of winter to complete the Buckeye Winter 50K. (only went 18 plus) The conditions were pretty brutal, but I convinced myself that I could get it done as I prepared to start the race at Pine Hollow.

Having completed 3 Ironman distances, I still had never run more than a marathon at one time. Sunday, I would try to break that barrier. Gorgeous Morning. Sun was peaking over the hills. Temp about 30 ish. Wore my long sleeve compression tee underneath the Buckeye Trail jacket . Went with running shorts and my trusty Addidas trail shoes. There were 4 sections..all color coded and I have to say Lloyd Thomas did a great job marking the course.
Having lost 2 toe nails to long trail runs in recent months, I was curious to meet a guy who wore those new fangled shoes with the open toes. Just wild to look at. He says he never has toenail issues. Hey, it works for him.

Met Tim, whom I see at North Chagrin and David Wank, who has an ultra under his belt. He was doing the 25 K. Andy and I ran together for about a mile as the group thinned out. I was ready with an abundance of GU Roctane packets and determined to be disciplined on taking one every 50 minutes. 6 IBuProfen tablets waited for use. I had a collapsible water bottle which was easy to carry..only 14 ounces... just right. Heres some of the runners at about mile 4, before we went through the ledges section. It was just a fantastic day, weather wise.

I had on my Garmin 305 but not the heart rate monitor. I concentrated on easy strides and just power walked any of the hills. (there were plenty). On steep inclines I might have looked like Hitler Youth swinging my arms so much. Muddy in spots, but nothing horrible, I made it to the first 25K in 3 hours, 16 minutes. In my mind, I was thinking the race would take 8 hours, but since I did half in the above time, I was energized and starting calculating what I might finish in. I set the goal to do the second half in 3 hours and 45 mins or less to break 7 hours. Here I am getting more water at the halfway mark. At that point.. 4 Gu's 3 ibuprofens taken, one salt pill and 4 cups of Heed, plus copious water. The Roctane Rocked!!!! Real pick me up. I will always used those from now on.

Getting to the halfway mark, David Wank, who had finished the 25 K in 2:19 came with me and encouraged me while running the next mile or so. I really appreciated that. I told him there was no way in hell I would not finish.

20 Mile mark, I even called "The Bride". "Honey, its me. I am at mile 20 and I just want you to know I will finish this sucker". The Bride said, "Thats great..good luck..bye". I worried on the extreme downhills that my tightening quads would start barking, but overall they held up well. Had a little hip flexor issue but fought through it.

I just ran and enjoyed the day, mostly to myself. Would fall behind one man and woman team, then catch them, then fall behind. See sawing all day long.

Before I knew it, I hit the mythical marathon distance. 26.2 miles. 5 hours, 40 minutes. By then, i was thinking just about 5 miles left and 7 hours will be easy. But I started leaking oil and the last 5 miles took 1 hour and 20 minutes. The final stretch of trail before we broke out onto the grass for the 200-300 yards to the finish, I thought would never end. I thought I was gonna break 7 hours, but missed it by a minute and change.

7 hours, 1 minute, 35 seconds and happy to down fluids at the finish. Will I do another ultra??? Absolutely.!!!! Now, can someone tell me where I can get a good massage.
Ohhh Yeah, Life's a Blast!!!!

HIDDEN POTENTIAL

2009-03-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Long time ..no talk..hope all is well with you as the training and the racing start to ramp up this time of the year...

Work is crazy right now. The Cavs are playing their best basketball in years and the local Cleveland State Vikings made a short run in the NCAA tourney. Akron lost to Gonzaga in the first round.
Training is going steady...alot of interval work going on for me. I have gotten more of a hold on my eating habits and thats good. I am still slated to run the Fools 50 K trail race next Sunday, April. You may recall my 50k adventure in late January in lots of snow and tough conditions. This time, I believe I can answer the call and get the job done... Have been skipping rope like young Muhammad Ali. Love to do a 30 minute session with hard 30 seconds followed by 30 rest for ten minutes, then 40 seconds hard, followed by 20 seconds rest for ten more minutes and then 50 secs hard , with only 10 seconds rest for the final ten minutes... great, great workout. Still lifting and doing more and more core stuff. Will send you pics of my kneeling on the stability ball and doing lifting with a small 6 pound medicine ball. Love that.

With baseball right around the corner, I have a small story about one guy, who delivered when many others did not think he could...When many doubted him and this reporter would have to admit to being a skeptic as well. In spring, 08 I was in Florida and during my 3-4 days there, we interview tons of players for the Indians... Stars like Grady Sizemore, and the kids trying to make the team too. By the 4th day, we had to race to Orlando and catch our flight back. I had only 4 guys left to chat with.I did the first three but almost sluffed off talking to the 4th guy because I had a bad vibe on him, which wasn't really fair as he was always real good to me. But I knew his story. He was thought to be very stubborn and not taking to coaching that much. Or so we thought. He had been sent to the minors the previous summer for about 6 weeks because he was pitching bad and the team was trying to send him a message. When he returned from the minors, he was not even a factor as the Indians went to within one win of making the Series.
I interviewed him, and he said he was a different pitcher and that fans would see just that this season. He was battling two other guys for the final spot on the pitching roster. I thought nothing of this when I returned and as the season got underway.This guy believed in re-starts and believed in himself. He made the team, and proceeded to pitch "lights out". I mean , real lights out. He had a scoreless string. He made the All Star team. Quite literally he was the best pitcher in baseball. Maybe you have heard of 2008 American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee!!???
I was with many who did not believe in him and I ate crow for it. Lee paid that no mind and totally transformed himself and the rest is history.
We all have doubts..about ourselves and others. Cliff Believed. You believe in yourself as an athlete or a coach and everything else doesn't matter. Have a great week and remember....Life's a Blast!!!

A BIT OF LUCK AND CHANCE

2009-03-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hi folks....
Training has been sporatic this week for the Fools 50K race in less than 3 weeks. I feel I have enough of a base, but I am not really familiar with the course, so I hope to check it out in the next week or so. I just have not been as consistent with my training but offer no excuses. I will get it together.

Work has been really crazy with MAC Tourney hoops, the March Madness and the new Browns regime signing just about everyone who ever played for the Jets. I fully expect Emerson Boozer (real name, not made up) to join the team.

Since today is St. Patricks day, I figured a little story about, chance..about luck and about how its wild how things work out for some people. One might say theres a grand plan..others could say things just worked out this way.

The man was on the rebound from a coaching job where it was alleged he uttered a racial slur. Disgraced he returned home and looked for a job. His resume was pretty impressive, but, hey a racial slur is something that never goes away, right?? He didn't expect to get a college job but he felt safe in his home town and was coaching a parochial school that had a tremendous core of kids. One of the kids was incredibly talented and precocious...way beyond his years. Scouts thought the kid would one day be a star. So the coach guided the talented team and watched the young star blossom. He soon got a job as an assistant coach at the local University. The young star and his buddies won 3 State Titles and the young star headed to the pros.

Now, in the year 2009, as the head coach of the University, he guided his team to the finals of the league tourney. Incredibly the team no one thought could win it all...did..and the coach was cutting down the nets. But in the back of his mind, he knew how the chance teaming up with the young star and his buddies was a big reason why he was about to take his team to The Big Dance.
He brought up the fact that it was his teams 23rd win..and that it had been 23 years since they had been in the Big Dance and how it was ironic, because the young star he coached in high school, the one kid who in a short professional span had achieved worldwide fame and stardom also wore number 23 on his uniform. The coach stated this right after the game and he spoke further about it with yours truly on Monday Morning.

Keith Dambrot, Akron University coach felt the reason he was so successful after such shame was because of the kid, now a man...LeBron James. It was James, a black inner city kid from Akron who helped the short white middle aged coach get back on his professional feet. It is James who supplies gear and shoes for the school and is their biggest fan and it is Dambrot, who has never forgotten how chance or fate or luck brought him in contact with a talent who is not only a game changer..but apparently in this mans words...a life changer.

We all need second chances. Folks, I don't make this up.
Happy Training!!! Life's a Blast

Dancing J.T.

2009-03-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

Hi again...
Training for the Fools 50 K has been going along. Thanks to E-Speed for some advice and to her article in Ohio Sports and Fitness which highlighted some very talented Masters mens endurance athletes. It was a great read and it really pointed out how many fast men in their late forties and beyond we have in Northeast Ohio.

Its March Madness time of the year. College hoops get to a frenzy and the NBA teams gear up for the playoffs. The Browns seem happy just signing former New York Jets as Eric Mangini shuffles the deck. More and more of my buddies, who had season tickets for the Browns are heavily weighing the virtue of re-upping. Most are way beyond the disgust level.

The Bride has been very busy with her training of clients. She is simply remarkable... With our busy schedules, we usually do get time to watch Biggest Loser and Dancing with the Stars together.
Some thoughts on Mondays premiere of the dancing show.
1. Lil Kim is very easy on the eyes..
2. Ty Murray, Jewel's love and the star Cowboy, sounds like the intern on 30 Rock
3. Wouldn't it be cool if they put a pommel horse out there for Shawn Johnson?
4. Steve-O should be commended for getting off drugs and his choppers are big enough to serve as piano keys.
5.The Bachelor gal who got stiffed, came on with 2 days practice and did great.
6. Denise Richards did have the "frightened deer in the headlights" look.
7. Lawrence Taylor might actually sack Bruno if he makes a crack about his dancing...

Thats it gang. Keep training. Good luck to those getting ready for the Half Iron in New Orleans...
Life's a Blast

RACING STUD

2009-03-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hi there folks....its been quite awhile since I last posted.

Training has gone pretty well. Averaging 30 miles a week and lifting twice a week. I am still planning on running in the Fools 50K in early April. My longest run so far has been 13 miles....This weekend, I plan on a 15 miler. Have learned that I need to work on my Gu intake for longer runs.

The Bride and I went south to see some historical sights on a short little vacation. Visited, amoung other things, Belle Meade plantation and Hermitage (Andrew Jacksons plantation) We also ran into the national convention for the Wild Turkey Federation that was taking place at our hotel. 20,000 Turkey Hunters and turkey callers. It was hilarious.

At Belle Meade, one of the greatest stallions in history, Bonnie Scotland did his thing and produced many great horse racing champs. In fact, he holds the distinction of being one of only 3 or 4 horses to trace champion lines back to him.. Suffice to say, Bonnie Scotland had plenty of bullets in his pistol...if you get my drift. However Bonnie Scotland was kind of successful in England but an injury ended his racing career at the age of 3. He was sent to Belle Meade in 1873.

Iriquois was the first great American racing horse. Iriquois won the English Derby, the first American horse to do so. He was a celebrity. Ticker Tape Parade in New York when he returned. However, Iriquois could not measure up in the "stud" department like Bonnie Scotland. His legacy was that..wire to wire he could run like the wind. Bonnie Scotland was a good racing horse before his injury but not great, however his legacy was that his bloodline produced some of the worlds greatest horses...all the way to this day.

Iriquois was an immortal racer. He did not produce any great champions as a stud. Bonnie Scotland had the magic in the stall. Quirkly how things work out isn't it. Would you choose to be world famous as an athlete but not expand on your legacy or would you prefer to be low-key as an athlete but become world famouse years after your death??? Discuss!!!!

Keep training..good luck to all who are racing.. I promise to not be such a stranger...Life's a Blast!!

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

2009-02-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

Back again folks..... I have to tell you about an inspirational man I had the chance to do a story on.

Imagine these factors.

He's half the man he used to be.

He is twice the age of those he comes in contact with.

He has a spiritual connection.

He competes collegiately.

His name is Terence Haynes and he is a wrestler for Baldwin Wallace College in suburban Cleveland. He is a heavyweight, but as of about 13 -14 months ago....he was....a super-duper-extra-triple-duper heavyweight. Terence weighed 470 pounds.

Show of hands please. How many think thats too much???? Thanks. You can put your hands down.
Terence lost 235 pounds and since he was making changes, he decided to go even further. He enrolled in college... at age 45. Yes, he graduated from high school in 1981. The kids he sees on campus were not even born when he was getting his high school diploma.

Since he was losing weight and getting in shape, he tried out for the college wrestling team. He is their heavyweight and has one victory.

Terence works with troubled youths at Parmadale and is an ordained minister. He is always smiling and inspiring.

I did a piece on him and its posted on our website. www.fox8.com/sports once you get to the site.. search 45 year-old wrestler in the videos section on the right.. When I consider slacking off on my training or eating habits, I think of Terence... Ohh yea, look for a long story to be done on Terence this spring on ESPN E-60 show. That way he can inspire people all over the country.. BW folks wrote a great story on him too. THE LINK

Training has been going well. I sent in my application and will race in the Fools 50K on April 5th. Looking forward to that.
Thanks for the feedback on my gym ideas. I have more and will drop them in from time to time.
Life's a Blast!!!!

GYM BOY

2009-02-07T18:40:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone is fine. Crazy week on the sports front. One of the Cavs was stiffed in the all star selection process...then the Cavs owner rips the NBA for that...and the next day, the league mysteriously takes a rebound away from LeBron James and negates his amazing 52 point triple double at Madison Square Garden.

The Cavs are very ticked off..incredulous. The coach is puzzled. The guy who should be an all star (Mo Williams) laughed out loud when I asked him about the rebound taken from LeBron. He said he never seen that happen before. LeBron, perhaps to his credit did not meet with us today, but I could predict that he would try to downplay the whole thing. Top that off, Kobe and the Lakers were at the Cavs facility working out today, and Kobe said all the robotic things about the matchup against LeBron on Sunday. Hey, it will be fun to watch, no matter who wins.

On workout front, I am a little off in my numbers this week but have been insanely lousy in the eating front. No control. Need to return to really entering my meals in a journal. My weight is at its highest level in 7 months. Duct Tape over my mouth??? Yeah..that would do it!!

Was musing about what I would do if I owned a gym.

3 Ideas. 1. The parking lot would be a quarter mile away from the gym.
2. There would be an escalator to the second floor of the gym, which would be going down..so you would do a mini-stair master workout to get upstairs.
3. lots of sports equipment. Things to toss..to catch..to lift. Fewer machines...

A Penny for your thoughts!!!
Life's a Blast

Silent, Scenic, Solitary Saturday

2009-01-31T19:17:00.000-08:00

10 degree Saturday
18 inches on the ground at North Chagrin Reservation
Very little wind.
Multipurpose paths cleared to about 2 inches ..with many foot prints already on..
Much easier running surface that down on trails in the Cuyahoga Valley Recreational Area.

One Man. two shoes... various clothing articles including the new boffy Buckeye Winter Trail Blue Jacket.

"scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
(sounds repeat...hundreds of times...)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"Morning"!!

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 1 Mile)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"Cute dog you have". Can I pet him?".
"Sure"
"Hey buddy!! Good Boy"
(dog panting sounds)
"Okay, have a great day"!!"

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 2 Mile)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 3 Mile) scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 4 Mile)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

(keys jingle..door opens)
"Chug, Chug, Chug"
(door shuts, Horn sounds--door locked)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 5 Mile)

"Morning...Suns pretty bright right now". Isn't it awesome"?
"Yeah"
"Take Care"

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 6 Mile)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 7 Mile)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 8 Mile)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 9 Mile)

scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"
scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff, scrunch, scrunch, swiff swiff"

"beep Beep" (GARMIN 305 10 Mile)

"Keys jingle"
"door Opens"
"Chug, Chug"
"Car engine starts"

Reality Returns.

10 miles, 1 hour 50 minutes.. average heart rate 133. Elevation Climbed 1,700 feet.

Life's a Blast!!

09 LOOK AHEAD

2009-01-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

Back again. Hope all your training is going well. I have kinda set out there some of the races I am thinking about for this year. Its a wild mix. Half Irons...Sprints,...Olympics... Swim only's. Ultras... See the list on my sidebar I am not sure if I will race in all those races...but its just good to get that stuff down somewhere. (in this case...cyberworld).

Training is going well. I have to have a strong weekend to meet my running goals this week and I think you might have heard...we got slammed....about another foot of snow. That hasn't stopped me from trying to run outside, however this week.. 3 of 4 runs were on the treadmill.

I will be running Friday Am at North Chagrin after I give a speech at a 6am breakfast at Landerhaven. The theme???? Relating an exotic coffee and how its harvested to the sports teams in Cleveland. No kidding. I'm twisted that way. Google Kopi Luwak

Folks at SofSole sent me another pair of Yaktrax Walkers. I just put those on over my running shoes when I was shovelling snow and they worked fine. I ran on hard packed snow with them too and they have worn okay.

Sending best wishes to Mickey Ryzmek, the cool race director of the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. He took a spill around Christmas. Fractured his tibia, fibula and dislocated his ankle...

Mickey sent me the newest U.S. Sports Event Guide. Included was a great article about the Freedom Run done with Original Ironman Tom Knoll, his son Warren and Hubie K. I had a chance to run with those guys and the article talked about their swing through Cleveland and even had a pic of us!!!! Cool Stuff. Thanks Mickey!! Good luck mending.!!!!

Everyone...great training to you...and of course...remember...Life's a Blast

REKINDLE THAT DESIRE

2009-01-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hi folks. Just returned from a very short, 3 mile run in the balmy 17 degree weather.
Confession. Its the first run since I ran in the Buckeye Trail Winter Run. I would like to think my excuse was that my left knee (patella tendon) is a little sore..but to be honest, I just backed off the training and enjoyed strapping on the feed bag and eating everything in sight.

I am thinking of 2009 races. I have decided to try to get my full 50 k in the Fools 50k in early April. As I write that, my left knee is barking .Generally speaking...I will do more trail runs... about 3-4 sprint triathlons..and likely one Half Ironman. I am even thinking of a 50 miler. First however, I must complete the 50K before I go any further. I want to thank two authors for re-kindling my desire the past couple days.
Jeff Horowitz wrote "My First 100 Marathons". I read that puppy in one day. Very interesting book on his experiences as he has run races all over the world. Its an introspective book too.

New York Times writer Liz Robbins, whom I remember when she wrote for the Cleveland Plain Dealer has a great book that looks behind the scenes at the New York City Marathon. "A Race like No Other" Fascinating, how she details the exploits of the great runners, and follows some "average" folks who have real interesting stories. Her account of the Marathon as an event is so much more descriptive than a book that tells you how many cups of coffee are served before hand...if you get my drift. Both books are entertaining and motivating. Thanks alot!!!

My buddy David Moss, who is the entertainment reporter at Fox 8 gave me the advance copy of "The Wrestler" and so The Bride and I watched it. I thought it was a tremendous movie. The general theme is.."what the hell do you do with your life, if all you've ever done is one thing".?? Can you break away from that life??? It spoke to me about people needing to have balance in their lives!!.

Had a great time this week doing some coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships here in Cleveland. Its amazing how much power these skaters have when they are launching themselves into the air. Fearless too!! Man, that ice is very hard ,.....and unforgiving.

Discovered a blog this week Dirt Diva. Thanks Shannigans, for lettingme know about Catra. Very fascinating. This woman is an ultra-marathoner who is also really into Cross-fit. She's very spiritual, adventurous and tough. Basically, she lives the theme.."Live for THIS Moment".

Thats it for now. I will check in early next week with a clearer picture of what events I will be doing. In the meantime...Happy Training.
Life's a Blast

BUCKEYE WINTER 50K TRAIL RUN

2009-01-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

Theres the Garmin and its heart rate monitor strap all fired up and ready to go for my attempt at the Buckeye Winter 50k. They are formed as a cross....humm...coincidence???? I think not.

Race morning dawned with temps in the low 20's..absolutely tropical compared to the 8-15 below we experience in days leading up to the race. I had on 4 layers plus my faceguard with the Festivus Hat on top. 3 different people said I won the Best Hat Award!!. Thats Great. Would I get all 31 miles in????

Thats me on the far right with TriEric...Aimee and TriSaratops. Missing was Janet..aka DaisyDuc who had wandered around the garage to chat. I trained with Eric and Aimee a few times. They were a big help to me. Thanks!!!!

I loved the atmosphere and met a whole bunch of folks. I was assured by all that its very low key and its all about the experience.

We took off at 7:27am and the folks going 50 k did the A loop..5 miles Settled into an easy pace and had to work on making sure I wasn't sliding all over or tripping. The snow was packed down but in a rut about 2-3 feet wide...obviously we would have to move over for folks coming from the other direction. I realized 15 minutes in that I had one layer too much..I took my Festivus cap off for a while to cool. Soon it was apparant with the work I had to do in these conditions that the heart rate was getting up there.

Snapped that shot about 3 miles into. I finished the first loop in about one hour, 4 minutes. I knew that the B loop...8 miles is a real tough section and I made sure to get my gels in take enough water etc.

I had done the 8 mile section last week in somewhat virgin 10 inches of snow in 2:25. This time it took 2:35. It was grinding...I saw my buds coming back from their loop as the Half marathoners began on Loop B. Ran into Kim, the Trail Goddess. Nice to finally meet her. She snapped a few pics.

Ankles got a super workout and I am sure every racer can say they nearly wiped out many times and that their ankles were stressed. Thats cool...but I was starting to wonder if I could make the entire distance... At turnaround of the 8 mile loop, I saw Brian. He was volunteering. Thanks!!! Tom Riley (hope I spelled it right) and he gave me some ibprofen pills. I really fueled up with pb and j and bananas and cookies. Heading back to the Boston Store is not as punishing. Creek crossings were not bad as they were nearly frozen over. Snapped this pic as I was couple miles from the end of Loop B. By this time, I was debating whether I could even finish before the cutoff. I was also thinking it would just be cool to get in a Half Marathon in these conditions...but I kept moving.....

I got back to the Boston Store..checked the shoes...all gunked up with snow..I hydrated...took 3 more ibprofen pills...some more bananas..cookies and few pretzels. At that moment I was talking myself into doing the 5 mile loop and finishing with a solid 18 miles...

The 5 mile loop was trudgery.....I saw the eventual winner, actually doing his 3rd A loop. Thanks to the volunteers at the Brandywine Falls aid station for coming up with even more pain reliever....man was I medicated...haha.....

I finally hit the Boston Store at 5 hours, 3 minutes for the 18 miles. I told the officials I was done and several told me that alot of people ...maybe 50 percent of the 50k hopefuls opted to not go the full distance.

I got the chili(loved the veggie chili) my fritos and some coffee...Thanks Caribou!!! But best of all I got the jacket...Love it baby!!

Some info from my trusy Garmin. Elevation climbed 5,000 feet. Calories burned....2,200. Heart rate maximum.(reached several times) 169. Average Heart rate in the low 150's. Folks, I was at 90 percent or above alot in the race....

Officially of all the races I have set out to do over 24 years of triathlons..from Sprints to Ironmans, thats the first race that I did not finish what I set out to do. However I look at it this way.

1. It was incredibly tough

2. I am tough, but need to be tougher

3. I will be back.

4. What doesn't kill you..makes you stronger

So, if you see me this coming winter on the trails...say Hi. I will likely have that silly hat on. I will be training as best as possible and I will do a 50 K.

But in the meantime..Have some great training everyone..

Life's a Blast.

Best Hat Award

2009-01-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hi...What an incredible experience in the Buckeye Trail Winter Race... details to follow..
Snow...sliding...elevation climbing...heart rate soaring...you name it.
We be along soon with post and pictures....
Paradise is where you are!!

SNOW JOB

2009-01-12T06:17:00.001-08:00

Yes, we were slammed by Mother Nature on Friday night and Saturday morning. I still wanted to meet Aimee, Dale and Eric at the Boston Store and do the 8 mile Pine Lane loop and get more familiar with the terrain for the Buckeye 50k. So I drove out there. 9 inches of snow had fallen. My legs were a little tired as I did an 8 mile trail run at North Chagrin the day before as well. However the ability to move well Friday morning was a stark contrast to running well Saturday Am. Took an hour and 15 minutes to drive what is usually about 40 minutes.

There was about 8-10 inches that had already fallen and it was still coming down. Absolutely gorgeous. Snapped a pic as I wore my festivus cap while waiting for the guys to arrive.

Once Aimee and Dale got there. (Eric was away on business).we started our watches and got going. All that snow and only a handful of guys were already on the trail and so our footing was real hard to establish. I was using my Yaktrax Walkers. We trudged and we trudged.. It was real slow going. About 3 miles into the outing..I stopped and fired off a pic of Aimee up ahead. Then waited and got Dale coming up on me. Once we crossed the second road and rejoined the Buckeye Trail, we came upon this creek.

Thats roughly 3.5 into the run. Dale decided to stay at that point and Aimee and I crossed the 3-4 inches of water and ran-slid-trudge-hoofed it to Pine Lane turnaround. Since it was the first time I went to the turn around point, I kept asking Aimee "Are we there yet"? Surprised she didn't wack me.

We hit the turnaround and returned to the Boston Store. It was extremely slow going and I was doing the math in my head...worried that if these conditions remain next Sunday, I might not make the 50 K in the available time.. We finished the run...8.4 miles on my trusty Garmin 305 in 2 hours and 23 minutes. 2600 feet of ascending on that run. My average heart rate 142 with a high of 159. Great workout..but not as fun as driving home with all the goofballs on the road.

For the week...29 miles run. Sunday, I picked up a pair of trail running shoes and will break them in a little this week..but mostly I am gonna take it easy..Do a bunch of upper body stuff and try to be ready for 7:15 next Sunday AM. Forecast is for very cold and obviously snowy conditions. I am looking forward to the challenge. Thanks to all the veteran trail runners who have emailed advice ...I appreciate it alot.

Best in training to you.. Life's a Blast.

NO MORE SLIDING

2009-01-08T11:43:00.001-08:00

It has come to my attention that its winter. I got subtle hints. The Cold. The wind. The Sun leaving town on the last train out. Those kinds of things..

Since I have been busy training for the Buckeye Winter 50 K, I barely noticed it wasn't 65 and sunny. However, in an effort to go with the flow, I am trying to get accustomed to using the Yaktrax sent to me. Last Saturday, I did not bring them to the Boston Store to use on any of the trails we ran. It was snow packed. Ice packed. Just about any kinda-"packed" you can imagine. I just ran gingerly and watched my steps..(Though I did trip once). My friends said its not smart to use Yaktrax on the trails. I did see some runners with the Yaktrax, but I would venture to say most had trail shoes with screws or something to that effect. Bear with this old time triathlete as he assimilates into the trail culture.

This morning was perfect time to try out the Yaktrax. It had rained overnight, laying down a nice sheen of ice . I went to Chagrin River Park. The trails there are crushed gravel but the ice was pretty nasy in many spots. Still I first set out running without the Yaktrax. Not a good move. I slipped about 90 feet from the start of the run. Perfect.!!!!

I went back to the car and strapped on the Yaktrax. (I was sent a size Small, which I realized was not the right size. I stretched the Yaktrax over my shoes.. They felt secure enough but I feared they would just Boing!!! and come off. They didn't. Off I went.

I maintained an easy 10 min per mile clip on some very slight rolling terrain...did 4 and a half miles and encountered no problems at all. I was pretty pleased. Many spots were like running on an ice hockey rink and I came through okay!!! I think with the right size, I should be in business.... Even on parts that were not totally ice, I felt the Yaktrax working well...mostly comfortable.. All in all..very encouraging..

Recall my previous post about baking the Sofsole Performance insert. I have had two runs with the insoles and so far ..so good. I felt a slight stretch of the instep when I was doings some sprints on a track, but other than that...so far...I am pleased.

This week, I will put about 28 miles in the books..with about 8-10 miles on Saturday ..then 8 days from that, I will be running (not racing) running-shuffling-sliding- in the Buckeye Winter 50K.

Good training everyone.!!
Life's a Blast

CHEF J.T.

2009-01-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I am a triathlete. Yes I know I can swim-bike-run for long distances. But I have to admit, I am loving this trail running and the thought of being in the elements and running for long distances...

Maybe I am built for it. My resting pulse is 45. My maximum heart rate is supposed to be 165. On Saturday am I ran just under 8 miles on the trails that are part of the Buckeye 50K. According to Mr. Garmin, my Forerunner 305. I climbed about 2,000 feet of elevation. My heart rate was mostly in the 140's. It was a blast getting familiar with the terrain. I count it a victory I fell only once. Haha!!

There was a huge group of runners that were out there that morning. Many are racing the Winter 50K. With the 8 miles , I reached 25 for the week. I know its not alot by many folks standards, but I am feeling confident, I can maintain a certain level of effort for a long period of time. Props to my buddies, Aimee, Eric ( AKA. Media Whore) and Dale for having the patience to teach me some of the nuances of the trails. Brandywine Falls is spectacular!!!

I mentioned in previous posts that the folks at Yaktrax sent me some stuff to test. I already have used their socks. The product is called SOFSOLE..made in part with some kind of bamboo. They are super light and very supportive. I have not used the Yaktrax as the trails have been very uneven with tons of ruts.(which caused my fall). But I will check them out. They also sent me a pair of their Sofsole Adapt Performance Footbed.

Which is why I am in this silly chefs get-up. (Hat: courtesy Benihana)
You may have seen my buddy Rainmaker or Steve in a Speedo or others do this same thing. However, the product works best if you bake the sole for just 2 minutes in 255 degrees. So I did.

The soles came out slightly warm... I slipped them into the shoe and then put my feet in to mold them to the SOFSOLE. So far , so good. I will head out in next few days to see how the footbeds do. I will update you as best as possible..

Allow me to show just one quick shot of The Bride as she worked on the 750 piece puzzle we got for Christmas. Got me thinking. Life is a dog-gone puzzle. So many shapes of people we run into..shapes of tasks that need to be done. Our schedules fill up fast, but do we put the right pieces into the puzzles that make up our daily lives. Of the resolutions we set for ourselves this time of the year, are the tasks compatible with the puzzle??? Its worth stopping to think before we rush into something we might not want to do.

Hope your training is going well....Life's a Blast!!!

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS

2008-12-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hi Gang. Last post of 2008. Got a pretty good week of training in in preparation for my 50k race in the Buckeye Trail Winter
50k. Ran on Saturday morning with TriEric and his wife Aimee. Also met one of their friends, who at age 65 is my hero. This
man has a spark and can go all day.. He's like a lithium battery. All three are doing the Half Marathon in the competition.
Eric left us shortly after we began and ran his own kinda workout and I was able to keep up with the other two. However that
morning was day #1 of ending the holiday meal marathon. I felt some of the extra weight, thats for sure. We ran on a 60 degree
morning and got to hop on a couple of trails with good inclines and descents, yet it was good and mucky. Loved it!!!!! All
told, I ran 1 hour and 40 minutes beginning at Station Road in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park System. We even hopped into
some puddles for the heck of it!!!! I hope we never grow up.
The Bride got me a Garmin 305 and its been a hoot just checking out the features of it. Tuesday AM I used it for the first time
in doing a 3.5 mile run in the North Chagrin Reservation.. I love the bridle trails and with recent warm weather followed by
very cold morning, there were lots of Horse hoofs to navigate!!!! Look out for twisted ankles!!!!
I entered the workout stuff in the Garmin Training Center on my laptop. It was out and back with the final part of the out going
up a 9 percent grade!!! Fun stuff. Had no trouble locating satellite connection too. The Satellite tracking my movements is
fascinating to me. In one way you might think of Big Brother but I look at it that technology cares about little old me and
that this technology is going to help me better myself in training and racing.

Of course above yours truly but not as high as the Satellites are the clouds. The Bride took this great shot of the clouds
when we were flying back from Thanksgiving in Florida. Its a serene view. Natures Bleach White Cotton Candy. Whats going on
under those clouds. How are the lives of the people?? When those people look up and see those clouds, are they in the midst of
a tough day?? What limits do they set for themselves?? Do they see a never ending chance to explore whats out there?? Or do
they look at the Clouds and conclude that its dreary?? That the sun is gone and that today sucks? Just wondering.

If you follow the NFL you might know the Browns fired their General Manager and Head Coach so that has kept us busy. Spent
Monday doing a bunch of Live Shots from the Browns Headquarters. I said, in many ways the Coach, Romeo Crennel was walking
coachings Green Mile the last 6 weeks as everyone expected him to get fired. You hear the saying about "Good things happening
to good people"? Not in this case. Romeo is a very classy man..honorable and all that. However its all about results baby!!!
Finally. I hope all of you have a safe New Year Celebration and that your 2009 is a Blast!!!

CIRCUIT CITY

2008-12-24T18:32:00.001-08:00

Holiday Greetings....May your Mistletoe not hurt your toes...May your Yuletide Cheer not bring you down and may you keep on training despite food being everywhere...

I am writing this on the shores of Lake Erie in our beautiful newsroom that overlooks the Lake at East 55th street. Its Christmas eve and I have just finished writing the late news scripts and gotten all the interviews etc edited. Another crazy day....Browns are down to their 4th string quarterback. My lovely desk (cluttered with goodness knows what) overlooks the Lake and, although this time of year..(read : Dec thru-March) the sun takes a back seat to the clouds, I always enjoy the sunsets and if you ask my colleagues, I even have a crazy habit of getting on the P.A. system and doing a sunset play by play. Its silly. Its fun and its worth the ribbing I get from colleagues. Its all about stopping and smelling the roses, which I think people make a point of doing around the holidays, only with alot of chaos thrown in for good measure.

Its been 9 days since my last post and for that I apologize.("Bless me father for I have sinned" ...this feels like a confession) Training took a little hit last week. My mileage dropped from a high of 34 miles to just 14 last week. This week, I hope to hit 25. I also need to get to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and hit the trails to further prep for the 31 mile ultra in January.

The Bride had one day about 8 days ago when she only taught two classes and did not workout herself..so she entrusted me to put her through a workout...Heres what I devised.
1. 200 steps up (5 inch riser)
2. 10 crunches
3. 15 Bent over Rows using dumbells
4. 30 seconds simulated rope skipping
5. Shoulder Presses-barbell 15 reps
6. 15 pushups
7. 15 Bicep curls dumbell
8. 15 tricep extensions using bands
(water break)
Repeat 4 times.

I learned that the initial 200 steps was a little too long so in coming workouts I will shorten it and sprinkle the cardio over the circuit. As usual, The Bride blew the workout clear out of the water...She kicked its fanny big time!!! I expected it.

Usually, I drop a quote or two on you guys and try to insert a meaningful message. I promise to do that in the next post, and I promise it won't be as long too.

All the Holiday Best to you!!!!

COVERING YOUR TRACKS

2008-12-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the City of Brotherly Love...otherwise known as "I am blowing smoke right into your rental car window in your first 20 minutes in the city". Yep..happened to me and my photographer Ron Mount when we finally arrived in Philly Sunday night to ready for our live shots Monday night when the Browns face the Eagles.

Our travel plans were scripted by the Travel Agency from Hell...also known as Stevie Wonder will GPS you. To save money, we were told to drive an hour to Canton Akron..fly to Detroit..lay over for 3 plus hours and then fly from Detroit to Philly. To make things even more interesting, our flight landed an hour late due to an emergency at Phildelphia International Airport.

But, we are alive and as I write this, its late at night and the Cowboys and Giants are battling on Sunday night football. I have ingested a Philly Cheesesteak, sending my cholesterol levels soaring over the highest building in Philly.

You might recall in our last live gig in Buffalo, the fans there said the F-word on live T.V. and we are planning to prevent such an boo boo this time in Philly. How I am just not sure, but maybe we will just try to fake the fans out...and pretend I am going live in, say 10 minutes and then sneak in one real quick.

Training for the week went pretty well. My goal was 30 miles of running, but I managed to just hit the 26 mark. I think the very long travel today halted my late plans. However, early Monday am, I plan on getting into the city and running a very long, 7-9 miles before we get cranking for the day.

CSI North Chagrin

One run last week on a frigid, snowy day, I got in an 8 miler at North Chagrin and experimented a little. There was about a half inch snow on the ground. So...I found a pair of running shoe tracks that, I figured were close to mine...maybe 9.5 or 10's and I attempted to run in those shoes. You know, match the unknown person, stride for stride. It was funny at first. I normally run 10:00 pace or so on the trails..but this person had to be a faster jogger. Anyway, I just matched him and started thinking about him. What does he do for a living? Does he do triathlons too?. Did he vote for Obama or McCain?? Was he running with someone else(I saw tracks) or was he running after someone. How far did he run?? Was he aware that he was being silently stalked by yours truly? It was fun impersonating the person (or his shoes) and it made the run fly by. I even looked real hard at the tread on the shoes and discovered they were Asics , just like mine. You might think this weird, I got a kick out of it.

Speaking of getting a kick..I worked out THE BRIDE on a circuit session and I will relate that to you on a coming post...
Have a Great Week
Life's a Blast

DON'T NEED STYLE POINTS

2008-12-08T15:41:00.001-08:00

Don't laugh. I am writing this in my kitchen with a candle lit right next to the computer. I am hoping the setting...(Bride now at fitness center teaching a stability ball class) will help me hit the right keys and in the process make some sense..... Its dark, save for the glow of the laptop and the candle.....

Last week I made some strong strides with my weight training workouts....even got in two hard leg workouts and two very tough upper body workouts... I did however, impose a slight reduction of my running mileage. Chalk it up to a senior moment. I had a little discomfort on my left shin. Immediately I thought of shin splints...the bane of existence for many long distance folks. However, I seemed to recall wacking my left leg once about 10 days ago and so was hoping the pain was more relative to the bump. So....Mr. mid fifties dude made an executive decision. It was likely the forgotten bump that caused the situation...but...just to be safe....why not drop the mileage.???? Good compromise. So...I went from a week of 33 miles to a week of 16 and had no real long runs. I even mixed in two 30 minute segments on elliptical and stationary bikes too. I even had two treadmill workouts where I ran 8:09 miles for 3 miles.

Sunday was perfect. The Bride and I got both our Christmas trees. We get a 10 footer for our Great room and then a Charlie Brown tree for the front room. The orphaned tree must cause people who walk by to say..."Gheesh..that guy can't find a better tree than that piece of garbage"??? We always get our trees in Willoughby Hills and the folks are wonderful. The Greigs do alot of dog therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. One of their dogs had just 3 legs. They always brighten up the day of sick kids with their therapy dogs. Great ..great people. After we got the trees, we Christmas shopped and I had the rare day off from t.v. and so...did not have to watch the Browns play the Titans. Talk about an early Christmas present.!!!!

I started off this week by pledging to return to the 30's. My goal will be 30 even. This morning, I ran on the bridle paths and off the paths at North Chagrin. Snowy..quiet and quite nice. Pretty cold...but no big deal.

As I write this, the Steelers are on track to win another division. Pittsburgh is supposed to be the hated rival of Browns fans.. But I have to prop their coach Mike Tomlin for his comment after the Black and Gold came from behind to beat the Cowboys

"People get too pre-occupied with style points. That was a beautiful football game". I have to agree with what he wrote and perhaps it applies to other aspects of our lives. Julie Moss did not win style points for her finish in the Ironman in the early years...but all her crawling to the finish line did was...vault the sport into the public consciousness. Triathletes know the drill. Wanting to finish a long event and look good in the process..get reduced to "just get the damn thing done"
I think what coach Tomlin was saying was "Hey we are not doing so well right now, but we will keep trying and we will find a way to get it done". Darned if they didn't do that.
We go out and train. We are results oriented people. We know that buckets filled with our sweat will mean we can accomplish a very tough task. We know its more about substance than it is about style.

America is in a tough spot. We need to succeed at fixing our countries problems. I don't need the solution to be pretty or stylish....I just know its gonna come with good old fashioned hard work!!!

Have a great week.

PARADISE

2008-12-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

The past week has been eventful... My last post referred to the passing of our long time friend, Eddie E. to pancreatic cancer and it was tough to see him go...plus I was feeling bad that due to the long time plans to go to Florida for Thanksgiving that The Bride and I would not be able to go to his service. However, our Friends were wonderful and Eddie's widow and kids know that we will all be there for them in years to come and how much Eddie meant to us. For a little more about Eddie, please check my most recent post.

But to Florida we went and it was great to see THE BRIDES parents, her brother, sister, husband, daughter and new son in law. We really haad a great time, plus the weather was ideal for running...
The past week, I totalled 33 miles of running. Did No elliptical workouts but lifted twice for the upper body and did one leg workout. I got in one run of 8.5 miles in Florida and another of 7.0. I loved the warm weather but all my Florida miles were on streets or sidewalks and thats not what my knees like at all. But when I got back to Ohio Friday night, I knew that I would still have to run 16 miles to get the weekly goal. Sooooooo...Saturday morning, I cranked up the Landice treadmill we have in our basement and reeled off 11 miles..Did an easy pace of about 9:40 per mile. Like on your car when you hit 100,000 miles, my time counter on treadmill went back to 00:00 when I went past 99 Minutes..I had to laugh. Sunday I ran the final 5 miles. The treadmill and its softer surface balanced out the hard jarring of the streets in Florida. By the way the Landice is a superb treadmill. We have had this one 7 years. It has a lifetime warranty that you can pass from one person to the next. Its motor is very strong and its never needed any work at all and yes, gang we do use it alot.

PARADISE
I believe Voltaire wrote "Paradise is where I am" and I really feel strongly about it. Its about enjoying where you are, when you are there. Sounds corny but it works for me. I never desired jobs elsewhere. I love my city of Cleveland, warts and all. While I could probably stand to have less credit card debt, I am not going for the fancy car or house. I love where I am and by believeing that, I don't think I am "settling" for anything less than what is best for me. How about you?? Do you think if you were somewhere else, life would instantly be better?? Do you think your level of fitness or racing prowess is less than ideal. I know you might be thinking,...gheesh...j.t. is really a Pollyanna and doesn't like to rock the boat, but thats not my point. I do want to take risks in reaching for goals in training and racing.. Frank Scully wrote "Why not go out on a limb?? Isn't that where the fruit is?. I love that. We can set a goal that takes risk and sacrifice and the reward is better than the juiciest of fruits. Theres no reward like the one when we shoot higher. So I only want to make two points, if I may. Be content in where you are in life, because your place in life doesnt have to correspond to the biggest salary or most posh of surroundings. However as you dream of athletic prizes, don't be afraid to go out on a limb...it just might be as strong a limb as your conviction.

This week, I will total 35 miles running with a longest of 12. The ultra is a little more than a month and a half away. I have a few triathlons in mind for 09 and I will talk about them in coming posts.

LIFE IS A BLAST

WOOHITIKE

2008-11-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

Hi again.... Training is going well.. Last week, I hit the 30 mile mark and will boost the total to 33 this Turkey week. Most of my runs were on the treadmill and I am getting a little faster, pace wise... Lifted twice for upper body and hit the legs real hard in one workout.

Been reading Tiki Barbers workout book. Barber is the ex- New York Giant back and much of his gains came as a result of overload work. Heavy lifts in a no frills gym. Saw a couple drills he does that I can try.

Read a little about the Lakota Sioux in recent weeks. I have an appreciation for the people since I worked in the Dakotas early in my career. Jim Tressel also wrote about the Sioux in his book "The Winners Manual".

The Sioux have a word "Woohitike" which means bravery. Its a central virtue of the Lakota Sioux. They believed that we all have it in us to be brave, and that we will be shaped and tempered by our challenges. Hunters handrafted bows from seasoned ash wood. One way was to find a young tree and harvest it and let it dry 5 years. The other was to search for a tree that was struck by lightning. The awesome power of nature had in one instant, dried and cured the tree. Such bows from struck trees would be of immense strength and would prove to be great weapons for hunting.

We all face adversity in life. Work problems, or workout problems..whatever the case, there are problems. We set goals and often times, we don't reach our goals immediately but we push on. My childhood buddy Darrell Nagy battled for several years to reach his goal. He wanted to run in the Boston Marathon. He was like the young tree that was patiently curing itself. Race after race he missed his goal. 7,500 miles of training...14 marathons....5 years. But not too long ago, at the cusp of age 55, Pudge ripped off an impressive time (3 hours, 43 minutes) at the Richmond Marathon and will be going to Boston in 09.!!!!!!!!! I am really proud of him. He spent 5 years and he fought and he fought. He never gave up!!! *** (Hoped to include a photo, but having download problems)

My long time friend, Eddie E. may have been like the ash tree struck by lightning. About 4 months ago he found out he had pancreatic cancer. He suffered the ultimate adversity. He was an incredibly strong man of small stature who took this adversity and he fought with dignity and courage. He proved to be a much stronger man. A man we all looked up to with respect and love. Eddie showed the ultimate strength and bravery or "Woohitike". But at 10:10pm last night, he passed away. This quiet, loving man was like the tree struck by the awesome power of nature. He was rare. He was a great example of a person who never quit and who found humor in everything. He was strong, but pancreatice cancer is relentless.

Two friends with two different fates. Pudge continues his race. He will train and he will enjoy Boston. Eddie's race has been run and I will forever, remember his strength, his humor and his humanity and his bravery.

FROZEN IN TIME

2008-11-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

Hi again....The past week of training went very well.... I upped the total mileage to 27 miles.. My longest run was 10 miles. I ran 3 times on trails...the rest were on the treadmill and the pace is getting better as I have shed a couple pounds. I did 2 upper body workouts.. One leg workout. My shoulder still bothers me. I have not swam since the second week in October. I may have to get the darn thing looked at. I have not set any events for 2009, other than the 50 kilometer Trail Ultra. I really appreciate the offers of assistance from Daisy, Aimee, Eric and others for the Winter Ultra. Thanks alot and I hope to take you up.

Frozen in Time

Strolled down a frigid memory lane Monday when I went back to Buffalo, New York to do a t.v. special and cover the Browns and Bills game. I worked in Buffalo from 1978 to 1980. THE BRIDE and I had two little kids then. Those kids are now 31 and 29, plus our baby Joe came along in 1982. I had not been back to the city in quite some time.

Photographer Ron Mounts and I went to the famous Anchor Bar where chicken wings were born, and had lunch of a beef on weck and a few wings. The place was packed. I remember how we used to order buckets of chicken wings with the Blue cheese dressing. You can order all the stuff on line!!!

Ralph Wilson Stadium had thousands of rabid fans...many of whom wanted to get on t.v. right before the game.. Stupid of us to be set up right in the middle of the throng. At one point in the special, a guy walked up to me and yelled "Fox 8 Fu@*king sucks" Yes folks, we needed a 7 second delay.
When the special was over at 8:30, I scrambled to get up into the press box and I ran into my old mentor. Van Miller. Van was the long time voice of the Buffalo Bills and was the sports guy at WIVB TV back when I was there. We had alot of laughs, and he taught me alot. I will always remember fondly those days when he played tennis all the time and greeted just about everyone with "whats cooking good looking". But here is where I was frozen in time. Van is a much older man, whose voice is very meek, a far cry from when he boomed play by play to legions of Bills faithful. I felt bad that I saw him in this state. I know that time marches on and you don't stay young forever.

The Browns did not quit as was alleged by a few players recently. They won on a late field goal kicked by the most humble of Browns, Phil Dawson. Most of the comments I got from the players stemmed from their belief that it was great things worked out for them and that they really got too caught up in looking into games and the hoopla from being on alot of Monday Night Broadcasts. Braylon Edwards admitted that "You can't get ahead of yourself"
Braylon has a point. Too often, I am thinking of events far into the future, I can't appreciate whats right in front of me.

Of course there are Browns fans that would just say to Braylon.."Skip the philosophy and just catch the damn ball" His point is valid. My mind is racing about how I can get cranking on triathlon training when I should just focus on handling the ultra.

Speaking of Buffalo. I really fell in love with distance racing in Buffalo. We jogged at Delaware Park all the time and the running community was so big that I was even able to talk the bosses into letting me go to Boston in 1979 qnd 1980 and cover all the Buffalo runners in the marathon.

I saw Billy Rodgers fly to victory in 1979 and in 1980, the legit runners took a back seat to the cheater..Rosie Ruiz. I ran the Skylon International Marathon twice which starts in the USA and finishes in Canada right by Niagra Falls.
Those were fun times..the so called good old days....but funny me.. I happen to think just about every day is...Another Good Old Day
Happy trainingLife's a Blast

THE FIRST STEP

2008-11-11T11:21:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone...Last week...24 total miles and most of them on the bridle paths at North Chagrin Reservation.. This am, I began the week with a 4 mile....9:40 per brisk run in brisk 33 degree weather on the paved paths at the park. There was an inch of Snow on the ground. Other areas east of Cleveland got 6 to 8 inches.. Hello winter!!!!

This week, I will run a total of 27 miles with a long run of 10....The biggest concern I have for the 50k ultra will be getting comfortable on the trails down in Peninsula. I admit, I am not super familiar with them.

Had a good week controlling the food intake..(Sounds like I'm a manifold or something!!) Getting better on entering what I ate...I have a silly system of rating each day. Half Ironman is a very good day. Olympic is where I slid, but ever so slightly. Sprint is a day with missteps, but not a disaster. DNF is...you guessed it... a total blowout...no control...strap on the feed bag kinda day. Yesterday was one of those days... Most of last week was Half Ironman.

Cleveland sports fans are aware the Browns blew two big leads in the second half of each of their last 2 games. Jamal Lewis, the running back, whom I respect alot said that some guys kinda quit in the second half of the Denver Game. To me, thats inexcusable. Many of you who read this blog are dedicated to improving your fitness and racing ability. You have done marathons, and Ironmans, and other kinds of endurance tests. Quit is a dirty word. To think that pro athletes wimp out like that really gets me going and I would assume you feel the same way.

If those guys could live just one day as Rick Pashke, then maybe they would think differently. Rick had brain surgery a few years ago and as a result, lost most feeling in his left side. He has been training with Patrick Erdmann of Gemini Quest in Broadview Heights, Ohio. Pat got him to use bands at first to try to strengthen his upper body. Hand weights were tough to control and Rick banged his head a few times. Working with Pat, it seems like a miracle is taking place. Rick, who in high school was a baseball player has gotten stronger and stronger and a little more in control. He can stand up. He can push a wheelchair (with assistance) a few feet. His goal is to walk unaided. I featured Rick Sunday night and my point before showing the piece was that Rick was not a star athlete. He was not a well known pro athlete who had his games on t.v. and made lots of money. Rick is everyman. Rick is us. Rick has determination. Rick has fire in his belly to want to improve. He has had so many roadblocks during all this. But the Browns players who had a little misfortune in the second half of a ballgame simply gave up. I dare any of those players to watch Rick workout just once. I think they would have a huge attitude shift.

Have a great week everyone!!

Life's a Blast!!!!

DREAMING AWAKE

2008-11-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Coming off a 21 mile week of running....not particularly noteworthy, but will increase the distances and spend more time in the woods running. Lifting a little bit more now as the shoulder is getting better...

Passed the Halloween (Bags and Bags of Candy) Temptation Experiment without making a drastic plunge into intense sugar overload. Consider myself alive and better for it.
Next battle will the Thanksgiving...aka...annual "stuffing of the bird" as in...stuffing this old bird.

Props to that southern gentleman (WES) who put the hammer down at Ironman Florida and ripped off a 13:47 time while losing his Iron virginity.. Check out his blog as I am sure he will have an entertaining post on it soon. He is also nominated for Endurance Blog of the Year!!! Good Luck Wes!!!!!!!

Thinking of Wes and the others who have finished the gruelling Ironman, reminds me that this time of the year, when the days grow shorter and the sun caresses the ground less and less each day is really the time when we start to look ahead to what 09 might bring. Sure, you can save that for the First of the year, I suppose, but every day is a great day to dream.

I began the 08 year jumping in frozen Lake Erie..(For the Hell of it, he said) but I had already dreamed of what the year would bring... If you see my 08 sidebar of events, it was pretty loaded and one of my best years ever, despite a hamstring that cursed me on a seemingly weekly basis.

Henry David Thoreau wrote.."Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake" Or how about this amazing quote "There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, "Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams." Then they put the box away and bring it out once in a while to look in it, and yep, they're still there" Erma Bombeck wrote that. I know of many people who can spit out a list of their dreams and go at length about what they plan on doing. Thats all well and good. But to plan means, one has to actually put it into action.

Tim Mack was a non descript high school pole vaulter who never even made the state meet from Clevelands St. Ignatius High school. But he realized his dream. He stunned the world when he won the Olympic Gold medal in 2004. I picked up his book, which bore the touch of longtime Cleveland sports columnist Bill Livingston. Its a great read. Above and Beyond " is so much about "living your dreams awake". If you check this book out, it will help you realize the possibilities that lie inside of you!!

I'm guilty. I have a bucket list. I have done some things on it...but not enough. One dream can give way to another. I want to run an ultra. So I signed up. January 18th 50 K. Who knows what might develope because I do it??? It will be fun to see!!!

Enjoy your training and racing. I have been pretty busy lately but hope to bop around to all the blogs and check out your stuff, folks.!!!!!!
Life's a Blast!!!

STRETCH YOUR MIND

2008-10-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hi..

World Series in the bag...Congrats to the Phils. Joe Maddon, the Rays manager made an interesting comment when asked what his young players learned from the World Series experience. "Experience...just the fact that a mind once stretched has a difficult time going back to its original form. I've always like that. Our minds have been stretched. Everything about us has been stretched. I don't think our guys are ever going to be satisfied going home in October again"

I thought that was a great comment. Think back to your journey to a stronger, leaner, faster racing machine. When you started, what did the prospect of a short little sprint triathlon seem like to you??? You did it. Then, you set your sights on a bigger goal. Its unlikely you would ever be satisfied with simply swimming a short distance, biking a bit and maybe running a 5k to finish up. But you have stretched your mind... you have lengthen the possibilities.

I remember my first long race, 1976, living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. There was an 8 mile race on fire trails in the Black Hills. Might as well have been 100 miles, it seemed so long. But that race gave way to Half Marathons...to full marathons... to 1985 when I began triathlons..to the point of doing multiple Ironman Distance races. Doesn't seem impossible. The mind stretched.

Gotta tip my hat to Joe Maddon for that statement. Gotta love that guy, looking like Buddy Holly with those horn rimmed glasses and calling guys "dude". I like his style.

This week, one of our blogging buds, Wes is doing Ironman Florida. I know when he got into the sport, he experienced the trepidations that come with tackling a sport. Can I do this??? How much will I have to train??? Will I drown swimming in open water??? Those kinda fears... ...and now we fast forward to Wes tackling an Ironman. And when he crosses the finish line he will rejoice and take it all in... But he built up the belief in his mind that he could do it by stretching the mind...by seeing the possibilities where others might see a brick wall. Good Luck Wes!!

A few months back I wrote of Cleveland Area legendary triathlete Darryl Kollai's sudden death due to a heart attack. You might recall his son, Dr. Eric Kollai also raced tris. Here is an article from the Honolulu Advertiser about Eric prepping to get back into racing to honor his dad. It wasn't just any race too... It was XTERRA!!!! Thanks to Michael Tsai of the Advertiser.

Dr. Eric Kollai, an emergency physician at Kaiser Hospital in Moanalua, is one of 550 competitors expected to descend on Maui for the prestigious (and punishing) off-road event.
Considered the toughest of the 17 XTERRA Championship races, the event is composed of a 1-mile open-ocean swim, a 20-mile mountain bike leg that climbs 3,000 feet up and down Haleakala volcano, and a 7.5-mile trail run over rock, forest trails and beach.
It will be Kollai's first race since his father, Darryl, died of a heart attack on Aug. 30 at the age of 53.
Darryl Kollai was a esteemed figure in Cleveland's triathlon community, known as much for his patient, generous mentorship of young athletes as for the high level of athletic accomplishment he maintained until his death.
"He was just a go-get-'em kind of guy," Eric Kollai said. "From 6 a.m. until he went to bed at night, he was on the go nonstop. He loved triathlons and he loved bringing people in to the sport."
Darryl Kollai, a construction inspector for the Cleveland Water Department, completed his first triathlon in the 1970s after watching coverage of the Kona Ironman on TV. He helped pioneer the sport in his home state and neighboring areas, watching it as it moved from the fringe to the recreational mainstream.
He competed internationally as a member of Team USA, and remained a staunch competitor, routinely placing in the top third of races into his 50s.
Just three weeks before he died, he posted the fastest bike time in the Cleveland Triathlon, besting competitive riders more than half his age.
Darryl Kollai was finishing a 50-mile ride, a training session for yet another young triathlete, when he suffered his heart attack.
News of his death rocked not just his family, but the extended network of Midwest triathletes he had befriended in his 27 years in the sport. Within days, triathlon chat boards were filled with messages of condolence and fond memories of the fallen racer.
At his funeral, Kollai was dressed in the Team USA outfit he proudly wore for years and one of the country's pre-eminent multi-sport athletes.
Eric Kollai, who had devoted months of rigorous training in preparation for XTERRA, initially planned to withdraw from the competition. His body was ready, even after a 3 1/2-week layoff to return to Ohio, but his spirit was deeply wounded.
"It was definitely a question whether I would go through with it or not, but I think it's the best way to pay tribute to him since he had devoted so much of his life to the sport," Kollai said.
In fact, it was his father's passion for the sport that tilled the soil for Kollai's own athletic development.
"Every weekend was a vacation," Kollai said, recalling the family road trips that attended each of his father's out-of-state races.
Kollai was himself an athlete born and bred. He ran cross country and track in high school and later at Mt. Union College in Ohio. He also swam competitively for local master's clubs. Kollai's triathlon career began shortly after high school and he briefly flirted with the idea of turning pro before deciding — on his father's advice — to attend medical school instead.
Father and son competed together on several teams, and the two often talked of their respective adventures in the sport. Kollai's last conversation with his father came two days before he died. Kollai was on his bicycle, lost somewhere on the North Shore, when he reached his father back in Ohio. They talked briefly about the upcoming XTERRA race, just the second off-roader event of his career.
Kollai schedules his training session around his overnight work schedule. He'll often train before going to sleep in the morning, then again before he heads back to work.
"My dad used to run to and from work, so I knew from an early age that you have to just make time for it," Kollai said.
In memory and celebration of his father, Kollai will do his best tomorrow to abide by a legacy of lessons bequeathed to him.
"The thing I've learned from all of this is that you've got to enjoy every moment that you have," Kollai said. "I think about my dad every day and it makes me cry. But I also think about the way he lived his life, and it's like that old saying: 'It's not the years in your life, it's the life in your years.' That was my dad."
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com

Eric finished 8th in the 30--34 age group. 3 hours and 18 minutes. It had to be emotional for him..but what a way to honor your dad!!! Remember Erics quote "Its not the years in your life, its the life in your years"

My training has been going well...hope yours has also.

Life's a Blast

Muddy Meaning of Life

2008-10-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hi... training has been just going along...kinda meandering like a river with no idea where its going. I have tried to add more time but I have to admit that is a slow process... I know that in roughly 2 months and three weeks, I will have to pay the piper.. the ultra piper...50K.... and I had better be ready.
With the weather getting a little colder and wetter, the trails are getting muddy..but I am good with all of that. I continue to contemplate life. I joked recently about that on my facebook page. But there is truth to it. I have been reading (actually holding a book, not listening on mp3) a book called "One Month to Live" It is exactly what you think. How would you live if you knew you had one month to live? Would you attack that bucket list thats gathered cobwebs on your shelf?? Would you reach out to someone with whom you had a tough relationship??? The best quote I can remember from the book is that "everyone dies but not everyone lives". Man, that one hits home to me. One of our closest friends got the word about pancreatic cancer a few months ago and it doesn't look good. In some way, it could be one reason why I have not attacked my training with the usual zeal.

I want to thank the folks a United Cerebral Palsy of Cleveland for asking me to be the honorary chairman for next summers Cleveland Triathlon. UCP WEBSITE http://www.ucpcleveland.org/welcome.asp You may remember a post in early August on how I swam for a family whose son, Dawud has cerebral palsy. His pic in on my sidebar. That was so inspiring to me, I am happy to be involved for next year. Then, they hope to have staff members of UCP take part in the race. This August, it was families for the most part. Its sobering to note that its unlikely our close friend won't even be around next summer to hear about our Triathlon.

The hearing aids came and its hilarious...its like I am hearing things for the first time. I hear the fans in the ceilling. I hear my fingers clicking the keyboard. I hear the tires of cars on the road, and many, many things. Its startling and I think I have to have them adjusted. I was visiting my friend at hospice and I hear a loud rumble noise and loud "CREEEAKKK" it was just my weight shifting on the bed I was sitting on the edge of and the creak of the springs!!! When I used to wear just one, I could hear some natural sound with the open ear...Now with two, its hard to tell just how loud my voice is in conversations. In the newsroom today, I was hearing guys talking at the assignment desk, which is 50 feet away!!!! Ohh...and Breaking News!!! An aid purchased in 2003 for one ear was 2700 bucks. This year I have two aids, which have more technology, and are a little bit smaller and both of them together cost 2800$$. Best of all, its better for The Bride, who has had to put up with me having no aids for almost 2 months. She deserved better.

Finally, a tip of the hat to Brian Moorman, punter of the Buffalo Bills. He raced in the Pittsford New York Triathlon this summer and even got some coaches and a couple teammates to take part. Good to see the big boys trying to tackle our sport. He raised thousands and thousands for his Foundation. Love that stuff. (click here)
Hey..Life's a Blast!!!

TRIGUY PLAYS WISEGUY

2008-10-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hi..training has been somewhat generic in nature..but a couple different workouts mixed in to keep the bordedom at bay..
One workout featured a rope skipping routine after about a 50 minute elliptical session. I skipped 15 x 60 seconds hard with 30 seconds recovery.
I am still refraining from heavy lifting due to my shoulder. Its getting better but not dramatically. I am being patient, but if its not showing near normal function in another 2 weeks, then I will have it looked at.

I have gotten into listening to books with mp3 players. Our Euclid, Ohio library (Voted #3 in the country) now gives out the mp3 players with the book already loaded.. Its great. You can save places.. go ahead or go back..

I am listening to the book "Walking the Bible" and its fascinating.

Been thinking about how triathletes like to announce to complete strangers just how much experience they have with that particular race. How its normal for some people to answer the simple question..."Did you do this race last year"? with

"Ahhh yeah, I P.R.'d here last year, which was my 8th time racing this one. I lowered my swim times dramatically and need to drop another 10 minutes off my time this year if I am gonna have any chance of going under 13 hours at Kona. Of course you've heard of Kona. Yeah, I did that 3 times and so while I want a good time today, I am just probably gonna use it as a long workout to prep me for Kona, and if I run well enough in the 13 mile portion, I'm gonna enter another Half Iron in a month...... yep..gonna do the "Half Assed Half" in Poughkeepsie....ahhh How about You"?
So as a public service, I offer you some things you can say to the veterans at a triathlon that just might make them wonder...and maybe even...avoid you at all costs!!!! LOL!!

"Ahh is it possible for you to write the number on my arm long hand???? You know like.... "Two Forty Nine"

Wouldn't it be cool if this race gave us those thingy's to put on our ankles?? Then when we cross certain spots, the device could record what time we came by?? Wouldn't that be cool??"

"I bought a suit made out of neophrene and its supposed to make you more buoyant in the water...but crap, I see alot of other people have those too!! So much for my little secret"!!!!

"Hey, where are the lanes out in the Lake?? I wanted to be able to swim in a lane"!!

'I heard that some people eat bananas and drink Gatorade...sound likes wusses to me. We're only gonna be out there 5 hours"??

"Hey didn't triathlons start in Maine in the 1950's"?

"I hope nobody tries to pee in this Lake..it would be unsanitary"

"Can I ask someone else to break the wind for me on my bike?? Its okay to do that, right"???

I'm sure I would get some weird reactions...ohh yeah about the birth of triathlons....I know, I know...I know the sport really began in Cleveland in the 30's. (wink)

On a work note, I want to thank the Universe Bulleltin for writing a great article on our stations Friday Night Touchdown coverage of high school football. We do 20 minutes, using our helicopter...hilights of 20 games... blogs on our website http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/ and chats, and posted highlights. Its fun stuff. The pic is of me on the right, Danny Coughlin in the middle and Tony Rizzo on the left. We have a blast. Article link here

Life's a Blast

INTENSITY

2008-10-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

I appreciate commitment to a task. Its the worker bee in me, I think. I love to hear about how some people give everything they have to prepare to be the best they can be.

Triathlons are filled with these kinds of people. The reasons are varied. Maybe you started to lose weight and used a race as incentive. Maybe you got in deeper and then decided an Ironman was the next logical (I know, insane) step.

Whatever you choose, its usually for the best reasons and then it is consuming.

Ray Lewis is a future Hall of Fame linebacker with the Ravens. He is supposed to be the enemy in Cleveland, but to be frank, I don't hate this guy. What I respect is the intensity on how he prepares. Its full speed ahead for him. This article in Mens Fitness describes a little bit about how he trains. I imagine if you bought the magazine you would get alittle more than what is offered on line.

I have been down on the NFL sidelines and seen this guy up close. I have been outside his lockeroom as he comes out and gets ready to take the field. I have seen how he riles up his teammates...how he expects them to be great...how he elevates their game. Its amazing to watch and what he has done is lead a defense that over the course of his career has been pretty darn good.

He might breath fire and he is successful. I don't however think everyone can prepare and compete like Ray.

So, why is Ray the way he is and why are you the way that you are?? Elementary question but it might take a team of psychologists to come up with an answer.

I have seen people in triathlon show that intensity and I have seen great results from those folks.. I have seen others who seem quiet and low key and then they hit the water and they are transformed.. On a real personal level, its a case of someone becoming more of what they really are by tackling a tough endurance event. Aches and pains are little obstacles. The plan is being executed and no one can stop them.

Training for the 50 k Winter Buckeye Trail is going well...Hope yours is going well too!!!
Life's a Blast

I'M WITH NATURE

2008-10-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hi folks. Its an insanely busy time of the year for me on the professional side while the training and racing is in a little lull. At work, we have the Cavs in training camp, the Browns playing the Giants Monday night...Ohio State in full scale mode..and the high school football season is just 2 weeks from the playoffs. (Above photo courtesy Akron Beacon Journal......Brazilian Anderson Varejao on the right with a "I'm with stupid" tee shirt. Lebron James on left)

When its crazy at work, I can always count on the workouts to help me recharge... Our area is gorgeous this time of the year. Our weatherman Dick Goddard likes to refer to the pretty colors of the trees as "flaming foliage". I kid him by saying that sounds like "flamboyant trees"......but suffice to say Northeast Ohio is awesome this time of year. So, I penned a little short ditty below to celebrate the seasonal change.

The sky was an azure blue as he left his car in the parking lot and stretched.
Soon he began running, his movement slow, his breaths coming a little quicker than usual.
The caffeine from the robust coffee was coursing around his body, hopefully igniting a passion for improved fitness.
It wasn't coming easy. The goal was just to run 30 minutes and maybe, just maybe the moment would overtake him and the time would slide by effortlessly.
With each step, the soft dirt and small stones greeted his shoes, inviting the next step, and the next.
The brook was gurgling, its soft sound blending in with the crunch of the foot falls and the breathing of the man.
He became lost in his own thoughts.
The minutes slipped by, the body warmed up and the breathing became easier.
Under the blue canopy were the trees in the process of splashing vivid color to the park, all the while knowing the reds and yellows and oranges would soon be voted off the maples or oaks and that soon the branches would be barren.
The man didn't involve himself in the drama of the changing of the seasons, he was lost in the moment.
The 30 minutes flew by and he kept moving, the sweat trickling down his back, his breaths painting the air with little clouds of vapor, a mini choo choo training chugging up a hill. Several others passed by on the less travelled trail. A couple with their dog and a woman jogging, as her german shepard led the way.
Before long an hour had passed, but an hour he can go back to in his mind.
Days will get cold, winds will be fierce and the snow will come... but the thoughts of a near perfect October run will stay with him and keep him coming back for more.

Best to all who are racing this weekend....for more "top of my head thoughts" drop by my Facebook page. Code word "Triguyjt" haha!!

Life's a Blast

BIG EASY RUN or.... STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

2008-10-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Have you seen those wedding cake houses in New Orleans on St. Charles Street.???

Turns out, one of those homes played a part in the reason for this post.

You could also call this post. Streetcar Named Desire.

Training update first. The past week, I ran for a total of 5 hours and did 2 weight training sessions on upper body but very easy because of the shoulder I tweaked while swimming and then swinging a golf club too hard. I did one leg workout . Longest run was 2 hours at Chagrin River Park with a unique twist. One hour into the run, I did repeat hill sprints. There is a 52 step sledding hill with the steps 8 inches high and about 2 and a half feet deep. So....I did 20 straight sprints up the hill on the 60"s. Sprint took about 17 seconds and then I would have the rest of the minute to easily jog back down to the start. It was a solid effort. My goal this week is to get in a 2 and a half hour run as I prepare for the 50 K in January.

Okay...the Streetcar. THE BRIDE, and I were in the Big Easy for the wedding of our niece. It was gonna be one of the big events on the calendar and it did not disappoint. THE BRIDE was in New Orleans since last Monday, helping put the finishing touches on all the preps for the wedding. I flew in on Friday with our 3 kids.

After a fabulous rehearshal dinner at an amazing restaurant in New Orleans on Friday night, we had to swing over to the House on St. Charles late Saturday morning. Its in the Garden District...... in fact its only 3 houses from Audobon Park. One of those wedding cake homes and thats where the wedding reception took place. THE BRIDE had some last minute things to attend to...so we took the Streetcar over from the Westin. The distance is not that far...About 4 miles or so... I figured, I would just jog back to the hotel.

It was hot, but breezy and the city was alive. Primary elections were going on and every 10 blocks there were dozens of people out shouting for you to vote for their candidate. Yep, I'll get back to you!!!!.. The run was about 40 minutes to the hotel, but I slid over to the French Quarter for a little zip through and then back. Nice run. One hour total.

Next April, New Orleans will host an Ironman Half. 70.3 and the swim will be in Lake Ponchartrain and the biking around there as well. I believe the run will take racers south into the city with the finish in Jackson Square in the French Quarter. That will be cool, but I think they should have steered the run through the Garden District too. Most of it is shady and the scenery is awesome.

Ohh, yeah...the wedding. Amazing. John and Colleen spared no expense.. One touch they had was to have a second wedding cake built just for the groom, Allan. He's a huge Cubs fan. There was a cake 3 feet wide by 2 feet high built in the image of Wrigley Field. On that same night as champagne flowed in New Orleans for Jackie and Allan, the Cubs fizzled and were eliminated from the playoffs. Sure, the timing could have been better, but perhaps Allan will have a Cubs title to brag about......when his kids get married. LOL l!!!!!!

Marriage can be of a variety of distances if you want to make the endurance analogy. For me and THE BRIDE, its a marathon...32 years and counting. Make that an ultra marathon. For others, its a Sprint!!!!

Life's a Blast!!!!

FLOATING ULTRA BOY

2008-09-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hi folks. Just realized this is post 101 since I began. Whooohooo...lets drop that confetti!!!!

I was floating on air this week. It was just like those dreams you have where your floating over the country side. Very Freudian, I assume, but the floating was in a helicopter. Usually, I don't fly in our station helicopter for our Friday Night Touchdown High School Football coverage. This past Friday I flew. We blow things up big in Cleveland for the high schoolers. When I get a few pics on it, I will drop a post about the flying and try to tie it into endurance sports somehow. I will let you know.

Before I flew, I made it official. I sent in the entry for the Winter Buckeye Trail 50K. I am really excited to race/amble/survive it. It will be my first ultra.. I respect what its all about. I don't assume since I have done Ironman's I can just rip off 31 miles on trails...so I will keep you posted on the training and I thank anyone from the ultra community in advance who might drop a suggestion my way.

This week, I had one run of 2 hours. Two seperate runs of an hour, plus a 90 minute bike ride that emphasized hills. Ohh yeah, I swam the 1.4 miles in open water with the Tuesday morning group at Fairport Harbor. It was down to just 5 of us. My weight training is getting fine tuned with the goal of each week to have the 6 set upper body workout twice and the 5 set legs once per week. I have some right shoulder discomfort and will bypass swimming this week and go a little easy with the weights.

As much as I have logged somewhat lengthy sessions, I am still fighting the sugar attraction. Its my mistress. I must stay away from the mistress or as I wrote in my last post... I'M DEAD!!

As I write this, I want to congratulate someone I covered alot when he was in Cleveland. C.C. Sabathia. The Tribe traded him to the Brewers and he made it pay off as he was near perfect with Milwaukee and pitched them into the playoffs for the first time since 1982. He was the 07 Cy Young Award Winner and he always was a gentleman to deal with, which in these days is NOT a given...thats for sure.

About 10,000 runners took part in the various stages of the Akron Marathon on Saturday. One of my blogging buds and an aspiring triathlete, IronG2015 ran and posted a time of 4:33:00. Great job Gina. Check out her blog... click here

And many who drop by here know about Kevin. He just hammered his first Half Ironman!!!! Congrats Kevin. click here

As usual...keep training and racing well everyone. and...ohhhh yeah...let me leave you with this!!!

Life's a blast!!!

SWEET STASH

2008-09-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am dead.

There is no turning back. My fate has been sealed.

My achilles heel has always been sugar. You know. The product of the sugar cane...the little crystals that go into so many things I love.

I don't drink. I don't smoke. I live a somewhat clean life, except for being a Cleveland Sports fan. (Inside joke).

Anyway, I can keep pretty good account of my eating habits when I treat the sugar like Superman treats kryptonite. But let me sample some of the succulent treats made with sugar and I lose all control. I am a porcupine at a balloon factory.
Less sugar means....less J.T.

More Sugar means....wide angle lens to capture J.T. on the boob tube.

I found out today where my boss stashes her bags of candy. She always has a bowl in her office and people stop in to grab a treat or two. I usually avoid it. Tonight, I bopped over and the bowl was empty.

BOSS "J.T...just go over and grab anything you want from my stash!!! "
TRIGUYJT "Uhh...your stash? You want me to know where it is? Do you realize what your doing"?
BOSS (laughs) "Sure... anytime you want..just go to (location deleted because some Fox8 people read this)"
TRIGUYJT "You sure? Ohhhhhkaaayyy... Thanks alot"

So I raided her stash..right in front of her. 2 hours later, I went back in a raided the stash again. I am out of control.....and....I...love it!!!!!!!!! Letting me know where the stash is would be like giving paparazzi the keys to Brad and Angelina's house.!!!

This stash I speak of?? Its no less than 15 huge Costco bags of various treats. Hard Candy. Candy Bars. Suckers. Lollipops. Its so immense, the diabetics go into shock being within 20 feet .
What to do?? If I quit my job, that would solve it, but.....nope....THE BRIDE would kill me.
If I go on a run, I won't think about it.... Yeah, thats it.
Gotta go....the trail is calling me.
Life's a Blast!!..a sugary Blast"

FALL MECCA

2008-09-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

First day of fall...... perfect weather here in Cleveland. 70 degrees, sunny. Which is to say San Diego 365 days of the year.

I had a 2 hour trail run calling me and it did not disappoint. The convertible was parked over by Strawberry Pond with enough water and Gatorade inside.

I just took off and meandered. My plan?? I had none. I full expected to just run wherever my brain and legs decided to take me. I knew that when 120 minutes had gone by, I would be done. The cellphone was inside the car and I had one of those GFTFOTE times. Gone From The Face Of The Earth.

I Lost myself and it was great. I am more and more wrapping my mind and my legs around doing a 50 k trail race and thanks for those that offered advice. Matt, and others. Thanks.

You might recall a post about my love of North Chagrin. This photo looks across the pond. I looped past it three times as my car was parked close and I took in fluids. There was a guy sitting at a picnic table with a cup of coffee and a writing pad. I could not think of a better spot on earth to sit at and let those thoughts spill out onto the page.

Sure enough, when the run was over, I had 5 messages. So much for GFTFOTE. I was supposed to work today but some things were changed and so I was off. Perfect. The Bride and I had a very nice lunch at California Pizza Kitchen...Thai Linguine with some chicken. Sat outside and kept the pace of the world slowed down just a bit.
At home, the new issue of Triathlete was in the mail box. Sam McGlone on the cover.

Editor Mitch Thrower had a neat little piece about plateaus. Its about pushing past the easy stuff you have been doing.. About challenging yourself to reach the next level. Good advice. Don't get me wrong. I love my meandering 2 hour runs and I will keep doing those, but I can change things up and I can be better....at everything I do. Its a great goal.

Kona is coming and the tri-world will focus on the Big Island with its menacing winds and steaming lava fields. Its the Mecca for just about every triathlete. But in time, Meccas can come and go (Witness Yankee Stadium). We all should have a place where all is right with the world and where we can become all that we can be.

Life's a Blast!!

Speed Wanted

2008-09-18T09:17:00.001-07:00

So I want to get speed... Thats what I stated in my last post. But how to get it. I know!!! Kidnap Usain Bolt, secretly get a transfusion of his fast twitch fiber!! Yeah thats it. Because right now, I have a ratio of about 50 billion to 3...slow twitch fibers to fast twitch.
But kidnapping, I was told is illegal, so I need another plan.

Ahh, I got it!!! I can do more tempo workouts...more interval workouts on the treadmill and...eureka!!! I could even lose some weight. 190 lbs might cut it if I played linebacker, but to be a quicker triathlete, I will have to drop a few...

On that note, I was invited to be a featured blogger on a new website for wellness...Its called wellsphere. They will post my blogs and link to my blog as well. I will also write some fresh stuff for them. I am in the triathlon community. I think they want me because I have been in the sport for many many moons, grasshopper!!!!. The website gets cranking next month... Feel free to drop in or create your own blog and post some stuff..

The legendary ultra runner Charlie Engle has a line of products that are designed for endurance athletes. His marketing folks dropped me a line and I will have the products sent to me.. Then, I will write a little review. I will keep you posted on that.
Thanks for all the suggestions on what direction I should take in the coming months.. Again, the Winter 50K ..Buckeye Trail is intriguing. I will keep you posted.
Got a unique double workout tuesday. Swam 1.5 miles at Fairport Harbor in Open water...Then reduced 3 big branches of a backyard tree that blew down by either sawing...or using my grandpas old axe. That was a workout...Shoulder is almost as sore as Doctor Jodi's, but her excuse is she swam about 15 miles or so in a short period of time...What a machine.
My goal on the speed thing is to resemble my son, Pat at the finish of a Sprint Triathlon. (Fairport-2007)
Note How he is floating on air????
Note How I am not???
His face looks relaxed and he is in perfect stride..
My face looks anguished and I am shuffling....LOL!!
Hey, its something to work on.
Lifes a Blast!!!

TriGuy plays WhyGuy

2008-09-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Tri season is over and I am assessing the damage......How did I train???? Was much of it effective??? Did I do enough??? Was it sports specific enough???? Did I enjoy racing?? Did I improve??? Questions, questions....
But first...some Kudos

THE FIRST ANNUAL "I CAN'T BELIEVE I WON A MEDAL AND AM SO HAPPY I STARTED ROWING AWARD"

That goes to my younger sister, Beth, who was trained for quite some time by The Bride and showed great strength improvement. The Bride used the chance to begin rowing as an incentive. Beth got into the sport and in a regatta, her 8 person team won a Bronze medal. Thats just fantastic Great job Beth....proud of ya!!!!

DIRTY COUPLE OF THE YEAR AWARD

To Matt and Jen Collister. Both are strong endurance athletes and fun people. Check out Matt's blog (CLICK HERE)and the video of his battered feet after finishing the Dances with Dirt. Matt just got under 6 hours in the 50 k distance.. Of course Jen (CLICK HERE) gathered most of the dirt from Hell, Michigan as she was running about 17 miles as her part of a relay...

Now, back to assessing the 08 season. I raced in 6 triathlons with the longest a Half Ironman. After an internal debate, the jury has spoken.

1. I have fallen in love all over again with the sprint distance, therefore I will adjust my training to try to find more speed. Do they sell that at Home Depot??? This year I won one race in my age group and finished 3rd in another but I know I can be a better racer in that regard.
2. I will sight only one Half Ironman Distance race in 09, most likely will be Morgantown.
3. I am very very very tempted to enter a 50 k trail race. I've written about my love of running the trails and think I would be suited for this. The winter Buckeye Trail 50 K would be a goal not toooo far off in the calendar that I could amp my training for. Ultra folks any suggestions??
4. I will be more specific in breaking down my swims. More sets, with recovery. This is my best discipline but I know I can improve.

5. Within 2 years, I will return to racing an Ironman Distance Race. Its been 6 years. Gotta get one of those under my belt while I am in my mid 50's. HOWEVER, the dilemma these days is JUST getting into a race... See this article from The New York Times . Fees are not going down. Participation in Ironman races in 5 years has doubled. Our sport is one of high income folks and the trend is not reversing, thats for sure!!! You wonder why I always race at Fairport??? Its 20 bucks!!!

With fall approaching, I'll continue to get my long runs in...enjoy the leaves falling, the splashes of color. I will coax The Bride out for some bike rides and I will swim in Lake Erie deep into the fall.

With The Bride torturing her students in Pilates, she still would never encourage an accident like this to happen. Check out the YOUTUBE CLIP

I feel much of the success I have had this year is because I put it out there in the blogosphere. I am coming up on my blogga-versary and its been important to state goals..to be accountable and of course to enjoy the journey with you guys...Thanks a bunch.!!!

Life's a Blast!!

Triathlons and Touchdowns

2008-09-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who responded to my post on the late Darryl Kollai. Its good to know that others around the country are now aware of Darryl's dominance. May this knowledge comfort his family as time goes on. Darryl's son, Eric is hoping to get a race together to honor his father....I will keep you posted.

I write this after taking a "Two-bags-of-Ice bath. Just finished a tough upper body and legs workout at the gym with my son, Pat. We then proceeded to go to the Lake..and after warming up for about 10 minutes...did a series of 10 x 180 yard sprints up a slight incline. We jogged back down each time..rested 15 seconds and then sprinted up. Pat shot up the incline each time like he had rocket fuel up his butt....I ran very hard but the wheels just don't move as fast. Still..it was punishing and rewarding..

That I kept my Oat Bran I had at 9am and late breakfast down is another thing. Pat and I were to swim in Lake Erie early today, but it was too rough. So he cooked up a batch of his killer Pancakes. I had three of them. I think the Japanese eating champ Kobayashi might only be able to handle 5. Its like Pizza. You have 4 regular slices. Then you go to Chicago....HaHa!! Try eating 4 deep dish slices!!!! That puts the whole digestive system on alert, my friend!!!!. Patrick cooks whole wheat pancakes and adds walnuts, apples, flaxseed,.. The colon is high fiving the stomach. Great stuff!!! It was only 3 hours after the pancakes when we were sprinting up that hill....."Major Tongue to Ground Control".

I was happy to workout hard..just two days after a tough effort in the Portage Lakes Sprint Triathlon. Also that Sunday the Browns began their season at home against the Cowboys. It made for a fun filled 24 hours. While I am not dealling with terrorists like Jack Bauer, I figured I would relate the 24 hours for you...in machine gun style or failing that in the same style the Cowboys picked apart the Browns...

JT'S 24 HOURS

11:30pm Saturday Night ..leave Fox 8 to zip home.
11:50pm finished packing car....put bike rack on.
12:40 am Sunday...fall asleep..alarm set for 4:40am
2:00am weird dream about The Bride, me, Brad Pitt, and Michael Phelps...it involved water.
4:40am wake up.... Kiss The Bride.Scurry about getting my bike and Pats bike on car..
5:20am leave for Portage Lakes...about an hour drive...
6:20am arrive..head right to check in.. HFPRacing is very efficient. Done in 2 minutes..Have #250, which is what my weight would be if I never trained as a triathlete.
7:30am see Kim Sheehan, chat about Darryl Kollai. She was with him when he collapsed. Kim was racing the olympic. Helped her pump up her Zipp wheel.
8:10a..first wave of the Sprint goes off.. 400 people in Sprint. Each wave 2 minutes apart.
8:18am my wave..last of the Sprint goes off...I dash into water with a gaggle of guys. I immediately start passing people from the previous wave... it was very congested. Got hit about 4 times...was getting a little ticked off...Just swam hard. 750 meter swim was 14:10, which I believe included a dash up the hill to transition.
8:32am..dash into transition and some kid is yakking to another kid right in front of my bike. "Excuse me...people are racing here" gheesh.
8:34am head out on 20 k bike course... some rollers...nothing tough..a good course. cool morning..perfect for racing.
9:15am finish bike and head quickly out to run...its a great run course..lots of chances to see other racers and to pick out people you want to shoot for. See Patrick heading for the finish as I was barely a mile into the run. I yell "High Five" like Borat. We high five.
9:42am I head for the chute..ran stronger in the second half of the race.. "John Telich of Euclid Ohio, competing in the Jurassic division"... I thought he said that, but I could be wrong. Final time. 1:27:48. 7th in 14 man age group. 126th out of 390 plus. Not Kollai worthy, but it was a solid effort.
9:44am see Patrick...get his scoop. He came in 1:17:00..he was 31st out of 390plus. I think he's getting the hang of this stuff.......
9:50am visit with many other racers...too numerous to mention..cheer for those finishing and for the Olympic racers getting into transition.
10:00am go on a 20minute jog with Pat to unwind...
10:30am load bikes and head back to Cleveland. Buy big bag of Amish Red Licorice and Kill it off in 30 minutes
11:30am back home..unload stuff..The Bride says 3rd floor bathroom is leaking and a cabinet in the kitchen is not secure..gotta make some calls to get those problems fixed.
1:00pm take 45 minute nap.
2:50pm arrive at Fox 8 and leave for Browns stadium with Photographer and Producer.
3:35pm finally get in stadium after having to park about a half mile away..Hundreds of Cowboy fans in full dress are already jawing at Browns fans.
3:45pm go through credential area..Staff says "you just missed Lebron and he was showing his gold medal"
3:50pm go on the field for a few minutes to touch base with some staff people..coaches and some players. Its a zoo. Cowboys leave the field for lockeroom and theres nothing but Cowboy lovers by the exit..Everyone wants T.O. and Romo to look up. Both are focused.
4:00pm get on Elevator for Press Box. Jerry Jones and his posse getting on another elevator. Shake hands with Browns gm Phil Savage. Wish him luck. He's smiling. Won't be smiling for long.
4:15pm Kickoff.. not long after that, Cowboys score t.d. Browns defense playing the matador routine...Ole'
7:15pm game over..already down on field level outside lockeroom. Wait 8 minutes before Romeo Crennel comes out of lockeroom to do his press conference. I have another cameraman and we head into lockerooom and proceed to interview about 10-11 players...

7:31pm Braylon Edwards "Thats a good question....blah blah blah..." (in response to my question about the team not building off of a 16 play t.d. drive..
7:39pm Jamal Lewis "You're right, we looked like a team that wasn't together in preseason.(in response to my question about the offense looking like a team that didn't practice much together due to injuries.
8:00pm interviews done..I go to field to do some standups..
8:10pm done..start to leave stadium..same time Tony Romo is walking out to the team buses. Fans are screaming at him..
"Sign this" "Pose for this picture" He's got a gash on his chin.
Lady says to me "Damn, he's cute . Lady is the wife of a Browns player. No sign of Jessica Simpson.
8:35pm Back at the station and all interview material is being fed into the system.
spend the next 90 minutes looking at material...and writing a little piece for the show...
9:15pm check Ironman Live. My buddy Eric Gibb ripped an 11:03 at Ironman Wisconsin. He's a stud.Great job TriEric
10:05pm get notes and scripts to editors and they very quickly can piece the story together... God Bless time codes and computers.... Never would have figured I'd say that 15 years ago....
10:30pm Leave station..colleague Tony Rizzo handles the anchoring duties
11:30pm at home....watching different stations, ESPN..reading paper..stomach issues as either the licorice, or the halftime chili, or the lake water is making my tummy do the cha cha!!!! I take a Tums, but I'm too keyed up to rest.

Don't forget to check out the Motivation Quotations...J.T. originals...
Life's a Blast

A Champion For Life

2008-09-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hi. I said on the air Thursday night that Darryl Kollai was as good at his sport as LeBron James is at his.

DARRYL KOLLAI (ON LEFT) AND SON ERIC

Darryl Kollai was not a household name in Northeast Ohio. But ask someone in the triathlon community and chances are they knew of him. Many of us saw the backside of Darryl because he was routinely swimming, biking and running the competition into the ground.

Darryl is no longer with us. On a Saturday ride with training buddies, Darryl had a heart attack and was gone...suddenly.

His legend. His imprint. His charisma was overwhelming. He mentored so many athletes and turned them into champs. All the while, Kollai was winning medal after medal.. 27 years in the sport, but 53 is too damn young to be leaving.

Kollai was a national caliber racer. In his 40's he was consistently trashing all the 20 and 30-somethings. Just a few weeks before he died, he tore into a bike segment and everyone else was eating his dust. His strength was amazing. He broke bike frames and never , ever gave an inch.

I remember the legend of Steve Prefontaine. The guts. The toughness. I like to think that if Pre were to have lived..he's be Darryl Kollai. Smiling assassin on the course.

To train with Darryl, they say was to come an inch from the edge..and then go over. Ask Heather Petroff, who spoke at his funeral, or my old college buddy Scott McGill, himself a brilliant racer. Darryl always said "Just a little bit further" or "Its all downhill from here" (Both lies, but you do what you have to). Darryl always preached that "No one likes the view from second place".

At Darryl's funeral, the family..son Eric ,daughter Michelle, wife Susan, laughed at the stories told by others and told some zingers of their own. Darryl knew how to do so many things. Humor..wit..motivator. mechanic...the list goes on and on.. Everyone laughed..many shed tears. He was buried in his Team USA jacket as he competed for the US in Perth Austrailia in the mid to late 90's. Pictures and articles displayed as were his Cervelo Bike and his wetsuit.

After the service..a long and winding procession went to the place of burial..along the tough, hilly roads that he climbed...past the deer he saw each day...inching up the inclines..reaching to the sky...Darryl reached everyday. He reached for greatness. Burning lungs, sweating body..muscles screaming. Torture for some, but the closest thing to heaven for Darryl. And now, he is training there, he is likely training God, urging him to push harder to be the best God he can be.

I would like to write, Rest in Peace Darryl, but I don't think thats what you have in mind. Your time here was short, as were the times you set as you raced. You raised the bar for many others and the sport has benefited so greatly because of you.

DARRYL KOLLAI 1955--2008

SUPERSONIC SWIMMER

2008-09-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

Supersonic swimmer??? Todays post is about being IN THE MOMENT..but at relatively different speeds. Its a deep thinking J.T. post and my grey matter is crying out from being over taxed.!!!!!!!

Sunday am was spectacular. It was clear and slightly cool in Cleveland. I was thinking about my Ironman Louisville fellow triathletes when I slipped down to the beach club in Euclid.

The water was like glass. It was incredibly clear . It was a giant swimmer pool without lanes.

My son, Pat urged me to swim and I'm glad I did. Thanks Pat!!!

See downtown Cleveland??? Thats about 10--11 miles away.

I knew the lake would start to ripple and soon. It was 10am and the boats would start to head downtown to be able to watch the Cleveland Air show and the world famous Blue Angels.

Yep..there they are. 3 years ago, I was fortunate to be able to fly with them. It was the memory of that ride...a once in a lifetime experience that got me thinking of IN THE MOMENT and how that sensation can envelope you...no matter how fast your body is moving.

Back to the swimming. Pat and I swam from the club, eastward about 3/4's of a mile. It was purely mystical. Each stroke cutting through the water. I was close to shore..the water about 3-4 feet deep..and I could look over at Pat 30 feet away from me and see him perfectly. Incredibly clear. With each stroke, I felt the power and I felt the sensation of IN THE MOMENT!!!. I realized I was going only 2 miles per hour, but the feeling was no less defining that when I was strapped into one of those Fa-18 Hornets, going the speed of sound.!!!! In, the jet, I felt the speed...I felt the g-forces when we did manuevers but it was hard to gauge distance. I remember that day when we had been out for about ten minutes, the captain asked me if I thought I knew where we were?? I said...ohh Mentor?? (25 miles from Cleveland). He laughed!!! "How about Erie Pennsylvania?????' I was astonished we had gone so far, so fast....

Well, thats the feeling I had as we hit the 3/4 mile spot which was the old beach club I grew up swimming off of. My 2 mile an hour crawl was so IN THE MOMENT..I had no idea how fast we had arrived at that spot. As the swim progressed..more boats and skiddo's were in the area and the ripples soon became little waves. We swam about 1.7 miles.

The sensation of speed and time can distort our perceptions. Run outside in an open field?? You feel slow. Run down a tight hallway and the speed is amazing. A hard fought bike segment of a triathlon might feel real slow to you...but you check your timer and realize you averaged 20 miles a hour. Its all about IN THE MOMENT. What was working for you at that Moment was defining to you and no one else.

A 9 hour Ironman might seem slow to an elite racer but who amoung us wouldn't love to see what its like to be that fast--that strong for 140.6 miles.???

Our world is speeding ahead. Google. Text messaging.. Chips that compute millions of things per second. Its mind boggling. But what slows down the world...what makes sense to us are those MOMENTS when we connect to what is pure and real.

Being an endurance athlete all these years has done more for me in keeping the perspective when covering world class athletes. I can relate to the committment needed. I can't go 4.4 in the 40. I can't dunk like LeBron.. but I have had many of THOSE MOMENTS when I break down everything else and experience an almost zen-like Moment. It is truly awesome. Its winning the lottery of life... time after time...after time. Heres wishing you many IN THE MOMENT experiences.!!!

GETTING LUCKY IN KENTUCKY.

Props to all my tri-buddies for surviving a very tough, hot..hellacious Ironman Louisville. You guys are incredibly tough for taking it to the house down in Kentucky. It had to be a furnace!!

Look forward to seeing many racers this coming Sunday at Portage Lakes. I'm doing the Sprint.

MOTIVATION QUOTATIONS

Remember to check out the Motivation quotations...J.T Originals...!!!

LIFE'S A BLAST....GOT DYNAMITE????????

RAINMAKER, HEART BREAKER

2008-08-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Olympics are history. Witness this guy imitating a Shriner during the closing ceremonies. You've seen those Shriners on those motorcycle thingy's driving crazy like at parades. I've seen them take out the first row of folks at parades. Always keep the EMS close by. But while the Chinese were closing their games, the man pictured below was all business.

Props to the Rainmaker, who's blog is always chock full of good stuff. The guy can cook..he trains, he takes great pictures...has a sense of humor and he is flat out a very good triathlete while training in the nations capitol. What does the guy do last week while the Olympics were being put to bed?? He blistered a 10:49 in his first Ironman at Ironman Canada. Great job Ray!!! Go to his blog (CLICK HERE) for another great race report. Hope you don't mind me pilfering a pic of you scorching the bike course!!!!!

In the same race, BreeWee, had some racing issues...tires appeared to be the smallest of her problems. Early into the run, she was in the med tent, getting fluids...unable to finish, which to most of us was a shocker, as she is so darn good at racing. Bree regrouped and is now declaring that she hopes to........

GET LUCKY IN KENTUCKY!!

Bree is racing at Louisville and hoping there, she can get a Kona slot. So many of my buddies from the Cleveland Area are racing this weekend in in Ky. Best of luck to all..

This past Tuesday I swam at Fairport with the regular group but the water was too rough for a swim out to the breakwall......so we did some work along the shoreline....about a half hours worth. My swim buds, Karen, Eddie, and Juan are also hoping to Get Lucky in Kentucky. Karen and Eddie are multiple Ironman finishers. All the best to Juan who hopes to hear those words announced......."You're An Ironman. After the swim, I ran a strong tempo 5 miler with my son Patrick on the North Chagrin Trails... 43:30.

Sunday, The Bride surprised me and asked if I wanted to take a bike ride??? Heck yeah, I said. And so, off we went.... The Bride has such a busy schedule and spends alot of time in between her different classes working on new routines and music mixes and stuff. So we have not been on the bikes together in a while. We went all over. Through 5 different towns... spent, lots of time at North Chagrin as well.. Just a great workout!! I used my son Pats bike, (which is my old tri-bike) and it was just so nice to cover so much ground..... We were out nearly 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Saturday, I ran 1 hour and 45 minutes at North Chagrin on the bridle trails. I am getting in long workouts and also lifting very hard, using heavy weights this week to change things up.

Notice the Motivation Quotation on my sidebar. The first 2 quotes are J.T. originals. I will try to post about 3 times a week...a fresh motivational quote. One that originates in this persons little skull. Any suggestions??? Let me know.

TREMENDOUS TRIBUTE

Greg Christopher of Twinsburg Ohio gets my props as well. In a very nice gesture, He wore race number 45 in the Greater Cleveland Triathlon Half Ironman earlier this month. It was his tribute to late Twinsburg officer, Josh Miktarian, who was killed in the line of duty. Officer Miktarian wore badge #45. Greg's gesture was a wonderful tribute. He never met officer Miktarian, but respected what he stood for. Greg is on the right, and thats Ted Yates, who also went the distance on the left. Its important that we always keep the memory alive of someone who serves us all each day. Of course, its also cool that race director Mickey Ryzmek made the #45 possible.

Everyone have a great day. Lifes a Blast

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR????

2008-08-21T18:13:00.001-07:00

Thanks for all the comments on the Yes You Kanye post. The rap "Your'e an Ironman seemed to resonate with those who go the long distance. Should I record the song, and put it on YouTube????? We'll see.

In the meantime, I am climbing out of a mini-funk..one that would be expected after racing 4 times in four weeks.

Today I officially busted out of it and while thats cool...I have to recount what happened afterwards

I went to Memorial Park Pool in Euclid. 25 yard outdoor pool. Adult swim at 5pm. I wanted to rip off one mile in a strong, sustained manner. I was not looking for a P.R....nor was I hoping to go Phelps on the thing... Wore the lonely little swim cap that wasn't able to enjoy himself in the Greater Cleveland Half Iron..(Swim was cancelled...too rough). I worked on long strong strokes in the water...spent many laps trying to work on maintaining my head under water for a good portion of the lap. Many laps I came up for a breath only twice.

When I hit the mile...the time was 32:02. That was a solid effort. I continued swimming, alternating hard lap, easy lap. Finished up a 3,000 yard swim. Felt very strong. Not exactly Michael Phelps. Mikey might have those 8 golds..(see Sports Illustrated Cover shot)

But I got a few medals of my own, buddy!!!! LOL!!!!

After the swim, I was showering and getting dressed. Leaving the pool, I had a senior moment. I wasn't sure if I had worn my hearing aid to the lockeroom or not. Called The Bride and asked her to look around some spots at home.. No luck. Went back in the lockeroom. No luck. More looking. No luck. However, where this would usually get me upset..I wasn't in the least bummed. I looked at home. Went back to the pool. Not a hearing aid in sight..

The aid is 4 years old. Insurance will not cover a new one. I will have to get re-tested and will have to settle on a new unit. I was thinking. Why am I not upset??? We're talking about 2-3 thousand bucks. Not to get too spiritual, but I think I'm being told to be more attentive. To listen more. To absorb what is going on around me as much as possible. Don't get me wrong, I will be at a disadvantage without it. Ever interview athletes while your in a crowd of reporters??? Theres a reason why I am always right up front..staring at the LeBrons, Zydrunas Ilgauskas's and Derek Andersons, or Travis Hafners as I come up to their chests..all 5 feet 8 inches of me. God Bless Lebron, he's always speaking directly to me...to make sure I can take in what he has to say. I appreciate that. Now, I will have to listen more...not just at work..but everywhere.

Didn't somebody once say. God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.

And also I will listen to what my body wants more. I sense it wants to be pushed again..and the mini-me Phelps swim was one workout that follows that logic. There will be more..

Have a great week..Happy training.
Life's a Blast

YES YOU KANYE

2008-08-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hi gang... its been a nice week, recovering from the Greater Cleveland Triathlon and planning workouts and races in the upcoming months... 4 races in 4 weeks was a daunting task, but we survived. So far this week, I had a breakwall swim at Fairport with much yardage tacked on afterward. A couple of tough weight workouts and a long bout with the elliptical machine. Trying to avoid any running as my hamstring mends a bit.

The Bride has Pilates, and I will take a class or two, but the work sked is crazy. Browns are full go. I will be at Giants Stadium next Monday as Browns face the Super Bowl Champs. High School football is one week away and the seasons will slowly change. I love this time of the year.

You might know by now, if you have followed this blog that I like to take creative license with some of the famous and infamous of writers and weave my own web of words about training and racing... Hey, you gotta have fun...right?????

One of my earliest blog entries was a take on Dr. Suess (click here)
I spun my own Hemingway take (click here)
I can rap like Jay Z.... (move the mouse here)
and, lets see...ohh yea.. a take on Stevie Wonders "Superstition". My Fav.!! (click it)

So..I was thinking.....why not another rap??? Would Kanye West write something like this for endurance racing???

You're an Ironman

Summer sun is smoking
Like a record broken
All effort, no joke-in

The body is aching
Endurance limits shaken
Replacement fluids taken...

The Heart beats are soaring
Clothes drenched, sweat is pouring..
Burning carbs you've been storing.

The Mind shouts, Stop..you've done enough!!!
We know your're really tough
Bag this Ironman stuff!!!

No, you reply........ I'll tell ya why!!!
Its the thrill..the competition high!!!

So...you increase your pace,,,.
visualize the Ironman Race.
Add 2 miles just in case..

You keep on churning....
Lungs are burning..
Body is protesting
But your not resting

Cuz..your still thinking..
follow the coaches plan
Run forever...cuz you CAN !!!!

You're an Ironman!!!!!!

SHRINKAGE

2008-08-11T06:08:00.001-07:00

Shrinkage is just one of the possible headlines for this post. Other candidates??

STEELHEAD WE FEEL YOUR PAIN

HOW TO GO FROM HALF IRON TO A BIKE RIDE IN 48 HOURS

ANGRY LAKE TICKS OFF TRIATHLETES

I could go on. The Seinfeld theme refers to my second headline choice. How plans and the event shrunk. It has nothing to do with...ahhh...well...you know. I was originally doing the Half Iron. But as my previous post pointed out, my hamstring muscles held a heated meeting and caused me to tweak the hammy again Friday morning. I took their hint and decided just to do the Aquabike. 1.2 mile swim, followed by the 56 mile bike. That way, I would not run and aggravate the hamstring.

Great plan. But we did not consult the Lake. I should have known. Angry lake. Strong winds and strong current and Mickey and the Greater Cleveland staff made the right choice. They cancelled the swim. I understood completely. I took my wrath out on the shallowest of the Great Lakes. I didn't flip it off, I just shouted...."I'm upset with you right now but I'll get over it."? Hey, I survived the infamous Fogman-Pineman-Ironman in 99'.

Hey, it was a beautiful morning. Love the sunrise.!!!!

The wind was very strong. The guys putting up the start arch thingy had a tough time stabillizing it.
Transition was filling up fast. Racers knew immediately that the swim was not happening. I hooked up with dozens of my triathlon buddies. Matt, Jen, Eric, Aimee, Tracie, doing her second triathlon. Joe R. Jeff, Bill M. Karen, Juan, Bill, Eddie. Tanya, mother of a little girl with cerebral palsy, who had raced her first tri last week. Tanya was doing the Aquabike also. Saw Janet and Jodi but didn't get a chance to say hi. I think everyone was just resigned to the notion that we would all have to make lemonade out of lemons.

They sent off the Half Iron racers at 7:15. They would have to run about 1.2 miles and then head to thier bikes. Us Aquabikers were going off at 7:45.

The wind played a factor in several areas of the course and because it was going off the Lake. It was strong. I was loaded up with a few gels, one bottle of replacement fluid and one of water. We did 2 big loops up into Concord, and toward Little Mountain. Theres a very steep but not terribly long hill you have to stand on the pedals to get up..then a gradual climb after that...but the course is fun to ride because you can get some speed going on the way back. On the second loop you get to the entrance of the park and you then have to go back and do 2 fairly short loops, but the wind really seemed to be strong as I did my final two loops. All in all, I had a solid effort. I was after a 3 hour or under time, but settled for an unofficial 3:13 but I have to check the final results. For show purposes only,we had to leave transition and go out and over to the overall finish area. That did not affect our time, it was just so they could give us our medals and get our timing chip. I just put on a cap and walked over and through the finish in my bare feet..

Some riders were stopped by trains. Volunteers took their numbers and then officials adjusted their times. I nearly was stopped . I even heard the train sound, but I came through the second crossing and the gates were up. Other riders complained there were several little trains..meaning a string of riders, obviously drafting which was illegal. I did see some numbers on the results with some kind of violations listed so I know they were docking people for these, but maybe not as much as was going on.

However...it was a perfect day to ride despite the wind. Cool. Just perfect. Afterwards I hung out. Listened to Charlie entertain and compared racing tales.

Later , at home, all the swim caps from my 08 races had a little get together.. They even welcomed in the bright Yellow cap I was to use today... Treated the little guy like one of the family. It was touching.

But the wetsuit..!!!?? He was obviously put off that there was no swim. He just hung out in on the patio , getting some sun, and not socializing with the caps. What an attitude.!!

Later, I fired up the grill and cooked up hamburgers, chorizo hamburgers and get this.....BISON. No pics, but it was tremendous. They say bison is a great source of protein. All I could think of was Kevin Costner and "Dances with Wolves" That got me thinking of some of the triathletes who still wanted to race in the very strong Lake Erie current. How about "Dunces with Waves"

Life's a Blast.

A MEETING OF H.U.R.T.

2008-08-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

(SUPERMARKET WIDE SHOT TRIGUYJT AND THE BRIDE SHOPPING)

TRIGUYJT
"ISN'T THAT ODD"

(CLOSE UP AS PACKAGE OF BUNS FALLS TO FLOOR)

TRIGUYJT
"THOSE BUNS FELL ON THEIR OWN..OH LOOK HONEY, THEYRE HONEY BUNS"

(JT STARTS TO BEND OVER )

(CUT TO SHOT OF MEETING ROOM..DEEP IN THE BODY OF J.T....ITS A MICROSCOPIC WORLD..TUBES OF LIQUID OVERHEAD... MANY SMALL BEINGS IN THE ROOM AND THEY ARE ALL SHOUTING...

"I'M AT THE END OF MY TENDONS WITH THIS J.T. GUY."

"4 RACES IN 4 WEEKS!!!"

"HE'S KILLING US"

(ITS A MEETING OF THE ORGANIZATION CALLED HAMSTRINGS UNDER REPEPITIVE TRAUMA...OTHERWISE KNOWN AS H. U. R. T.)

"CAN WE HAVE SOME ORDER"!! SHOUTS THE LEADER HAMSTRING.

"J.T. NEVER FULLY REHABBED THE STRAIN IN HAMSTRING JUST BELOW HIS RIGHT BUTT"...AND NOW HE'S DOING A HALF IRONMAN AT GREATER CLEVELAND"

" REMEMBER HOW HE HAD THAT SHARP STABBING PAIN JUST ABOVE HIS RIGHT KNEE A WEEK AGO"??

"THAT WAS ME"

(ALL TURN TO SEE A HAMSTRING TENDON IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM)

"YEAH, THAT WAS ME. I'M SICK OF THIS JOKER. HE REALLY SHOULD NOT BE RUNNING ON IT, ESPECIALLY DOING THOSE TREADMILL SPRINT OR CHARGING UP A HILL. HE IS 55 YEARS OLD. THE MUSCLES ARE NOT AS LOOSE. HE HAS A WIFE WHO TEACHES PILATES BUT HE DOESN'T TAKE THOSE CLASSES ENOUGH."

LEADER HAMSTRING
"SO WHAT ARE YOU SUGGESTING"

' I THINK WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING JUST TO LET HIM KNOW WE KNOW WHAT THE HECK HE IS UP TO'

'YEAH, LETS TEAR THE HAMSTRING"

"RIP IT RIGHT OFF THE BONE!!!"

'NO I THINK THATS TOO DRASTIC'"

"LETS JUST TWEAK IT..THATS ALL.. NOTHING SERIOUS...I MEAN THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH... HOW MANY MEETINGS OF H.U.R.T. HAVE WE HELD"

'TOO MANY"

'YEAH, 5 MEETINGS IN 3 MONTHS, ITS CRAZY'

(LEADER HAMSTRING)

"ALL IN FAVOR OF A TWEAK, SAY AYE"

"AYE' AYE' AYE' AYE' AYE AYE' AYE''

'ALL OPPOSED SAY NAY'

(SILENCE)

"AYES HAVE IT. MEETING OVER...NOW HURRY EVERYONE GET IN POSITION...NOWS OUR CHANCE..HE'S STARTING TO BEND OVER'

(SHOT OF SUPER MARKET AS J.T. BENDS OVER"

TRIGUYJT
"OUCH, ARRRGGGH"
THE BRIDE
"WHATS THE MATTER"?
TRIGUYJT
'MY HAMMY...MAN THAT HURTS'
THE BRIDE
"GUESS YOUR BODY IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING"
TRIGUYJT
"AGREED. I'M JUST GONNA DO THE AQUABIKE AT GREATER CLEVELAND...NO RUNNING FOR ME. WHENS YOUR NEXT PILATES CLASS??"

TEAM DAWUD

2008-08-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

Hi there...What follows is an account of a wonderful experience. I only swam a half mile today, but as part of a special relay, I feel I got as much out of this day as I have had in finishing an Ironman...without the mind numbing pain and all of course..

The above image was not captured by a professional....but hey, I am getting ahead of myself. Thats Aminah pulling the carriage with her son, Dawud in it. But first, lets set up what this was about.

This is North Coast Harbor in Cleveland. To the left, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To the right is Browns Stadium. I don't know who the guy in the shot is...someone who just happened to be there.

This is Dawud. He is 10 and has cerebral palsy. I had just met him and his parents. We were teammates on team #129 and we felt Dawud had to get his arm marked like the rest of us.

Thats Aminah, his mom, and Dawud's dad..Dawud Sr. Mom was gonna pull Dawud in the carriage for the 16 miles on the bike and dad would push Dawud the 3.1 miles. They had never raced before but trained hard. The bike, the carriage and Dawud accounted for about 140 pounds or so. Mom said she was ready. The family has been connected with United Cerebral Palsy of Cleveland and Dawud has shown many improvements in many areas. His speech and many other factors.

We were getting excited right before the swim. I was in the sprint relay and women 35 and under wave for the swim. The swim was a half mile. Dawud was anxious for the race to begin. I smoked the swim folks. Was fastest person in the relay portion of 9 teams.. Not sure it was exactly a half mile because my time was quicker than usual..however the time is not the big deal here, right??? After the swim, I sped into transistion, gave Aminah the chip and then shook Dawud Sr's hand.

Then Aminah towed Dawud the 16 miles... What effort. You saw the so called action shot at the top of the post... She need roughly 90 minutes to handle the tough hills-the wind--and exhaustion... What a huge effort!!!!!

But she did it!!! Thats her getting to transistion, all flushed and excited!!! Dawud had a cellphone and called his dad a couple times to tell him where they were. I loved that!!!

Dad changes the stroller out for the run. Take off the bar. Add the wheel for the front..and off he went... Folks, I was amazed. He runs 7 miles a day usually. He did the 3.1 miles in .......(Drum rolll.....) under 9 minutes a mile!!!!!!!! Wow!!!..He was so fast that I did not get my camera going fast enough... I missed him. However, Trish from UCP sent the finish photo thats at the top of the post. Thanks to Team Myles..

They did it!!! and I was so proud to be on the team.

Team shot!!!! Dawud Sr. says he wants to race more and I think Aminah has the bug. A while after our team finished..one of my new buddies finished.

Thats Kristen Minnick carrying daughter Julia across the line. Kristen did the whole triathlon and towed Julia and then pushed her for the run. I had featured her in a piece a week ago. Kristen was amazing. I was so happy for her.

And isn't Julia a gorgeous little girl??? Congrats to Kristen!! Thats hubby Jeff with us.

Finally, I can't thank the folks at United Cerebral Palsy enough for their help. I have made buddies for a long time. I was told all the families raised money for the cause and close to 90 thousand was raised. Of course, Dick Hoyt deserves credit for this as well. The legendary Ironman inspired many of the families when he spoke in Cleveland last fall. Its just amazing what can be done when CAN is the word we focus on.

Life is a BLAST!!!

THREE CUPS OF TEA

2008-08-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hi.. I'm writing about "Three Cups of Tea" at a Starbucks. Thats like writing about the NBA at Yankee Stadium...but I am getting ahead of myself. I got some "splain-in" to do and I will...but first...the training and racing stuff.

Sunday is the 3rd race in consecutive weeks with next weeks Half Ironman being the 4th in 4. Kinda cranking the sked and loving it. Sunday is the Cleveland Triathlon, which, I believe was the 3rd ever race I did back in the mid 80's. I have done it many times. Its had more name changes than a government witness. Sunday I will swim for Dawud, a young boy with cerebral palsy. His mom and dad are going do the biking and running. A great picture of Dawud is on the previous post and a link to his donation page if you are kind enough to check out. Thanks!!!

Got great news. Last Sundays sprint at Fairport was a 3rd place in the 15 man age group. Patrick claimed a 4th place in the tough 25-29 age group. This season, I have had a second, a first and now this third. Good Golly Miss Molly!!!!

Got in a long swim session at Fairport on Tuesday and was even able to enjoy the breakfast afterwards. Had a mini-tweak of my right hammy on Wednesday am. Only ran 40 minutes. Had a thorough weight session on Thursday, and today (fri) ran 2 hours at North Chagrin. Saturday, more weights and a light bike....Sunday I will swim a half mile with everything I have and then be a cheerleader for all the families racing for their children.

Browns camp occupies alot of work time. Putting together a hour special...doing several pieces on that and High School football practice began.. Its busy, but we love it. Tuesday I poked fun at our anchor woman Stacey Bell, who is single, and who caught the bouquet at Kathleen Cochranes wedding last week. We had tape of her gathering it in, like a punt returner, so silly me... I asked Josh Cribbs, the Browns Pro Bowl return man to comment on her ability. He played along very well and it made for a fun segment. Stacey was a good sport too.

THREE CUPS OF TEA

What a book!!!!!! Greg Mortenson turned a failure into a monumental success in a most unusual way. He failed to scale K2, one of the worlds most treacherous and dangerous summits, just missing by so many hundred meters. He nearly died. He was rescued by the incredible Himalayan people and nursed back to health. He vowed to build them a school. The children there had nowhere to learn and had no books. How this American, an infidel, in the heart of Muslim culture, at the time of the Taliban and 911 was able to forge partnerships with the warlords and bad guys is remarklable. Stunning achievements as he was then able to build many more schools...doing what Sir Edmund Hillary did as well in the years after he scaled Mount Everest.
Greg Mortenson, makes me, an extremely upbeat guy seem like a malcontent. He's amazing. So I was thinking and hopefully you can search back as well in your memory.. When did you fail at one thing and still succeed because or in spite of the failure.??

Humm, I thought. Mid 70's I met a woman who I was in love with. But after 6 months, she dumped me. I was despondent. I was out of sorts and depressed without her. I wrote her mom. I expressed my love for her daughter. To this day, my mother in law remembers how much I longed for her daughter, who is of course The Bride. We got back together and my life has been so enriched.

1980, a station in Buffalo New York, fired me. But that wacking, only opened the door for me to come to my hometown and to take the dream job I so wanted. Its the same job I have today...Sportscaster at Fox 8.

Greg Mortenson dranked much more than 3 cups of tea with the people of the mountain region, but he has immensely changed the lives of many children by opening up their minds to education.Heres to many cups of tea, which will mean success for you.. And, yes, if you are not a tea drinker, do like this guy...just drink the brewed beans.All the best.

Life's a Blast.

WATER SPOUTS AND SHOUT OUTS!!!

2008-07-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up with you guys. What a week!!! Great workouts... Tremendous weather, even on an eventful Tuesday and I raced again.

Tuesday at Fairport Harbor, we set out to swim the .4 miles to the breakwall and back. Plenty of kayaks and even a ski-doo!! So, the whole gang zipped out to the wall... And the rains came real hard. Pellets. We headed back to shore. One swimmer glanced back and realized there were some "WATER SPOUTS!!!!. Holy h20!!! Plus some thunder in the distance. So we hustled back.. Ski-Doo hauled me the final 50 yards and the heavens opened. So much for a longer swim. Thats cool. No problem. I had to race to Berea and do a story on what Browns fans can bring to Browns camp, and The Bride was returning from a little trip to see her sister down south.

Thursday, my son Pat and I swam at Wildwood with Brandon H. The lake was spitting us out like a wash cycle but it was invigorating. Later, we headed to North Chagrin for a strong 1 hour run. Pat was feeling the effects (Rocketpants, and Matt C., you'll like this) of a Cross-fit workout he did in Houston. But he loosened up. I have to struggle to keep up with him.

Friday, a long, hard 2 hour bike ride to North Chagrin. Rode the steep hill out of the lower section a couple times....was really cranking.

Also, on Friday, I was sent this picture.

This is Dawud. (pronounced Dah-wood). He is the little guy I am swimming for this Sunday in the Cleveland Triathlon. I have not met him or his family. I will get to see him Sunday morning before the race. I got a link to Dawud's donation page **Click here** As I write this, the story I did on a mother of a child with cerebral palsy, Kristen Minnick is running in our ten pm news. Kristen will do the whole sprint tri (her first) and she will take 3 year old Julia, her daughter with C.P. along on the bike and run. Kristen was inspired to do this after meeting Dick Hoyt. I am excited for Kristen and for all the families who have kids with C.P. that are taking part in the race. It should be a blast.

Raced Fairport Harbor this morning. 500 meter swim. 13 mile bike, 3 mile run. It also added a kayak option instead of swim. Its a longtime sprint tri with very good support and a super nice price. 20 bucks pre-race..25 on race day. Beat that!!!! Saw Matt C. and Jen C. Saw Betty, who is an ultra runner and was doing the bike portion. Met Sam and Joe of Shaker, who just finished Ironman Lake Placid. "Way to go!!! Eddie Police raced and did very well. The Maruts cleaned up as usual. Lots of strong racers and a tremendous turnout..Close to 300!!!

This was a very strong effort on my part for the second week in a row. The swim was a real brawl for the first 80 yards, but worked its way out before long. Don't know how I placed. When I find out, I will update and also, a friend shot a couple pics and I will post them. I am really feeling better on the bike and as Bigun says...its alllll about the bike!!! I did not use a wetsuit for the second straight week. Transitions were very tight and I didn't need much time to get somewhat fresh legs on the run. I saw Joe Rodriguez, longtime racer and former high school swim coach on the run course and caught him about a mile or so in..and then finished strong the last mile. Total time was 1:17:55. Not sure on placing but we will see. My son, Pat raced as well.... 1:13:00....I don't think I will ever be able to take him!!!

Of course, no triathlon race goes un-rewarded. Pat raced to the store and bought the fixings, and I made ..ohh...about 10 pieces of French Toast. Nothing beat French Toast and Log Cabin syrup. The Bride even had a piece or two. Now, its 10:30pm and I go on the air in a short bit. Its been a long day, but a good one.. This coming week will be even better.
Life's a Blast.

HUNTINGTON BEACH TRIATHLON

2008-07-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hi gang....hope all is well. Thanks for all the comments about the 32 year anniversary with The Bride. You know what they say. "Its a marathon, not a sprint". A marathon withouts Gu's Gatorades, and timing chips. The object is to enjoy the experience, and we have!!!

Training this week featured, very hot weather, which I used to do long runs in the heat of the day, pumping more water through me than the Hoover dam. I had 2 upper body workouts, one leg set. Swam 3 different times and one of which, I re-discovered Memorial Pool in my hometown of Euclid. Each swim workout was 2,400 yards. Tweaking technique and trying like the dickens to become Total Immersion Telich. I feel a little faster, stronger in the water.

Raced on Sunday at Huntington Beach in Bay Village. In all my years in the sport, this is the first time I have done this sprint. Quarter mile swim, 12 mile bike and 5k run. Huntington Beach is very, very nice. In a way, I was feeling the good vibes of my longtime t.v. colleague and late friend Casey Coleman. Case passed away in Nov of 06. Can't believe its been almost 2 years.

Thats us just a week before he passed. Case grew up in Bay and spent alot of time at the beach, getting into all kinds of trouble, I can presume. He often went there as he was dying from cancer with his wife Mary. So, Sunday morning, I kinda took Case along for the ride, in a spiritual kinda way, I guess.

I was one of the first ones at the park at about 6:45. I was able to sign up and get my stuff all set in transistion. The Red Cannondale was itching to race as it was 3 weeks since the Half Ironman. My recent workouts concentrated on more biking and I knew this could help me stay strong in the aero position and race hard. Saw Trisaratops, who had some girls from Rocky River High racing. Sara was excited for the girls and I met all of them, wished them well. TriEric was racing. he had gotten in an hour run before the race but still looked fresh and ready to rip. A girl next to me was racing for the first time. She was understandable nervous. I talked to her and her parents and told he she would do well.

The water was flat, 73 degrees. I opted for no wetsuit. Good decision. Was in the 4th wave ..Mens 55-59, Clydesdales and teams. It was a beach start. I was one of the first in as we ran about 4o yards into the water before stroking. Found my rythmn pretty well. Not congested at all. Exited the water at 7mins, 30 seconds...then a run up an incline...a distance of about , I don't know..maybe 300 yards..I'm guessing.

On the bike, I quickly settled in a hammered strong the entire way. Passed alot of racers from previous waves. Back tire seems to be a little mushy on couple of turns!!! Shoot!!! I had pumped both up at 6am... Luckily not many turns... We headed west to Avon Lake, into a little wind but not bad. Stayed aero.. Hamstring was doing okay.

Got back to T2 and got into my running shoes and TYR cap and took off. Wanted to hit a 8 min per mile pace. Found my groove pretty quickly and pushed the pace. I can honestly say, perhaps only3 or 4 racers passed me on the run. The bricks I have been doing helped. At about 2.5 miles I picked up the pace even more. Got fooled near the end as I approached the finish. TriEric and Aimee were cheering for me. Eric said "Just one little loop back that way and back up under the road". What??? Okay, I pushed even more. Saw a guy who was 50 yards ahead and tried to reel him in. Couldn't. Finished strong. 1:16:47. Broke them down unofficially this way. Swim 7:30 Bike 39:00 Run 26:00. Transistions I am not sure on. UPDATE (TUESDAY) FIRST PLACE OF 9 MEN IN THE 55-59 AGE GROUP. WHOOOHOO. MY FIRST. 95 OUT OF 240.

Chatted with Eric and Aimee. He smoked as usual. He was very kind in given me a pair of Crocs he got from the Bolder/Boulder race. Thanks Eric!!! Saw Bill Marut and son Tony. Both guys can really fly. Trisaratops girls did well. I saw a couple come in. I had a "creepy old guy" moment, I think. Remember the young girl who I saw before she did her first race??? I saw her approaching the finish and ran over and was right there at the end "Hey Great job..High Five!!! The girl looked at me very weird. It was the wrong girl!!. Stupid J.T. Later I saw the rookie and she came in 1:33:00. She was all excited and so were her parents....

The Huntington Beach race was a great experience. It was one of those last minute decisions and I am glad I raced. Next week is the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Sprint.

One final schedule change. I will be racing with the Cerebral Palsy teams in the Cleveland Triathlon Aug 3rd. I said I would be a swimmer for them and they put me on one of the teams. In all the years I have raced...this is the first relay I will have done. It worked perfectly as my Half Ironman race is the next week.

Thanks gang. Have a great week. Tip the waiters and waitresses. Life's a Blast!!

32 LOVE FOR TWO

2008-07-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Some training updates before I get right to the point of the post. Still on track for the Half Ironman on August 10th at Mentor Headlands. Have been getting in long runs....the biking has been going well too. The Red Cannondale is loving life ,"rightside up".

Went to the Fairport Harbor swim Tuesday morning. Some of the regulars..Karen Ruth, Juan, Joe Rodriguez, Kathy, and others were there. We got alot of new folks and there were 6 or 7 kayaks keeping an eye on the newbies. We swam .4 mile out to the breakwall. Waited for the folks who were struggling a bit....Regrouped and then swam back to shore. Then, I tacked on another half mile swimming along the shore to the mouth of the Grand River and back. Water was like glass. Spectacular!!! The Beach management said they were not happy about two triathletes that went out a half hour before everyone else. Beach Brass means business and wants NO accidents, and the like. I can appreciate that. I promise pictures in coming weeks. The swim is worth it for the food that Kathy cooks up.

Today, I met a woman, Kristen Minnick who is competing in the Cleveland Triathlon Sprint on August 3rd in downtown Cleveland. She is one of a few families who are doing the race, and having their child with cerebral palsy,"along for the ride"...like the Hoyts have been famous for all these years. In fact,, Kristen met Dick Hoyt (YOU TUBE VIDEO) last year and was inspired. This is her first triathlon. I interviewed her and will do a piece on the news next week. Her daughter Julia, is 3, born on Christmas day. A gift from heaven, I think. Little girls smile will melt your heart. The race officials will not allow the parents to tow the kids in the water like the Hoyts for liability purposes, so some members of Masters swim clubs have volunteered to swim for any family that wants to split the other relay chores, the biking and the running. Kristen will swim by herself, then will hop on her bike with Julia in tow, and of course after the bike, she will push the running stroller with Julia. You simply have no idea how much the Hoyts inspire people worldwide. I will keep you posted about how Kristen is doing. Thanks to the Cleveland UCP folks, Karen, specifically for telling me about Kristen and Julia.

32 Equals Everything

As I write this, the memories are flooding back.. back to a day 32 years ago when Jane Quinton of Manhasset New York said "I Do" to a goofball from Cleveland, Ohio. We met on a blind date. Yes, love is blind and I have been sightless all these years. We are lovers, friends, buddies and soulmates. We raised 3 fantastic kids whom we are so proud of. But let it be known that the kids were very much shaped by the discipline and strong love of THE BRIDE. The hubby was the good cop, to The Brides tough cop. But its a team and if I may use the language of todays youth... "Thats how we roll".

Yes, I will do an endurance "stunt" workout, sequence ..whatever you want to call it to pay tribute to our 32 years, but as I "roll" through the miles, the strides and the distances, I'll be doing it to honor the greatest lady on the planet. The woman, I love to call "The Bride".

Michael Buble' sings Everything.. and thats what The Bride is to me.

You're a falling star, You're the get away car.

You're the line in the sand when I go too far.

You're the swimming pool, on an August day.

And you're the perfect thing to say.

And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.

Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.

Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.

Cause you can see it when I look at you.

LIFE IS A BLAST!!!!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2008-07-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Its Thursday and time to pilfer an idea from the hometown newspaper. They do a thing called Thankful Thursday, which is more my cup of tea than Monday Moaning!!!...

So..I got to thinking...which is sometimes good...sometimes bad and have compiled a few things I am thankful for, not the least of which is that the government stimulus check came and...that ...it DID NOT BOUNCE!!!! when I deposited it.

To put me in the thinking mood..I looked at Rodin's "The Thinker" which is right in front of the fabulous Cleveland Landmark and Institution....The Cleveland Museum of Art.

The Thinker is likely thinking how the heck he can afford 4 dollars a gallon and just how he can rid himself of the tendinitis in his wrist from posing that way. Try that at home folks.

So...here goes...Thankful Thursday....not to be confused with WTF??Wednesday. Kidding

What I am thankful for....

1. The Bride

2. The Kids

3. The Job

4. The Sport of Triathlon and Endurance Training.

5. Genetics. 3 Grandparents lived to be 89 to 93

6. Cleveland Metro Parks

7. Living right on a Great Lake

8. Gorgeous summer weather as I got in a 2.5 hour run on the trails today.

9. My knee is holding up and my hamstring hasn't boycotted my efforts.

10. I am not tapering for an Ironman. Many of my blogging buds are having a tough time as Ironman Lake Placid is 10 days away.

11. I get into sporting events free

12. I have worked at the same place 29 straight years in a fickle business

13. Did I mention The Bride???!!!

I could go on and on. How about you??? Any thoughts??? and any suggested captions for "The Thinker"?????

My training has gone very well. Will race Huntington Beach Sprint Triathlon, then Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Triathlon. The Greater Cleveland Half Ironman is Aug 10th and I am doing well with my bike training. Getting out this afternoon for 1.5 hours. Great training everyone .. Life's a blast!!!!

HELLO MY NAME IS CANNONDALE

2008-07-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

Alright gang...our nation is another year older and many of us are deep into 0ur 2008 racing schedules. I am thinking of adding a sprint to the lineup. Its the Huntington Beach race on Clevelands West Side on July 20th, the same day as Ironman Lake Placid.

This week was a lighter week after I raced the Half Ironman in West Virginia. I have lifted weights twice. Patrick and I swam Thursday am at Wildwood Park, a one mile swim and I had 2 bike sessions, Weds and Fri of one hour each. Friday, I worked on a certain hill...staying in the saddle at one gear for two climbs. The climb is .8 of a mile. The third climb, I went one gear higher and nearly made it to the top before getting out of the saddle to crank the last 30 yards.
Today I am going out for 2 hours.

No secret since the race in WV I need to re-introduce myself to the Red Cannondale. So my emphasis will be on the bike until the Greater Cleveland Half Ironman on August 10th. Too much of the bike's existence has been upside down.. I have to correct that.

Quoting Kona Shelley..does this make my butt look too big???

Pics came in from the Half Ironman. Which one, or ones make me look like an actually triathlete, instead of the guy who's been posing as one for 23 years hahah!!!! Any feedback would be appreciated.

Props to The Bride who continues to teach others the values of fitness via Pilates, Core Strength, Resistance Bands and weights. We are hitting 32 years in the middle of the month. This twisted mind is thinking of a fitness challenge to commemorate that number ..Hummmm!!??

Catch you later. Lifes a blast!!!!

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH- WEST VIRGINIA STYLE

2008-06-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Fabulous time spent in lovely West Virginia for the Spirit of Morgantown Half Ironman and Olympic races. Note lonely runner above (Blush)

About the Fountain of Youth I spoke of on the last post. Looked at the hfpracing site before leaving for the 3.5 hour ride there and I noticed..They had this old bird, registered in....dahh dahh... the 35-39 year age group. A mistake perhaps???Hummm...or was it a little teaser to me that things were going to be very interesting in the hills of West Virginia. Could I pull this off?? , I mean if I was really 35 ..not 55, then I had to erase everything in my life from 1953- to 1973. Good..No Dick Nixon, no Watergate, no Vietnam. Bad... no Beatles coming to America..no Browns NFL championship in 64'. Good, no getting my head dunked in a toilet in 7th grade in 1966. Bad...,no JFK, Bobby , or Martin Luther King Jr. The possibilities were endless.

Patrick and I drove to the city and checked into the race expo to get our stuff. (Memo to HFP...expo???? really...) It was there that I reluctantly ended the whole "I'm 35 years old charade". However, even though they corrected my age , they still gave me a number that put me in with the 35-39 age group. So I racked my bike with the "kids" in the garage. and hung out a little with TriEric and his wife Aimee. We only met in person Saturday. Great guy and man, can the dude swim-ride-and run. Patrick and I met Karen Ruth, and Eddie Police for a bite in the Boathouse Bistro, which is right above the swim section of the course. Gorgeous setting. Karen's friend Jennifer joined us and regaled us with tales of the Triple T weekend competition from late May in Portsmouth. Karen and Eddie are multiple Ironman finishers. Karen is recovering from a bike crash-shouler injury.

Race morning , the garage was buzzing at 6am with the first wave of the Half Iron swimset for 7:30.

Met up again with Aimee and Eric for a pic...(J.T--Aimee--Eric--Patrick). Met a few other Cleveland Tri Club members and readied for the swim portion. They shut off the Dam on the river and suspend the current for a few hours. Very Cool. My wave, 50 plus and teams was the last of the Half's to go at 7:54am.

I stationed myself up front and started strong. I noticed other white swim caps with me for awhile..but I was moving very well. Next thing I know, I am catching caps in the group ahead of me. Then they started the first wave of the Olympic at 8am, and as we had to got out a little further for the 1.2 miles, the Olympic guys almost magically appeared with us as we were coming back towards the Boathouse. It wasn't that congested. Things thinned out. I had a strong stroke the whole swim. Stayed on line.. Finished in 38 minutes. Gave me a good bit of adrenaline. Next, a roughly 300 yard jog up the incline to the River path and to the garage.

Got out on the bike and, having done the race in 07, felt pretty comfortable with it. We had heavy humidity and early in the bike, we got a good downpour, but nothing that troubled me..in fact it was refreshing. First 10 miles are not demanding, but towards the middle of each of the two laps we did there is some climbing, but nothing that busts you. My nutrition plan was to ingest a Hammer Gel every 50 minutes. I had two big bottles of gatorade on the bike and I took water from each aid station. After the turnaround on lap one, there is a long, gradual, somewhat demanding climb, followed by a dip and then a little more intense but short climb. After that, you are home free. You can really get going,..but just watch out for the road imperfections. They can rise up and bite you if not careful. I heard several racers took spills. Finished the two laps and averaged just under 17 miles an hour. (Note to self..bike improvement or race times will not change much). We had mostly cloud cover and some rains, but the weather was not adverse at all. Things were fine.

Got on the run path, which takes you south along the river to a point of about 2 miles...some of which is on a dirt-cinder path and shaded. I loved that part of the run, but its too short. You turn back, run past the swim area, the garage and the real cool amphitheatre by the river which is where the race ends, but you keep heading north along the river to 6th street. Thats where the famous Devils Hill is. Its 3 seperate inclines..the steepest about 18 degrees. You walk it. You curse it. You just get past it. There is an aid station at the top, but your not done. you turn right theres another incline, but not as bad. Through the city, there are some rolling ups and downs but nothing is as bad as the Devils Hill, complete with a kid dressed as the Devil.
Nutrition was fine. Never taken as many Gels as I did Sunday and even took 2 salt pills. Felt good, but the legs were starting to get trashed. Early on, I was going about 10:30 per mile and started to realize the goal of 6:15 was in jeopardy. Then, I began to think that last years time of 6:50 would be possible. While I had several walking segments, I started playing games in my head. Count to 100 and run strong. Run easy for a count of 25...Repeat. I met up with a young woman, who was really suffering. She was in tears and she was in big time pain. She did not want to give up. I encouraged her awhile and then I moved along ahead.

Patrick had finished his Olympic Race in a fantastic 2:43 good enough for 46th place out of about 180 or so. Wow. Unreal.

He had the cam and took some shots as I ran past the start finish area on each lap.

By the time, I got to Devils Hill on lap 2, I was leaking oil. Did I have enough to get in under 6:50..my time in 2007??. Note to HFP. Keep the nice senior citizen ladies at the last aid station on the run. They are wonderful. A treat to see. I asked them each lap. "Which one of you wants to be my girlfriend"?? Haha. Plus, their water is "ice water" Yeahh baby!!!!

I tried to run hard to the end of the race and beat the time, but I missed by a minute and change. 6 hours, 51 minutes..54 seconds. I was toast. However, I got age group hardware. Second place. Whee hee. (bloggers note: only 3 men in 55-59, but hey, I'll take it).
Enjoyed rehashing the race with many of the CTC members. I still have not met all of them. Rob Reddy was awesome. Eric Gibb ripped off a great race. His bride, Aimee, rocked!! I met Tim, (Walsh??) who, if I recall, had a 5:09. Jack Carney raced well, as did Charlie Mosbrook. Jack gets the award for Ironman. Right after the race, he drove to Florida. What the Hey!!! My swim buddy Eddie Police did a 6:07 and spent time in the medical tent.
Closing thoughts. Not sure if the nutritional plan had a huge effect or not. Will still experiment. Better biking will mean a huge difference, but I have to really get with it. More detailed plans and which races I will attack will follow on future posts.

And finally, yes Rainmaker, its possible that the Fountain of Youth is in West Virginia. Maybe its the ice water from the ladies, or the views from the tops of hills, or maybe its from the encouragement you get from your fellow racers , or the Chicken Penne Pasta I had on Saturday night. In this sport, the possibilities are endless.
Life's a Blast!!

I FOUND THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

2008-06-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Yep..it happened. How can a man lose 20 years off his life????? Enquiring minds want to know. I will give you that scoop, plus word on the Spirit of Morgantown Half Ironman..and I will answer the question...

Why is this man so alone while running????

A. Obviously he is dusting the competition

B. Its an optical Illlusion.

C. Its a Seinfeld Bizarro episode where J.T. wins the race without breaking a sweat

D. He has been lapped on the run by an aged Black Labrador with only 3 legs

E. All of the Above

Back with you shortly with word on a near PR. The Son's solid Olympic performance and great showing by the Cleveland Triathlon Club in West Virginia

I think the answer might be D. But I could be wrong.

Life's a blast