I had a bit of a rough night last night, before my second half-marathon attempt. I had a dream that I had a great race, only to find out that I did not have my timing chip on my shoe, and so I had no results. I woke up several times before the alarm was supposed to go off at 5:00, but Mer got up to use the bathroom at 4:55, so I just got up.

I had a yogurt, two English muffins with (smooth) peanut butter, and a granola bar. I figured that would last me pretty well – I ran 16 miles two weeks ago on one yogurt, and last week I ran 13 miles on no breakfast. I made sure to attach my timing chip, I attached my bib number (after Mer found me two safety pins, bless her!), and even remembered my watch this year (I forgot my watch for last year’s Towpath half-marathon). I felt a little nervous, but okay.

Mer joined me in the car, and we made our way southward to Akron. Akron added the Roadrunner Marathon five years ago, but had also added a half-marathon this year. Akron also encourages two and five-person relay teams to run the marathon, so I was expecting quite a crowd. We parked in a city garage and walked the two blocks to Inventure Place, the starting area. I was surprised – I was supposed to meet my boss, Jim, and we were going to run the race together. After going to the runners’ expo, we walked over to Inventure Place and agreed on a spot to meet. When I rounded the corner this morning, I was surprised to see that spot covered in porta-potties. I told Mer that was the meeting spot, and she asked which one Jim was in.

The starting time for the race was 7:00, and we got to the starting area at 6:15, so it was still dark. I used the extra time to use a bathroom, which is an interesting experience when it is still dark outside. When I got back to Meredith, she was with Jim and his wife Andie. Jim also introduced me to Gary, a friend of his that was going to run at our pace, but for the whole marathon (wow!).

We stretched out, and Jim and Gary took a quick warm-up jog – I have never bothered with warm-up jogs – I figure I’ve got lots of time to get loose during the first few miles. We then made our way to the starting chute. We were looking for the 7:30/mile group (Jim’s and my goal was to break 1:40 for the race), and we kept walking forward and forward. We finally got very close to the front and found our area; I was a little nervous at how close to the start we were. A couple of different ministers of different faiths prayed for the race, we heard a very good rendition of the national anthem, and then the race started with the ringing of a large bell (which was a cool twist on the normal starter’s pistol). We were off!

I won’t bore you with mile-by-mile descriptions. There were some moments I liked. The race started on a slight downhill toward the valley and Akron’s interesting “Y”-bridge. We got to run over the bridge. That was cool in itself, but once on the bridge, I got to look east and see the first hints of the sun coming up. It was very pretty. After a two-mile loop, we got to run over the other side of the “Y”-bridge, and I got to see the other Akron bridge standing out against the sunrise. It was very nice.

We entered the city again, and I got to kiss my biggest fan. She always screams and jumps up and down, so I always see her; I get to run over and kiss her – it is a tradition dating back to my first marathon in 1998. She gets to stand around in the 50-degree weather to see me for 15 seconds, and her reward is a sweaty kiss. What a great wife. Jim asked me afterwards if I got a charge from kissing Mer, and I told him that I run marathons so I can kiss pretty girls in the crowd.

We were running very strongly, and I felt really good. We were putting in 7:20 miles, and even a few 7:10s or better.

CVCA, where I work, has an unusual number of distance runners working there. At Akron this year, I, Jim, and Dale were running the half. Julie was running on the relay team. CVCA alum Steven was running the full marathon. Two other CVCA alums who are brothers were on a relay team. Somewhere around mile eight, Jim mentioned he had seen a former CVCA employee, Lindsey, running. At that point I asked Jim, “What is it about CVCA that attracts running nuts?”  I then heard over my shoulder, “Hello, sir!” I turned to see one of the Founding Fools, Michelle, running next to me. She had mentioned awhile back that she was training to be part of a relay team, but I had not heard if she was still going to be able to run. Seeing her like that, in the middle of a race, was a huge kick. I shortly asked Jim, “What is it about CVCA that attracts running nuts and Fools?”

Around mile eight or so was Firestone Park. It was just a little after 8:00, so the sun was streaming through the trees at a low angle, and it was gorgeous. It was such a pretty day – in the low 50s and a blue sky and no wind. It was great.

I was beginning to wonder when I’d see Akron again – it seemed like it had been a fair time since we had left downtown. As soon as I thought that, I looked up and saw we were entering the University of Akron’s campus. That was a fun boost – it was neat to run on the paths on campus. It was around here (mile nine or so) that I started to pull away from Jim and Gary. I did not mean to leave them, but I was feeling really strong. It was not some burst-of-speed breakaway; it was rather a slow pull-away. When I saw Mer again after the University, I kissed her and kept running. She later told me Jim was right behind me.

Mer also told me that after I kissed her, a reporter from the Akron Beacon Journal told her he had seen the kiss and thought it was cute, and so he interviewed her. He found out it is our tradition, and asked her about where she worked and lived and so forth. I may have to buy a paper tomorrow and see if she is in it. As a funny aside, the reporter was surprised to find out that Mer worked at CVCA; he said he had interviewed a man before the race who had been sleeping under a CVCA blanket (the alum, Steve).

I then ran past Inventure Place again (I had not expected that!), and kept going toward the “Y”-bridge. Instead of crossing the bridge this time, the race turned left. As I started down the hill, I heard Jim yelling, “Matt! Go left!” – we were at the point where the marathoners went to the right to keep running, and where the half-marathoners turned left on to the Martin Luther King, Jr., highway, otherwise known as the Innerbelt. It was a little weird running on a three-lane highway. There were far fewer runners now that the marathoners were gone, and the crowds were gone as well (not surprising – it is not easy to get out onto the Innerbelt as a spectator). There were two solid hills on the Innerbelt – the second one was particularly hard on tired legs. But, it was followed by a nice downhill back into the downtown area. I thought we were going to have to run up a good hill in Akron, but the course turned (yay!).

The race finished in my favorite ballpark – Canal Park, home of the Akron Aeros. We actually got to run on the warning track – we came in in center field, and finished about half-way between home and first. I felt really good, and I was able to put in a near-sprint at the end.

So, I finished, and I did really well. I finished in 1:35:41 (a 7:19/mile pace). I came in 54th out of 1132 finishers (top 5%), 47th out of 593 men (top 8%), and 10th out of 103 in my division (top 10%). I was super happy with the finish.

Jim came in shortly after I did, at 1:37:15, so we both made our goal of breaking 1:40.

The website results had some ranking system that factored in age. According to that system, I was ranked “Local Class.” I feel pretty good about that. Jim, who is 54, ranked “Regional Class.”

I did some thinking along the lonely stretch of the Innerbelt. 1 Cor 13:4-5 defines love by saying, “love is patient, love is kind…it is not self-seeking.” I was thinking about that passage in light of Meredith. Here she was, getting up at 5:00 a.m on the only morning of the week where she can sleep in, standing out in the cold for over two hours, all so she could cheer me on. That is love. She is a gem, and I love her.

Awwwwwwww……..

Last Sunday was a nice day, and for once Mer decided she could take some time away from grading. So, after 6 years of being at CVCA, and 2 months of being in the new home, we made the 3-mile drive to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Virginia Kendall Ledges Hiking Trail, or, around here, “The Ledges” for short. I had heard many good things about the Ledges, and I had even been to a senior’s graduation party at the pavilion at the Ledges, but I had never been on the trails.

The Ledges is a small park – the biggest trail is only about 2 miles long, but it does wind up and down and around lots of exposed rock. I don’t know why I like exposed rock, but I do. I don’t know why I like climbing around on or near rock, but I do (not actual rock climbing that would require some skill, mind you).

We (read “Matt”) decided to take a trail that would take us to the “Ice Box Cave,” only about 1/2 mile away from the parking lot. So, we struck out on a trail through the very pretty woods, and wandered into an area of rocks. We came to a junction in said trail, and, not seeing a sign for the cave, we turned right and kept wandering. While we did come to a fairly cool bridge, we never did find the cave. I assume that it was on the left-turn part of the trail, and we’ll have to catch it next time.

The park was like very many things in Ohio – pleasant. The exposed rock was not as high as some places I have seen (Vermont), and the bridge was not over such a spectacular stream as I have seen (Vermont), but it was a very nice way to spend 45 minutes on a Sunday evening. It should be very pretty in another few weeks once the leaves start to turn.

This week is Spirit Week at CVCA. As part of the festivities, students and faculty are encouraged to dress up for theme days. Monday was Caribbean Cruise day, where the seniors mostly got dressed up as pirates, presumably stressing the Caribbean part (Miss Claypool would be proud). I passed on that day.

Tuesday was Slumber Party Day, which the seniors again coordinated by dressing up as numbered sheep. My favorite was sheep 0 – he had a huge and complicated derivative (of the calculus kind) that equaled out to zero. Nicely done. I passed on this day as well, but Mer took advantage of the chance to be comfortable.

Today was Movie Day – you could dress up as a character from a film. I decided to do this one; I had been getting grief from students about not dressing up. I had to come up with a costume that required no spending of money, so I managed to cobble together a convincing Neo from the Matrix films (minus the huge boots, which I do not have). I did find out after school that I was not supposed to dress as anyone from a rated R film. Ooops. That’s what I get for not reading the memos more closely.

As part of Spirit Week, the senior girls take on the junior girls in the “Powder Puff” football game. Mer and I swung by for a few minutes tonight, and there is nothing powder puff about it! It was full 11-on-11 tackle football, without pads. Some of the hits out there were pretty hard! It was impressive, and fun.

The rest of the week is not too hard – tomorrow is Color Day, where each class wears a color (faculty can wear any class color, or wear the faculty color of red). I can handle that one. Friday is Spirit Day, where you wear a CVCA-colors shirt (blue and white). I will probably wear my Fools shirt – not blue, but at least it is an official CVCA shirt.

Spirit Week can be a bit nutty, but it seems fun. I am always impressed with costumes – there was a VERY convincing Westley/Dread Pirate Roberts wandering the halls today….

Yesterday was a nice day. In addition to the run that I had in the morning, the rest of the day went very well. Mer got home (from getting groceries) soon after I got back from my run. She suggested we go back to the Vue restaurant in Hudson for lunch. I was very happy to accept. Mer still wanted to shower, so I had a cuppa (of hot chocolate) and mellowed on the couch, occasionally with feline company.

Once Mer was ready, we drove the 15-minute drive to Hudson (have I mentioned how nice it is to live near CVCA now?). It was a very pretty day, but cool, so we ate inside at Vue. The restaurant is a strange fusion of different art forms inside. I’m not an artist, so I cannot say what was what style, but the restaurant interior was interesting without being too distracting. What was a little odd was the hostess seated us right next to the server prep station which is adjacent to the kitchen. This was not a huge deal, but it did add some noise to our area of an otherwise very uncrowded restaurant (we were seated around 1:00, so any lunch rush was over).

Mer and I both had a cheesesteak sandwich with shoestring fries. Both were quite good (although I think the cheesesteaks from vendors in Philly were just as good at half the price). The shoestring fries did have the unfortunate effect of being belched up for most of the rest of the day, so I’ll probably stay away from those in the future.

Since this was all on a gift card that Mer had received from the senior class (class of ’07), we splurged for desserts. We are huge dessert fans, and there is rarely a question that we will get them, but the Vue’s desserts were pricey – our two desserts came to $21; and, while the desserts were very good, they were fairly small. Again, I’d probably not bother getting desserts again at the Vue because of the cost; I can walk one block and get ice cream at Cold Stone, or I can walk three blocks and get to Main Street Cupcakes.

After our leisurely lunch (we finished up about 3:00), we went home and napped until about 5:00. We then went back to the store in Akron where we went last weekend to see photographs. The store was having trouble keeping some of the photos on the wall (probably from the blaring music next door?), so we got a call that we could come and pick up our two photos. It was still very pretty out, so it was a nice drive (even just to Akron!).

We then drove by Ombudsman’s house. Ombudsman was cleaning out his garage and had some furniture that we could have if we wanted it. We did like an entertainment center, so that will be coming to a living room near us soon. The entertainment center was nice, but the real entertainment was Ombudsman’s kids. They are a hoot – the little boy had to show us his room, and the little girl was helping to make muffins. When we went out to look in the garage, it was a family affair – Ombudsman and his son came out with us, but then we were joined by his daughter, and then by his wife and infant son. We had a very amusing 30 minutes of talking and watching the kids scramble around the yard. They are good folk.

We wrapped up the day by coming home and eating homemade calzone while watching Battlestar Galactica, in season 2.5. After dinner and the show, we queued up “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” on the computer and had a good time laughing for an hour. We then went to bed after deciding to go to the late service at church, so knowing we would get about eleven hours of sleep. A very nice way to spend a Saturday indeed.

It is wonderful, glorious fall again in NE Ohio, and so a young-ish man’s thoughts turn to running. I like to train for longer runs in the fall, when the temperatures are cooler, the air is crisp, the leaves start to turn, and generally it is wonderful to be alive and outside. This year, I have decided to train for the newly-instituted half-marathon of the Akron Marathon. I’ll be running it with my boss, Jim, who is an avid runner who has run Boston.

Or so I thought. I’ve been having LOTS of trouble getting miles in. In order to run a half-marathon, I need to be able to run for two hours relatively comfortably. This fall, I came into the running season being able to run about 40 minutes with no great difficulty. For two months, I have been trying to build on that base, and I have had problems; after about an hour (if I am lucky), I have run out of gas. Some days it has been hard to get to 40 minutes. I have been blaming the heat (we have had very few days below 75 degrees – I prefer temperatures in the 60s or lower when running); my body does not like the heat, and it was not performing well. Still, the bottom line was that I was having trouble with long runs – I had only one run longer than an hour under my belt (1:20), and the race was only two weeks away.

So, today became the big test. Jim agreed to run with me on the Towpath Trail. This was good – I had company, and a very flat trail to run on. I had someone to help me check and keep a good pace. Also, today was ***perfect*** for running – it was in the upper 40s when we started, and only got up to the lower 50s. If I could not do the proposed two-hour run today, I was going to give up on the Akron half-marathon.

Well, the factors all equaled a great run. Jim and I got in 15.8 miles in 2:04 (7.7 mph or a 7:51 pace). We passed the 13.1 mile (a half-marathon distance) in 1:43 ( 7.6 mph or a 7:52 pace); we actually finished the last 2+ miles slightly faster than we had gone out (partly thanks to a finish-friendly wind). So, the good news is that the half-marathon is back on. I am confident that I am in shape enough to finish the race, and with a shot at my goal of breaking 1:40.

This did raise an interesting question (for me, anyway) of why my solo training runs were so bad. The heat was certainly a factor, but I also wonder if I was running too fast for distance training. When I train, I run property laps at CVCA – it takes about 20 minutes per lap, but I have no idea how far that distance is. I need to be running about 7.9 mph to break the 1:40 mark. All last winter and spring I trained for speed for 5k races. I was training and running up around 9+ mph. I’ve started to wonder lately if my body is splitting the difference – if maybe I think I’m going “slowly” to train for distance, but I’m really going 8.3 or 8.4 mph – way too fast for 13 miles, especially if it is combined with heat.

I think the speed may be part of it, because I felt great today. Partly that was having someone to run with, and partly it was the cool day, but I think it was also having someone to help check speed. Jim has a gadget for his shoe that “talks” to his watch and gives speed and distance. Using that, we were able to keep to a good pace. So, with a good run today, I got game….

Yesterday, Mer and headed to my old (12 years ago) stomping grounds in Akron to a clothing resale shop. What would get us out to a resale shop at 8:00 on a Saturday evening? Two of Mer’s former students were displaying their photographs in the store, and it was opening night. The photographers had about sixty photos displayed aroud the small store. The subjects were of industrial areas (factories, machines, etc.) and nature shots. Several photos caught my eye – a sunset through a seeded dandelion was great. My favorite (which I ended up buying – we bought art!) was a small two-lane road cutting through fields with a misty fog about. It reminded me of Maine. Meredith bought a dramatic shot of headlights slicing through a couple of trees, a very nice shot. We can’t pick up the prints until the show is over in about a month, but it was nice to support young artists.

One odd part of the evening was that the resale shop was next door to a club that was having a hardcore music concert. The heavy drums, banging guitar chords, and screaming made for an interesting backdrop while trying to talk with the photographers. They laughed it off, which was the right response. I wish them well, and I hope they sell all of their photos.

The art continued today. This afternoon, we went to see one of my former Fools in U. Akron’s production of Sweeney Todd. I knew almost nothing about this play – only that it was a musical about a mass murderer. I had  the additional delight of bumping into a Former Fool and a Fool supporter in the audience, and two of Mer’s students were there as well. We had our own little CVCA row going on in the theater.

The production was very fine. The music was supplied by two pianists, either playing two pianos, or playing a piano and a keyboard. It always amazes me that young people can play like that; they were excellent. My former Fool did a great job in the play – she was in the chorus, and I was amazed at her power and range. I had no idea she could sing like that.

The actor playing Sweeney Todd was good and creepy. He had a large stage presence, and his voice was fantastic. I thought he was a baritone (I think everyone is a baritone, since I am one), but his bio said he was a bass. Either way, he had a fine vocal quality and a large range.

The production was well done – the scenery was fairly elaborate – there was a house/shop that rotated, several gates and fences, and a large stove that puffed “smoke.”

It is hard to label the play. One of the artistic directors is a CVCA parent and the mom of a Founding Fool, and she asked what we thought. I wanted to say I liked the play, but it is hard to say that when you have seen dozens of people murdered on stage. With that caveat, I did like the musical – the music was fine, the singers were great, the staging was very good, and the production as a whole, while very dark, was entertaining. Well done, U. Akron!

What a great weekend thus far. Meredith’s parents came back to Ohio on Thursday and brought us whoopie pies (yum!), and we ate at a local Mexican restaurant, Mariachis, which was very good (I had a chicken and a beef burrito).

Friday was CVCA’s staff picnic. It was a perfect day, and I ate way too much dessert (I was slightly queasy afterwards). We stuck around for the football game; high school football is an enjoyable time. You get to watch football, listen to the band, and chat with people you know. Our team went up very quickly (it was 42-0 at halftime), so even early in the second quarter lots of our players had a chance to play. I did feel badly for the other team; I don’t like to see things so one-sided. The other team had real trouble holding on to the ball – they fumbled every single kick-off (they did not lose any, but it still pinned them deep every time), and they had several turnovers in the first half. We stuck around through the half time show (go, band and flag corps!) to see students we know perform. Since our team was way out in front, the four of us went home. Mer and I were sleeping in our back bedroom, so we could still hear the game faintly. As far as I can tell, the other team did finally score, and it sounds like the fans went crazy. Since there were only about 20 fans on the other side, that would mean our fans went nuts for the team. I hope so – it would have been a good gesture.

Saturday was another beautiful day. I had a good one-hour run (7-8 miles), then mowed the lawn, and then fixed two screens on our sun-room porch. Now, the kitties can look out at nature all day, and they seem to like it. We like the cross breeze. We still have no furniture out there, so it will be awhile before we spend any real time on the porch. I took a much-needed shower, and then the four of us went to the Vue restaurant in Hudson. It is a French/American restaurant (I was able to have a burger and some of the best fries I have ever had), but the real attraction was sitting out on the restaurant patio on a gorgeous day. Mer and I were even able to treat since Mer had received a gift certificate to the Vue from last year’s senior class. The tents in the background are the setup for the Taste of Hudson (you may have heard of the smaller cousin, the Taste of Chicago). We then walked a few blocks to Main Street Cupcakes, where Mer and I had cupcakes with cookie dough baked into them (mmmmmmmmmmm). We then went home, and I had a nap. We later took a walk in the evening. What a nice day!

Today has been very mellow; we went to the Hudson Community Chapel, where we heard a sermon about taking rest in Jesus, and taking that rest seriously (being one of the Ten Commandments and all). The idea is that our identity and value comes from Jesus, and so we can rest in him; if our value comes from work (or anything else), the relentless pace of work would not allow us any rest. taking this to heart, I went home and slept for four hours (I was pretty tired). It is another perfect day out, so I hope to go for a walk again later today. Tomorrow we are heading over to Aunt Mary’s house for burgers. This is a pretty great weekend!