(G): For Ohioans, it’s common knowledge that if you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes. This weekend it was more like wait less than .7 miles. (You read that right, we were running in a .7-mile circle all day) But while the weather did change frequently there was one constant: It was cold.
Some of the variations:
Cold with wind
Cold with snow
Cold with snow and sun
Cold with wind gusts, sun and snow
Cold with wind gusts, sun and snow-like pellets

And then the sun set and it got colder. The wind did settle around 8 or 9 p.m. but a clear sky brings nothing but the moon and falling mercury.

That said, we did have a good day at 1 Day for the KIA hosted on the Oval at The Ohio State University. Yet again the ROTC gang did an amazing job putting on a 24-hour race and creating a living legacy endowment that will be maintained as long as the university is around. And, friends, I think the institution is a pretty sure bet.

Swags and I managed to rack up 50.5 miles before we decided we’d had enough of the weather. There’s something about being a mere 20 minutes from home that causes your resolve to wane around midnight. If we had been farther away we may have hung in there longer but we had developed some foot ailments after all that concrete and John had some of the most epic blisters ever seen.

For the first event of the year, less than ideal weather, and even less than ideal training we were pleased with the outcome. Although much of our family was more impressed with us than we were. It’s like I told Lowi, when you’re surrounded by the ultra fit you feel like a cow in the pasture just chewing on grass.

I am sure I have lots to work on as the season progresses but right now I am resting on my sore hamstrings and propping up my battered feet until about Thursday. Then it’s time to get going. I have another adventure on April 30th.

(L)  Normally after a race I let G just take the limelight. Today, I felt like I needed to impart some of the crazy that happens between us.

I called G 24 hours or so after her race to see how she was doing. This is usually enough time to allow for her ultra fog to lift and for a little clarity to return.  Cleary, this was not enough time. After her rundown of the weather, which really was brutal and would have been a deterrent for most of us, she moved on to future races.

What?  Don’t you want to just revel in your 50.5 miles for a little longer before you start in on me?

Apparently not because I just barely mentioned the month of May and she told me emphatically that I could not come to New Jersey unless I signed up for one of the races. I started getting nervous and tried to remember what the website said.  I told her I was planning to just “race” with her and Swaggy J and not officially register.  Again, she informed me how nice of a thought that was but that I had to register for the marathon, 50K…something.  I began making a mental note to check the website as soon as I returned home because she sounded serious and then I remembered…this was CRAZY TALK!

So I gently said, “Ummm, are you telling me that I can’t come run with you unless I register for a race because it is an actual rule or is this a Swaggy J and G rule?”

“Well, it’s not an actual rule, but don’t you want to eat and get some cool race gear?  It would be a shame to fly clear across the country to just hang with us for 3 days and get nothing out of it.”

Hmmm, so basically I am being blackmailed to run a race for food and a T-shirt!  Like I said, CRAZY!  So, yeah I am once again thinking about registering for a race because of peer pressure from G…and food and a T-shirt.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G