The Zen of Ultra Running

After the hectic first week in the new house/town, I finally had time for the first Saturday long run in Cleveland/Akron area. My house is only 20 minutes from Sand Run Metro Park, which is a big park in Summit county that has multiple trails including Dogwood trail that I ran on Wednesday. One of the long trails at Sand Run is called Parkway Jogging Trail. It's a 6-mile, out-and-back paved trail that has more than 1,000 users a day. I really like the trails here as there are signs everywhere and the trails are clearly marked (good for runners that are easy to get lost like me). However, I still rely on Google map on my phone when I run. There are multiple restroom stops on the trail. These made me think of my EC running ladies. Creek and small water fall on the trail.  It was the first long run in 2 weeks for me so I took multiple walk breaks (plus, it was super hot). The scenery was beautiful and the trail took me along the metro park. From now on, I'm goi...

We have moved!! Because of a job opportunity, we moved from Eau Claire, WI to Richfield, OH (a town between Cleveland and Akron) last week. The moving process together took us about 2 weeks from packing to unpacking and settling in the new house. We had also been busy with decorating the house and some small house projects. Finally, had some time to sit down and explore the running and yoga community in Ohio. Yesterday (Wednesday June 22) was the first day that I went out for a run. It's hard to run around my neighborhood because we live very close to the interstate and big roads. I heard that many people run at Sand Run metro park, which is about 20 minutes from my house. I googled and found a 'jogging trail' (about 6 miles) so I decided to give it a try.  Of course, Google map address did not work in running. I put in an address and the GPS led me to someone's house. Took me 45 minutes of driving around the park to find a parking area and trailhead. On the m...

* I started writing this article right after the race ended and then got busy with moving. Just had time to finish the article 2 weeks later* The Twin Paradox Run was the third race in the CVTR Dirt Series. Because the race director was a scientist, the race theme was also about science. I was afraid that we would be asked to do some kind of calculation to get an extra point. Luckily, we did not have to. The race was a relay run. Runners were divided into two groups - fast or slow. You would be paired up with another person who was either faster or slower than you depending on which group you were in. The slower group received a ping-pong ball (called "the particle"). The race was a loop. The fast group and slow group started at the same point but had to run in different directions (clockwise or counter clockwise). Eventually. both runners would meet at some point in the loop and the slow runner had to hand the "particle" to the fast runner from their team. Afte...

Last race before we leave Eau Claire! This year I was c-r-a-z-y and signed up for 5 races (and many fun runs) in 2 months. They were around the end of the semester. Eau Claire triathlon was the last race I had in the book before we leave Eau Claire. I did the first triathlon last year at My First Tri in White bear lake, MN. That race was geared toward beginners (friendly flat course). Eau Claire Triathlon felt like a 'real' triathlon to me. As for training, I had MINIMAL training in swim and bike because I did not have time. The triathlon was only 2 weeks after the superior trail run and my legs were still recovering from that race. I did practice open water swimming in Lake Wissota (my swim was horrible) and there was another organized group swim/ride 3 days before the race. To refresh my memory, I attended the beginner seminar on Saturday night where they talked about how to set up the transition area, rules, etc. It was really helpful and calmed me down. I knew I could...