I2P UPDATES, NERC UPDATES, BEGINNING BACKPACKING & MORE!

I2P UPDATES

I received my I2P gear recently and it's the best stuff! compression shorts, jacket, long sleeve/short sleeve running shirts and tank...it was well worth the wait! The stuff couldn't be more comfortable - thanks I2P!










Did you see?
My amazing friend and coach Ray Zahab was on CTV recently speaking about I2P. Check the short video clip out here:


This was really well done and gets to the heart of what I2P is all about...a must watch!
Ray was also featured in Outside magazine - check it out here:
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/athletes/Ultra-Ambassador.html


And one more video - a preview on the upcoming Expedition India!  This month 4 incredible youth ambassadors will be running  approximately 300 kilometers in the world's seventh largest desert!  Once again one of the ambassadors is from right here in Northeast Ohio - Jessica Kenny.  Congrats to Jessica and all the youth ambassadors, and GOOD LUCK!

India Youth Expedition 2011 Promo from GOi2P on Vimeo.



Northeast Running Club Updates

The Saturday group runs are still on and with my son's Cross Country over I can finally go back! Except this weekend (lol). This weekend the family and I will be helping set things up for the Autumn Leaves 5 mile race held at the Lake Metroparks Farmpark. This race is an incredible event, and so much fun! Run past cows, through corn mazes, and slide in the mud - make sure to come out, you'll have an incredible time! The race is on Sunday and starts at 9:00 a.m. It looks like the weather will be nice for once (boooo) so come get your fill of corn, hay, and fun!

NERC in the news!!!
Check out this article on Autumn Leaves and our awesome non-profit running club, it really explains what the Northeast Running Club is all about - and what the club's mission is:

http://www.cleveland.com/willoughby-hills/index.ssf/2011/11/northeast_running_club_hosts_a.html

BEGINNING BACKPACKING!

With training miles currently reduced I still need to get my vitamin D! One of my goals (forever it seems) was to get backpacking gear and start backpacking together. Well, we went to REI Pittsburgh, and with the suggestions of my I2P friend Agnes Jung and the recommendations of "B Man" at REI I think we're all set! We got some great stuff and are ready to roll.

I took my son out for a test hike this weekend. We loaded up the packs with EVERYTHING we would take when we are out backpacking:











I wanted to see how he'd hold up first close to home - and this also gives me an idea of how many miles we could put into a day. We hiked a small part of the Buckeye Trail (it turned out to be a ton of road - yeah we got funny looks). Despite the roads we still had a fun time. At first my son had a hard time putting away the phone - but eventually it happened and we had some good conversation. Hints my son was thinking like an ultra runner came out. He schooled me on different toenail removal techniques, info on Badwater, grabbed a stick to carry for the whole hike like ultra-runner dude Ron Ross, and also asked "Hey mom, I wonder....has anyone ever run the whole Buckeye Trail?" Hmmmmmm......

We also got great amusement out of these two signs:

One side of the street with this sign: (Enter Cuyahoga, Leave Lake)











The other side of the street with this sign: (Enter Lake, Leave Geauga)










I imagine it's as simple as this: One side of the road is in one county, the other side in the other county - but it was still hilarious seeing it!

We managed 9.75 miles in 3 hours and 40 minutes. I really have no clue if that's fast, slow, average but I'm glad it went well. I tried to squeeze out an extra .25 miles to make it an even 10 but my son figured me out :) Throughout the whole hike I was testing his sense of direction, having him read the Buckeye trail markings and having him tell me where to go. When we got close to the parking lot I decided to blow right past the trail head in an attempt to sneak in that extra .25 and also to see if he was paying attention both at the beginning of the hike and at the end. He did great at awareness and called me on it right away! Boooo! It still bugs me we didn't get the extra .25! Sheesh.


THE END OF A SEASON

Cross country is over for my mini, and he had a blast running with the team this year. The coaches were great, and the kids were amazing.

Examples of kid greatness:
Early on I was faced with a hard decision to make (a nightmare!) My son called me at work to ask me if a senior, Nick, could drive him to the weekly pasta dinner. My heart fell into my stomach. "Let it begin" I thought. The first time a KID would be driving MY kid. Point blank I was scared as hell. But, this is how it is - he's growing up, so I let him go. Everything worked out fine of course, and the senior that drove him is a pretty amazing person. All the seniors were great role models to the younger kids in fact, and it was so great to see. At one time I wasn't sure if he had a ride to the pasta dinner or not, and I hung out at XC practice to see if my services were needed. He wound up not needing a ride, because once again Nick was taking him-and I watched this amazing kid fill up his vehicle with freshman. So amazing! I never saw that in my school growing up. Seniors wanted nothing to do with lowly freshman. Maybe because I never played sports - so maybe I was lacking in experiencing that kind of camaraderie, but this all was really fascinating and new to me.

The strong character of the kids came through more than once this season. As it so happened I run with the Riverside teacher's running group when I can, and there were a few times we ended up in the same park as the XC runners. One instance when I was running I came up behind some kids who were running and having a discussion on the rights/wrongs of swearing. I slowed down to listen to the conversation again just completely fascinated at their discussion and their feelings on the topic. I ran smiling, hearing how "There was no place for it, etc"  Again...AMAZING! These are teenagers???

Excellent work on a great season runners! We're proud of you!


LAKE METROPARKS/FARMPARK VOLUNTEERING

Another Halloween season at the Lake Metroparks has come and gone, and my son has once again volunteered at the Haunted Hayrides. This is by far his favorite volunteer job with the parks. Other volunteering he does with the system: Day camp counselor aide, Wildlife Center Assistant, and he has volunteered at Christmas Lights. He loves all that he's done but definitely has a blast with the Hayrides. When else can you be an astronaut? I mean come on!











I hope everyone had a great Halloween - now get out and run off all that candy!

Happy Running,
Laurie