June

So I totally stopped blogging BUT I definitely haven't stopped running. In fact after a few days off running the Cleveland marathon I started a running streak (Oops!) and ran everyday in June. I am not going to try to continue this streak as I really don't like running daily (even if I hate rest days) and plan on trying to ride my bike more. So in the month of June I ran 164.38 miles and 32 cycling miles.
Yearly running miles: 792.80!

I kind of joined the Green YMCA running club and meet them at the metro park by my house for hill training. We've been meeting on Mondays at 6 pm and run a big loop around the park including the huge a$$ sledding hill. You can either run up and down once or if you feel like it turn around run up and down again....I have yet made it completely up and down twice (so far 1.5 times) and back to the start for a 2 mile warm up. Then we go to the smaller hill and do some exercises at the bottom of the hill and run up and either do more exercises or run back down for one rounds. We end up doing about 10 rounds of various exercises including: squats, lunges, sit ups, push ups, planks, mountain climbers, high knees, butt kicks, running up the hill backwards, burpees, leg swings, etc. And then we take a lap around turtle pond for a mile cool down. We run between 4 and 5 miles each week. I seriously about died the first week due to the heat, but the last two weeks the weather has been much nicer and I feel good, spent but spent in a good way. I even got my buddy Shelley to join me this past week!

I also run two races this month. Shelley and I ran our 3rd annual Shawshank Hustle. It's a 4.6 mile race but there is a dumb hill in the middle of the race and a major incline to the finish of the race (I call this the death march). For some reason this race is always about a million degrees and full sun! There is no shade and I seriously question why we do it to ourselves each year! And Shelley has informed me that she already signed up for next year since we have to make it to year 5. And I feel like if we don't sign up one year it's going to be cloudy and 60 degrees just to piss me off more! HAHA! Plus in 2019 it's the 25th anniversary of "The Shawshank Redemption" and  there is talk that Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman might come! So I guess the tradition will continue for a few more years, next year we may just walk the whole dumb course though.

Before the race with the reformatory behind us

At least the medals are cool :)

Along with the normal race swag of a t-shirt and medal the runners get a "free" ticket to tour the prison. Each year I have hopes in taking the tour but each year Shelley and I are too hot and hungry to stay and go, but this year we decided why not. It really made the whole race worth it. It was everything that I hoped it would be and probably a little more. Here are a few (okay a lot of pictures of the prison)

I found Andy!

And Red!

Shelley and I with Andy 

Heywood! (William Sadler)

My buddy Brooks! (I didn't find Jake though)

Warden Henricksen?

The safe in the warden's office

Tight quarters! And I am not claustrophobic  

I think this was one of the solitary confinement cells. You had to stand there for 8 hours a day in the dark in 90 degrees...yikes!

6 rows of cells! And two prisoners in each...lots and lots of prisoners!

I didn't do it!

The tunnel that Andy escaped out of

A week later I ended up running the first race of the Akron marathon series, the Interstate 8k, for Shelley. She had gotten a free entry from work but was unable to run due to her daughters softball tournament. I was happy that the summer temperatures had broken and it was a nice 65 degree morning! I surprised myself by running all sub 9 minute miles and finished strong. On the results page there was a column that showed how many people you passed or how many people passed you in last last quarter mile. I passed 6 people and didn't get passed by anyone.

Megan, Wendy and I before the Interstate 8k