Sunday, Aug. 8, was a big day in the Cleveland and Mentor. Two triathlons, two causes, two  different approaches.

It’s not secret that I have participated in the Greater Cleveland Triathlon for four years. I have successfully finished the half-ironman distance twice, last year  I did a relay  and Sunday  I participated in the International Duathlon.

We all have a reason we choose a certain event. For me, it was the swim. I am afraid to swim in the water downtown. Not that Headlands is much better, but it is farther from the industry …

No matter what the deciding factors are, one thing stood out very clear this year. Two of the largets triathlons in the area were on the same day. Many athletes asked me why? I heard it at the expo Saturday, and at the race on Sunday.

I decided to reach out and ask a few questions. First I posted questions on Facebook, to local athletes. I wanted to see what info I could find  regarding each event and hear more about their feelings on Jack Caress’s comment the Plain Dealer reporter Jodi Valade shared in her article, Scheduling quirk gives Cleveland area double dose of triathlon action. I also turned  to both RDs. I wanted to hear, first  hand, what their thoughts were. While I wasn’t pleased with Caress’s comment, I figured there must be more to it. After all he’s been running the Cleveland Triathlon for 24 years, and each year has seen an increase  in participation, so why the negativity.

That will reamin a mystery, as Mr. Caress was not happy with my prying. He basically asked that I find something more relevant to the community to discuss.

I thought this was important to local athletes, many have expressed an interest in participating in both. Perhaps I am wrong. I wasn’t trying to cause a debate that shed anymore negative light on Caress, that was done very well in Valade’s article.

Mickey Ryzmic, RD for the Greater Cleveland Tri/Du, on the other hand, took a different approach.

He pointed out the planning an event, such as a triathlon takes year-round planning, and how he works with local retail stores to support the triathlon community – Bike Authority, Fleet Feet Sports and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health.

“While many people will look at the Greater Cleveland Tri and Duathlon as a stand alone event, it is really a year around effort to support the multisport athletes and their families.

We start in February with a free USAT Rules Clinic sponsored by the Cleveland Tri Club and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. This is then follow by three free on course training sessions and clinics in May, June and July. These clinics and training sessions are also hosted by the Cleveland Tri CLub with bike support by Bike Authority and run support by Fleet Feet Sports – Northfield

We attempt to keep the sprint and International bike and run courses marked year around so that people may experience the area become familiar with the courses.”

In the end, Ryzmic’s advice is for the RDs  to post their events early and often so athletes can  can plan accordingly. If you are interested in participating in the Greater Cleveland Triathlon, the dates are as follows:

USAT Rules Clinic – Feb. 19 – Cleveland Ohio

Training Session # 1  and Newbie Clinic – May 21 – Mentor, Ohio

Training Session # 2 and Transition Clinic – June 18 – Mentor, Ohio

Training Session # 3 and Youth Clinic – July 23 – Mentor, Ohio

Greater Cleveland Youth Triathlon – Aug. 6 – Mentor, Ohio

Greater Cleveland Triathlon & Duathlon – Aug. 7, Mentor, Ohio

Registration for the August 6 & 7 events is now open for 2011.

For more information about the Greater Cleveland Triathlon

For more information about the 25th annual Cleveland Triathlon

World’s toughest road race?

Google picture of Mt. Lemmon

I took one look at the pictures of the inaugural Mount Lemmon Marathon and Half-Marathon, Tucson, Ariz., and instantly agreed –  it definitely looks like it will be the “world’s toughest road race.”

The ascent, for the marathon, begins at 3,100 feet and climbs 6,047 feet to the top of the mountain at 9,147 feet. Wicked!

The scenic view is beautiful. Click on the link above to see more pictures and learn more about the Oct 17 event.

Are you daring enough to give this hilly course a try?

Trail Safety Campaign

The other day, early evening, I was riding, with a friend, on the bike-n-hike in Stow.  As I passed several other health enthusiasts, running, walking and cycling too, I was annoyed with their lack of trail “courtesy” knowledge.

When we indicated we would be passing on the left, the two cyclists ahead of us continued to ride two-abreast. As we continued, we saw two cyclists heading our way, we began riding single file. Not the others rides, they almost ran us off the trail. Some runners wear their head phones, I am OK with that, but not when they run in the middle of the trail – and can’t hear your signal.

What gives? Are they oblivious to others on the trails? Do they just not care?

What is it going to take to get people to understand trail courtesy? Perhaps more of us, those who are more knowledgeable runners and riders should volunteer to be rangers. Just a thought, after all, we use the trails quite a bit, and this would be a great way to show how much we appreciate the use of the parks.

One thing that may help this situation is the new Trail Safety Awareness Campaign, launched by the Cleveland Metroparks Rangers.

Cleveland Metroparks Rangers Launch All Purpose Trail Safety Awareness Campaign

“Passing on your left” is only one example of a safety rule to use while on the all purpose trails in Cleveland Metroparks.

Shared use of the all purpose trails prompted Cleveland Metroparks to partner with Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CNVP) to inform and educate users on the Towpath Trails during the “Safe is Sound” summer campaign.

The “Safe is Sound” campaign highlights public attention for the need for cyclists to give an audible signal when passing.  Now, through Saturday, September 4, park visitors will see safety stops along the Towpath Trail in Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, helping visitors to be safe with personal coaching tips.

Gregory M. Loftus, Ranger Chief, explains, “Cleveland Metroparks Rangers and volunteers look forward to this opportunity to inform and educate park visitors on trail safety.”

The following messages are being encouraged for users of all ages while hiking, walking or cycling on the Towpath Trail and any all purpose trail in the Park District: Wear a Helmet, Be Bright, Stay on the Right, Take Breaks to the Side of the Trail, Slow Down, Single File, and Do Not Block the Trail.  For a list of the stops scheduled in Cleveland Metroparks visit www.clevelandmetroparks.com, then click on ‘about us,’ ‘rangers,’ and ‘latest news.’

Enjoy the trails safely and soundly in ClevelandMetroparks – part of your life, naturally!

DARN Tough socks

A few weeks back I was offered a free pair of Darn Tough socks.
Naturally, I accepted, after all they are free.  Plus, I love new socks.
Crisp, clean socks make my feet happy.

When I received the ultra-light, noncushion socks, I was a bit
skeptical. I am not a fan of thin socks. And making the transition
from winter running to spring running and riding doesn’t help.
Although skeptical, I kept an open mind.

I put the DARN Tough socks to the test, I initiated them with my
first official brick of the season. A brick is two sports done
back-to-back. In my case: 20-mile ride followed by a 2-mile run.

The verdict: I like ‘em.
Why: I like snug socks. My feet didn’t slip in my shoes.
And the pair I received had Merino Wool – huge was a plus.

After I tested the socks, I did a search: best running socks.
Wouldn’t you know it, Runner’s World had an archived sock
review from Feb. 2, 2008. The first pair of socks on the
list: DARN Tough socks. Need I say more?

No need for me to give you the entire low down on
the DARN Tough socks when all you have to do is
click here for more information.

A better future for bicycling

I made a pledge today. I pledged my name
in “support of a better future for bicycling
—one that is safe and fun for everyone.”
By doing so, I am making a statement and
joining18,894-plus others that believe
“we can make thisworld a better place to
ride.”My name pledge was donated
to www.peopleforbikes.org.

For the past month or so, I have been
lightly following the transportation bill.
My interest grew once I learned Lois Moss
and a few other local Cleveland constituents
went to Washington D.C. to listen, learn and
persuade Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio,
to consider allocating a small

portion of the transportation funds to building our communities
to be better places for walking, running and cycling.

Have the efforts of Moss and other Cleveland constituents paid off?

According to Moss, it has. “At first LaTourette thought we were asking for half
of the funding,”Moss says. “But now that he has a better understanding that the
cycling community is asking for a small portion of the funds, only a tiny percent,
it looks as though he is more open to understanding that bicycles are considered
transportation.”

Moss says its important to make your view-point known. “One voice may not
seem like a lot,”Moss says. “But when you add them up, it makes a huge difference.”

To get involved, make a name pledge or learn more
about the  transportation bill,please visit the following links:

League of American Bicyclists

People for Bikes

National Complete Streets Coalition

Xterra

The first of five Ohio Xterra Trail Races begin in
two days(April 24). The first race will take place at
Vulture’s Knob, and it supposed to be the
toughest courses in the series. Nine and a half-miles of
single-track, technical, hilly trails – bring it on!

I am ready. I ran through the winter, even  when it
was only 2 degrees. I have  run two 25Ks in preparation
for the Xterra Series and the BT50K (July 17):
the Fools 25K and the Forget the PR, Mohican.

This will be my first series of any type.
See all you on the trails.

Click here to read my race reports.

Ohio Trail Running Boom

Orange markers waving in the wind and plastic plates, planted in the ground
with arrows painted in various directions guide runners along their
50K (31.64) and 25K (15.82) mile race, along the single-track trails
within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Peninsula or the
Mohican State Park Camp Grounds, Loudenville. Their journey
across the rugged terrain is filled with natures obstacles: rocks,
roots, fallen trees and creek crossings. The goal, as with
any race: crossing the finish line.

In the past few years trail racing has become more popular.
The evidence lays in how quickly local races are filling up.
This year alone, four popular races reached racer capacity in
record time: Run for Regis, Buckeye Trail 50K (July) filled
up in less than a week. The inaugural Run with Your Heart
(February) filled up in a matter of weeks and the
Forget the PR Mohican 50K (April) closed in January.

The question is why? There are several reasons, according to
Joe Jurczyk, race director of the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run,
founder of the Buckeye Trail 50K and the RD behind the new
XTERRA Ohio Trail Series, which includes five cross-country races across Ohio.

Top three reasons, according to Jurczyk: 

Local Park Systems
Northeast Ohio has three great resources that offer hundreds of miles
of foot trails and bridle trails that can be easily accessed by runners:
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cleveland Metroparks and MetroParks
serving Summit County.

Trails
The Buckeye Trail or BT, is one of the most popular trail running destinations
for local runners. The BT is statewide trail system that covers more than 1,400 miles,
and travels through each of the park systems mentioned above. The varied terrain
of the BT passes a number of local landmarks including the Polo Fields in Gates Mills,
the Station Road bridge in Brecksville, Brandywine Falls, the Everett Covered Bridge
in Boston Township and the Hinckley Ledges.

Popularity of Trail Races
There are more trail races now than ever before.  While many serious and casual
runners were cross-country runners in high school or college, there were not many
opportunities to continue cross-country racing beyond schools. Today there are
plenty of races both locally and across the state with new races being started each year.

Enjoyment
Many runners find trail running to be more scenic and comfortable than running
on roads, sidewalks or running on a track. The softer surfaces and greener
surroundings make training more pleasant and easier on the body, especially
the knees and feet.

Click here to read Zackary Lewis’s article, Off-road running events are on the map in Ohio.
(Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Stupid cyclist!

I realize many cyclists upset, even piss off motorists. Some cyclists’ make bad choices, but not bad enough to have them run over or have hate sites built about them.  We [cyclists'] have just as much right to the roads as motorits’ . I can’t tell you how many times I have been yelled at – cussed at while cycling.I have been run off the road for no reason.  I know my rights, and where I am suppose to ride, many motorists’ do not know the laws- and that cyclists’ share the road.

If you are not familiar with the Facebook hate group: There’s-a-perfectly-good-path-next-to-the-road-you-stupid-cyclist.  Check it out.

How would these people feel if we ran them over with our bikes while we were riding on the “path” they are walking on?

Bicycle Safety

I received an interesting e-mail from a friend today. The e-mail deals with Local Bicycle Traffic Ordinances by Fred Oswald, PE LCI # 947.
I have no idea what the PE LCI #947 stands for, what’s important here: We [cyclists] read the following link and help support Cleveland Bikes.

Here is the main content of the e-mail I received from Andy Tabor, who is also a Team In Training coach:
“As many of you know, Cal Kirchick and Fred Oswald worked diligently through the Ohio Bicycle Federation and ClevelandBikes to improve cycling and help pass the Better Bicycling Bill in 2006. While we all miss Cal, local cycling advocate, LCI Fred Oswald, has continued the safety work, reviewing the laws of local towns and cities to evaluate their compliance and consistency with the new state law and grade them. You can check and see how your community did and how it can improve. As you probably can guess, few cities measure up and you can read below and follow the links to see the analysis. If you want to help work in your home community to fix local laws, please let us know and we can help direct and supplement your efforts.”

 Here’s Fred Oswald’s note:
As many NE Ohio cyclists know, local bicycle ordinances in many of our communities mandate unsafe operation. I’ve been tracking these local bicycle traffic laws for 10 years. Recently, I updated and enlarged this survey — it now covers 75 communities. You can see this work at http://bikelaws.org/cb/neo-bikelaws.htm
.

Here’s a summary of the “grades” for local governments:
A 21 communities
B 11
C 9
D 20
F 14

The worst of the worst are:
Avon, Bentleyville* *, Broadview Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Gates Mills, Kirtland, Mentor-on-the- Lake, North Ridgeville, Olmsted Falls, Orange, Painesville, Pepper Pike, Strongsville, Valley View. ** Note, my information on Bentleyville is as of 2002. There may have been changes since then. The communities rated lower than C have rules that clearly conflict with Ohio

Greater Cleveland Tri is Greater

 Aug. 9, 2009

 Thunder and lightening threatened the start of the seventh annual Greater Cleveland Triathlon & Duathlon Sunday morning. The early morning downpour forced race officials to cancel the swim, for the second year in a row.

 “Having the swim canceled is part of being a triathlete,” said Race Director Mickey Ryzmek. “Triathlete’s are great planners, more so than any other sport. They are also great at adjusting to adversity and have done wonderfully for two years now.”

 Ryzmek goes all out to make this a fantastic event. This year the course was separated by orange pylons, making the ride on Heisley Road much safer and easier, plus he does a great job to keep the courses marked year around.

 “We are the only event in the country that supports the race with a number of activities including a free USAT rules seminar, and free on-course training sessions, May, June and July.” Ryzmek said.

 Each free on-course training session has a theme: Newbies clinic, Kid’s clinic and a Women’s clinic.

 “We had a large number of youth attend the July training session, and it was reflected in their performance Saturday,” Ryzmek said.

 The youth triathlon is limited to 150, insuring a safe event, especially since the park does not close the roads.

 “For the last two years we have hit this number (150),” Ryzmek said. “We could probably get a lot more youth participating, but want to host a safe event.”

 The GCT draws athletes from all over the U.S. Athletes from 17 states supported this year’s event.

 “We get a large number of people who grew up here and return home to race. We also get a large number from surrounding states who visit and stay for a couple of additional days,” Ryzmek said.

 One aspect of the event that most participants and spectators pay little attention to, but is extremely important, is the medical support, which is headed up by Dr. Paul Saluan of Cleveland Clinic Sports Health.

 “In addition to the finish line medical support, Saluan also manages three on-course roving vehicles from NEOMRC,” Ryzmek said.  “A lot of medical planning was planned through out the year Ryzmek said, and it paid off.”

 A female athlete was life-flighted after a terrible collision on the course with another cyclist. According to Ryzmek she was released, but has a lot of recovery time coming up.

Click here for more information about the Greater Cleveland Triathlon & Duathlon as well as the Youth Triathlon.