Race Aftermath And After Thoughts

   Cyrus,  once again, proved why he is known as "The Smart Pylon".  He had saved himself for the Big Ohio Dance. He has to be ranked #1 going into next year, and this is important, as it sounds like there might be a "Dances With Dirt" coming up for the FAP's in 2011.
   Post race, we spent some quality recovery time at the cabin, having a few well deserved beers and watching the New York Marathon. After our beautiful day on the trails, we were asking ourselves why anyone would want to run on roads (The Captain and Beaver both ran the NYM in their younger days). Later on, for some stoopid reason, we decided to go for a walk and wound up down at the beach.

First, we had to make it up the stairs.

Captain cools his feet off. Last time we were in this lake, the water was 80˚F+. Not today!

Digger lyin' on the beach soaking up the Vitamin D,  recovery drinks close at hand.

The lake was warmer and everything was greener back in June when we scouted out the Bobcat Marathon.

What a day for Swiss! Life is Good.

Swiss strikes a pose in front of the Lodge

                    Later on it was back to the dining room for dinner.

A large church group in the dining room outnumbered the runners. There were some large people in the large church group.They had their own buffet.

MMMMmmmmmmm Burger, fries and Molson Golden

Pylon Dinner, our " Last Supper" in Ohio.
(Left to right) Digger, Swiss, Captain, Cyrus and The Beaver

After dinner, Beaver and Captain played a spirited game of  table tennis.

The bunk beds. This cabin would sleep 6-7 people comfortably.

Our final night at Burr Oak Lodge

  Next morning,after a hearty breakfast, we were headed back to the Great White North. Beaver caused a bit of panic while he was driving when the low fuel warning light came on in the very part of Ohio where we didn't want to run out of gas. The only houses around (and there weren't many) were trailers in the woods. A few had dead, gutted deer hanging on their front porches,not good, and apparently there is not a gas station in the County. Really Not Good. 
  So,we drove for what seemed an hour, and finally made it (on fumes) to a fillin' station near the interstate.We discovered  that the van had an 18 gallon tank, since  Beaver was able to put in 17.8 gallons.

You could hear the gas hit the bottom of the tank.

    As usual the Pylons had a great road trip, and our motto"What could Go Wrong" proved ominously prophetic, however,  I don't know if it would be nearly as much fun if everything went right all the time.   Super smooth Swiss again got us across the border in record time, the customs guy asked maybe 10 seconds of questions then waived us on"like shit through a goose". Great drive back home, we made it in time for dinner. Thanks to Captain for all the arrangements, and Swiss for looking after the rental van.
   Soon, we will find out what adventures are in store for 2011. I have a funny feeling one of them may involve "The Big Ditch". I'm hitting the weights and the bike for a few months, and going to stick a little more closely to the Primal Diet. I'm gonna have to do something to keep up with these guys!
P.S.-Next fall, can we go someplace warmer?

Cheers!We haven't had Golson Mogan in Canada for years.

Running Part of the course last June. Man, it was hot!

Random Thoughts From The Buckeye State.

a) My gels froze, I had to warm them up by carrying them in my hands before I was able to use them.The water in gallon jugs at an unmanned water station froze, I tried banging them against a tree to get water out.Then I picked one up that was in the sun and it was fine.
b) We met a guy (Let's call him Jim Bagg) who's every move pissed us off. Talk about giving Trail Runners a bad name. Yelling at volunteers, drinking right from those gallon jugs instead of pouring it into his water bottle, loudly complaining to the RD about getting lost, and much more.
c) A "Buckeye" is an Ohio name for what we call a "Chestnut".
d) We didn't really "get" why anyone would want to live in such a remote area, but hey, who are we to judge? Maybe they have it right and enjoy long, stress free lives of just hunting ,drinking and having the sexytime.
e) Ohio University, founded in 1804, was the first University in the U.S.Northwestern Territories.
f) Two of the world's most famous astronauts, Neil Armstrong and John Glenn, were from Ohio.
g) The Wright Brothers were from Ohio.
h-j) The Cardinal is the state bird. The White Tailed Deer is the State Animal.The Buckeye, the State Tree.
k) "Hang On Sloopy" is the official state rock song. 
l) Seven United States presidents were born in Ohio. They are: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding. 
m) Some well-known personalities were born in Ohio. Among them Steven Spielberg, Paul Newman, Annie Oakley, Arsenio Hall and Clark Gable.( I always thought Steven Spielberg was Canadian, but I always thought that dogs laid eggs, and I learned something today).
 n) 50% of the United States population lives within a 500 mile radius of Columbus, Ohio. 
o) Charles Goodyear of Akron developed the process of vulcanizing rubber in 1839. 


Some Stoopid Stuff, But We Already Get it After a Weekend There.

You know you're from Ohio if...

1. You don't think of Florida first when someone mentions Miami.
    
2. You've heard of 3.2% beer. 
3.  Schools close for the state basketball tournament. Deer season, too. 
4.  You live less than 30 miles from some college or university. 
5.  You know what a buckeye really is, and have a recipe for candy ones. 
6.  "Toward the lake" means "north" and "toward the river" means "south." 
7.  You've heard of the Great Nickel Beer Night Riot. 
8.  You know if other Ohioians are from southern or northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouths.(We met a man from Northern Ohio and couldn't understand a thing he said. Think "Gabby Johnson" from "Blazing Saddles").  Click here
   
9.  You root for a college team though you've never taken a class there. 
10.  You can spell words like Cuyahoga, Olentangy, Bellefontaine, and Tuscarawas *(Wapakoneta?) and you know which letter is doubled in "Cincinnati." 
11.  You know what game they're playing when the Mud Hens take on the Clippers. 
12.  You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?"
13.  You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows. 
14.  You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit. 
15.  The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires 6 pages for sports. 
16.  You think that deer season is a national holiday. 
17.  You know which leaves make good toilet paper. 

So now it's time to sit back and let the Captain figure out what we're doing next year. I don't care where we're going, just let me know what time you're picking me up!