Took a mini-cation to see my sister, warm then more snow?!?!

Had a great few days in Florida visiting my sister who is working at Animal Kingdom with Disney's College Program. 

My parents have an annual pass since they knew Amanda would be working down there, so Dawn and I only went into the parks one day, but we made the most of it. We made sure to see the talking Mickey because he will be going away soon.

So yea... Summer went into the parks each day with my parents and you KNOW she was acting like an angel for them.  I think she talked them into getting her ice cream every single night.

Cheesing for the camera...

Dawn and I spent time together for some fun dates around the resorts and spent a lot of time by the pool.  I ran a little more than 20 miles down there and it was a shock to running in the heat and humidity again... in due time for us here in Ohio. 

I took an extra day off to get laundry done and Summer and I started planting our cold weather crops in the garden.  Peas and lettuce seeds are planted, but we have to wait a little more before the rest.  Carrots and onions will be next followed by the tomatoes and peppers in a month. 

I was told to leave and not come back until it warms up... well... I'm BACK! The next few days will be the warmest of 2018 so far! There is a catch... our winds will be very brisk in the afternoon and a Wind Advisory issued with our southwest winds 15-30 mph with gusts 45+. A little early morning rain today is passing by through Northern Ohio; otherwise partly cloudy, warm, & windy today with highs in the lower 70s. Tonight a mix of clear skies and clouds with overnight lows in the mid 50s and breezy. Winds pick back up tomorrow with partly cloudy skies and temps warming into the mid 70s. Rain returns Saturday with scattered showers and a few storms, while remaining warm. It looks dry, warm & windy for tonight's Columbus Clippers Home Opener tonight, but be sure to pack rain gear for the Ohio State Spring Game on Saturday. More showers and storms Sunday as a cold front sweeps through the area. This will usher in colder air for next week. The overnight forecast models are trending our temperatures colder, so a few tweaks to our extended forecast to adjust our temperatures colder for early next week and changing the icon to rain/snow on Monday with some early morning wintry mix showers then warming to some rain showers during the daylight hours then back to wintry mix and light snow/flurries Monday evening. We slowly start warming back up by the middle of next week. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

MORNING! More snow on the way?!?!?!

I've been powering through the week and hopefully you have as well!  What would we do without caffeine?!?!

Easter was a lot of fun. Summer was lucky because the Easter Bunny made two stops.  LOTS of candy, but finding the eggs was almost more fun than eating the candy.

Since I was out of town, I met up with some random trail runners at Hinckley Reservation.  We crossed a bunch of streams, ran through the mud, but the views were fantastic.

This photo is a little blurry because I took it while we were running, but some awesome rock formations along the trail.

But, yes, a little muddy.  That was my first distance on a trail at least a half marathon.  It felt great and the thing I like about trails is that it isn't all about finishing under a certain time.  It is about safely navigating the what the trail gives you and enjoying the sights and sounds.  Good training for my trail marathon in June.

BTW, what the heck is up with all of our snow in April?!?!  I am done. Done! Let's jump into at least slightly warmer temps! 

Flooding still an issue for many spots around the area from the 2-4" of rain we picked up on Tuesday. 

Grab the coat! Temps are below freezing this morning and wind chills have been dipping into the teens at times. Early sun today, but more clouds by the afternoon with temps climbing into the upper 40s. A few light rain/snow showers this evening will mainly stay north. Chilly tonight and mostly cloudy and the clouds stick around most of the day Friday with a few peeks of sun and temps warming near 50. Rain showers return later Friday and as temps fall Friday night we transition over to snow showers. Snow showers continue overnight and move south. Central Ohio could have a light accumulation and Southern Ohio could see a couple inches or more by daybreak. Snow should be moving out early Saturday then clouds clearing. Changing the icon from a wintry mix to snow showers.

As of writing this, Thursday morning at 8AM, the National Weather Service has a Winter Storm Watch for far Southern Ohio for Saturday morning. Increasing sun during the day on Saturday and more sun Sunday with highs in the 40s. Clouds return later Sunday with some snow showers possible Sunday night into early Monday morning. Temps warm up Monday with a wintry mix possible as we warm up. More wintry mix possible Tuesday, but that is looking lighter. Much warmer temps on the way in a week and a half!  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Spending time with Summer, Let Me Run, sunshine returning soon!

Finally our temps are warm enough to start taking Summer on my runs again.  Lots of stroller time ahead for the two of us.  We had a great run at Griggs this week. 

It has been hard dodging the rain all week, but thankfully it took enough of a break Tuesday for me to run with the Let Me Run Columbus boys at Wickliffe.  Some of you may be aware of Girls On The Run and this program is the same for boys.  I am the grand marshal for their 5k in early May, so it was great to run with them before the big run.  It was fun talking with some of them on the run because we ran 2.2 miles and some of the kids were excited to run the farthest distance of their lives.  

Fog was an issue early this morning, but it has been breaking up...

Thanks to more rain moving in.  

A foggy, wet day ahead... again. Today the fog is more dense and could cause some problems on the roads. Rain showers will pick up in coverage and intensity today with a few rumbles, mainly for Southern Ohio. A few showers will linger tonight as colder air races in and winds pick up. A few sprinkles and flurries are possible early Friday then clouds slowly clearing with some sun later in the day. Friday evening looks great for any Passover & Good Friday festivities. Increasing clouds Saturday with late afternoon/evening rain showers. The rain will race through pretty early Sunday morning and it is looking like most of the precip will be rain and only a slight possibility of a wintry mix early Sunday morning since most of the moisture will move out before our temps bottom out in the mid 30s for Easter morning. Mostly to partly cloudy on Easter Sunday and looking to stay dry Monday. More rain returns Tuesday. Our temps will warm up Tuesday, however, if we see steady rain then it will limit our temps, but some breaks in the rain will allow a surge of warm air and right now we are going to go with a high of 62. Drier and cooler air returns Wednesday. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Running, camping in with Summer, plumbing, AP Awards

 Last week was an interesting week... Some snow, some sun, but chilly all week long.

At least we had some weekend sun. Had a great run around Columbus.

I got called into work last weekend and I was supposed to camp with Summer.  So I made it up to her this weekend and put our our tents in the living room and watched some NCAA March Madness before hitting the hay for the night.  She loves it and I am so happy to inspire her to enjoy the outdoors.  

Unfortunately I didn't get a lot of outdoor time this weekend... The valve for the shower/tub went out after 22 years.  I had to replace it.  Not sure why there is an electrical line running right behind it, but who knows... Lots of little odd things that probably shouldn't pass code. 

Anyway, I got it fixed and we are back up and running!  I had to get a little creative though. 

The new unit is more shallow than the old bulky one so I had to notch out the 2x4 to bring the valve closer to the wall.  Worked perfectly!  Got the new unit installed and running!  By the way... I ponied up to get Sharkbite fittings.  They get costly, but man was it nice.  Twice I had to take apart the unit for unforeseen hurdles (like the 2x4).  I was able to take apart the pipes and fix issues before the final assembly.  I also drooped the electrical wire in case there are ever any issues it will drop in this area instead of running down the wire to an outlet.

I was not able to attend the Ohio Associated Press awards, but it was a nice distraction getting texts and tweets about winning Best Weathercast!  I wasn't quite expecting that, but that's pretty awesome news when dealing with the plumbing project.

A chilly start to your workweek, but lots of early sun followed by more clouds through the day with mild temps and breezy winds. A few showers possible in Western Ohio later today, but Central Ohio should dodge the rain until tonight. Rain showers move in overnight and a few rumbles of thunder are possible early Tuesday. On and off rain Tuesday and Wednesday, but more on than off. The rain breaks up a little more Thursday and Friday, but the chance of rain is still there. Rain fall totals for the week look to be generally 1"-2", but isolated pockets may see more. At least temperatures will be warming up some this week. Today we top out in the mid 50s then upper 50s tomorrow and lower 60s Wednesday and Thursday. Rain looks to take a little bit of a break for the start of next weekend on Saturday, but cooler. More rain looks to return next Sunday. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

A rare Sunday post!

Phil Kelly got the stomach bug and I filled in yesterday and today on the weekend morning show.  And who would complain when you get to work with these lovely ladies! 

We are not done with winter just yet. We had a tiny bit of snow earlier this week and yesterday, but the little bit of snow is nice because it melts so quickly.

We are just barely under the season average for snow for the season... but we are not done yet.

Friday I did a dramatic reading of the Wizard of Oz at Easton Town Center.  They have an adorable Wizard of Oz play area for kids.  Summer had a lot of fun and it was hard to get her to leave for her nap.

Not a lot of running for me this week.  I was sick earlier this week so took a day off. Then Thursday my MCL sprain really flared up so I pulled the plug halfway through my speedwork.  I am taking the weekend off and trying to get back out this week if I feel fully recovered.  No need to exaggerate an injury  I did make something I had been wanting to do for a while.  I found an Etsy vendor that makes custom dog tags so I made this tag with the back having contact information.  Since I don't run with my phone normally or any ID, I wanted to make sure I was a little covered in case anything would happen.  I braided it out of paracord just in case I need about 8 feet of rope.

Sunday looks to be the pick day on the extended forecast, so get out there and enjoy the afternoon! Mostly sunny today and cold early, but warming into the lower 50s. Tonight a few clouds start moving in and increasing clouds for Monday with highs back in the 50s with winds picking up. Rain will sneak into Southern Ohio late Monday evening and leave early Tuesday morning with this round of precip mainly overnight and to the south. The sun will try to break out a little during the day Tuesday then another round of rain late Tuesday and that will transition over to some snow Tuesday night into early Wednesday. The current projected track of this system is to our south so the heaviest of the precip will stay mainly south of I-70. Some early rain/snow on Wednesday then sunshine returning by Thursday. Still early to talk about specific snowfall totals because the timing of the switch over from rain to snow is still about 72 hours out and the track is still bouncing around a little on the forecast models. That being said, parts of the area will see no snow and other areas could have pockets of a few inches of snow or more, so stay tuned. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Made it to day 101, winter isn't over yet

I spent some time in Cleveland recently and went out for a run to meet Dawn and family at breakfast.  Most of the run was through the neighborhoods, but I had to stop to check my map when running through a park.

Then I looked over to my side to find a family of deer staring at me.  Breakfast was GREAT after that nine mile run.  It was my final run with my run streak.  I ran every day since Thanksgiving, but as my miles ramp up before my Cap City Half and Mohican Trail Marathon I need to observe my rest days and actually take days off. I wanted to reach 100 days and once I got to the 101 mark I pulled the plug. 

But of course I am not done running all together... Summer and I had a GREAT run last week.  I ran through parts of Hilliard that I have not been on running and it was a great day. 

Yesterday I converted our bicycle trailer into a running chariot. Since I need to do a lot more trail running, for the trail marathon in three months, I am getting creative. I was given a bike trailer that is really nice a couple years ago. It only hooks up to one of the mounts for the bike. By using the mounts on both sides and only spending about $20 at the hardware store, I was able to convert this into a running chariot. But no modifications to the trailer, so I can put it on the bike in seconds still. I also found an inexpensive chest harness online, used to pull weight sleds at gyms. The only problem with that, is that there is more bounce than if I am holding the poles with my arms. I would need to figure out some sort of spring attachment between the poles and harness.Either way the thing that I love about the trailer is that is enclosed with a mesh cover, so Summer can take along a few toys or snacks and be completely content.

A mix of sun & clouds today thanks to a strengthening Low to our south that is heading out to the East Coast to become the next Nor'easter. As this storm turns up the coastline it will cause Central Ohio to see some spotty wintry mix and snow showers later today, tonight, Tuesday, and early Wednesday. Pockets of light accumulations are possible, generally less than 1". The Nor'easter will also draw in colder air from the lower 40s today to the mid 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Once this storm moves out we will have more sunshine and milder temps for the second half of the week. Some rain looks to return toward the end of next weekend with mild temps. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Well... That was weird.

So apparently my last post from a few days ago didn't actually post... so here goes again...

The rare warm February weather has been GREAT!  Summer and I have been out for runs on the trail and around the neighborhood. 

The downside has been the melting at the skiing destinations.  Dawn's boss needed to go to Pittsburgh to pick up a vehicle.  He was going to tow it back, but decided to make it a fun trip and asked if I wanted to join and go skiing before coming back.  The group's experience is WAY better than my experience.  Either way, we had a fun trip visiting Holiday Valley in New York.

Yea... Summer and I got to spend a lot of time together outside lately.  

On Friday I was asked to be a model for a charity fashion show to raise money for Girls on the Run at their Sneaker Soiree. 

So I dressed up for the start of the event, wearing my running shoes, then changed into my fashion clothes. Here is Dawn and me. We had a lot of fun.

The warm weather has also brought a lot of rain and made running fun. No running through the moving water, but this part of the trail was in between two wetlands and not moving.  GREAT way to wash off all the mud on my trail shoes. 

Grab the rain gear! River levels on their way below flood stage and should stay there with only light rain on the way for today. Today we are starting out a little milder. Spotty midday rain will become a little more widespread this afternoon and evening with scattered rain showers. Scattered rain will continue overnight and early Thursday. The cold front is looking to swing through a little earlier. This could trigger a few storms in the afternoon before the cold front swings through around the evening commute and temps will fall quickly late Thursday as winds pick up. With the cold front coming through earlier, a wintry mix is expected Thursday night with little to now snow accumulation. Most of the flurries will be out by daybreak Friday then colder and slowly clearing. Cooler and mostly sunny for the weekend then another round of rain returns later Monday into Tuesday.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Snow is back, but not for long!

The past few weeks have been a tease of spring.  We warm up and melt the snow... then it returns.  I have to admit... I have been running in the cold snow.  Slushy snow, not so much.  

I signed up for a trail marathon in June and Summer has been studying with me on learning more about trail running techniques. 

Back to snow... before it all melted I wanted to do some skiing.  I asked Dawn's brother if he wanted to join me and we hit the slopes.

This was the final photo of the day.  My muscles were starting to get tired and I was getting a little sloppy with my cuts.  The freezing rain glazed the surface and hills that were not used as much were very icy.  When I hit the bottom of this hill I was going 32 mph and I couldn't get my skis to cut into the ice to slow down so I went careening down the hill.  Fun times! Nothing broken. 

Warmer temps on the way! Today we will start out with sun then more clouds by the afternoon with temps climbing into the lower 40s. Cloudy & chilly tonight then rain starts working in later tomorrow. The rain for Wednesday will be scattered and light and mainly later in the day with temps reaching the lower 50s. Warmer on Thursday with more rain showers on and off through the day. Heavier rain expected later Thursday into early Friday morning as colder air races back in for the end of the week and start of the weekend. A few snowflakes may mix in, on the back side of the rain, early Friday, but little to no accumulation is expected at this time. Fairly dry weekend with chilly temps Saturday and a little milder on Sunday.

The long term forecast models do not have any snow for the next couple weeks. We may go the rest of the month without any big snows.  BUT... March is when we historically can have big record snows.  So we are in the clear for a while, but we don't have the all-clear just yet. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael