Thursday, December 22, 2022

Getting errands done before our winter storm

I spent the day yesterday running around and shopping for stuff before the winter storm arrives for us. 
If you still need to take care off some errands, DO IT TODAY!
Damp today with rain showers and temps in the 40s. Rain quickly changing to snow tonight with light accumulations and wet surfaces refreezing then dangerously cold with very high winds.
Good Thursday morning! The entire area is covered in different winter/wind advisories/watches/warnings. They all boil down to this: rain this evening will refreeze for a layer of ice under light/moderate accumulations of snow that will fall mainly before daybreak tomorrow. The advisories/watches/warnings continue through Friday into Saturday because we will have dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills. Wind chills could dip as cold as -30 Friday and Saturday AM. Any unnecessary travel should be avoided Friday into Saturday when the roads will be the most treacherous and exposed skin could experience frostbite in less than 15 minutes.
Today our temperatures are starting in the mid 30s and some rain showers are moving in from the south. A few pockets of freezing rain could occur in the colder pockets, but we will continue to warm up into the lower 40s today with some spotty light rain and cloudy skies. Rain will pick up this evening and a very strong cold front will blast in from the west just before midnight. The latest projections have the rain changing to snow a little before midnight tonight for Central Ohio and then continuing into Eastern Ohio just after midnight. Wet surfaces will refreeze to ice and we will then coat those icy surfaces with snow. The snow will be the heaviest between midnight and daybreak Friday and that will be the bulk of our snow accumulations. Most of Central Ohio will see 1”-3” of snow with higher totals to the north and lower totals to the south. We could also see some lake effect snow for far Northern Ohio to add to the totals for Friday PM and Saturday. Keep in mind that the strong winds will blow the snow all around, so it will not be a snow that falls and stays in one place. The wind will cause reduced visibility all of Friday and Saturday due to the blowing snow. Winds will be out of the west-southwest so north-southbound roads will see the worst drifting of snow Friday and Saturday. Then we are dry the rest of the 7-day forecast and partly cloudy next week.

While the snow is exciting before Christmas, the bitterly cold temperatures will be more impactful and dangerous. We will go from around 40 tonight at midnight to -1 by daybreak tomorrow and only have a high of 4 degrees tomorrow afternoon. Winds will pick up when we change over to snow and continue to strengthen through the day Friday. So wind chills will be around -20 to -25 all of Friday through Saturday morning. Take this serious because frostbite is a big concern. Please also keep pets in mind. We will stay around 0 for the Saturday morning’s low temperature and warm to a high of 10 on Saturday. Staying cloudy on Saturday with the blowing snow. Winds will be slowly becoming lighter by later Saturday.
Sunday we start around 4 in the morning and warm to 16 with partly cloudy skies and a brisk breeze. 
Monday we warm to 22 for the high and 30 by Tuesday. Staying partly cloudy the first half of next week with 37 by Wednesday. We may be into the 50s by the end of next week! Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Friday, December 16, 2022

Elf the musical, shipping Balm By Buck, snow on the way!

Summer and I had a fun date night this week. We went to see Elf the musical on Tuesday night. Summer wanted dinner at Culver's before the show. The show had a few delays and I did not get home to bed until 11PM and then my alarm went off at 12:55AM to take up for work. Whew! But she was LOVING the show and singing along, so it all made it worth it. 
It has been a busy week shipping out orders of Balm By Buck. Still a little time left to order and get your package before Christmas. I thought about doing personal deliveries the week before Christmas because USPS is slower that me hopping in the car. Reach out if there is something you need!

Good Friday morning! Mostly cloudy, chilly, and very breezy today with temps in the 30s all day long. We will see a few light showers today, mainly snow but possibly some rain mixing in, for "warmer" areas/times. A few more areas of light snow showers this evening and tonight with a dusting possible in pockets. The flurries and pockets of light snow tonight could cause some slippery spots on untreated pavement by Saturday morning. A few flurries early Saturday then a dry pattern will stick around through the middle of next week. High temps this weekend will be in the lower 30s and overnight low temps in the 20s. Mostly cloudy for the weekend with the sun popping out occasionally. We will keep a mix of sun & clouds around for Monday and Tuesday. High temps in the mid 30s as well to start the week. Wednesday we will cool to a high of 32 with increasing clouds and a slight chance for some snow showers late. More snow showers looking likely on Thursday, possibly starting as a wintry mix. High temps in the 20s on Thursday and winds picking up. High temps will likely stay in the 20s heading into next weekend and high temps possibly dipping into the teens. Wind chills will also be in the single digits or below zero heading into next week. Santa will need extra layers! Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Monday, December 12, 2022

Weekend at Landoll's Mohican Castle

What a weekend! Saturday night we went up to Landoll's Mohican Castle to stay the night and had a great time! 
I put together this short video with some of the shots from the trip.

So you arrive to the castle and the sign that greets you, coming in, is just the start.

The "hotel rooms" are super cool in the castle and each one is unique. They have about a dozen suites in the castle and then there are a couple nearby buildings with more rooms. There is also "The Stable" with more traditional hotel rooms, which works great for weddings. Once we got everything in the room we went around the castle to explore before dinner.
There were quite a few people exploring the castle because there were holiday activities like a scavenger hunt for the kids.  You can climb to the top of one of the towers to look around. The kids loved it and we did that a couple times.

On the way to dinner (on-property restaurant), we stopped by one of the buildings where Santa was visiting! He told the kids that he heard from our Elf on the Shelf, Rosie, that they have been behaving. Summer was shocked that Santa knew about Rosie. He gave the kids a couple small gifts for behaving and completing the scavenger hunt. Then we went over to the restaurant for dinner.
 
Some of you may have heard about Landoll's when chef Gordon Ramsay visited in 2017 and he helped revamp the operations and restaurant, The Copper Mug Bar & Grille. I ordered the short ribs and they were FANTASTIC! Everyone loved their food. Santa stopped by the restaurant too, before taking off for the North Pole.Lots of fun memories were made, but we were not done yet... Seeing Santa Saturday night was a bonus. We were not sure what time he was going to be available, but luckily got to see him twice.

Sunday morning we had brunch with Santa! It was another great selection of food, buffet style, before we stopped by to see Santa one final time before heading home. 
Rosie was jealous that we stayed in a castle, so she decided to spend the night in a castle too. We came home to her going to the top of the tower to check out the view as well. The weather for us was cloudy and cool and it looks to stay that way the next couple days before rain and eventually changing to a winter mode:
High pressure is trying to clear out the clouds, but with our winds out of the north it is pulling moisture off the Great Lakes to give us mostly cloudy skies today. A few breaks in the clouds later today. Winds will change to the east tonight and the clouds clear more for patchy fog for Tuesday morning then partly cloudy skies for the day tomorrow. Highs in the lower 40s today and tomorrow and overnight lows tonight in the upper 20s. Wednesday and Thursday will be wet with scattered rain and showers. We will be chilly Wednesday with highs in the mid 40s and then we warm to 51 on Thursday. Cold air will race in following the rain. A few flurries on Friday with clouds skies and a high of 38. More light snow and flurries Friday night and Saturday. Highs in the lower 30s for the weekend. The cold air will be sticking around for a while, so enjoy today and tomorrow while it is dry and in the 40s. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Santa, Red River Gorge, White Christmas odds

SANTA!!!! We had the Toys for Tots drive at our TV station over the weekend. I volunteered the early shift and Dawn & the kids stopped by with a bunch of toys to donate. Santa was there and I rode in the back of the car to help hand the toys to the kids to hand out to the volunteers. 
After my shift, I hopped into the car with by my buddy Mike and we headed south to Kentucky. We ran the Red River Gorge 25k trail race on Sunday morning. Really cool carvings in the sandstone from the Red River.
A few stream crossings as well and the cold water felt good on the feet.
All-in-all it was a fantastic trip. We also picked up some bourbon to make the trip complete. 
The house is all decorated for the holidays! I have been working on mastering my smoking techniques over the last few months. Ribs are fun, pork shoulder can feed an army, but brisket is tricky and delicious. 

You may want to give yourself a little extra time for the morning commute due to patchy dense fog, especially to the west. We will have scattered light rain showers today with temperatures going from the lower 40s this morning to the lower 50s this afternoon. More scattered light rain showers tonight and early Wednesday with a low around 48. Wednesday, we remain cloudy with highs around 54. A few breaks in the clouds possible later, but generally staying cloudy.

Thursday we may start with a little sun, but clouds will thicken up as more rain returns later Thursday and Friday. Highs around 50 on Thursday. Friday looks wet with rain a lot of the day and a high of 52.

Most rain looks to leave by the time we get to Saturday, but it will be cooler for the weekend with chilly highs in the mid 40s for Saturday and Sunday. We will be cloudy for the weekend as well with maybe a couple peeks of sunshine. More rain returning later Monday into Tuesday of next week with the chilly temps sticking around.

Looking ahead... The forecast models are trending colder in a few weeks. Our normal odds for a White Christmas in Central Ohio is 1 out of every 4 years, so 25%. With colder air moving in before Christmas I am leaning towards a little better chance than normal, so I would say there is a 40% chance of a White Christmas this year. Stay tuned! Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Taste of winter...

How about our first taste of winter over the weekend?!?! We went back to Western Ohio to visit my parents. I am working this upcoming weekend and Thanksgiving, so we celebrated with some turkey early.  The snow was pretty awesome to get in the mood and there was about 1.5" of snow on the farm.

The snow did make it easier to spot wildlife and we could see the deer running across the fields from time to time. Evan liked keeping an eye on them.

The food was as good as I remembered as a kid. My family is also known for dessert. We had raspberry cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, and cherry pie with a crumble crust. So good!
Since I am working the upcoming weekend, I was off yesterday. I took advantage of the 3 hours when both kids were in school and ran 15 miles around Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. It was a great day to get outside for a run.
Last night we got out the Christmas tree. No ornaments yet, but it helps to get you in the mood for the season ahead. The kids had a lot of fun. They picked Home Alone 2 for the movie while we put up the tree.
Good Tuesday morning! We have a weak disturbance moving into the region today bringing some light showers. Our temperatures are in the mid 30s this morning and that is cold enough for it to fall as light snow and melt as it is hitting the ground. We will warm up to around 40 today and we will see a mix of rain and snow, depending on the temperature at your location and time of the day. The showers will be light and on and off today. This evening the system kicks out with temps dipping to around 33. Wednesday, our winds pick up and we will see a few pockets of light snow showers (maybe warm enough for a little rain mixing in) tomorrow. Best chance for the snow on Wednesday will be more to the north because it will mainly be lake effect showers. Highs around 39 on Wednesday. Thursday we only warm up to 37 with a few flurries. A few flurries on Friday as well with a high of 31 and mostly cloudy skies. So we continue getting colder each of the next 4 days and overnight lows will dip into the 20s later this week and then the teens this weekend. Saturday and Sunday look decent, but cold. Highs will be in the lower 30s for Saturday and Sunday with partly cloudy skies. A little more sun on Monday with a high of 37. Our normal high for today is 52. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Empower Backyard Ultra & prepping for winter

Well, I did a thing... Or attempted to do a thing I ran the Empower Backyard Ultra. The race was on October 22, 2022. The weather was ideal with mostly sunny skies with morning temps in the mid 40s and high temps around 70.  It did get a little warmer than I would like, but can't complain too much about that. The trail was well maintained and started at 8AM. My good buddy, Mike Gampp, was my crew chief and we set up a 10x10 tent which was our mini command center. I would go run 4.16667 mile at the start of the hour then come back to camp. All the runners then take breaks until 9AM then we go run the same loop again, called a "yard." It was at the Countryside YMCA in Lebanon, Ohio. The daytime yards were ran on a 2.0888 mile loop. We ran that same loop twice each hour. There were some short hills to hike up, but most of the course was very run-able, but of course you need to maintain a pace so you are not running too fast and wearing yourself out. I ran with my water bottle each yard and filled it with Tailwind. That worked well to stay hydrated and then back at camp I would drink more straight water before the next hour. That seemed to work well for me. I had a plethora of nutrition. I tried pizza, but I had too much and it didn't sit well with my stomach. I kept everything down, but it was a rough yard with lots of questionable moments for my stomach. I did ramen noodles, fruit pies, chips, mashed potatoes, Swedish fish, cheese quesadilla, and trail mix.  The oil from the chips and something with the trail mix did not agree with me too well. I also brought apple sauce, but didn't remember to eat much of that.  At 6PM we switched to a bike path and did 14 yards, 60 miles, running out and back. My legs just went into cruise control on the pavement. I had a couple of low points mentally where I called my wife and she asked if anything was in pain or if I was injured. I said no and and she told me to keep going then. It is crazy how you go through mental highs and lows while doing these long events. So anyway, I made it to sunrise, 24 yards, for 100 miles. Then we went back to the trails in the woods. Most of the trail was pretty run-able, but in the woods there were some rocks and roots. My legs were used to the pavement and not picking up my legs to get over the rocks and roots. So the first wooded loop I tripped a few times and when you do that your body locks up. I really felt it in my hips. I never fell completely to the ground and was able to run through fall, but it was just too hard for me to keep going on.  I did two more trail yards, 108 miles, and tried turning in my timing chip, but the race directors said I had to start my next yard. They likely knew I was in a mental low spot, but the remaining 5 runners looked strong and could keep going on for hours and hours. So I started my 27th yard and I was done, so I ran as much as I could and then walked the rest of the 4.1666 miles and came in 7 minutes after the start of the next hour. So I ran 112.4 miles, but officially finished the event with 108 miles for the 26 yards that I finished before the start of the next hour. I also had a good buddy Carl V come down the first day and the morning of the second day to help crew. If I would have kept going it would be nice to let Mike get some sleep. My family also came down the first day in the afternoon. It was great to see the kids and show them dad doing something challenging. So once I was finished we packed up the camp and were on the road within about 30 minutes. I was extremely tired. I tried sleeping a few times overnight with noise cancelling headphones, but I could not fully fall asleep. I wonder if I had ear plugs instead. Not sure. I also cut out caffeine two weeks before the race, so at night when I needed the boost it hit a little harder during the race. I did listen to an audiobook at night and that helped keep my mind distracted from the miles. We were right next to the starting corral each hour and the music from the DJ/timers was a bit annoying to keep going on all day and part of the night. I am trying to think of what else to add here, but I think that is all I can remember for now. I made a big checklist on Google Sheets of what I needed to buy or bring to camp. I also added bacon for next time. I also added a whiteboard or notepad. That way we could write down what I ate and when to keep track of calories a little better. We could also write down how often we changed shoes or socks. I did take off socks and shoes about every 8 hours, as long as I had enough time. We let my feet dry out and check for blisters.  I brought about 8 pairs of shoes and I would swap if one was not feeling great. I did one road loop in a wide pair, but the pinky toe was rubbing and I had a blister by the time I got back to camp. Popped that so it didn't get any larger, but your feet are so water-logged from sweating that airing them out, even for 5-8 minutes, is super helpful.  One other issue I had, and this will be TMI, but it was a big concern, was really bad chafing in the groin area. I tried switching running underwear, but had to change into tight compression shorts and that helped with everything. Desitin was a GREAT item to have in my gear. Again, I am just unpacking what I remember and getting it all down in text so I can reference this later or possibly help another runner wanting to run a backyard ultra event.  

When I dropped out there were only 5 runners that went out for the 28th yard. The winner won in 39 yards, for 162 miles total. He looked so strong every yard and so fresh until the very end. You never know how long these events will last. You keep going until only one runner is left completing one more yard than the rest.
I took a few days off after the race to get some sleep and hang out with the kids. Weather was great to get out and ride bikes and avoid running for a week or so. 
Evan picked up the flu, but Summer was still healthy for Halloween. So she did a great job getting as much candy as possible for the both of them, since Evan stayed at home. I went as Ted Lasso. Had a lot of fun staying in character the entire time. Rain held off until about 10 minutes after trick or treat ended. 
Saturday I took part in the annual Columbus Westside Running Club event: GRRR 50k. It is a race that is 32 miles long between Wilson Road Park in Columbus and Glade Run Road in Madison County. It is also a Relay so that is how you get GRRR. This was only 2 weeks after my 112 miles in 27 hours, so I opted for the relay this year, instead of the entire 32 miles like last year. I split the event in half with Justin Boggs. There was a huge group out there splitting up the miles as teams. Only two people ran the entire event. 
One of the people running the entire event was my neighbor Jordan. I ran with him the first 16.5 miles then cut him loose for the remaining distance. We did great and his goal was to get his 50k PR and he shattered it by about 90 minutes! He ran the entire event in just over 5 hours! Stellar effort! My hips are still tight from my last race, so I was very happy to be done when I finished. Not sure what else is on the docket for me in the coming months. I have a 150 mile relay event, The Buck Fifty, in April. You can split the 150 miles between 10 or 5 runners. I am excited to run that with a team of 5. 

Weather was so warm yesterday that I had to take advantage of it and hang up the Christmas lights before it got colder. I hate putting up the lights when it is cold.
Mostly sunny for the afternoon and warm up to 59 for the high today. Great weather for election day across Ohio and most of the country. Mostly clear tonight with a low around 40. Mostly sunny for Wednesday and Thursday. We will warm back up into the mid and upper 60s. This will be the end of our above-normal warmth and sunshine. Take advantage of the weather over the next 3 days! Friday we will have rain likely from Nicole. The storm is still a subtropical storm east of the Bahamas and starting its westward journey towards the Bahamas for tonight and then it is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane tomorrow before making landfall for Central Florida along the Atlantic side late tomorrow into early Thursday. Then the storm strength drops back down to a tropical storm and turns north over Northern Florida and heads up the east coast heading into Friday and New England by the weekend. So Central Ohio is likely going to get a push of moisture from Nicole on Friday, especially South/Eastern Ohio. This will be followed by a strong cold front Friday night and that will dramatically drop our temps for the weekend. With rain likely we will only warm up to around 61 for the high. Saturday and Sunday we will be much cooler. High of 42 on Saturday and then 39 on Sunday. We will have a mix of sun & clouds, but with winds out of the northwest there is a chance for some very light lake effect showers, closer to the Great Lakes. Overnight low temps will be in the mid 20s for the weekend and early next week. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Friday, October 7, 2022

Final long runs until race day, coldest air of the season arriving.

Good Friday morning! My big race is in two weeks, so I have been trying to squeeze in any miles that I can get the last few weeks. Evan wanted to go to the park, so we ran there... well he rode in the stroller. Then we ran a little on the trails at the park together. I have been also logging some early morning hours before work too. I am running the Empower Backyard Ultra in two weeks. It is a Last Person Standing event. So far there are about 50 people signed up for the event. We start running at 8AM and run 4.16667 miles on trails in the woods. Then we get back to camp after that distance and wait until the next hour to run the loop again. So you get some time to stretch, relax, eat, use the restroom, or sleep. You have to start the next loop at the top of each hour or you are out. You can also drop out if you can't run any farther. At night we will switch to a bike path and run 2.083333 miles out and then run the 2.083333 miles back. So by 8AM the next day, 24 hours later, you will have run exactly 100 miles. And then we switch back to the grassy/dirt trails in the woods. And keep going until no one is left running.  You get to find your limit with how far you can run. I am excited to find my limit. I have been trying to do about 50-55 miles the last several weeks and one more long run tomorrow then cutting back on miles and resting up. 

  
In my last blog entry I mentioned the new mini-balms I made for BalmByBuck.com. Super excited to say that a few have sold already. Nice little add-ons for other orders, for only $1. Hoping that people like some of the other scents for more sales. It is worth a try, but so far it's going pretty well. Just hard to pour the melted balm mixture into the tiny pucks. HAHA!
We have a cold front in northwest Ohio sweeping across the state this morning. A few spotty rain showers are along the front, so you may see some rain this morning, but it is light and very quick, if you do see the rain. We will start the day mostly cloudy with temps in the lower 50s and only warm to the upper 50s this afternoon thanks to a brisk, chilly breeze out of the north. Clouds will break up a little in the afternoon, but still some clouds coming from down from the Great Lakes.

Tonight we will continue clearing and temps will fall into the mid and lower 30s. Frost likely overnight and the entire area is under a Frost Advisory or a Freeze Watch. So cover your tender plants or bring them inside. Mostly sunny for Saturday with highs in the upper 50s. Sunday we start the morning with frost again, and similar temperatures. We warm up more Sunday to the lower 60s with lots of sun.

Monday we warm into the upper 60s with mostly sunny skies and same for Tuesday, but warming into the lower 70s. By Wednesday we will see more clouds and a high of 75. There is a chance for rain later Wednesday and Thursday with another cold front. Then chilly temps return for the end of the week. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Back to the main page