We are now halfway through the NFL season and my fantasy football teams are performing pretty well overall. My first team is currently in 1st of 12 teams with a 6-2 record after winning five games in a row. My second team has also won five in a row and is also sitting at 6-2, good enough for 2nd of 10 teams. My last team is stuck with a 4-4 record and 6th of 10 teams. Last year I was in one additional league, but I guess after I won the championship in my rookie season they decided to disband the entire league. That or maybe I wasn’t invited back.

I am also playing a couple of other games for fun, meaning no money on the line, which is a shame since I’m doing well in these too. I’m in 1st place of 10 teams in my salary cap game, 2nd of 11 in college pick’em, and 6th of 12 in NFL pick’em. I also played in one survivor league, but lost in the second week when Arizona upset New England. I wasn’t alone though as that game alone eliminated 8 of 14 players. Our entire survivor league was over in week 3 when the remaining 5 players picks all lost.

Saturday morning I ran my first half marathon at the third annual Cincinnati Half Marathon. Prior to the race I said that I was shooting for an 8:30 pace and I hit it pretty much dead on. According to the results I finished in 1:50:39.3, which is an 8:27 pace. I was the 235th overall finished out of 1,260. Also finishing 33 out of 96 in my age group (male 30-34).

Running Group

Despite running nearly every other race in town, my dad had never done the Cincinnati Half. He decided to join in and run the race with me. We also ran with my neighbors, who originally told me about the race a few months ago.

On The Course

Overall the course was nice. The first five miles weaved through downtown, with the only real hill coming at about mile 4. The rest of the course was an out and back on Riverside Drive, which is very flat and pretty easy to run. The last mile was through Friendship Park and Sawyer Point, which provided a nice spot for spectators and finishers to gather.

Finish Line

My legs were completely dead at the end of the race but are pretty well back to normal today. I don’t have any future race plans at this point, but I’ll probably return to my shorter three and four milers starting tomorrow.

This morning I finally wrapped up my training for my first ever half marathon. After seeing that the Cincinnati Half Marathon would take place just a month after the Hudepohl 14K, I decided that now would be as good a time as any to try running a farther distances. The 14K was previously my longest run, just under 9 miles, so it would be about another 4 miles of running to finish a half marathon. In my training I peaked with long runs of 10, 11, and 12 miles on back to back to back Saturdays, so I should be well prepared for the race on Saturday. If anyone would like to see me in action, the race starts just after 8am from the intersection of Pete Rose Way and Eggleston Ave. The course winds through downtown for 5 miles before jutting out Riverside Dr. to Delta Ave. and back.

This past Saturday was homecoming weekend at the University of Cincinnati, and what a busy day it was. We started off by watching the parade at 3. The floats that are mostly made by the fraternities and sororities all seemed a little more well constructed than I remember them being in the past.

We Love Lucy

Neil Armstrong Tribute

After the parade we spent the rest of the afternoon on campus at our tailgate spot before heading into the football game versus Miami University RedHawks. This was the 117th battle for the Victory Bell, and with a huge 52-14 victory the Bearcats have extended their winning streak to 7 over the RedHawks.

White Out Crowd

The Cats are also now a nationally ranked football team. With four more home games still to go, it looks like we are in for a fun ride as the season progresses.

Touchdown!

This past Saturday was the second annual running of the Hudepohl 14K Brewery Run, well the second of this reincarnation of the old race. You may recall that I ran this race last year and was happy when my dad said that he was doing it again this year. Not that I needed an excuse to run this very fun race, but it’s always nice to have someone to run with.

Before the Race

With the opening of the Moerlein Lager House on the riverfront this year, the start and finish of the race was moved nearby. We still ran through Over-the-Rhine, the sight of last years start/finish, on a very similar course through numerous old Cincinnati brewing locations. However, the new location provided a much better spot for the after party.

And They’re Off

My dad and I did not run as fast as we did last year, around 8 min/mile pace, but we were still far under our 8:30 min/mile goal. The official race results have us at an 8:18 pace, but my dad’s Garmin watch had it closer to 8:07. Either way we were very happy with our performance.

Out on the Course

Once we crossed the finish line we were given our medals, which are even cooler than last year’s. This time around they included a bottle opener as part of the medal design. We were also given a souvenir pint glass, as well as a couple of beers and a variety of food. Just as last year, the lines were long but at least we were outside this time around. Plus the Uberdrome tent that was setup for Oktoberfest weekend was in use for large seating areas and musical entertainment. Overall the race was much improved verses an already successful first year. I can’t wait to run it again next  year.

Late last week a friend of mine invited me to yesterdays Bengals game versus the Cleveland Browns. He received four tickets and a parking pass through his work and offered one of the seats to me for free. Having not been to the stadium for a game in a few years the decision was easy and I immediately decided to attend.

Since I had a hockey game later in the evening, I offered to drive our group to the game. We arrived before 10 in the assigned parking lot for a little tailgate action. Unfortunately we didn’t have a plan for any food, and everyone forgot chairs, so our tailgate basically amounted to hanging around the open liftgate, snacking on chips, and having a few beers.

Coin Toss

In order to reach our seats in the 300 level we had to climb at least a dozen or so switchback ramps to the top-level concourse. The east side of the stadium has an escalator, but the west does not. Even with the lengthy climb we were still able to see the opening kickoff from our near 50 yard line seats. We had a great view of the field and the weather outside couldn’t have been more perfect for the game.

Beautiful Day

The Bengals jumped out to a quick lead when Pacman Jones returned a Cleveland punt 81 yards for the score. The stadium was officially sold out, but by my estimate at least a quarter of those in attendance were there supporting the Browns. This became evident by the loud cheers a Browns touchdown received throughout the stadium. But even with the less than 100% backing, the Bengals managed to add another touchdown in the second quarter as well as a field goal, the same scores that Cleveland had. The score was 17-10 at half time with the Bengals leading.

View From Row 1

During halftime I met up with another friend who was at the game, sneaking down to the lower level for the halftime show provided by the Ohio University marching band. Once the seats again began to fill with their owners, I started the long trek back up to my own seat. I stopped at a concession stand hoping to buy a slice of pizza. However all I could find were chicken fingers, popcorn, hamburgers, and hot dogs. I settled on the chicken fingers, realizing that the food offerings at Paul Brown Stadium leave a lot to be desired.

Back to the football game at hand, the third and fourth quarters were filled with back and forth touchdowns for the teams. It seemed that none of the scores were from inside the red zone, and were instead the result of long pass or run plays. It made for an exciting game, that’s for sure. We stayed all the way to the end of the game, as it never quite seemed that the Bengals had it completely wrapped up. The Browns had it down to a 7 point game, and even tried for the onside kick, but the Bengals recovered and went on to win the game 34-27. Who Dey!

Saturday night was the fourth Reds game of the season for me, and the second time I was in attendance when 11 or more Reds’ strikeouts were thrown. That means free pizza from LaRosa’s as well as ice cream from UDF as part of the Strikeouts for Slices and Scoops promotion. The first time it happened I forgot to trade in my ticket stubs, but I’m not going to let that happen this time.

We met up with my friend Tracey and her boyfriend for the game, who had driven down from the Dayton area for the day. Even though Tracey is originally from the area, she spent a good chunk of time in Chicago after college. The Cubs were in town for the weekend and had a double-header with the Reds on Saturday.

Trey was getting a little antsy toward the end of the game, so I took him for a walk around the stadium. I get to see the game from all different angles, while Trey gets to run around and be a kid. It’s a win-win.

Out In Centerfield

The game was a high scoring affair, with 2 home-runs by Ryan Ludwick. The Reds fell behind in the fourth, and though they tried to mount a late comeback they ended up losing 7-9. Tracey was sporting her Cubs gear, so at least there was one happy fan in our group. And even with the loss, we all had a great time at the game.

Last Thursday night we attended the Florence Freedom game along with some of Kim’s family. We ran into a brief rain storm on the way to the game and were treated to a full rainbow over the parking lot. It’s impossible to take a wide photo on the iPhone, so I tried to stitch a couple together. Pretty poor results, but you get the idea.

Stitched Rainbow

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a double rainbow!

Double Rainbow

We had excellent seats to the game, in the VIP section which includes wait service from the staff. To make it even better, it was $1 beer and hot dog night. Plus the Freedom won the game in extra innings and the entire night was capped off with a nice firework display to honor our military.

Freedom Games Are Fun

I attended my third Reds game of the season last night. Kim emailed me around lunch time to see if I was interested in free tickets to the game from her employer. Immediately I said yes, and that was before I knew that the tickets were Scout Box Seats valued at over $75 each. Our seats were directly behind home plate, about ten rows up. The Scout Seats earned their name as these are the seats that Major League scouts occupy during games, in fact one was sitting in the seat next to me.

Entrance To Scouts Alley

Trey Inside Scouts Alley

Included in the ticket price are a host of amenities, including in-seat food and beverage service, and access to Scouts Alley, a private lounge for scout box and scout seat holders only. In addition the seats are padded and two inches wider than the typical seats in the ballpark. I definitely have never been as comfortable or as close to a Major League game as I was last night.

Trey With Gapper

View From Scout Box Seats

Another Look At The Ball Park

And to top it all off, the Reds beat the Padres 7-6!

Monday night I attended my second Reds game of the season. Some of Kim’s extended family was in town and organized a family outing to the game, complete with great seats down the third base line.

Outside Great American Ball Park

Third Base Line

It was also Reds Racing Night with “The King” Richard Petty, NASCAR drivers Bobby Labonte and Aric Almirola and the largest collection of racing showcars, simulators and interactives ever in the Ohio/Kentucky area.

Richard Petty

Eric McClure’s Car

More importantly, the Reds pulled out an exciting 3-1 win over the Brewers. Reds pitcher Mat Latos pitched a complete game with a career high 13 strikeouts. Anytime the Reds pitch 11 or more strikeouts, fans in attendance receive a free LaRosa’s pizza and a scoop of UDF ice cream. Latos performance made for 34,485 very happy people.

Reds Win

Fireworks