Fall fun, pumpkin carving, and wet Halloween...

We got out yesterday for a bike ride.  Evan rode in the pull-behind trailer that I got from a family member.  Summer ended up riding as well and we went out to see a dog park, but sadly only a couple of dogs for us to watch.

The only "long run" I have done since the Columbus Marathon was a 4 mile run on Saturday with Columbus Westside Running Club.  I have a hip/groin/quad strain.  I had it before the marathon, but that aggravated it a little more.  I have the training done, so trying to rest up and lay off the running.  The Fuzzy Fandango is now only a week and a half away, so I want to be as close to 100% for my first 50k (32 miles). 

It is looking wet, chilly, and windy for trick or treat, so we have been doing a couple trunk or treats with the kids so we can get the most out of the holiday.  Woody and Jessie had a great time. 

We had a pumpkin carving contest at work, so I did the script Ohio.  I also did matching pumpkins for the kids.  The big yellow pumpkin that I grew seemed perfect for a big Toy Story logo as well. 

Rain is on the way in, grab the rain gear!  Today we are starting cool, cloudy, and dry, but rain moving into Ohio.  There may be a couple of spotty showers before lunch time, but most of the steady rain will move in for the afternoon and evening. Highs today in the lower 60s.  Tonight we will see some scattered rain possible, but not as consistent as the afternoon today.  Temps do not cool down much and we will see overnight lows in the upper 50s. 

 Halloween will start damp then rain will pick up during the late morning and midday.  Some heavy rain at times and even a few rumbles of thunder possible.  Our cold front looks to swing through during the afternoon.  This will push the steady rain to the east and some hit or miss rain for the rest of the day with quickly falling temps and winds picking up.  By the evening our temps will be falling into the 40s with winds around 15-20 mph and gusts 30+ mph.

So trick or treat looks to be damp, chilly, and windy. The chance of rain during the day goes from 90% midday down to about 40% during trick or treat.

As temps continue to fall into the 30s Thursday night we could see some snow trying to mix into the rain. No accumulations expected. The wintry mix will be gone by daybreak Friday, but still breezy and much colder with lows in the lower 30s and wind chills in the 20s. Friday and the weekend will be chilly with morning temps in the lower 30s and afternoon high temps in the upper 40s. Mix of sun & clouds on Friday and Saturday then more sun by Sunday. We bounce back into the 50s next week. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Fall colors, Columbus Marathon, Evan's walking, wet Halloween?

Check out these amazing colors!  I have been to the park almost on a daily basis, with the kids, the past couple of weeks to soak in beautiful weather and fall foliage!  Hopefully you have been doing the same.  Lots to get to... let's go!  (I need go get better about doing these more on a daily basis... I will work on that)(

Dawn thought I was crazy... Summer's toy laptop stopped working so I opened it up and found a loose wire connecting to the electronic wiring board.  Got out my soldering rod...

FIXED!  Summer was so excited and it melted my heart when she genuinely said "Thank you Dad, I love you!"

I also went out for lunch last week with some long-time viewers... well... they are more like family friends now.  These four people have been more than generous with our family.  Very supportive of my business and the kids have some amazing gifts from these people.  Evan and Summer still have their blankets that Cathy crocheted for them.  Evan sleeps with it daily.

Thursday the family went to the Circleville Pumpkin Show.  Lots of fun! Summer loved the rides.  We got our fair share of pumpkin donuts as well. 

We had a wedding Saturday for a good friend of Dawn.  Check out my hot date!  So we went up to Cleveland for that and then drove home that night. Because...

I ran the Columbus Marathon on Sunday.  My goal was only to finish and finish healthy with no injuries. I ran with my great buddy Carl.  We just wanted to keep each other honest and not go out too fast.  It got a little rough at times.  I had side stitches for a few miles and then my foot got "hot" because I didn't have time to break in a new pair of shoes after my other pair ripped.  But we finished and feeling pretty good now.  I do have a hip strain, but I had that before the marathon.  Taking it easy the next couple of weeks until the Fuzzy Fandango 50k.  I will just keep the cobwebs from forming and may do more cross-training with the bike. 

Back to the park for more fun.  Summer and Evan love it.

Evan has been getting more and more strength in his legs and confidence to start walking.

And Summer has been there to hold his hand and help him along the way.

And now we have a walker! He still needs something to pull himself up, so he doesn't understand how to stand up in the middle of a room, but he is LOVING it. 

I went for a 2 mile run yesterday with Summer and I asked if she wanted to join me on the trails for a quick run.  

She said yes and loved it.   We did about a quarter of a mile through the trails.

She loves being outside and I really want to get my kids to love the outdoors and try enjoying the outdoors more than the indoors.  

Speaking of getting outdoors... GO DO IT!  The leaves have changed very quickly this year with our recent cool temps.  They will be falling a lot this weekend with the rain and a stiff breeze.

We made it to Friday! Today will be a little cooler and cloudier than the past few days.  We have a stationary front parked across Southeastern Ohio draped from Texas up to Maine.  An area of low pressure in Texas will ride up that front and bring rain for Ohio, especially for Saturday afternoon, evening, night and early Sunday.  The radar is picking up on a couple of spotty light rain showers in Indiana moving into Ohio.  It is very light and you may see a quick spotty shower or sprinkle today, 20% chance of rain today.  For most of us the day will be cloudy and cool with highs in the lower 60s with very light and calm winds. Staying mostly cloudy for tonight with lows in the upper 40s.

Saturday will start cloudy, cool, and dry.  Rain moves in around lunch time and will be on and off for the afternoon.  So there does appear to be some breaks in the rain.  It does pick up in consistency in the evening and Saturday night with steady rain likely and heavy rain at times.  It appears that Western Ohio and Indiana may see 1-2" of rain and Central Ohio would see up to and around 1" of rain.  Since the main low pressure is still in Texas it still could shift over the next 24 hours as it heads our way and we could be back in the heavier and more steady rain.  By Sunday morning the rain is starting to break up and move out to the east. Mostly cloudy on Sunday afternoon.  Highs in the lower 60s for the weekend and overnight low stays mild, mid 50s, for Sunday morning.  It will be breezy both Saturday and Sunday with winds 10-20 mph and some gusts a little stronger.

Monday and Tuesday are looking like nice days to get outside and take care of the leaves that will be falling over the weekend with the wind and rain.  Partly cloudy both days with highs in the lower 60s on Monday and mid-upper 60s on Tuesday.  There is a very slight chance of rain later Tuesday.

We have a strong cold front moving into the region for the middle-end of next week.  Timing is still not nailed down yet, but it is trending a little later than yesterday's models.  The GFS has the front coming through during the morning on Wednesday, the Euro is staying consistent with it coming through Thursday afternoon, and the CMC has slowed down to midday Friday.  I am still leaning toward the Euro because it has been the most consistent the past week and staying consistent now. This would mean a slight chance of rain on Wednesday, but most rain would be Thursday.  Ahead of the front we will see mild temps, so let's go with 60s on Wednesday.  If the front comes through early Thursday then our temps may only reach the 50s, but if it delays later into the day then we may reach the mid 60s again followed by quickly falling temps.  All models are pointing toward highs in the 40s by Friday.  Stay tuned as we fine-tune the timing in more detail, especially since Thursday is Halloween and the weather will play a big part in the plans for thousands of kids and parents across Central Ohio.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Boo at the Zoo, Columbus Marathon & Fuzzy Fandango prep

We had a blast over the weekend.  Dawn's mom came down and we did a LOT of activities.  We met some friends Saturday afternoon for Boo at the Zoo.  

The kids didn't like wearing the hats, so we did take a quick photo.

Lots of fun at the park over the weekend as well. Cool temps, but the sun made it so comfortable.

We have been doing a LOT of growing.  Evan is becoming more and more mobile.  He is walking a few steps here and there, but learning more and more each day.  So fun.  

Summer has been riding her bike more and more and yesterday she rode her bike all the way to the park and home.  So excited for her to become more and more independent... but not too fast. 

I have the Columbus Marathon this coming Sunday and I am fully prepped for that.  Hay is in the barn.  I was supposed to do an easy run on Saturday with only 12 miles, but I had some friends hit me up about running at Mohican State Forest.  I am running the Fuzzy Fandango 3 weeks after the marathon, so I figured I better learn the course.  My new year's resolution was to run an ultra marathon, so this would be that.  An ultra marathon is anything farther than 26.2 miles and this 50k will turn out to be around 32 miles.

Such lush trails.  Some tripping hazards, but so fun. 

Waterfall didn't have much water since we have been so dry.  I am pumped for my fall races and then a little break before my next race in January... 

Grab the jacket!  We have temps dipping into the 30s all across Central Ohio with frost for your Tuesday morning.  Sun will melt off the frost fast this morning and we warm into the lower 70s with a light breeze out of the south.  More clouds start moving in this evening. Rain and showers likely tonight, including a few rumbles of thunder.  The majority of our rain will be between midnight tonight and daybreak on Wednesday then the rain will be racing out to the east Wednesday morning.  Temps falling into the mid 40s overnight with a brisk wind switching to the west. Mostly cloudy, damp, chilly, and windy for Wednesday.  A few spotty showers or sprinkles during the afternoon, especially to the north.  High temps in Wednesday will struggle to reach the mid 50s, so the biggest impact for the day will be the chilly temps and brisk wind. Partly cloudy on Thursday with highs in the upper 50s. Mostly sunny on Friday and warming into the lower 60s.  Partly cloudy on Saturday with highs in back in the lower 70s.  Morning temps will start out near 40 on Thursday and Friday then mid 40s by Saturday morning. The forecast models don't agree well for Sunday and Monday.  Some holding off on rain until Monday, but another is sneaking some rain in on Sunday.  They all agree on high temps in the lower 70s, but lets keep a low chance of rain on Sunday for now and a higher chance of rain on Monday.  Stay tuned as we iron out the forecast.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Long weekend, fun with the kids, fall temps are back!

Thursday was my final work day of a 10 day stretch and it was our final day with temps in the 90s.  I took the kids to the park and we had a blast.  Summer made some friends then we all went back to the house for afternoon naps. 

Since I did not have to work Friday I met up with the Columbus Westside Running Club at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. I have not been able to join them for the trail runs, so this was fun.

The kids had a great time riding around in the stroller.

Friday morning I took Summer to preschool. I do not get to do this very often, so I really enjoy taking her to school. She reminded me that last time I had donuts when I took her to school.  Sooo... We went to get some donuts.

I got a little mowing done Friday morning as well.  Evan helped for part of it.  He didn't mind the ear protection at all.  Which kinda surprised me. 

My mom had the kids for the weekend so Dawn and I went out on Friday night to Out R Inn, where we first "met" or at least realized we were both single.  We actually met in meteorology class at Ohio State, but started talking at Out R Inn.

Saturday morning I had my longest run in the last 15 months.  21 miles with my Columbus Westside Running Club peeps.  Yea, I love running with them. Then Dawn and I had breakfast and got ready for a trip back to campus.

We had a tailgate for the Ohio State game.  Only a few of us went to the game and the rest of us hung out and watched the game from the parking lot. Sunday we went back to get the kids.  Summer has come down with a nasty illness so she is going to the doctor today.  Hope the rest of us stay healthy while we get her on the mend. 

We have a cold front moving across the state currently and rain showers because of that front.  We will start the morning with rain showers and by lunch time the rain will be moving into Eastern Ohio and eventually we will all be dry by late afternoon and evening.  Clouds will be clearing out as well following the rain.  So sun will start coming out for Western Ohio as early as midday and clearing skies will continue moving into Eastern Ohio through the second half of the day.  Temps are starting in the mid 50s and we will warm into the mid 60s.  So wet and cool morning then drying and mild afternoon. Tonight the skies will remain clear at first then patchy fog possible by Tuesday morning with low temps in the mid 40s, so much cooler.  We will clear the patchy fog out early tomorrow then mostly sunny and highs around 70. Lots of sun for Wednesday and warming into the mid 70s.  Similar on Thursday with a few more clouds and a couple degrees warmer.  Fantastic fall weather for a lot of the week. By Friday we will start with sunshine then increasing clouds.  The newest models are trying to sneak in some rain just before midnight.  So if you are planning on going to a high school football game then stay tuned to the forecast and be prepared to take some rain gear.  Scattered showers for Saturday, mainly early, with another cold front.  This will bring another cool down and highs in the 60s for next weekend.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Running in the heat... Fall returns SOON!

I took the kids out over the weekend for some trail miles.  I had to work the morning show so Dawn was getting a little tired for all the nights and mornings on kid duty alone.  So she got a LONG nap while I took the kids out. We also stopped at a playground to keep the kids entertained. Summer also worked on reading a book while I helped her with the words. Dawn deserves a lot of credit because with my crazy work schedule it often means when it is bed-time duties I am trying to grab 6 hours of sleep before heading into work. Then morning duties I am already at work.  It all comes with parenting, but she is a champ. 

Had to do my long run on Friday since I was working through the weekend.  Did it while Summer was at preschool, Evan was napping, and Dawn was working.

I took Summer out for a run as early as possible yesterday, right when I got home from work, but it was already hot.  Thankfully it was not a long run, but we worked on spelling words and counted birds and butterflies.

And if it seems like I have been running a LOT... I have.  It is the peak part of my training before the Columbus Marathon, which is in 17 days.  Then 3 weeks after that I am attempting my first ultra marathon, the Fuzzy Fandango 50k. It is definitely a balancing act between work, family life, and running.  Especially since Summer is napping less and less now.  I normally would run while she napped, but those days seem to be in the past. So I am done with the highest mileage month for a while.

Speaking of family time... We went to see Jurassic World LIVE TOUR on Sunday. 

It was REALLY cool!  Totally recommend checking it out, if it comes back to town.  The kids loved it!  

Another hot day on the way today!  Columbus reached 94 yesterday, Tuesday, for the daily record high for Oct. 1st, but that also is the new record for the hottest October temperature since weather records started in 1878.  Today we are starting with mostly clear skies again and the sunshine will warm us into the lower 90s, and going with a high of 92 for today. Our daily record high for today is 88, set back in 1919, so a 100 year record is expected to be broke again today. Humidity will make it feel like 95. 

We will have more clouds in the afternoon today and a 30% chance for some isolated rain later in the day and tonight. Mostly cloudy tonight with some isolated rain with overnight lows in the upper 60s. Another strong push of warm air tomorrow before the cold front should allow us to get into the mid-upper 80s. We are going with a high of 88 and the daily record high for tomorrow is 89, set back in 1953 and 1898. There is then a 40% chance of rain for the afternoon/early evening as the cold front moves through. It will also be breezy tomorrow with early winds out of the southwest before the front pushing in the warm air then we switch to the northwest behind the front pushing in cooler air. Friday will be cooler with highs in the mid 60s with a mix of sun & clouds. Saturday will be similar with cool morning temps and then warming up a little more with a high around 70. More clouds Sunday with another cold front and a 40% chance of rain on Sunday. Most models have the rain leaving early Monday, so dropping that to a 30% chance of rain followed by more cool temps and sun. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael