Midwest Marathons

A wonderful run with Larry and the Gals today. 6.87 miles. Sandy, Judy, Jenny and I. Christy put up with Larry all by herself earlier. Sheri and Al were smart and came later so they could have Judy all to their selves! Great to see Sheri back out again!

I log my miles on breakingthetape.com. It makes figuring out year end totals and how many miles I have on a pair of shoes very easy. One graph that is fun is the one that shows monthly totals. Go to 2007. Can you tell where I was fighting my injury?

Here is some information on registration for the "Big 3" Midwest Marathons that I thought you would find interesting, especially the change in Grandma's. Thanks to River City Running Club's newsletter.

OK, so what do you need to be watching for if your plans include one of the big three? First up on the calendar is Grandma's. Unlike in previous years when only regular mail entries were accepted and the prior year's entrants would be mailed an entry form a few days in advance, this year Grandma's has gone to on-line registration only. Registration begins at midnight on January 17. With this new system, I'm going to guess that the field will be filled in less than a week since out-of-state runners will not have to wait for the mailed entry form.

Although the Chicago Marathon won't be held until October, registration opens on February 1! And every year it fills earlier, and despite the problems that occurred with the heat in 2007, this race will likely fill in about a month or so in 2008.

If you're thinking about the Twin Cities Marathon, a date has not yet been set for registration to open, but it will probably be in early May as usual. Like Grandma's, this race is limited to about 9000 runners and will fill in about a week or so.

Patience!

I am sure Tom has been checking my blog every 5 minutes just waiting for me to post even though he said it has been a bit boring lately! I guess I am learning like all big stars do that fans can be quite demanding!

Although, Tom once made the mistake of telling me once how much he was bummed when he wasn't mentioned in my blog even when he ran with us. I truly think it was one of the few times he said something completely serious - or am I just being naive?

My posting was delayed because it took me a while to recover from my extra half hour of running with Mike. It wasn't the running - it was listening to Mike! Geesh!

At Larry and Judy's recent Christmas gathering, Larry inspired me (when doesn't he?) He was sporting his "flame" shirt and pants. No - not THAT kind of "flame" the fire kind. It inspired me to find a new Sparta "uniform" for GB this year. I found it! I think our fellow competitors would be overwhelmed at how "HOT" we look! Okay - maybe just Larry can pull this off!

On a some what related note which is 'drawing attention to yourself' The Complete Running Network has an article on 'Men in Tights". I know this can be an uncomfortable topic for men - no pun intended, but it is does offer men some great tips on choosing which tight works for them.

Was this post more exciting for you Tom?

10% rule being challenged?

I know, I know.... the title of this post should have had the words "Green Bay Packers" in it, but I am saving that until next Monday!

I brisk run this morning with the cousins and Jenny. The cold wind took me by surprise. I am not sure if it was the cold run or the lingering excitement from the Packer victory that made the pace faster than usual. (I can hear Jill thanking her lucky stars that she didn't roll out of bed and join us.)

I learned yesterday that I might have a slight addiction problem with Wii's Super Mario Galaxy game. Apparently, I was experiencing the need to satisfy some unrealized desires from my adolescence since my parents never got us an Atari or InteTelvision game. If you ever need to know how to get past the first Galaxy - I am your person!

Since the training season is quickly approaching, I thought you would find this article on whether or not the 10% rule works interesting. The 10 percent rule states you should increase your training mileage or intensity no more than 10 percent each week.

Ice Be Gone!

and it was! The roads were pretty ice free this morning. It was Jill who made it happen. She put on her traction shoes, which of course means Murphy's Law kicked in and she didn't need them.

A very humorous run with Jill and Mike this morning. I have to be careful though. Since I don't know all the Sparta history and since they love to give each other grief, I never know if it is something I should be laughing at or not. Apparently, Mike as the JV (not VARSITY) boys (he wished it was girls) basketball team. He said Christy is to blame.....

I needed the comic relief this morning. I told Mike and Christy I was feeling a little down this morning. Yesterday afternoon during the Ellen DeGeneres show there was a commercial call for the attention of anyone born between 1925 and 1968 (the latter being the glorious year I was born). It caught my attention b/c I couldn't imagine a class action suit that would cover such a broad category. Well, it wasn't a lawsuit, but it took a while for them to get to the point (kinda like those "head on" commercials). I soon realized they wanted you to buy "Peace of Mind" Insurance which ensures the loved ones you leave behind will have enough money to pay for your funeral!!!! WHAT!!!! Have these people not heard that 40 is the new 20? Geesh! What a blow!

Bunny Rabbit

It was so warm today that a bunny even thought spring was coming... we saw him running to tell his friends. Or maybe that was the groundhog coming out a month early!

A nice run with Sandy, Jill and Jenny.

New feature on the blog. On the upper right hand corner you will see a spot to e-mail subscribe. I believe this will inform you via e-mail when I have posted something new. This is in direct response to Bryan who was complaining about going to the blog and being disappointed that I hadn't posted anything new. Just goes to prove that I listen to my readers!