A great group run with almost everyone this morning. It appears that the temperature has dipped to the point that calling of the dreadmill can no longer be resisted by certain members of our group. We will see them in spring!
Running along the cozy streets of Sparta wasn't quite the same as running through Central Park. It would be great to live in a city with such a great park. Of course if I lived there I couldn't afford to be within running distance of the park! So I guess the path along Beaver Creek will have to satisfy me.
While in NYC I also got to experience one of my worst dreadmill experiences every. I won't bore you with the details except to say that I only ran 2 miles and the people on the elevator afterwards were not happy with my new perfume - "profuse body sweat". Although I have to give them credit - no New York F bombs or similar language was directed my way. Of course, since I was in a hotel they probably were just visitors not true New Yorkers.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veterans Day
Don't forget to honor and thank those who have served our country.... even if it is Mike.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Running Top Ten
I am running short on time this morning, but I mentioned this during our run this morning, so I figured I had better share it.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Missed Out!
I learned this morning that I missed out on Rhonda running with the morning group! I hope you come again!
A good morning run with the Cousins this morning. Christy actually set her alarm right so she was there. The bad karma from complaining about her fellow runners not showing up finally has worn off!
When I first saw the following clip it said that it was BEER that got destroyed. Everyone (except Beerhater) will be relieved to know it was hard liquor. Whew.... I was panicked there for a moment.
A good morning run with the Cousins this morning. Christy actually set her alarm right so she was there. The bad karma from complaining about her fellow runners not showing up finally has worn off!
When I first saw the following clip it said that it was BEER that got destroyed. Everyone (except Beerhater) will be relieved to know it was hard liquor. Whew.... I was panicked there for a moment.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Bummer
Packers lost today - BUMMER. Even more so DH was at the game... sucks being at a game that they lose at, especially losing to the Vikings (Wendy - I DON'T want to hear it), especially with Farve playing. Yes - I actually WATCHED the game. I suppose DH will now blame me for the loss since it was the one thing different from other games.... they have won up to now... right...;-)
It a glum mood I turned towards the Internet. I have been feeling a bit bored with it lately. I currently don't have any sites I like to go to and see "what's up". I learned a good thing and a bad thing. The bad thing is that people have a lot more imaginative blog names than mine. Creativity is not my thing (but organization is!). The good thing is that there are a lot of running blogs out there that have not had a post in an awfully long time. Although I have been known to have some good gaps between posts, I have been blogging since December 30, 2006. So, coming up on 3 years! Wow! Time flies! Those who run marathons with me know how consistent I am... even if I don't want to be.
I didn't find any new interesting blogs... so if anyone knows of any, let me know....
It a glum mood I turned towards the Internet. I have been feeling a bit bored with it lately. I currently don't have any sites I like to go to and see "what's up". I learned a good thing and a bad thing. The bad thing is that people have a lot more imaginative blog names than mine. Creativity is not my thing (but organization is!). The good thing is that there are a lot of running blogs out there that have not had a post in an awfully long time. Although I have been known to have some good gaps between posts, I have been blogging since December 30, 2006. So, coming up on 3 years! Wow! Time flies! Those who run marathons with me know how consistent I am... even if I don't want to be.
I didn't find any new interesting blogs... so if anyone knows of any, let me know....
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tempted
I was very tempted to call Bryan last night and say "It looks like it is going to be raining, so I am not planning on running." But since last time we had planned to run, I did almost the same thing, I knew I would be opening myself up to endless grief. So, I opted to waited to see if it was actually raining in the morning before I called and bailed.
Unfortunately, when I stepped outside it was NOT raining. So much for getting to sleep late on a non school day! I had a hard time believing my themometer too.... 58 degrees! Couldn't be! So I am so glad I didn't do a preemptive bail otherwise I would have missed out on one of the last warm runs of the year... which is what happened to the THREE people who stood up Christy at 5:00 am! Shame, Shame... I think you will be getting tricked instead of treated this Halloween!
So it was another nice run with Bryan. Today's topic was buying and maintaining cars. I learned a lot. Thanks Bryan.
Unfortunately, when I stepped outside it was NOT raining. So much for getting to sleep late on a non school day! I had a hard time believing my themometer too.... 58 degrees! Couldn't be! So I am so glad I didn't do a preemptive bail otherwise I would have missed out on one of the last warm runs of the year... which is what happened to the THREE people who stood up Christy at 5:00 am! Shame, Shame... I think you will be getting tricked instead of treated this Halloween!
So it was another nice run with Bryan. Today's topic was buying and maintaining cars. I learned a lot. Thanks Bryan.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Warning
A warning to our running group:
Beware of when Elyse and Mike start talking football!
This morning was an enjoyable run until E and M started talking football... our pace ended up being 8:45!
Beware of when Elyse and Mike start talking football!
This morning was an enjoyable run until E and M started talking football... our pace ended up being 8:45!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
It has been awhile
Wow! I didn't realize how long it had been since I last posted! I have run since Oct 10th! But not much. Last week the morning run got rained out 3 times! I was convinced by Kwik Trip gal to go running with her and one of the Cousins on Thursday evening. As usual, dreaded doing it, but was glad I did.
The raining weather must have gotten to everyone because today was a big group, everyone except for Jenny and Wendy. We did a spontaneous new route that got everyone in the mood for Halloween (dark and scary). It was nice to have the big group again... I left feeling very happy and thankful!
The raining weather must have gotten to everyone because today was a big group, everyone except for Jenny and Wendy. We did a spontaneous new route that got everyone in the mood for Halloween (dark and scary). It was nice to have the big group again... I left feeling very happy and thankful!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Firsts
Today was one of firsts.
It was my first run after the marathon. My legs felt good and I felt pretty good too. My hamstring still twinges, but it hasn't caused a problem yet, just worry.
It was my first run EVER with my college roommate Wendi. She has gotten the running bug! (big sly grin here!) When I talked to her late in summer she mentioned doing a 5K together. THEN the next time I talked to her she said she had just run a 10 miler!!! Sneaky Women!
It was great to share the love of running with her along the lake shore of Milwaukee. Maybe that is why my first run after the marathon didn't seem so bad. I was just enjoying the moment being with one of my best friends in life while doing something so great! And just LOVING it! One more thing we can share together.
It was my first run after the marathon. My legs felt good and I felt pretty good too. My hamstring still twinges, but it hasn't caused a problem yet, just worry.
It was my first run EVER with my college roommate Wendi. She has gotten the running bug! (big sly grin here!) When I talked to her late in summer she mentioned doing a 5K together. THEN the next time I talked to her she said she had just run a 10 miler!!! Sneaky Women!
It was great to share the love of running with her along the lake shore of Milwaukee. Maybe that is why my first run after the marathon didn't seem so bad. I was just enjoying the moment being with one of my best friends in life while doing something so great! And just LOVING it! One more thing we can share together.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Twin Cities Race Report
It is time to report on the Twin Cities Marathon! Great weather, amazing spectators. The spectators are second only to Chicago. There was hardly a place on the whole course where there wasn't someone cheering you on. The course truly has to be the most beautiful urban course. It takes you through many parks and all of the grand old houses of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The course itself was truly challenging.
I knew that there was a 2 mile long long hill starting about mile 21. So, around mile 15 I started telling myself to just put in good miles until then and then have the goal of getting up the hill without stopping. It was very, very hard though. It hit just as I was starting to struggle. I am surprised I didn't get pulled out of the race by medical for going a little looping. I started breaking the course into smaller, manageable chunks such as ... the next stop light.... the bright green sign..... the light green tree.... followed by "I can do this, I can do this". Unfortunately for all those around me... I was not saying this in my head, but out loud and I found that I got louder as it got harder. I caught a couple of side long glances from fellow runners.... who I might add I was passing.
As always I found myself at the point where I thought "Who the F**** cares how fast I do this race. I knew I wasn't going to PR... which makes it hard for me mentally and I thought I wasn't going to be close to my past 3 marathons of 4:09. But I have to admit the illusion of the 2 mile down hill helped me work through it.
I say illusion because their idea of downhill is MUCH different than mine! True, when I reached the last half mile it was downhill, which was great. But earlier when I could see the heads and shoulders of runners several blocks ahead, I wanted to stop and yell "Where is the downhill?!?" Sandy said she saw a women stop at somewhere in mile 24-25 and yell "Where the hell is the finish" I can totally sympathize with her!
The post race was good, but when they isn't beer then it will never be the perfect post race party. The Salty Nutrolls were fantastic! I think that is now a favorite post race treat for me, replacing the cinnamon sugar donut holes at Whistlestop. The T-shirts were technical long sleeve which is always nice. I was disappointed that I couldn't find a decent race t-shirt at the expo. It looked like they were sold out.
My foot held up very well, my left hamstring didn't give me much problem. My right quad got pretty tight and I was afraid that it would start cramping, but it didn't. When I was going down the home stretch my quads felt very tight and I was just hoping they wouldn't seize up before I crossed the finish line and thankfully they didn't. Plus they didn't right after the finish line either. The day after the race my foot feels real good and my quads are sore like they normally are. I can go downstairs the right direction, but it isn't pretty.
All in all I would do Twin Cities again, but try and enjoy the race and surroundings much more. Something I struggle to do at every race. After the race when we are discussing what we saw, I never see anything. This is a race that it would be fun to relax and take it as a long run and not worry about time.
I knew that there was a 2 mile long long hill starting about mile 21. So, around mile 15 I started telling myself to just put in good miles until then and then have the goal of getting up the hill without stopping. It was very, very hard though. It hit just as I was starting to struggle. I am surprised I didn't get pulled out of the race by medical for going a little looping. I started breaking the course into smaller, manageable chunks such as ... the next stop light.... the bright green sign..... the light green tree.... followed by "I can do this, I can do this". Unfortunately for all those around me... I was not saying this in my head, but out loud and I found that I got louder as it got harder. I caught a couple of side long glances from fellow runners.... who I might add I was passing.
As always I found myself at the point where I thought "Who the F**** cares how fast I do this race. I knew I wasn't going to PR... which makes it hard for me mentally and I thought I wasn't going to be close to my past 3 marathons of 4:09. But I have to admit the illusion of the 2 mile down hill helped me work through it.
I say illusion because their idea of downhill is MUCH different than mine! True, when I reached the last half mile it was downhill, which was great. But earlier when I could see the heads and shoulders of runners several blocks ahead, I wanted to stop and yell "Where is the downhill?!?" Sandy said she saw a women stop at somewhere in mile 24-25 and yell "Where the hell is the finish" I can totally sympathize with her!
The post race was good, but when they isn't beer then it will never be the perfect post race party. The Salty Nutrolls were fantastic! I think that is now a favorite post race treat for me, replacing the cinnamon sugar donut holes at Whistlestop. The T-shirts were technical long sleeve which is always nice. I was disappointed that I couldn't find a decent race t-shirt at the expo. It looked like they were sold out.
My foot held up very well, my left hamstring didn't give me much problem. My right quad got pretty tight and I was afraid that it would start cramping, but it didn't. When I was going down the home stretch my quads felt very tight and I was just hoping they wouldn't seize up before I crossed the finish line and thankfully they didn't. Plus they didn't right after the finish line either. The day after the race my foot feels real good and my quads are sore like they normally are. I can go downstairs the right direction, but it isn't pretty.
All in all I would do Twin Cities again, but try and enjoy the race and surroundings much more. Something I struggle to do at every race. After the race when we are discussing what we saw, I never see anything. This is a race that it would be fun to relax and take it as a long run and not worry about time.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Conspiracy?
After looking at the weather forecast for St. Paul next weekend, I couldn't help but wonder if there is a conspiracy afoot. It is forecasting a chance of rain Saturday, Saturday night, Sunday night and Monday - every forecast period except Sunday which is sunny and perfect running weather, which coincidentally is when the marathon is taking place. Hmmmm.
It brought two memories to mind.
One was a fateful trip to Bayfield's Applefest with my friend Wendi. We were intending to spend 3 glorious days there. Now, those of you have been to Bayfield know that if outdoor activities are out, there isn't a whole lot to do. The moment we arrived it started to pour. That evening we started asking our B&B hostess what the weather forecast was (conveniently there was no TV or radio in our rooms or the common area). Her reply always was "I am sure it is going to turn beautiful". After the 5th time it was hard not to retort back "I don't care what you think, I want to know what the meteorologist thinks!" Needless to say we left early and went to the nearby Hellman cabin where at least we could watch rented movies!
The second one is very relevant for this time of year. Long ago the Forestry Division (who I work for) was responsible for providing the Department of Tourism with the fall color forecast. One year staff reported that the fall colors would not be particularly stunning for various weather and precipitation reasons. Soon they got a call from s another, more powerful state office, who shall not be named here, informing them that, in fact, the fall colors would be spectacular... in fact EVERY year they would be spectacular. There is a lot of power in those tourism dollars...at least that is how the story goes....
But I am sure that in actuality good weather will prevail and we will have a beautiful day for the Marathon... but I might check a few other weather sites just to make sure....
It brought two memories to mind.
One was a fateful trip to Bayfield's Applefest with my friend Wendi. We were intending to spend 3 glorious days there. Now, those of you have been to Bayfield know that if outdoor activities are out, there isn't a whole lot to do. The moment we arrived it started to pour. That evening we started asking our B&B hostess what the weather forecast was (conveniently there was no TV or radio in our rooms or the common area). Her reply always was "I am sure it is going to turn beautiful". After the 5th time it was hard not to retort back "I don't care what you think, I want to know what the meteorologist thinks!" Needless to say we left early and went to the nearby Hellman cabin where at least we could watch rented movies!
The second one is very relevant for this time of year. Long ago the Forestry Division (who I work for) was responsible for providing the Department of Tourism with the fall color forecast. One year staff reported that the fall colors would not be particularly stunning for various weather and precipitation reasons. Soon they got a call from s another, more powerful state office, who shall not be named here, informing them that, in fact, the fall colors would be spectacular... in fact EVERY year they would be spectacular. There is a lot of power in those tourism dollars...at least that is how the story goes....
But I am sure that in actuality good weather will prevail and we will have a beautiful day for the Marathon... but I might check a few other weather sites just to make sure....
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Let downs
It was a warm and drippy run this morning, but a lot of fun conversations. I apparently missed a lot of ribbing by missing Tuesdays run. I was appreciative that they were willing to recap. Of course, Mike was the one retelling stories, I am not sure if Elyse, Katie and Jill appreciated it since they were usually the butt of the joke!
I told them that yesterday I had a frustrating day in the world of running gear shopping. My initial reason to shop was to get grippers for the icy season that will undoubtedly come before they are all sold out. I decided to try a new kind, ice joggers. I became fairly frustrated since I had a very hard time finding out what shoe sizes S,M,L equated too. (shame on you Road Runner Sports). Having finally accomplished that task I realized I should buy some energy gel since mine are about gone. I was pretty excited when I saw a new seasonal favor "mint chocolate". MMMMMM. The reviews I saw were good too. However, I wanted to be sure they had caffeine which was not readily apparent (shame on you AGAIN Road Runner Sports). So again I had to go searching to other websites to figure it out. I finally found an ingredient list that contained a ingredient that said behind it "contains caffeine". Not exactly resounding proof, but at this point I was willing to take it. I put it in my shopping cart only to learn that it wouldn't be shipped until Oct 9 - AFTER my marathon. UGH! All that hard work and salivation for nothing! Just not my day for easy Internet shopping!
I told them that yesterday I had a frustrating day in the world of running gear shopping. My initial reason to shop was to get grippers for the icy season that will undoubtedly come before they are all sold out. I decided to try a new kind, ice joggers. I became fairly frustrated since I had a very hard time finding out what shoe sizes S,M,L equated too. (shame on you Road Runner Sports). Having finally accomplished that task I realized I should buy some energy gel since mine are about gone. I was pretty excited when I saw a new seasonal favor "mint chocolate". MMMMMM. The reviews I saw were good too. However, I wanted to be sure they had caffeine which was not readily apparent (shame on you AGAIN Road Runner Sports). So again I had to go searching to other websites to figure it out. I finally found an ingredient list that contained a ingredient that said behind it "contains caffeine". Not exactly resounding proof, but at this point I was willing to take it. I put it in my shopping cart only to learn that it wouldn't be shipped until Oct 9 - AFTER my marathon. UGH! All that hard work and salivation for nothing! Just not my day for easy Internet shopping!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
1000 miles
I just realized that this morning I passed the 1000 mile mark for the year! I am on track to break my yearly mileage record of 1291. I really don't mind if I don't break it because it isn't one of those records I want to keep on breaking! But I do like to reach 1200 each year.
I also noticed that my blog has had 12,000 visits! Wow. Of course, I believe that is over the 3 years (as it really been that long???) that I have been doing this. So, I guess that isn't that great.
A STEAMY run this morning. 65 degrees and high, high humidity. I am wondering when reality is going to hit.
I also noticed that my blog has had 12,000 visits! Wow. Of course, I believe that is over the 3 years (as it really been that long???) that I have been doing this. So, I guess that isn't that great.
A STEAMY run this morning. 65 degrees and high, high humidity. I am wondering when reality is going to hit.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Great Weather, Can't See.
It is that time of year when running is filled with mixed blessings....
1. It is perfect running weather, but so dark it is hard to see.
2. Marathon training is over, but the actual race is 2 weeks away.
3. We have great tans from a summer of running, but now we have to cover them up because it is getting cold.
4. Just as marathon training ends, the marathons of eating begin (football season, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Holiday parties etc, etc)
Speaking of eating, a few of us have been participating in a group weight loss effort. It is not a "challenge". It is just some sharing of personal info (Here is how much do I weigh today!) with the hope that all this sharing will provide extra motivation to eat right. So, that made me really relate to the following video:
1. It is perfect running weather, but so dark it is hard to see.
2. Marathon training is over, but the actual race is 2 weeks away.
3. We have great tans from a summer of running, but now we have to cover them up because it is getting cold.
4. Just as marathon training ends, the marathons of eating begin (football season, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Holiday parties etc, etc)
Speaking of eating, a few of us have been participating in a group weight loss effort. It is not a "challenge". It is just some sharing of personal info (Here is how much do I weigh today!) with the hope that all this sharing will provide extra motivation to eat right. So, that made me really relate to the following video:
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