Down. AGAIN.

I ran with Bruce and Mark this morning at 5:15 AM. We ran the usual Wednesday morning route ... from the Y up to Elton Hills Drive, to Broadway and back to the Y. Mark went south on Broadway and I ran down 14th St NE with Bruce. He then went home and I went to Cub Foods to get a drink of water, then down to Mayo H.S. and then decided to go by the Walgreens to see if it was open yet. Just across Broadway on 16th St I was looking north to Walgreens and all of a sudden ... I was falling. It happened so fast, but at the same time, time seemed to be standing still and all these thoughts were swirling through my head. But I just went down. I am a shuffler when I run and especially when my legs are tired (this was at mile 12). I must have hit a little lip on a sidewalk square. I looked back but it sure wasn't obvious. Anyway, my first thought was "oh no, I just ruined my brand new tights" (I didn't, but they did get bloody).

This time, it was my right knee. Last year, my left. I also caught myself on my left hand and my left middle finger is quite sore. My chin also hit the sidewalk (I pretty much went straight ahead, face first ... no rolling involved). So frustrating. Anyway, it doesn't appear to be as severe as last year as my knee didn't balloon up and get all funny colored this time. But the knee is scraped up and sore. (Scroll down FAST if you don't like blood!)

The good news ... the intersection of Salem Road Fox Valley Drive SW is now open again. Hooray. It's been quite the inconvenience. And Walgreens had a sign on the door that they're opening 11/19. Total mileage for the morning was 14.03. The calf is now officially a non-issue. :-)

It being Veteran's Day, I'd like to thank all the men and women who have served in the military to protect the freedom's we all enjoy every day. We take so much for granted.

We're (Kelly, Ben, my sister, and I) going to be seeing West Side Story on Friday evening on Broadway. Hard to believe. The Culinary Institute of America does not have any dinner openings until JANUARY!!! Major bummer, but there's absolutely nothing we can do about it. And it's not like there's no where else to eat in New York. :-) It's also been requested that I bake some cookies Friday while I'm at Kelly's at they're at work. I can TOTALLY handle that! I leave early tomorrow afternoon from Rochester.

Just a reminder that the Saturday run will be at 7:30 at Dunn Bros. on Elton Hills. Wear a shirt from a 2009 race if you ran one (or more!) If not, wear whatever you like! Here's a message from runner Dawn Beck who's now on staff at Dunn Bros:

"November brings Thanksgiving and fall flavors. The seasonal breakfast pastries this month are cranberry orange scones, applesauce oat muffins and maple glazed brioche rolls. Brioche is a slightly sweetened, egg and butter enriched, french bread. These, as well as the scones, are baked fresh every morning and are a nice alternative to the super sweet bigger-than-Texas cinnamon roll. No offense to the cinnamon roll lovers, we still have them and they are baked fresh every morning too! If you're looking for an afternoon pick-me-up there are oatmeal scotchies, choc dipped almond biscotti and espresso choc chip biscotti. If chocolate overload is the goal try the black bottom cupcake, or back by popular demand... peanut butter scotcharoos! New warm dessert additions are caramel pecan bread pudding and gingerbread apple upside down cake. The cake is like a traditional upside down cake using apples, brown sugar and gingerbread. At the end of the day brioche, cinnamon and caramel rolls are cubed and put into the freezer. These eventually become the base for the bread pudding, baked into a rich egg custard and served warm with whipped and a drizzle of caramel. December has me thinking about egg nog and holiday cookies, so stay tuned. Many of you have stopped in to say hello which makes being back in town so much fun! Keep on coming and remember to think sweet!"

Here's a link to a WCCO story about our own Kevin Torgerson running the Marine Corps marathon.

 I read about Dirty Girl Gaiters in Marathon & Beyond last night. They certainly have a wide selection of bright, fun fabrics!!

15% off shoes (even sale prices) at Running Room. There's a coupon and it appears to be on the http://www.runningroom.com/ website (I think).

This afternoon I made some Walnut Bread using a recipe in the November issue of Cooking Light. It's very good, especially with a little Cranberry Butter with Port.

It's got some whole wheat pastry flour in it. The entree was Pasta with Basil, Arugula, and Walnut Pesto, also a Cooking Light recipe. Delicious. It was supposed to be made with linguini but I didn't have any so I used some whole wheat thin spaghetti instead. Very easy to make. Just whirl everything in the food processor and toss with cooked pasta.

Asparagus was on sale at HyVee, so I made Kelly's roasted asparagus recipe with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Delish.

Well, I'm going to get to bed and get off my feet. I've not sat much today. But I guess I'll make up for it tomorrow sitting on airplanes all day. :-) But I'm not complaining. I'll blog from NY, but photos will probably have to wait until I get home.

Toodles!!

Beetles

Good turnout and LOTS of fun tonight at Beetles. Thank you all for coming! Roger, John, Karen, Tom, David, Lana (and son!), Tom, Mike, Tracy, Andy, Randy, Amy, Paul. And me, of course. Someone had to take pictures. :-)

They were very willing taste testers for my cookies. I brought these Viennese Punch Cookies, which contain dark rum in both the glaze and the filling. (It's an interesting recipe--you bake the scraps after rolling out the cookies, grind them up and then add rum, apricot preserves, melted chocolate, and lemon and orange zests and that becomes the filling.)

Tom O'Leary is such a hoot! Later in the evening I said something about taking a class at "that tapas place" and he thought I said "topless place". (This was after about 17 tall Guinness'!! On his part!!) I told him I'd better check in on his blog to make sure I get quoted accurately. And Paul Melby was talking about the age-graded calculators online and he said that his age-graded time in a recent race was for a 50-year old woman!! Ha!! There's ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with being a 50-year old woman!! (They were waiting for me to say that. You had to be there ... It was all VERY funny.) BTW: Paul Melby does NOT like chocolate. Un-be-lie-va-ble!!!

On the way home I stopped at Target. Got some yogurt, including these seasonal varieties which sounded interesting: Pumpkin, Eggnog and Bread Pudding.

The 5K at Yankee Stadium on Sunday filled sometime yesterday and we didn't get in. Oh, well. Maybe next time! Saved me $50 too. :-) I think we'll be seeing West Side Story on Broadway. Either that, or South Pacific.

Got the rest of the windows washed today. Yippee!! One screen needs to be repaired so I'll drop that off at the hardware store one of these days. No hurry at this time of year ...

In case you haven't seen it, David Letterman's top 10 thoughts while running the NYC marathon, with guest and marathon winner Meb Keflezighi.




RTC notes from John Shonyo: "Would like to put out a Help Wanted notice for RTC volunteers: we will have at least three openings on the RTC Board in 2010, so we are looking for folks who have a lot of enthusiasm (and some time) to fill those slots. We are also in search of a Membership Chair and a Web Master for the Club, and a race director for the Bear Creek 5 Mile predict your time run. If any of these opportunities are of interest to you, let me know and I can fill you in on the details."

Quote for the day: "You should live every day like it's your last day because one day you're gonna be right." --Ray Charles

Well, I think I'm going to run with Mark and Bruce (and maybe Lisa) at 5:15 AM, so I better get this ole body in bed. Good night!!

Raves and Faves

It was once again a very delicious meal at Mary's home this evening. She chose a wonderful menu. There's nothing I wouldn't make again. So everything was a rave. Faves? The ham was really nice and moist and I really like Brussels sprouts so they'd be a fave, too. As was the Cranberry Butter with Port that I brought to put on the rolls. Next month it's our annual wine, appetizer and dessert get together, this year to be hosted by Barbara. This was my contribution, Honey Buttermilk Rolls.

Tuesday evening at 6:00 at Beetles on 2nd St SW (just west of highway 52) is our 2nd monthly social get together. No running involved. Just chatter! Please join us. You don't need to be a member of any particular athletic organization ... friends and family welcome. See you then! With cookies!!

I'm tired (2 hours on the Stairmaster this morning) so I'm going to bed. Good night!

Shorts!!

November 8, and for the second day in a row, warm enough for shorts while doing yard work. Gotta luv it! After a dreadful October, I think we were due. I now have the yard ready for winter. All the raking is done and the flower beds are cleaned up. It was a good day for the Vikings to have a bye week so I didn't feel like I wanted to be inside watching "the game".

Back to yesterday. Here's a comparison of regular cocoa and dutch-processed cocoa. I can't get the dutch-processed in Rochester any more. I need it for those killer chocolate cookies.

Went to Winona to hear Matt's band concert. We went to Jefferson Grill for supper. I had the Mandarin Chicken Salad. Boring, actually. I was trying to find something without: 1) mayo; 2) bacon; and 3) cheese.

Matt says it's a "no shave November" so he's letting his beard grow all month. He last shaved on Halloween. He also got a 1/4" buzz. :-) But I like the look.

The concert was very good. It was also an honor band (high school) concert.

This morning I ran down to the Y to lift and swim. Absolutely no leg issues on the run (and without compression sleeves). Yippee!! My legs were cramping in the pool, though, so I got out after about 45 minutes. :-( That happens when my legs are tired and/or I'm dehydrated. Hi to whoever drove by on the way home in a grey Ford pick-up and honked and waved. I waved and smiled back, but didn't recognize the vehicle.

Went to the library this afternoon. Got a few books. Books on swimming ...

 Baking ...

and last month's book club novel. Maybe I can get that read on the plane going to and coming from NY. BTW: I saw the homeless guy I was talking to yesterday near HyVee at the library today. Small world. Speaking of NY, Kelly is putting together a little itinerary for us:

Friday: While Kelly and Ben are at work, explore the area aroud her house which is right on the Hudson River then 3'ish go into the city to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Broadway Play.
Saturday: Breakfast at West Point, visit a winery, view a few of the Hyde Park mansions (Rockefeller, Vanderbuilt...), Culinary Institute of America for dinner...
Sunday: 5K at Yankee Stadium (still up in the air), Brooklyn flea market, Chelsea market, Chinatown/Little Italy, 9/11 site, Battery Park, etc.

It's going to be the best birthday weekend EVER!!

I picked up my brand new 2150s today. My 2140s are reaching the end of their useful life. These are a fun color. Get them at Running Room!! I lament the fact that new shoes eventually have to get dirty ... They're soooooo pretty.

Supper tonight was Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup (Trader Joe's).

I added some sauteed onion and red pepper, some roasted corn and freshly ground pepper. It was DELICIOUS.

Tomorrow evening my Cooking Light supper club meets at Mary's house. On the menu, which sounds wonderful as usual:

Wine: Kathryn or Pam
Appetizer of choice: Kathryn or Pam
Honey Buttermilk Rolls: Renee
Tarte Tatin: Diane
Bourbon and Orange-Glazed Ham: Mary
Nutty Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad: Margo
Roasted Root Vegetables with Sorghum and Cider: Laura
Wild Rice with Apples: Barbara

I made some Pecan Praline Sandwich Cookies after supper. I made some of them open-faced. I think I'm going to drizzle some caramel over the top just to "gild the lily" as they say.

Congrats to some River Runners: Sharon Hobbs and Mike Murray for their awesome performances at Ironman Florida and Nikki Bergh for her BQ at Outer Banks. Well done!! I talked to my friend Ellen at church today and she ran a marathon with her son this fall. In Sioux City, IA. His first. That's a dream of mine--to run a marathon with one of my boys.

Some midwest mentions in Runners' World of late: 1) Our MN RRCA state rep Kim Maxwell was quoted, 2) Chris Raabe, St. Cloud River Runner and winner of Grandma's Marathon got a little sidebar, and 3) the Rotary Lights Run/Walk 5K in LaCrosse was mentioned as a race to run (and I'm thinking about doing it--and they're running an ad in the December RTC News :-)

Well, I'm fresh out of news. Time for a quote for the day: "“Optimism is the foundation of courage.”  -- Nicholas Murray Butler

Ciao!

Gorgeous!!

As I frequently do, I'll start this post with a comment about the weather. Gorgeous. Upper 60's, with little wind and plenty 'o sunshine. And that's precisely why I didn't get a post done yesterday. I spent every moment I could outside. Ran. :-) (More on that in a sec.) Mowed the lawn short for winter. Cleaned the air filter on the mower. Cleaned up some perennial beds. (I still have to clean up my little lettuce/herb garden and rake some pine needles today.)

Let's start with the run. I showed up at Panera south along with about 10 others. (Karla is hiding behind Randy.)

The prescribed course was up and around the lake. I got to 2.5 miles and decided that if I got in 5 miles I'd be one happy camper (it was my first run since re-pulling my calf muscle on Sunday) so I turned around and headed back to Panera. On the way I picked up more trash, in the form of dozens of HyVee flyers. I stopped to talk to Harry Hoffman who was out running with his dog. He said he was happy for the break. :-)

It was the inaugural wearing of my new 2XU calf guards and I must say that I really like them.

That's a good thing as they were an investment. I actually ended up wearing them pretty much all day. So ... by the time I went back out on the trail to meet the first runners coming back and then back to Panera (also ended up talking to a homeless guy -- from TX, who'd been sleeping under the bridge on the beltline, was going back to TX yesterday to escape the cold), I had in just over 6 miles. Whoo hoo! I could feel a little soreness on the spot on my calf, but it wasn't painful (if that makes any sense) and there was no pain in walking. All good. On the way back I ran into Pam King and hubby Gerry Weinrich, along with Mr. Peabody and Sadie.

 I felt like a chatterbox yesterday. There were people I knew all over the place. Upon entering Panera, there were my friends Bruce and Kay Johnson.

Bruce is the one I'd spotted riding a bike with no hands, talking on a cell phone several times this summer. He's doing a study on a 49-year old woman who won (outright, beating the men) a 400+ mile race in Canada and who's now going to climb a 22,000 foot peak. Bruce is going along to study her. I asked if he needed a sherpa. :-) Bruce is a lung guy at Mayo.

Then we hung around Panera for a while gabbing.

 Among other things, we talked about the NYC marathon which John ran last Sunday. He had a great time and highly recommends it. Clever shirts.

Sharon Mulvagh and her son stopped in for something to eat between games (hockey?) so they stopped by for a quick hi and a couple of cookies.

Tish Torchia ...

stopped in for a bag 'o carbs for the state CC meet. Her 8th grade son Ian qualified as an individual. BTW: Congrats to P.E.M. who won the boys meet. I got a gingerbread bagel to go.

which I will have for lunch today. When I got home, I couldn't leave well enough alone  ... and went back out for a couple more miles. I say Leslie Kujawa out walking her dogs. She admired :-) my new calf guards. She said my calves looked scrawny, which I took as the ultimate compliment. My goal is to TOTALLY look scrawny this winter!! Later I saw both Mike Holmes and Jim Rustad out doing yard work so I stopped and talked to them, too. Total: 10.41 miles and my legs felt GREAT. I think I'm good to go. I think I'll tell Kelly that I'm interested in the 5K at Yankee Stadium next weekend if she is too. I'll keep you posted.

More later. I'm going to swim at the Y now.

Toodles!!

Fabulous Friday

Finally some nice, fall weather. It was a beautiful day. I wish I were running. I'm thinking about trying it tomorrow morning, but I'll see what the morning brings. I might be on the Stairmaster, but I'll be joining the Off-Season Striders at Panera South for socializing, whether or not I run. I just tried a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. Nothing special, but they're edible. I probably won't make them again, though. BTW: The run starts at 7:30. I'll be there 8:15 or 8:30'ish. Then maybe I'll scoot over to Mayo H.S. and see how the Bear Creek 5 is going. The weather should bring a good turnout for that one. Then hopefully after that I'll get the rest of the windows washed on the house. That will be a good job done. Matt has another band concert tomorrow night in Winona. It's looking to be a full day.

I ventured up to Northfield today and checked out the new triathlon store: Fit To Be Tri'd

for some 2XU Calf Guards (compression leg sleeves). It was the only place in southern Minnesota that I could find them. I guess they're wildly popular as everyone is sold out. I hope they're of some benefit to me. Dave Clements said they seemed to held him during TCM this year. We'll see how it goes. The owner, Tom, has a nice shop.

Also stopped in a shop called The Rare Pair A nice selection of very comfortable looking shoes and clothes. Fun place to look around.

Before leaving town, I went into Just Food Co-op

I looked around ...

and said hello to my friend Kathryn's son Andrew who works there. Another fun place to browse! Great little town, Northfield.

When I got home, I just had a few minutes to regroup and head down to Soldier's Field for trash pick-up. Thank you Kit Hawkins for organizing it and to Jean Murray, Roger Heil and John Dinusson for helping. When we were done, Jean, Kit and I headed to O'Neil's for some liquid refreshments.

It was fun to sit and talk marathons and other things. :-)

Well, I guess that's all the news I have for today. Hope to see some of you in the morning at Panera.

Good night!

Thursday's Thoughts

Beauty of a day! I hear it's supposed to be 60 on Saturday. Gotta love that in mid-November.

Congratulations to Lionel Cheng who just completed his first ultra! Many of you might remember Lionel as he ran with us on Saturday mornings for well over a year before he went back to Singapore this summer. Such a nice guy. Read all about his ultra is his blog .

From the MTC Marathon site (they spelled Olmsted incorrectly):

Governor's Cup Challenge

Congratulations to all of the teams taking part in the 3rd Annual ING Governor’s Cup. The race is part of the TC 5K and is a way for Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. and the Governor of Minnesota to recognize the hard work that emergency responders, police, fire and ambulance workers have dedicated to our weekend of events over the last 28 years.

A special congratulations to Olmstead (sic) County Sherriff Department for taking first in challenge, with the fastest overall time! Olmstead (sic) County will recieve the traveling trophy and a brand-new AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) from Physio-Control, a division of Medtronic, to help add to their life-saving efforts.

Thank you Lisa Pelowski for the info! Kevin Torgerson was also a part of the team. I'm not sure who else, but they scored a brand new AED for the county by running so fast!!

Kit Hawkins has scheduled a trash pick-up session tomorrow (Friday) at 4:30 PM. Meet at the parking lot across Broadway from Snappy Stop. The RTC "owns" the bike trail around Soldier's Field Golf Course. Bring gloves; bags will be provided. Afterwards, head over to O'Neill's Pizza Pub for some libations. :-)

The Rochester Amateur Sport Commission puts on a banquet each year to recognize outstanding accomplishments in sports (Athletes of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, etc.) You can nominate someone for these awards: nomination form . Awards are presented at the banquet on January 8, 2010. Last year, the Rochester Track Club was a finalist.

Today I sure got an upper body workout. I went to the Y and lifted. Also swam for 45 minutes. And this afternoon, raked the yard AGAIN and then washed more windows. I'm slightly sore ... but that's a good thing. Leg is feeling good. But I'm not going to try running yet. No need.

This evening I went down to the Nordic Shop. They had a free porcelain ornament painting thing going on. A rep from Royal Copenhagen (porcelain china) was there. So I painted my little porcelain heart

(not very well, I might add) and that was that. Didn't buy any china. :-) Or anything, for that matter.

I just made some ginormous cookies for Shaun Palmer (cookies of the month). Oatmeal/Dried Cherry/Chocolate Chunk/Pecan. They're at least 4" across.

Some brownies too because I forgot that Shaun doesn't like nuts (but he gives most of the cookies away--such a nice guy).

Tomorrow I'm going to check out the new triathlon store in Northfield--Fit to be Tri'd. He's got the 2XU calf compression sleeves that I can't find anywhere else.

Yesterday my hairdresser told me about someplace in the cities she likes to eat: Psycho Suzi's If nothing else, the name sure is an attention getter! I'll let you know what I think if I ever stop by.

Quote for the day: "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you." --William Arthur

Peace.