Well, I'm glad that's done!

Photos from the Sarasota Half Marathon 3/2, 6:00 AM

Well, I got 21.5 miles in this morning. I'm surprised. It went better than my 18 2 weeks ago. And it really wasn't that bad. I dressed just right and never was cold--2 pairs of pants, 2 tops and a coat, balaclava and hat, gloves and mittens. Perfect. The wind wasn't an issue early on, but it did feel breezier (from the south, which hopefully portends a warming trend) after the first 10 or so. I kept my face covered the whole time. But all in all, it went OK. Whew! All I want to do is finish Boston in under 6:00 so I get that medal ... I have no illusions (only delusions) about a hoped-for finishing time.

Hero for the day? Joe Gyura, our water stop solo act. He covered two stops, and the second one was hit twice for those doing the 15-mile option. Way to go, Joe, braving the single digit cold for us. Kudos, kudos, kudos.

Blast from the past!! Dave Duncan was there at the RAC this morning. It was great to see him out running again. Up 'til a couple years ago, we'd run a lot of miles together. And Lin was kind enough to announce his milestone birthday this week. ;-)

According to Versus, the World Indoor T&F meet is on from 5-6pm, 6-7 pm, 10-11 pm today and 5-7 pm and 9-pm Sunday. I don't know whether they're repeats or not. Tune in to find out.

Just read on Runners' World that the women's winner of the Sarasota Marathon was DQ'd for not crossing the mats in miles 17/18. Here'sthe story along with 2 links to some rather artsy fun photos of the race.

From the previous poll, it looks like my blog readers (or at least the ones who vote) are predominantly asics wearers. I count myself amongst you as well (2120's--and I have a pair of 2130's in the closet). Love 'em.

Photos from Sarasota.

RTC members celebrating birthdays in March: Jeanne Block, Craig Blommer, Bruce Bonnicksen, Teresa Byland, Ron Giles, Mary Haen, Gregg or Michelle Hanson, Dave Morrill, Eric Overby, Duane Price, Kristi Quade-Wiedrich, Laura Lenz. Happy Birthday, one and all! (This list may not be complete as we just started saving the data in our membership data.)

Let's meet Ron and Gina Sundsmo, who will be on the beaches of Hawaii in 3 weeks ...

Family? Ron and I have a great dog-Hula. (Ron has 2 kids Jessie and Adam)

Hobbies? Running-golf-fishing-traveling

Languages you speak? broken English and Pig Latin We can also order beer and ask where the bathroom is in Spanish.

How did you get started in running? Gina started running with her dad 26 years ago to get in shape. Ron started running when we first started dating.

Miles per week on average? 20-35 miles

Your defacto, comfortable as a broken-in shoe training route? We run from our house to the Pump and Munch over to Meadow Lakes and back through the Manor up to our house. About 6 miles round trip.

How often do you run it? Can't give away all the info. We don't want to set ourselves up for an ambush!

Favorite carbo loading food? Spaghetti and meatsauce

Favorite indulgence food? We both love the chocolate crumb bars and I love cookie dough too.

Next race? We are going to Maui this year and are hoping to enter the Central Valley 10K while we are there.

Running goals? We hope to get through the spring and summer without any season ending injuries or illnesses. We are signed up for the Med-City Marathon this year.

Running dream? Who wouldn't want to qualify for Boston? Gina would love to be able to run with her Dad again someday. He'll need a new knee before that happens.

Thought for the day: A smile is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and an antidote for trouble.

Stay cool. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead by an hour tonight.