It's Med-City Marathon Time!

Good luck to everyone who is going to be running the Med-City events, be it a relay, half marathon, 20 miles or the whole shebang! May the wind be at your back, may it all feel like it's downhill (!), and may you enjoy each and every mile. I believe there are still openings in all the events. Registration and packet pickup takes place at Running Room from 4-9 PM today and 9:30 to 6 on Saturday. Thank you to everyone who will be volunteering as well. Sidewalk sale in progress at Running Room. Stop by early for the best selection! If you're traveling this weekend, have a safe journey. And it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: don't drink and drive.

Nice article about Chris Koch in the Post-Bulletin earlier in the week. I look forward to his next marathon! He's obviously a natural.

BK5K June 21 in Winona, to benefit Winona youth. Interesting twist: "While there are awards for finishing first, in this race you are also competing against yourself. You state your personal record (PR) time and try to beat it. If you are a runner over age 40, your PR is adjusted for your age. A race day trophy goes to each participant beating his or her PR (PR must be provided in registration)." There's also prize money: "The top three overall finishers for men and for women receive trophies and win $500, $400 and $300, respectively." The course is around Lake Winona, which is as flat a course as it's possible to have.

Brett Carroll (Mayo CC and track coach and Stay Out of the Sun Run 5K winner) is organizing a race 5K on June 28 to benefit the Mayo H.S. Cross Country program. Look for more information here and on the RTC website in the near future.

There's a Project Pink 5K fun run/walk in Lake City on June 29. "Proceeds will be used for breast cancer awareness and purchase of digital mammography equipment."

Stumbled upon Wild Goose Chase 30K. Sounds like it might be fun. I have relatives in Montevideo, which is quite near the little town of Milan. I'll keep it on my short list. It looks like the 30K solo was a very small race last year, but Carrie Tollefson particiated in the 30K relay. She's from out there (Dawson).

I watched the Pac 10 outdoor track & field meet last night, which I'd taped earlier in the day. Garrett Heath, Winona native, Stanford runner and former Section 1 outstanding athlete (runner and skier), won the 1500 in 3:42.02. His photo on that link is wild. He's got short hair again, actually shorter than he did in high school.

Tracey McGuire found a pair of Running Room convertible glove/mittens near her home in NE Rochester, roughly 11th Ave and 15th St NE area. If they're yours, let me know and I'll get you in contact with Tracey.

So Matt, my 19-year old son, comes down the other day with this shirt on:

Hmmm. Very interesting. Certainly a mother is entitled to ask her non-runner son about this shirt! Turns out it was a breast cancer fundraiser and you could participate with as little clothing as you liked, but had to remain decent (or something like that). He ran then walked with his R.A. at WSU. Good for him. He even forked over the entry fee himself (and didn't ask me for reimbursement). Good kid. Here's the back of the shirt:

Whatever.

Well, the price of gas is getting ridiculous. I'm really thinking about the miles I drive these days. Every five miles costs roughly $1 just in gas. Ouch. So this morning I decided to run down to the Y (2 miles) to lift and then run home. On the way down I detoured and went around the golf course to check on the trash situation. Not too much, but picked up what was there. One small bag full. Hopefully it will still look nice for the marathon on Sunday. ;-)

Well, I'm sure I'll see lots of you over the weekend. I'll be out there with my ever-present camera. I have a wedding to do tomorrow (rehearsal tonight) and a couple of batches of cookies to make so my legs won't be too rested for the half, but that's OK. This is a rebuilding year. ;-) I'm just happy to be running. See you on the roads!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.