Med-City Approaches ...

First order of business. The TWINS. They are presently ahead 11-1. Yesterday they won 20-1. Before that, they lost 6 in a row. It would have been nice had they been able to spread those runs around a little more evenly, not??!!

161 hits on my blog yesterday. I do believe that is a P.R. A P.R. always feels good ... no matter what the 'sport'.

I swam this morning before my doctor's appointment. I chose to just swim for an hour and not keep track of the laps on my watch, just total swim time. There's a gal named Erin Caflisch that trains every morning in lane 2 at the Y. She swims for Mayo High School. Today, I chose to take an occasional break and just watch her swim. It's pretty awe-inspiring, actually. She's good enough to have swam at state. She was swimming 2 lengths of the pool in about 25 seconds. It takes me at least a minute. Wow. I feel like a slow, lumbering manatee. :-)

Dr. appt: Nothing much to report, and I knew that would be the case. Saw my G.P. just to get the process rolling. He did all kinds of maneuvers with my legs and hip and there was nothing he did that would "ellicit a pain response". How's that for medical speak from a computer programmer? Ha!! He ordered an X-ray just to check for arthritis, but since the pain subsides after running, he didn't think that arthritis was the suspect. So the next step is an appointment in Sports Med, but not until June 16. :-(

When I got home from the doc, I got on the Stairmaster. It was one of those days where I felt like I had boundless energy. I had planned on doing an hour, but stayed on an hour and a half. At level 16 (of 20) on various programs. I could have kept going and going, but ... I had stuff to get done. So, I got off. :-)

I worked at Running Room today from 4-8. Packet pick-up and registration were taking place for the Med-City Marathon events this weekend. It was fun to feel all the energy in the store with the runners anticipating their marathons ... some for the first time, some for the umpteenth time. Don't forget ... there's a 20% off coupon in the May eMagazine which you can download here. It's good through the end of the month.

Biking update: It appears that my SPD pedals and SPD cleats are not a perfect match. I have been having difficulty getting the shoes out of the cleats. I kind of freak out just thinking about it. So ... rather than order a new set of pedals, I'm going back to LOOK pedals/cleats.

So, that's that for the Rochesterfest Spring Triathlon training update. All's well. Pretty much. :-)

The next few days are going to be crazy busy ... and a food frenzy and cooking extravaganza. Tomorrow I have a couple of graduation open houses in the afternoon after working at Running Room 10-2. Sunday, my son Eric graduates from Luther College and we'll probably eat out for the noon meal. After getting home, I hope to hit all 3 post Med-City Marathon parties. Eric will come home sometime Sunday evening. Monday, my sister's family will be here after arriving late Sunday from Chicago and my brother's family will be here for lunch. We'll celebrate Eric's graduation and Kaleigh's birthday. Eric requested homemade cherry pie and Kaleigh a Dora the Explorer cake. Whew.

My dad and step-mom are here from FL. Dad forgot his camera and bought a disposable. This evening they were at my brother's house. Just to show what an electronic age we live in, my 3-year old niece Kaleigh wanted to "see her picture" after my dad took it using the disposable. :-) Doesn't work on that one, darlin'. :-)

Tonight for dinner: Bean and Pasta Soup from King Arthur Flour. It's VERY thick. You can almost eat it with a fork. Thin with more stock, or water, for a thinner soup. Also, I don't use the sausage called for in the recipe and use both oregano and basil. I used Ditalini shaped pasta by Barilla. No photo. I got home after 8:00 and didn't actually have a bowl ... but tomorrow I will.

2 cups of beans (a 1 pound bag); these can be whatever you want but a mixed soup blend is colorful and fun
Water to cover (2 to 2 1/2 quarts)
2 1/2 quarts stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 to 2 cups grated carrots
1 to 2 cups chopped celery
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced (or more or less depending on how you feel about garlic)
1 pound plum (or other) tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or use a l4-oz. can)
1 tablespoon fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried); or use a little oregano, marjoram, savory, etc., whatever smells and/or tastes good to you
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 cup pasta of your choice, either small or broken in pieces
1 pound sausage, sweet, hot or a combination, crumbled, cooked and drained

The night before you want to serve your soup, cover the beans with fresh water and let them soak until about 1 1/2 to 2 hours before your meal.

Drain them, put them in a soup pot and add the stock. Stir in everything else except the pasta and sausage, bring to a boil and let simmer until the beans are almost tender.

Add the pasta and sausage and cook until the pasta is tender.

Quote for the day, for those running this weekend: "And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed." -- Dr. Seuss

TTFN.