The Run of my Life

I had a "runner's high" this morning. I still have it. I don't want to let go ...

The day dawned cool. 46 degrees here at home. That called for some warmer clothing than is traditionally called for in late August. Arm warmers and gloves.

60-70 runners showed up in the RAC parking lot for a little "Tour de Douglas".

Our course was north on the Douglas Trail until you'd had enough ... and then back. The turnaround was marked at 10 miles.

So, a 20-miler was the deal-e-o for today. I was a bit concerned that my run-swim-run-lift-run-bike 37 miles workout of yesterday might have left my legs too fatigued for a good run today. But I was going to give it my best shot.

I ran the early miles with Dan, Eric and Trevor. Dan is still trying to talk me into doing a 1/2 Ironman at Square Lake in a couple of weeks. I'm trying to convince him that the event would be shut down by the time I'd come crawling out of the water. He doesn't buy it. :-)

There were some new faces (to me anyway!) this morning. Below are B.J. and Aaron. I ran a few miles with the third one of the bunch, Steve, but I neglected to get his picture. :-( He's originally from Canada (you could still hear it in the inflection in his voice) and is training for his first marathon, TCM. These guys played hockey, both amateur and pro.

I find it so interesting to find out people's stories ... how they came to be runners. How they came to training for a marathon. They ran very well.

Anyway, for some reason I felt strong today. Maybe it was the excellent water stops ...

the fruit really hit the spot. THANK YOU to those of you who spent your morning to be of service to us runners. We really appreciate it. Two bathroom breaks and a re-tying of my right shoe and then I hit the turnaround, ready to head back to the RAC. The NW wind would now be at our backs, though the trail did provide some nice shelter from the stiff breeze. I was just in a groove. Mile 19 was 8:33. And I didn't have any leg cramps. At 20.25 miles I was back at the RAC, feeling great, where Dan was waiting for some of my green beans.

And cookies. (BTW: The cookies of Thursday's post were a hit. A keeper recipe for sure.)

I wanted to do a few more miles. I like to get in a few 20+ mile runs in if possible and the weather was so cooperative today. So I did the loop around county 22/7th St NW/Industrial Dr. which is about 2.5 miles. Mile 22 was 8:32. Went back out to the west one more time. Going up the little hill on county 22 at mile 23 I was doing 7:36 pace. I was just loving this. Totally into it. At 24.24 miles I glanced at my GPS. 7:22 pace. Wow. This has NEVER happened before. No cramps. Feeling strong. Wanted to keep going (but knew I should quit). Got back to the RAC with 24.56 miles in 3:22.21. And I was stopping to take photos, talking at the water stops, ... I could have walked 1.6 miles at about 28 minute pace and gotten a BQ. I was psyched. Just flying high. My best long run ever. I am sooooooooooo pleased. :-) I could never understand how anyone could ever even consider racing a marathon. For me it's always been a matter of survival. I'm beginning to understand ...

Well, that's probably more than you wanted to know about my morning run. I'll move on.

When I got home, I called Judy Weller who's in Louisville for her inaugural Ironman tomorrow morning. I am so excited for her. She said she's nervous now. She'd just dropped all her stuff at the transition point. It's all very real now. Tomorrow, she will be an Ironman! I couldn't be more proud of her for her dedication to her training and all the strides she's made this year in her events. She'd seen Mark Carey down there, too. He's hoping to qualify for Kona. Good luck, you guys! Have fun! Betsy will have Judy's phone tomorrow so I'll be calling for updates.

Shaun Palmer told me this morning that I ranked sixth in the TriMinnesota points standings in my age group. Woo hoo!! Guess I should have done a couple more TriMinnesota triathlons. Next year!!

CLIF is giving away a box of CLIF shots a day for the next 30 days. All you have to do is fill out a little form and you're entered. Here's the link.

I went to see the movie Julie & Julia late this afternoon with my friend Julie and her friend Chris who just arrived this afternoon from Colorado Springs. By bike! 800 miles, ridden by herself, most nights spent camping. Whew!! Very nice gal. We enjoyed the movie immensely. (I somehow managed to nod off a couple of times ... so sleepy ... and it was dark and quiet.) Enjoyed it enough to possibly see it again. Meryl Streep totally nailed the Julia Child persona.

Here's a seasonal recipe for those with basil, green beans and potatoes from the garden. I don't remember from whence it came. :-) Most likely Cooking Light. Pesto is normally high in calories and fat. This recipe isn't. Note: it quickly discolors when exposed to air. Cover the surface with plastic wrap until serving time.

Green Beans and Potatoes Tossed with Pesto

2 c. loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 oz.) grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/4 c. fatfree, less-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. pine nuts
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly grated ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4 pounds red potatoes, each cut into 6 wedges

Combine first 8 ingredients ina food processor; process until smooth.
Bring water to a boil ina large saucepan. Add green beans, and cook 4 minutes or until tender. Remove beans from pan with a slotted spoon, and place in a large bowl. Add potatoes to pan, and cook 6 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add pesto and potatoes to beans, and toss to coat.

Good night!!