Back To It

Back to it. Back to work. And back to TC10 ...

When I got to the TCM expo ...

I saw someone I knew even before I got in the RiverCentre. Jeff Rabatin and his dad and brother. And then the first thing I did was pick up my chip. Who should be working TC10 chip pick-up but Steve Strickler!

He's volunteered for me at Fetzer for a couple of years now.

I bought a pair of bike shorts (end-of-season good deal) from Gear West at the expo. They match a black/green SkirtSports top I already had.

I saw Mike Schmitt perusing the booths at the expo.

I stayed with my friend Emelda on Saturday night. We had a very nice, relaxing evening together. She made a wonderful pasta dish for supper.

Whole wheat rotini, sauteed Brussels sprouts (sliced), peas, toasted walnuts, olive oil, parmesan and lemon pepper. It was delicious. A crusty garlic bread and a glass of wine rounded out the dinner. While I was there, I finished up (mostly) the table runner I'd been working on as a (September!) birthday gift.

After TC10, I stopped at Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls.

It's a new store that caters to "locavores: (n) a person who prefers food grown/produced locally". They carry free-range turkey for $1.49/lb. (My friend Margo had told me this and that's what prompted my visit. I bought a 16-pounder along with some unsalted Grassland butter.)

Just-Rite Foods in Rochester carries the turkeys as well. They also carry grass-fed beef, Minnesota-grown buffalo, lamb & chicken, local dairy products, Minnesota cheeses, local jams, honey, syrups, seasonal produce, etc. A fun little place to stop. It's just west of the stoplight at the truck stop in Cannon Falls on county road 24.

Last Saturday, Hy-Vee had a bunch of stuff on sale for 88 cents, including PowerBar Energy Gel Blasts so I got 4 packages.

Today was cookie delivery day at the Y at noon.

So I ran 3 miles with K.C., Dan and Gary. (That's K.C. and Don below. Don was running 4 x 400.)

Don, K.C. Gary and Ross. Ross is (still!) a member of the TCM Charter Club, meaning he's run all of the Twin Cities Marathons. He ran yesterday too.

I swam for 45 minutes this morning. Won't be doing much more than that for the rest of the week. I still have my cold. Mostly a cough. I hope it's better by Saturday. My goal? A B.Q. at Whistlestop. That's what all this crazy training has been about all year ...

Dan Strain has a new blog. RunningRochester He'll be using it to post Saturday morning run route information. Check it out!

From Grandma's Marathon:

In celebration of the Twin Cities Marathon, we are offering a special $10 discount on the 2010 Grandma's Marathon entry fee. To receive the discount, please follow the below instructions:

1. Log onto: https://secure.marathonguide.com/register/GrandmasMarathon
2. In the box next to the words “Referral Code” enter: GMin10
3. After reading the waiver, click “I Accept”
4. Complete the online entry form and follow the prompts from there.

Registration is now open for the Minnesota Special Olympics Polar Plunge. Register online!

Go Twins! Go Vikes! What a great sports weekend. TCM on Sunday. A Twins must-win win on Sunday (but unfortunately Detroit won as well, forcing a Tuesday playoff game.) A Monday night football that will rival no other for ratings (my guess), and now the Twins on Tuesday. Whew! Gotta love it.

Cindys Ultimate Power Bars (from Ricks Cabin Breakfast Run)

In large bowl, combine the following ingredients & mix well by hand:
3 1/2 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower nuts
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup coconut
3 Tablespoon flax seed
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Stir in:
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup honey
4 Tablespoon melted butter

Press firmly in 9 x 13 pan & bake @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes Remove from oven & sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips, swirl around the top when they look melted. Will last at least one week refrigerated or longer in the freezer. (I tried them. They're very good. --Renee)

Saw this on the St. Cloud River Runners website and got a chuckle out of it. "Veni, vidi, velcro. --- I came, I saw, I stuck around."  --Unknown

Toodles!!