Life on the Run

Yesterday I ventured up to St. Cloud for the River Runners annual banquet. (Stopped in Coates for $2.50/gallon gas! Oh, I forgot. I ran 20 miles yesterday morning. Feeling blubbery and lazy, so ... that's what I did. It was slow, but I got 'er done.) It was really a wonderful evening. I've never met a nicer, friendler, more welcoming group of people. Time spent with them is always time well spent, without question.

(The full slideshow is on http://www.scrr.org/) The highlight of the evening for me was the guest speaker. He is a club member, avid marathoner being a member of the 50-states club several years ago and having run marathons in 18 countries. But the most moving part of his talk was when he shared that he's a recovered alcoholic. He credits running, and his running friends, as a big part of his sobriety. His talk was just riveting. So well done. Polished. Compelling. I was so proud of him, both for his ongoing sobriety and for sharing this part of his life with all of us. We all have demons of one sort or another. But we all don't have the courage to face them.

I'd made a few little things for some of the River Runners. This GED certificate for Paul:

It's a funny little story, much funnier with Paul telling it. Paul is highly educated. One of his co-workers, quite a young guy, thought that Paul really had his act together and thought Paul could probably get his GED if he wanted to. So ... I created this funny GED certificate for him, signed by Mickey Mouse. :-o

And a pillow for outgoing web designer Ron Stock:

I captured the website on fabric and made it into a log cabin quilt block and then quilted the pieced part of the front and the back.

And this signature quilt for outgoing president of the past 3 years, Arvid Fristad.

Just the top is done. I still have to quilt and bind it.

Thank you Kathy Zackman-Mathiasen for these beautiful pieces of art for the Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer silent auction. Makes me really anxious for spring.

I stayed with Donnie and Cindy again (thank you SO much) and was awake way before the sun came up ... 4:08 actually. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, and my phone was going to go off at 5 bells, so I just got up and hit the road. Got home in time to put in an hour on the Stairmaster before having to be at work at 8:45. At noon, I met some of the guys at the Y to deliver their Cookies of the Month.

Jamie, K.C, me and Jim. Hey ... where's my dayglo yellow hat??? : ) And Shaun got his delivery as well.

Kirk was the first to get one.

Then it was off to the Quilters' Sew-ciety meeting to meet my friend Kim whose made a little wallhanging of her own design for the Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer silent auction on 2/14. It's a very fun piece.

I decided not to stay for the meeting. I was kind of dragging and needed to get some groceries for a lunch at church tomorrow and wanted to get in a run yet this afternoon. Sometime after 3:00, I decided to head out on what's become my Monday loop. I thought it was 10.2 miles but my GPS says 11.3. Hmmmm. Anyway, it was ok going west, with the wind and the blowing snow at my back. East, it was a bit nippy. And overall, a bit slippery with the new snow. But at 20 degrees, it was nice to have just one layer on my legs for a change. I decided to run with my iPod today. Felt the need for some upbeat tunes. I had a good run. Every time except one that I looked down at my GPS, it said 7:36 or 7:37 pace. At about 9 miles, I saw a  brand new Toyota Highlander that had obviously slid, and ended up on top of a snowbank after having done probably a couple thousand dollars damage to his left fender and headlight having collided with a brick pillar on the west end of the Salem Sound area. Anyway, he couldn't get it off the snowbank. He'd bottomed out and his wheels were just spinning on ice. I stopped and asked if I could help. He said that he'd just call a towtruck. Well, I was up for the challenge of trying to save this guy a tow fee. So I told him I'd push on the front, try to get it rocking and get him off the snow. I got it rocking, but not enough. And he didn't have any sand or a piece of carpet square or anything to give him traction. Then this red pickup comes by and guess what? He's got a tow rope and he's willing to try to pull this guy out. Well, his first attempts at just pulling just caused his wheels to spin as well. So he backed up a few times, then went forward and made some progress. Then I got on the driver's side and pushed and ... success. We got him off the snowbank. No tow needed. (But some bodywork would definitely be in order.) I was jacked. : ) My good deed for the day. I hightailed it home to clean up for a Rochester Half Marathon meeting at Shoppes at University Square.

(Sonja, Jen, Dave, K.C., Jean). We are in need of someone to be a water stop coordinator this year. If you would like to help out, please contact Jen. Thanks so much!

Off-Season Striders will run at 7:30 at Dunn Bros. north on Saturday. The last run for the season, before we start back at the RAC, will be at Panera South at 7:30 on the 13th. Tomorrow, speedwork at the University Center track at 5:30.

TCM registration starts at midnight tonight. http://www.mtcmarathon.org/ This is marathon only. TC10 registration is in July I believe. Or the lottery anyway.

Well, it's late and I definitely need some beauty sleep. G'night.