Out and About

I was up at 5 bells this morning to run in the dark over to Alvin Benike Inc. to meet up with Trevor and Jim Benike to talk ultramarathons. On the way over, I encountered Pete Martin and his running friend (sorry, I dn't know her name!) doing hill repeats on Fox Valley Dr SW. He said they do them every Tuesday at 4:45 AM!! Wow, that's early.  I snapped a photo of Pete and friend, and the guys at Benike's, but they seem to have disappeared, along with some really nice ones I took while the sun was coming up over Cascade Lake. :-( Anyway, I think Trevor and Jim enjoyed the visit and I think Trevor got some pearls of wisdom regarding ultras (like wrap some duct tape around your water bottle in case you need to rip some off for blister management; walk the uphills; wear trail shoes--Jim wears Montrails; don't stop too long at the water stops; when giving your bottle to a volunteer to be filled, keep the cap in your hand so they get it back to you quickly--they won't want to walk around with the bottle; buy one of those disposable $1 ponchos in case of rain and if you do need it, put a hat over the poncho hood to keep it on and wrap your waist pack over the top of it so it's not flying out in front of you; carry a little flashlight not a headlamp (for this race anyway); don't bother changing shoes (for this race anyway); lean forward a little on the downhills--you're much more likely to fall backwards on your butt than forwards). Jim recapped his Leadville 100 run a little bit (he fell and really gashed his arm/elbow and when he exerted himself at altitude, it would start bleeding again--what a miserable experience). And thank you Jim for the Diet Coke--totally hit the spot!

After leaving, I continued running. I went down to Cascade Lake and headed east. When I got to 52, I turned south on the bike path.

I stayed on the path and circled my hill and headed home up Fox Valley Drive SW.

Gotta love that hill. : ) Total for the morning, 12.05 miles. I've run 47 miles in the last 4 takes ... yikes, but I'm lovin' it and feelin' good!! Don't worry ... I'm being very careful.

This afternoon, I went for a bike ride. I have 2 long-sleeved biking jerseys. My 21st century one was dirty, so I wore the 20th century version, circa 1984.

It's polypropylene. It works just fine, it's just got that "retro" look is all. : ) I rode out Salem Road and then south on County 15 until it intersects highway 30. 22.55 miles total. It's a pretty road.

The Hill

Salem Road ... love to push those big gears

Speaking of biking ... Shaun Stevens mentioned on Saturday trying to get a group together to ride around Lake Pepin sometime (I think it's about 70 miles). I'd love to!

A few more names that successfully registered for the Boston Marathon: Angie, Kristin, Maureen, Ann and Joe Moyer.

I finally decided that fall is upon us and moved my summer clothes out of my close. Major bummer. I'm going to miss those little dresses and flip flops.

Something new at the Running Room 3-5 mile practice runs at 6 pm on Wednesday ... after your run or walk, head across the street to Brothers for some drink and appetizer specials. Resolution Run sample jackets are in (you can try them on for sizing). Current registration fee for the run is $35.

Toodles.