Back on the Roads

I'm back in Rochester after a trip up North for the St. Cloud River Runners banquet yesterday evening. Guest speaker was former Olympian Carrie Tollefson. I was fortunate to be able to sit at the same table at dinner with her.

She showed a film of her win at the trials for the 1500. It was very exciting. Also speaking was Brian Woods, River Runner and ultra runner. Brian ran two 100 mile races last year. He gave a very interesting talk.

I'd secured about 50 door prizes (race entries, clothing from EnduRUNce, cookies from me, etc.) and
I was the one to draw them out of the bag to give away, which was fun. Congratulations to Sharon Hobbs for winning the Carey Burke Award (a service award). There's a photo of her on the River Runner website. She had the Lake Wobegon finisher's medals (custom, with custom ribbons) and drop bags and volunteer shirts at the banquet. They're all very nice.

Thank you Paul Ford for the bag of pecans fresh from Oklahoma.  He gave them to me to add to my "cookie ingredient stash". :-)

Driving back to Rochester was dicey last night. Highway 52 south of Eagan, to Zumbrota, was terrible. I couldn't see the white lines on the side or the middle of the road. I don't like driving at night, I don't like driving in snow, and mixing the two is not a good combo. But I made it home safely.

< I'll post more photos tomorrow. Too tired tonight. >

Congratulations to the following award winners at the RTC banquet on Saturday evening: Wally Arnold and Amy Donahoe-Anshus (Service Awards) and Jim Mason (Dwight Pierson Award). Tom O'Leary (Runner of the Year). In my estimation they are all very deserving of their awards and I think the selection committee made excellent choices!!

I'm meeting Millie at the indoor track at 6 AM tomorrow. She's running 9 miles with 10 x 100m pickups. I haven't decided what my workout will consist of yet. Probably 400s. Feel free to join us.

This morning I ran 9.95 miles in the fresh snow. It was very pleasant, though slippery. I was very nervous running a short stretch on Salem Road. Eric Woodford apparently saw me running and checked in to see if I'd survived the run OK. A couple of cars in front of him slid into the shoulder. After work I swam for an hour. I'm trying to help Team R.E.D. get from Key West to Cuba. :-)

Last week at work, I moved from my Windows 2000 PC to a new desktop with Windows 7. I am happy to report that I got everything moved successfully. It's a job that I don't particularly enjoy so I'm glad it's behind me now.

Tomorrow evening ... a couple of gals and I are going see "The Fighter". Thursday Jean and I are going to Riverdance, which I am excited about. I think that step dancing is so interesting to watch. I've seen it on TV.

Well, the evning has gotten away from me. I'm tired from ... 1) exercise, 2) working on the basement, and 3) 3 episodes of shoveling ... so I'm going to wrap this up and go to bed. The snow is so pretty.

Good night.

G' Mornin'

Just a quick little check in ... I ran a very pleasant 3.69 miles yesterday morning to loosen up  my legs after 20.01 on Thursday. It was a perfect morning for a little run, especially for January. 20's. Not windy. Very nice. Not going to run much today.

Quiet weekend. Tomorrow afternoon I'm driving up to St. Cloud for the River Runners annual banquet. Carrie Tollefson is the guest speaker, and club member and ultrarunner Brian Woods will also be speaking. I really look forward to seeing my River Runner friends again. It's always a pleasure to see them.

Well, I'm going to check out. Talk to you later.

It's All About the Hills

Today was pretty much all about working out. A mile run this morning, just for good measure (and to make sure I got my mile in for the day) and about an hour in the pool. Then this afternoon it was sooooo nice and warm, I decided to do a long run (after yesterday's 12 miles and an hour on the bike in the evening, which I forgot to mention). I headed down Fox Valley and then went up Historic Hill (hill #1) then west across from the retirement community south of 2nd St SW (don't know what it's called). Ran the hill that goes by the Girl Scouts camp (?). That was hill #2. Then I ran down 2nd St to the library for water. Then up to Silver Lake and over to 14th Ave NE. Then over to Silver Lake Foods for another water stop. And I flipped one sock inside out cuz it was buggin me. I pondered going up Teton Lane, but decided Northern Heights Drive would be "kinder and gentler". Ha. What a haul up that hill. But I did it. Hill #3. I went down Teton Lane instead. That's one heck of a hill. Then I went back to 14th Ave NE, south on 11th Ave and west on the bike path south of Oakwood Cemetery. Back to the library for water, back west on 2nd St and up Historic Hill (county 22) the other direction (hill #4) and FINALLY ... up Fox Valley Drive (hill #5). It was will power that got me up that hill, certainly not leg power. 19.01 miles. 20.01 for the day. So glad I did it.

Sightings: Yvonne Hubmayr honked and wave on 2nd St SW, I stopped and chatted with Joey Keillor downtown (he was riding his bike) and an Unknown Runner stopped me on 2nd St SW about about mile 16 and said his wife was in St. Mary's hospital for a few days and he wanted to know where would be a good spot to get in a 10-miler.

Last week I got in 73 miles. Hoo-rah!! It feels so good to be running long. Not sure what I'll do in the morning. But it won't be a long run. :-)

O.S.S. is running from Dunn Bros. on Elton Hills on Saturday at 7:30. And don't forget ... the RTC Banquet is Saturday evening. More info on the RTC website.

Good night.

It's All About Running

That's about all I have to share today ... running stuff. I ran this morning at 6:00 putting in three loops around Silver Lake before meeting up with the others. Running were: me, Meredith, Millie, Mike, Melby, Dom Trom and Tom. That's got a certain ring to it! We met at Glynner's Pub and ran Mike home and then looped around the Elton Hills area area after I got us slightly lost. :-) All good, though. We got in slightly under 6 miles. 12.00 total for me.

I renewed my USATF license in order to run with the River Runners women's race team. Tom O' is looking to put together a Team R.E.D. race team. Yahoo!! I sure hope they do. Read more about it on the Team R.E.D. blog.

Anyone interested in doing a morning (indoor) track workout? The University Center fieldhouse opens at 6:00 AM. I'd like to do my speedwork at that time of day. I don't like dodging all the kids, and others, on the track in the evenings. Anyway, if you're interested, please let me know.

MTCM registration opens at 7:00 AM on Wed 2/2. Seems weird that we're having to plan fall marathons already. I'm thinking pretty seriously about running NY this year. I have an automatic entry based on time and have until April 30 to register. $196. Ouch.

Supper?? A salad and split pea soup with a new bread from Great Harvest. (Had to stop there on the way home this morning.) Cranberry almond. It's very good.

Good night.

Run-Lift-Swim-Run-Ride

A fun, good workout day. Ran to the Y, lifted, swam for an hour (next to super-speedy Wendy for a while), ran home this morning. About 5:30PM, rode the bike for an hour. Same deal ... ride in the highest gear, out of the saddle, during commercials. Ride "on the flats", but on the climbing block, during the show(s). Today, I watched an hour of news.

Eric went back up to the cities this evening. He's starting a job with the MN Conservation Corps in a couple of weeks. It was really nice to have him home.

Not much more of interest today. Went to Sam's Club after work and loaded up on veggies and fruit. Made more Brussels sprouts and a salad for supper.

Tomorrow night, book club. I may go for a while, but haven't read the book. Don't even remember what it is actually.

Lots of running options this week ... tomorrow morning at 7 AM in front of Glynner's Pub for a 5-miler. If you want more miles, meet at 6 AM. Thursday morning, Progressive Run at 5:30 AM at the O'Leary residence in Byron. Thursday evening, Team R.E.D. at Whistle Binkie's South. Check the Team R.E.D. blog for complete, up-to-the-minute coverage of all things running.

I saw this recipe for oatmeal pancakes in the Penzey's Spices catalog. I think it sounds delicious, but I haven't tried it yet.

3/4 c. oat flour (or grind 1 cup whole oats, not "instant", in a food processor)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1 c. cooked oatmeal, not "instant"
1 Tbsp. honey
2 large eggs
1/4 c. finely chopped pecans

Mix together the oat flour, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, stir the melted cooled butter, buttermilk, cooked oatmeal, honey and eggs together until thoroughly combined. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients only until combined. Fold in the pecans. Do mot over mix; the batter will not have a uniform appearance.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat until water sizzled when dripped onto the pan. Lightly coat the pan with 1 tsp. melted butter. Drop batter into the pan in 1/4-cup mounds. Flip the pancakes when bubbled begin to form around the edges and cook until the bottom is dark golden-brown, about 5 minutes total. Add a bit more butter if needed for the next pan full.

Until tomorrow ... good night.

Runnin' 'Round (with Ron)

I had a very nice lunch with Ron Giles today. We hadn't chatted in quite a while so we met at Dooley's for a bite. It was good to catch up with him. Thanks for the yummy lunch, Ron!! (I had a Pick 2 ... tomato basil soup and a turkey club, no mayo.) A surprise sighting of Jean Murray at the table right behind us, which was fun!

Speaking of running' 'round, check out this video from the Wall Street Journal about the Zoom!Yah!Yah! marathon (which ron won a few weeks ago)!! Ron's got a few clips in it. As does race director Dick Daymont.

More runnin' 'round ... I ran my 10.03 mile loops around the hill this afternoon. Pleasant run at 29 degrees. Can't complain. This morning? An hour on the Stairmaster. I had to be at work early otherwise it would have been longer. :-)

And yet more running' 'round ... Laura and John and I met at Mayo H.S. (a school that's literally round) to go over the setup for Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer on February 13. It's going to be our best venue yet. We've got a great space (the cafeteria). Look for lots of homemade baked goods on the silent auction. Sweets for your sweetie! We also still need volunteers and runners!!

The RTC Banquet (open to the public) is coming up on Saturday!! Julie asked me to pass on the scoop (that's round, right?). So here it is ...

When: Saturday, January 29th beginning at 6:00 p.m., dinner at 6:30
Where: The Clarion Inn (formerly the Holiday Inn South) Rochester
Price: $20.00 per person
This special evening set aside to honor you our running community and RTC members includes buffet dinner, special guest speaker, Grand Prix results, presentation of RTC annual awards and many other surprises.

RSVP now at julieyost50@gmail.com or send your check to Julie Yost, PO Box 203, Eyota, MN 55934 by 1/26/11. For questions, contact Julie Yost at (507) 261-8987 or Julie Yost-Minnich at (507) 273-6230. Additional information can be found on the RTC website http://www.rochestertrackclub.com/ (Yes, there are indeed two Julie Yosts!!)

Eric made a visit home this weekend. We had a nice dinner ...

Brussels sprouts with pecans and Craisins, two kinds of ravioli sauteed with onions and peppers and a sourdough baguette. Surprise sighting of Jean Murray ... second for the day!
Just an FYI ... the Fetzer 20K is not dead. I'm going to help a few other gals with race directorship this year. So stay tuned. I'm sure they will do a bang up job. Thank you to them for stepping up to this responsibility.
 
Well, guess that's it for the day. I was hoping to be back in the saddle (bike) this evening, but just never got 'round to it. Back in the (rectangular) pool in the AM.
 
Good night.

Still Alive and Kicking ...

Busy. And breaking from blogging (mostly) until next week. But I'm still running (7.5 miles of hills yesterday) ... eating  (this was my over-the-top lunch yesterday) ...

and this, the day before ...

and shopping (but not much buying).

Stay tuned. Enjoy your day.

I'm OK!!

Hi, all! I'm alive and kicking. Just taking a little break from incessant blogging.

Getting my miles in (18.50 today) and still cooking ...

I'll be checking in from time to time ...

Good night.

BBBbbbbbb .........

Beetles

Twelve us us were at Beetles last night at one or other. I'm afraid these pix aren't very flattering, but they're all I have. Present were ... Mike Schmitt, Bri Hamann, Jean Murray, Teresa and David Walters, Jim Li, Tom O'Leary, Dom Trom (Suk), Sonja and Scott Kranz, Roger Heil and me.

Bri

Congrats to Bri, who was accepted into grad. school at the U of M!!! :-)

Bike

After I got home from Beetles last night, I rode the bike for an hour. Did the same this evening. I really enjoy it. I'm now able to shift up a gear for the balance of my ride (large chainring, 5th largest cog on the cassette). (I ran 10.03 miles this morning. Nice run. Much nicer than yesterday's 10.02 and it was 6 minutes faster because the surfaces were much cleaner.)

Best Buy

I've never been a Best Buy fan. And after today, I am still not a Best Buy fan. Kathryn and I went there this morning to replace my desk top at work. We found a bundle that we wanted and asked the salesperson which boxes were what we needed. He pointed to one for the monitor (which I gave to Kathryn to carry ... it was pretty light) and I pulled out the box for the tower (quite a bit heavier). The 20-something salesman didn't offer to help carry it to the Geek Squad checkout where we had to make the purchase. He just said to follow him. After heaving it up on the counter, I'd strained something in my back. It's still sore. He then scanned the two boxes and said that this was the wrong tower, AND they didn't sell the right one any more. I asked if he would substitute something else for a "bundle" package. No. He then checked online at the south store and said they had two of the towers. We could go down there if we wanted. We asked if one could be delivered to the north store or our office. No. Not without a delivery charge. We asked if we could speak to a manager. No. Kathryn and I chatted and I said I'd go down there after work and pick it up. He called the south store and they said they didn't have two ... they had one and it was the display model. We decided we'd take it. They said it would be at the service counter for pickup. It was ready when I got there. They were very pleasant. Shocking.

Brothers

OSS will be running from Brothers on South Broadway Saturday morning at 7:30 ...

Birthday

... and it will be John Shonyo's birthday!! Happy (early) Birthday, John!!

Well, I can't think of a caption for this one that starts with "B". I stopped at Chris Kujath's Antique Mall on South Broadway this afternoon on the way to Best Buy. Very nice shop. Everything is displayed very nicely.

Bedtime

Good night.

1-11-11

Congratulations to Ron Giles for winning the Zoom!Yah!Yah! indoor marathon this weekend running a 2:48. Hoo-rah!! I'm so happy for him, and proud of him.

I'm doing pretty well with my New Year's resolutions. I've faithfully logged all my exercise so far for the year (ran 10.02 slippery miles this morning). I've lost some weight. And I practiced a random (sort of) act of kindness. I gave a mini loaf of pumpkin/walnut/chocolate chip bread to everyone at the law office this morning.

Cooking Light slideshow from last night. It was VERY delicious.

Well, I've got lots more to do today. Toodles.

Tri As I Might ...

Today turned into a mini-tri of sorts. Sort of. This morning I ran to the Y, lifted, swam for an hour and then ran home. Late this afternoon I rode the bike trainer on the climbing block for an hour. While on the bike, I ride comfortably hard during the TV program (in this case it was "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC and a couple different programs on FoodTV) and then I shift all the way up and get out of the saddle during the commercials. It's a pretty good workout.

Good news from Marni ... she's also running Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon (paved bike trail ... fast and flat and a real bargain). Our merry little band is steadily growing. :-)

Tuesday (tomorrow) is social night at Beetles. No running required. No membership in anything required. It's just a casual get-together to chat (and eat and/or drink if you so desire). Beetles is west of highway 52 on 2nd Street SW.

Tomorrow afternoon I also get my hair highlighted and cut. That's always a very good day. :-)

Lots going on with the Rochester Active Sports Club ... (check the website for complete info) Ride the Divide movie is being shown on Wednesday at 7 PM at Century H.S. Auditorium. It's an award-winning movie about the world's toughest mountain bike race across the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. Sunday, January 23, RASC is hosting a pasta-feed/auction fundraiser from 4 to 6 PM at Ressurection Catholic Church (great hall) to raise money for cross country ski trail grooming equipment. I went last year. Victoria's catered and it was delicious.

Cooking Light was DELICIOUS this evening. One of the best meals E.V.ER. I'd make everything again. Here are a few highlights ... I'll post a slideshow tomorrow.

Quinoa with Pistachios and Dried Cherries

Cranberry Cheesecake

Appetizer with garbonzos, spinach, tomatoes, paprika, ...

Pork tenderloin

Salad with pears, walnuts, red onion and a cranberry dressing

Cranberry Cheesecake with raspberries

Brioche Rolls

I'm tired. Good night ...

Beautiful Day

It started out very cold this morning, well below zero, so before church I got on the climbing block on the bike trainer for an hour. By mid-afternoon it was just a beautiful MN winter day. About 20 degrees and not too much wind. The roads/paths/sidewalks were in pretty good shape. I'd allowed myself enough time to run 7.25 slow miles, but after I got out there I was feeling good and I ended up running 10.16 quick miles. Very nice run. I wore my new Running Room Fit-Wear tights and really like them. They were plenty warm. I was actually overdressed for the day.

Matt played a cute little trumpet at church today. He played a couple of tunes from his upcoming senior recital. He sounded great.

I made a casserole to bring to my brother's house for supper. He's got a brand new car. Totaled the last one ...

I made them a pan of brownies with snowflake sprinkles ...

and a chicken/rotini/roasted pepper casserole.

The kids are so cute. Kaleigh loves Minnie Mouse.

Kaleigh gave me a picture for my refrigerator. She's 4.

After I left my brother's house, I went to Trader Joe's to pick up the ingredients that I didn't already have for Cooking Light tomorrow: quoinoa, mint, parsley and shallots.

We meet tomorrow night at Margo's home. Here's what's on the menu:

Salad (Mary)
Appetizer (Pam)
Appetizer (Laura)
Roasted Pork with Cherry and Caramelized-Onion Sauce (Margo)
Quinoa with Cherries and Pistachios (Renee)
Brioche Rolls (Diane)
Cranberry Cheesecake (Barbara)
Wine (Kathryn)
It's at my house in February so I'll be choosing the next menu tomorrow night.

I spent quite a bit of time power-cleaning the upstairs bathrooms. What a good job to get done.

I thought of one more item to add to my list of New Year's resolutions ... practice more Random Acts of Kindness.

That's it for the today. Good night.