Renee's Ramblings

Ocala Marathon

2012-01-23T21:11:00.001-06:00

Thursday was a GREAT day to escape the winter weather here in the north country (-7 air temp when I arrived at MSP) ... and land on Clearwater Beach, FL (air temp 78 degrees).

I can't seem to get rid of the spots on my camera lens : (

With a big 'ol ice cream cone for lunch. : )

Friday brought a wonderful lunch with dad and Ada at Texas Roadhouse hear Tampa, and Saturday, the wildlife at Silver Springs east of Ocala.

You won't believe this ... just before this photo was taken, the alligator twitched/flipped and jumped and ... I dropped it. Yes. I dropped a 2 1/2 year old alligator. The little gal doing the "show" (which wasn't really a show as she was brand new and wasn't authorized to do anything but hold a little gator) didn't know how to correctly hold the gator and she was doing a football hold. So I did something similar and the thing flipped out of my grasp. The official trainer came over and told us how to properly hold a gator (right behind the head/front legs and the tail ... and tightly). I felt awful. But I guess no harm was done. She said that gators experience much worse in the wild. :-\

Then it was time for some pasta ...

and thinking about running another 26.2 mile footrace on Sunday morning. Yikes. I get SO psyched out by marathons. I know they will always involve leg cramps and that never ceases to get me all worked up. Sunday would prove no different. Everyone was mentioning the hills and the forecast was for heat. I do a lot of training on hills, so that didn't bother me too much (though I'd prefer not to run too many of them during a marathon) but the heat I knew would do me in. I am not a hot weather runner. The forecast high for the day kept going up, and ending up being 80 degrees, exactly what it was at the finish line. But back to the start line. We lined up on the perimeter road of the Paddock Mall and within a couple of miles were out of town in the beautiful horse country that surrounds Ocala. Beautiful homes. Beautiful horses. Beautiful pastures. Abundant sunshine, which meant that it heated up quickly as the sun rose. The course was mostly two loops, though there was an out-and-back section in the early miles. There were also a lot of turns on the course. The early miles felt good. The temps were pleasant and my legs were fresh. : ) My miles were right around 8:00 minute pace. But at 6 miles I'd already felt twinges of cramps. YIKES. Way too early. So after my first bathroom break between miles 8 and 9 (I drank at every water stop, and they were every 1 to 2 miles), I backed off the pace as it would only get hotter and the cramps more severe. By about 16 miles I really had to back off. I ran through the cramps, but "ran" is like you see, in quotes. Lots of late miles at 10:00 pace, or slower. But for the most part I was able to keep "running" and that was certainly better than walking or stopping. When I got back to the mall, in the final mile, we turned off a busy road where there were two police officers and onto the mall property. About 1/8 mile later there was a tent sign with an arrow on it, so I turned. Then I second guessed my decision as I couldn't see a soup up ahead. So ... I turned around and ran back to the corner to double check the sign. Hey ... my brain was tired, there was no volunteer at the corner, ... At the finish, 26.42 miles on my GPS. Bottom line ... my time was 4:04:39. I'd really like to run a sub-4:00, but it didn't happen. Too many hills, too much heat, poor training. I did finish first in my age group (second place was a minute behind ... glad I didn't take more than 2 bathroom breaks!). The finisher's medals were great, the shirts were great, the bibs were personalized and the trophies were certainly unique. I'd certainly recommend this one, especially on a cooler day. Beautiful course. (Even the locals said that the temps were unusually warm for January. Last year it was 26 degrees!)

So. Marathon number 24 is in the books. Next up, for number 25? Napa Valley in March.

Good night friends.

PSD

2012-01-15T22:24:00.002-06:00

Today at JCPenney, employees were able to purchase all the clearance merchandise they wanted ... for 50% off. PRETTY SWEET DEAL (thus ... PSD)!! So this is what I found ...

$7.49 each. I love a bargain! This last knit grey one looks like it's got some big black spots on it. Not. The spots are on my camera lens. : ( I picked up a couple of fun little purses too. The black one has fabric flowers all over one size. They're so fun!! I should have looked through the shoes. Ran out of time.

13.02 mile run this morning. 8 hour day at job #2. (Haven't had a day off since 1/1. Looking forward to Thursday ... a day off, and off to Ocala, FL for the marathon!) Then it was off to a Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer meeting. Then supper. More pix next post. Good night ... [yawn] ...

Same Old, Same Old

2012-01-14T22:01:00.000-06:00

Again my apologies for the lack of posts. There just isn't much to post about. Still working weekends, which limits my time to spend with friends. After work today, I was able to celebrate Laura's big accomplishment ... earning her Master's degree ... with a fun potluck at her house. It was very enjoyable and relaxing. And delicious of course, as all potlucks are! Tomorrow I work all day, then have a Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer meeting in the evening. Then I think I'll make the green beans and potatoes with pesto that I didn't make for today's potluck (too tired ... made brownies instead) 'cuz I work 9 AM to 10 PM Monday, so it's not going to happen that day. Such is life.

I'll try to get around to posting last Monday's Cooking Light photos soon. Just haven't had the time though they are on Facebook. Now I'm posting on my laptop and the photos are on my desktop but I'm too lazy to get up and do anything about it. : )

Haven't run the last 3 days. I'm a wimp. It's been dark, cold, windy and slippery at the time I've been able to run (early AM before the sun comes up) so I've done 2 hours on the Stairmaster each day. Tomorrow I'm determined to run. Last "long run" before Ocala next weekend.

Congrats to our 2012 Olympic marathon team. I hope they do well, and stay healthy, and represent the U.S. well in London this summer. I enjoy Olympic years, whether it's summer or winter.

Well, that's all I know. I'll try try to check back in a little more often.

Take care.

Nothin' New

2012-01-09T06:07:00.000-06:00

Hey there. Sorry for the paucity of posts, but there just isn't much to post about.

I worked all weekend, and no days off last week. (I do get Friday off this coming week ... hoorah.) Every day is pretty much the same ... get up, run, go to work, try to sleep. Repeat. Yesterday morning out on 20th St SE and Marion Road (it was nice to run with some daylight!) there were what looked to be recruits or something from the Armory out there. There was a van with a uniformed driver where they were to turn about ... maybe .75 miles from the armory. I came upon the last guy and he was really having trouble. Supposed to run but was walking. The driver got out, said a few words to him and got back in the van. I ran right past after saying good morning to both of them. Had I to do it over again, I'd have stopped and talked to him and tried to keep him going. Hope he didn't "flunk out" of something because he had to get a ride back in.

My cooking group meets tonight at Pam's house. Here's our menu:

Appetizer: Orange –Avocado Salsa with Spicy Tortilla Chips – Diane
Soup: Pasoli - Barbara
Salad: Green Salad – Kathryn
Entrée: Grilled Portobella and Poblano Tacos – Pam
2nd entree/accompaniment: Renee – Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce
Wine: Renee
Margaritas: Kathryn
Dessert: something chocolate! – Mary

Really enjoying these temps ... seeing 22, 32 on the thermometer at 6:00 AM, no snow, no ice. Gotta love it though I know we need moisture.

Have a great week.

Extremes

2012-01-01T13:47:00.001-06:00

Lots of "extreme"s this weekend. And I'll start with this morning ...

I met Dan, Jeff and Trevor at Panera at 7 bells for the second half of the third annual (?) two day new year's marathon. It started a couple of years ago at my house after a breakfast run. We ran 13 miles in extreme cold. As I remember it, -13. And it was cold last year too. I wasn't able to participate yesterday, which was a nice day, but today brought ice and wind. LOTS of wind. I knew I would't be able to keep up with these guys, especially since I wanted to run longer than 13.1 if possible. But I thought I'd hang on as long as possible (about 4 miles). We headed through Crossroads parking lot, through the fairgrounds, to Mayo High School and through Bear Creek on the trail. Not bad going SE with a 30 mph tail wind. At the corner of 20th St SE and Marion Road (my new daily run location), I let them go on up Marion Road into the wind (I just didn't have it in me at that point) and turned around and headed back through Bear Creek where there was some shelter from the winds. Stopped at Cub Foods for some water then continued north on the trail to Oakwood Cemetery where I turned east for a respite from the wind and to stretch out the mileage by going through Quarry Hill. I toyed with running up through Parkwood Hills but thought better of it. At this point, I'm glad I didn't do that! Then headed west to Silver Lake and stopped at Dunn Bros. for more water. I then headed west on Elton Hills Dr. It was a skating rink on both the sidewalk and the street. Just terrible and very slow going. Continued west to the RAC where I stopped for more water and another break from the wind. Headed west to county 22. This .5 mile stretch was brutal. They say the winds were to gust up to 50mph and it felt like it was a steady 50mph. These miles from Dunn Bros to county 22 were some of the toughest miles I'd ever run. Then I turned south on 22 thinking I'd be glad to have the wind mostly at my back. Well, it was better, but the wind was blowing so hard over highway 14 on the bridge that it blew me into the chain link fence TWICE. It was blowing so hard from behind that I had a hard time controlling the landing of my feet (if that makes any sense). At one point I just stopped and grabbed the fence to stay upright. I must say, this was one of the most extreme runs I've ever had. Took it in on 2nd SW (mostly on the road ... the paths were glare ice) and ended up with 21.30 miles. I was extremely hungry and extremely glad to be done. Glad it's behind me now. I'm exhausted but apparently none the worse for wear.

Last night, New Year's Eve, brought a wedding. An extremely elegant and formal one.

The old saying used to be that "you can't wear black to a wedding". Well, I'd had my doubts about what used to be. I'd chatted with a customer at work a few days ago and she'd said black was totally in for weddings now. And being this was "black tie optional" I knew it would be very formal and that black would mostly likely be "de rigeur". I was right. As you can see from the photo above, most everyone wore black. Any other color was in the minority. I wore a LBD with an INC. black jacket with a stand up ruffled collar. Totally appropriate so I was happy. It was just a beautiful wedding. Eric was there as were his best buds from high school. Here are three of them:

Eric, Rik and Brad

Eric brought his girlfriend Alley. She's adorable.

And her shoes are just about the cutest I've ever seen. Love them!!

Dinner was chicken, roast beef, asparagus, rice pilaf and a spinach salad. Dinner was cupcakes and a chocolate fountain with pound cake, strawberries, caramels, pretzels, rice krispie treats, cream puffs, ... for dipping. Totally fun. The dance band? Incognito. Sweet! What a coup. They do a great job.

They had one of those old-fashioned photo booths in the back where you pay a quarter and get 5 b/w photos, champagne bottles for the guests to sign and the wedding couple to open on their anniversaries, flip flops for guests, photos of the couple on all the tables ... every little detail was perfect. Seated next to me at table 24 was a gentleman from Norway. Very nice guy and I got to practice my Norwegian just a little bit. I left wishing him "Godt Nyt År" (Happy New Year). Lovely evening.

Here are the new asics 2170s I got at Running Room this week. Lighter than previous editions and I love the colors.

Well, I'd best do something productive with my only day off this week. Happy New Year!!

Game Night

2011-12-30T21:14:00.000-06:00

Fun time at Paige's house last night for "game night". We all brought appetzers (I brought Chex Mix and Peanut Sitting Pretty cookies) to share, and there was plenty to eat. There must have been about 25 people there. She had 3 game tables going. I was at the Cranium table. Pictionary was going on behind us and they were a boisterous crew! I hadn't played it before but was willing to give it a shot. In the corners of the board were boxes containing questions. One of the themes for the questions was Star Performer or something like that. Aaron (my partner, Paige's husband) and I were stuck on green for what seemed like FOREVER. Some of the things we had to do to try to get off green ... me: act like Katherine Hepburn, act like the Energizer bunny, hum Hail to the Chief and I Shot the Sheriff, draw a zipper with my eyes closed, draw the Taj Mahal with my eyes open. Aaron had to hum Amazing Grace, California Girls and act like Boris Yeltzin (sp?). It was pretty commical and a lot of laughs were shared. A fun night. Thank you Paige and Aaron!! Congrats to Jeremy and Pattie for winning Cranium ... after 3 1/2 hours!!

Running Room has a sale going off ... 20% off (with coupon). I picked up some asics 2170s which are very snazzy (white with light green and aqua ... love the colors). Evan said, "asics dropped weight this year". My response ... "I wish I'd dropped weight this year". Everyone laughed. : ) Had to be there I guess.

I've continued my string of running a minimum of 10 miles per day for 16 days now. Feel great. The weather has certainly helped in that effort. I was out at 5:06 today in order to get to work for the opening shift. Glad I went when I did as when I was driving to work, it was very slippery. Had a great day at work. Lots of business which is fun, rewarding and makes the shift pass very quickly. I wish every day was like today.

After tomorrow's shift (I open again so it'll be another early run) I'm going to a wedding. Haven't been to a wedding in quite a while. The groom's mom is a friend of mine and the groom is a friend of Eric's so Eric and Alley will be there too. Hope I don't cramp their style. But I'm sure I'll cut out a bit before they do.

Dan's doing the fourth annual (I think) 2 day marathon run this weekend. I'll unfortunately have to miss Saturday due to work, but will try to catch them on Sunday morning. Literally. They're MUCH faster than I am and I doubt I'll be able to keep up. Monday brings an 8 AM run at Dunn Bros. and a chance to sleep in (I work 2 to 10 on Monday). Hoo-rah!!

Well, I was awake at about 4:20 this morning, even before my alarm was set to go off so I think I'll call it a day. Have a great weekend. Have fun. Stay safe.

Surprised

2011-12-27T21:06:00.000-06:00

As I was out running this morning, I remembered a few things I'd forgotten to post. Christmas morning, I ran my usualy 10-mile morning route. There was a young man, looked to be 20-something, out walking a couple of dogs and walking toward me as I was running. Based on past experience, I'd guessed that he probably wouldn't return a "Morning!" greeting, so decided against greeting him and being disappointed. But at the last minute, decided that I'd greet him anyway. It was Christmas after all. To my surprise, he returned my greeting very heartily. I was so pleasantly surprised!! And very happy. Also saw Sue Christian out on 20th St SE. We met each other twice and exchanged "Merry Christmas!" greetings. : )

Went to see the movie War Horse with Jean and Julie Christmas evening. I'm not usually much for "animal" movies, but this was a very pleasant surprise and a great movie. And it was PACKED. Just a few empty single seats sprinkled here and there. Can't remember ever being in a theater so crowded.

Had my annual physical last week. Weight: down 5 pounds. : ) BP: perfect. Pulse: perfect. At the end of the appointment the nurse practitioner said that this was the point where she usually tells the patient to exercise and eat healthy. What did she tell me? Surprise ... I should probably exercise LESS. 90 minutes per day would be plenty. But I just LOVE to work out ...

Had an afternoon and evening off today and gots lots of miscellaneous stuff done. Still working on lots of address change/paperwork type stuff. Seems like a never-ending list. But I'll get there eventually. I went back on the healthy-eating bandwagon with my super-sized delicious salad.

But I did have a cookie for dessert. So much for will power. : ( I enjoyed every bite though. : )

10.12 mile run this morning in those stiff NW winds. Very pleasant temp though ... 36 degrees. Can't beat, and clean streets/sidewalks, for December 27.

So what's on the docket for the rest of the week? My brother and his family are coming over for supper tomorrow. "Game Night" with a bunch of Ironman triathletes on Thursday. (Sounds like SO MUCH fun!) Work. Work. Work. Wedding Saturday evening. Possibly a stop in at a party Saturday evening if I'm still awake. And hopefully at some point my last 20-miler before Ocala in January. Another busy week.

Go. Be. Do.

Merry Christmas One and All

2011-12-26T21:36:00.000-06:00

It was a nice quiet Christmas at my house this year. I started the day running 15.12 miles before dashing into the Crown for a quick breakfast as I had to work from 9:00 until late afternoon on Saturday. 83+ miles for last week. Happy with that. After work, I came home and assembled the chicken wild rice soup and made Eric's favorite Brussels sprouts recipe. We opened gifts Saturday evening. The thing I've had the most fun with?? The African drum I gave Matt. It's got a goatskin top. Here's my niece Kaleigh giving it a try.

I gave Eric a 1000-piece puzzle that's all Coca-Cola advertising signs and that's been a challenge. Not even close to being done. So much for instant gratification!!

Sunday morning brought a 10.11 mile run after sleeping in until 7:23 (I think I haven't slept that long in 30 years!) before getting busy in the kitchen. My sister-in-law brought Andrew and Kaleigh over for Christmas dinner (my brother had to work) and we had a nice turkey dinner. They tried on their new jammies. : ) And ate a few cookies. : )

It was so nice to have a day off. This morning ... the annual Fun Run/Breakfast/Beer Exchange. I am SO honored to be in the only female on the invitee list. They let me win the fun run. : ) 10.62 miles for the morning. A record 16 in attendance this year. We had breakfast at Brothers and I had the walnut pancakes. Hadn't had them in quite a long time. They were delish, though too much to finish.

After breakfast, we exchanged beers out in the parking lot. Quite the selection!! Not knowing much about beer, I just did my best at picking something that wasn't too dark or strong.

This afternoon/evening I was back at work. And now, I'm ready to call it a day. So ... good night!!

Off!

2011-12-23T20:12:00.000-06:00

A whole day today to do exactly what I want. And it was wonderful!! I started the morning by doing "paperwork", heading over to Kohl's and Walmart and wrapping gifts. I didn't get going on my run until about 11:00 AM. By the time I got about 5 miles into it, the wind was very stiff from the SW and it started snowing. Kind of tough running conditions but I stuck it out for 10.11 miles. And that was enough because ...

Last night I joined Team R.E.D. at Millie's house. And what a house!! It's simply amazing. Her dad is a hunter and the lower level was like a museum of natural history. Just incredible and very tasteful. Her mom is quite the cook and treated us to pretty fancy fare for Team R.E.D. ... a cabbage salad (with Sriracha in the dressing so it had quite a kich), scalloped potatoes and ham, fresh green beans and ciabatta rolls. I couldn't believe I didn't have my camera. I was so disappointed. Left it on my desk at home. But Tom Woo posted some photos on Facebook. We ran 5.5 miles (actually some of us did ... and some decided to head back to Beetles where we'd stopped to sing Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas). And they were pretty hilly miles. In addition to my morning 9.51 miles, I had 15.12 for the day. I'd planned to run long today, but decided to keep it at 10 and call yesterday good enough for my long run for the week. I think that was the right decision.

Delivered some cookies today after making one last batch. Peppermint Blossoms.

They're very pretty on a plate of cookies. Then Matt and I continued our tradition of making lefse (a Norwegian things ... kind of like a potato tortilla eaten with butter and sugar). It turned out very well!

Now, after cooking some wild rice for some chicken wild rice soup tomorrow, and eating a bowl of roasted corn and red pepper soup (my only meal today ... too much snacking I guess), I'm ready to kick back and relax and read the paper and watch Say Yes to the Dress. Mindless TV, yes, but fun.

Tomorrow ... an early run and then breakfast at the Crown with a big crew before dashing off to work for the day. Sunday, I'm off. Yippee!! Back to work Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend, and Merry Christmas!

Round and Round and Round

2011-12-21T06:41:00.002-06:00

I made it to the indoor track last night. First time all year. First quality workout since August 2010. I felt so good about keeping up with Woo and Aaron Nepstad, and then Woo said he was having an off night. : ( I ran 12 x 400 and I think that's about what others were doing too. I asked Woo how fast the first couple were (I discovered the watch I wore doesn't have a lap button) and they were both 1:35. I have a ways to go. I used to do my 400's in about 1:24, 1:25 on average. But it was a good start. 7 miles total. 6 miles outdoors in the morning. It was a good turnout at the track. I'm sure I'll miss a few, but spotted were ... Woo, 6 Nepstads, Dave, Jim, Emily, Sue, Cathy, Millie, Mike, Peter, Shane, Amber, Adam, Adam. Here's a couple of us at the bitter end (me, Woo, Peter, Mike).

I've baked all the cookies that I probably have time to bake. Hoping Matt and I can make lefse on Friday. Yesterday I made Apricot Fold-ups ...

and finished up my cutouts.

For Sunday's Lace-Up meeting, I made chocolate chip and pumpkin cream-cheese filled.

We still need volunteers and lots of runners for Lace-Up (Feb 12). Lots more info on the website.

Weird dreams last night ... dreamed that my car burst into flames, and that I was back in my old house (after the new owners had taken possession) and got caught. Strange.

Need any window coverings? I'm working 4 'til midnight. Stop by!!

Well, gotta get moving. Have a super day!!

Going Forward

2011-12-18T21:06:00.000-06:00

November was a very difficult month, and I'm glad it's behind me. This past week brought some tough days and I'm glad it's over as well. Hoping for a better week this next week! Topping off the list ... a decent night's sleep. I've worked until midnight the last three nights and that's very difficult for me. I'm not a night owl. My body wakes up about 5:00 AM no matter when I fall asleep. So I've had to nap if possible, trying to recover from just 4 hours of sleep before tackling another late night. But today brought a full day off ... beginning with a 10-mile morning run with OSS (thanks for the miles Tom O, Pete, Marni, Andy), grocery shopping, some cookie baking, a nap and a Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer meeting (thanks for lovely meal and sharing your lovely home John and Lucy. Welcome to the LUABC committee Judy, Betsy and Pam. Thanks for sharing Cutting for Stone Lucy). Soooo nice to have a down day.

Yesterday brought a morning run with OSS ... 20.11 miles for me. More than I thought I'd get in and I didn't have the fluids and fuel that I should have had, but I made it work. We had a couple inches of fluffy new snow and it was a bit slippery so I wore spikes on my shoes. With my rigid orthotics, heavy shoes and spikes, those shoes were HEAVY. On Friday early afternoon, Eric arrived. And his car died in my garage. Electronics stopped working. It was trying to turn over, but we thought it would be worth trying to jump it anyway. No luck. I checked the alternator belt and it was OK. But there was no starting it. So we had to tow it to the garage, where they determined it needed a new alternator. Picked it up yesterday before I had to be at work. Another full and busy day. Matt was home for a couple of nights so that was nice. He'll be in and out over the coming weeks I'm sure.

Well, I'm going to read a few pages of Cutting for Stone before getting to bed BEFORE MIDNIGHT!! HOORAH!!

Have a great week!!

Mix It Up

2011-12-15T07:09:00.000-06:00

Tuesday evening was PK's first annual Chex Mix Exchange. What a fun idea. Easy and quick to prepare, and something different. We each found a recipe on ChexMix.com and posted what we were bringing on the evite so as to have to duplicates. There must have been close to a dozen different varieties including Backyard BBQ, Lemon Rosemary, Caramel, Loaded Baked Potato, Traditional, Pumpkin Spice, Parmesan Garlic, Sesame, Malted Milk Ball/Marshmallow/Dried Cherry ... quite the selection.

PK provided us each with many containers which we filled to take home. Fun evening. Fun idea. Thanks PK!

Yesterday I finally got back in the pool and lifted. First time since November 2 and wow I could tell. I've lost strength and am swimming even SLOWER than I was before it seems. I have to get back in both the gym and the pool on a regular basis if I can find the time. Robin Kautz was in the lane next to me and we chatted for a while in the locker room. Got on the Stairmaster for an hour before my 3 to 9 shift for a little stress relief. This morning I'm hoping to go for a run but the temps are falling (it's now 32) and VERY windy. But I suppose it could be worse. Not sure how to address the possibly slippery streets and paths ... spikes on my shoes seem like overkill. I'll see how it goes. May end up on the bike trainer or Stairmaster.

We have a guest speaker for the RTC banquet on January 28. Ruth Brennan Morey. She recently won the ITU (International Triathlon Union) championship and has run in the Olympic trials. Here's what she says she might include in her talk ... my research (ages ago) about self-talk in marathoning, to olympic trials, to my previous sports psychology work, multisport experiences, and life balance issues.

I have my annual Christmas lunch with about a dozen girlfriends. It's always a lot of fun. Then it's off to a 3 to midnight shift. More of the same Friday and Saturday (when I get to stay until 1AM!). No rest for the wicked ... or weary. : )

Have a great day!!

Cooking Light December 2011

2011-12-13T07:48:00.000-06:00

We spent a lovely evening at the home of Amos and Barbara Kermisch. The food was delicious and plentiful and the company was even better. My total fave on the menu ... Jay's homemade bread. To. Die. For. I brought Almond Pumpkin Cheesecake with Almond Brittle.

Happy Holidays one and all!!

Catching Up

2011-12-11T17:23:00.002-06:00

I can't believe a whole week has gone by since I've posted. But life is busy enough that it's not all that surprising.

Running from where I'm living now involves a lot of hills, but in the overall scheme of things, that's good. I can tell it's made me stronger. I've got a new route that I really enjoy. It can be 6 miles, 8 miles, or 10. I run up the hill to the water tower, up over 20th St to the east (not as bad as west) and then east on 20th St all the way to Marion Road. The stretch between 11th Ave and Marion is new and this week was the first time I'd even seen it, let alone run on it. The city is plowing it and it's been ideal for running. From here, it's 2 miles to 11th/20th and then one mile to Marion. A great spot for mile repeats. I've brought my 10 mile time down 6 minutes this week and that feels great. Yesterday I ran 20.04 and the first 10 were in 1:24:21. Each mile got faster up until 9 when I headed back here for some water and a slice of bread. I hadn't intended to run long yesterday thinking I'd do it today instead (warmer today, and I had to work all day yesterday) but it was going well so I just kept going. The last 11 miles were hilly. There's not much more than 1/8 mile that's flat within a mile of this house, so the last 11 were quite a bit slower. 2:57 for the 20 miles and I was happy about that. I am running a marathon in Ocala, FL in late January and Napa Valley in early March. I ran 61.53 miles this week, 2 hours on the Stairmaster and Friday was an off day. Feel like I'm getting back in shape, and feeling good. This morning I ran 10.16, the first three by myself and the rest with Millie and Jen. Fun run, even though we were ALL pushing the pace. : )

What else went on ... lots of hours at my jobs. 50'ish. On my one evening off, Tuesday, a bunch of us gals went to Hugo in 3D. My first 3D movie. I liked it. Good story. Here's our merry little band in our stylin' 3D glasses ...

Gina, Julie, Jean

Me and Cheri

Friday was a big day. Matt, my youngest, graduated from college magna cum laude with a degree in music education. They had a nice ceremony in Winona and we went over to WI for lunch at an Irish pub afterwards. My dad was still here and that made the day even more special. The first couple pix are two of the big thank you cards that Matt got from each class at the elementary school in Lewiston where he spent the second half of his student teaching experience (JM High School being the first half).

The graduate!

Me and Matt

Eric and Matt

That evening, I took the boys to the Tonic Sol-fa concert at the civic center. They're a 4 man acapella group. Matt's acapella group, Hear and Now, opened for them in Winona once. Anyway, it's a very fun concert with humor and audience interaction mixed in. They sang holiday music.

And that brings me to today. My first day off with nothing scheduled in 2 months. Got lots of cleaning done. Made a pumpkin almond cheesecake for my Cooking Light holiday get together tomorrow. Had to run to the store midway through to get more almond paste as I'm having issues with this oven. The first attempt at the almond cake base wasn't too successful. Tuesday evening my friend Pam is having a Chex Mix exchange. We all had to pick a recipe from chexmix.com and then we'll exchange them. What a fun and different idea!
Well, better check on the cheesecake. Have a great week!!

Lorie Line!!

2011-12-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

My friend Jeanne and I have been going to the annual Lorie Line "holiday extravaganza" for many, many years. I guess it's become a tradition for us. And this afternoon we continued the tradition with another wonderful couple of hours being entertained by the talented pianist and her musicians. She puts on such a good show, and the costuming is nothing short of amazing.

After the show we went to Chester's for dinner. And guess who walked by and stopped to chat with us for about 5 minutes? Lorie Line!!

I look AWFUL in this picture. But it was so much fun to chat with her. She's very personable. We talked about bells, the grind of touring, working out, the Chopin piece she played (10 on a scale of 10 she said), our ages, our arms at our ages, ... Girl talk. And it was fun. : )

So that followed a shift at JCPenney which followed a shift all day yesterday which followed a shift Friday and Thursday ... You get the picture. I'm working a lot. Coming up, shifts until midnight and 1 AM. Good thing I enjoy what I'm doing. I'm just hoping some people decide to buy window coverings between the hours of 8 and midnight or I'm going to have a hard time staying awake!! I'm guessing that the last time I had a day to stay home (or just do whatever I wanted) was sometime in early October. Maybe. No Christmas tree this year. No cookies (yet). No time.

I ran just 5 miles this morning after spending an hour shoveling. The running was difficult, especially on the hills. And the shoveling took longer than I bargained for. I'm guessing I have close to 100% more driveway than I used to have and a retaining wall along one side so I had to carry the snow to the front yard.

I called someone last week to change the addess on one of my accounts. I got 3 confirmation letters yesterday (it affected 3 accounts). Meadow got spelled Medow and Drive got spelled Dive. Guess I'll be making another call.

Well, I just washed a load of workout clothes. Better get them hung up.

Have a wonderful week.

Happy 80th birthday (yesterday) to the best dad in the world. Love you. : )

Blogging

2011-11-30T18:22:00.000-06:00

I must say ... taking on another job and working an additional 30 or so hours per week has definitely put a crimp in my blogging time. I see I haven't posted since Sunday. Yesterday I worked at the law office and then a 2 to 11 PM shift at JCPenney (it was DEAD). That doesn't leave much time for anything else.

Workouts: 2 hours on the Stairmaster at level 16 on Monday, 10 miles yesterday, 10 miles this morning. Met Ruth Brennan Morrey on the bike path and chatted with her for a moment. It was my best 10 miler yet since moving here. Each day, I run the 20th St and 5th Ave hills. Twice. That's six tough, tough hills. Today they were easier. Not easy, but easier. So I was happy about that.

Today I am just working one job, so I ran a lot of errands. I stopped at Rochester Cycling and Fitness and had Travis put the trainer tire on my rear wheel. Matt and I gave it a go on Thanksgiving day and trashed the tube. I found this cute little bracelet ... a section of recycled bike chain. They also have bottle openers. For the guys of course.

I'm now TRYING to put the rear wheel on the bike and want to cry. Or maybe scream. Sometimes it goes on so smoothly. And sometimes not. Today, it's a "not".

Back to Sunday. We all went out to eat at Victoria's before the George Winston concert. It was such a nice, relaxing evening.

Just made butternut squash soup with sugared walnuts for book club. I didn't get a chance to read the book but I'll enjoy the discussion, food and friends nevertheless. My friends Emelda and Paula are here from the cities and I look forward to seeing them.

Toodles!!

Busy!!

2011-11-27T12:00:00.000-06:00

Just ran 12.53 miles this morning. A bit short of what I'd planned, but good enough. My left hip is bothering me some and the wind was sure cold from the NW. I know, I know. It could be, and will get, a lot worse. But for today that was good enough. My body also hasn't adjusted to being on my feet for 8 to 11 hours a day and that seems to be taking a toll on my running stamina as well as just plain not being in shape. I ran 10.41 yesterday morning before a really busy day at JCPenney. I love it when it's busy. The time goes fast, and it's a lot of fun helping people with their window treatments. But just standing around is hard. Anyway, when I run from this house I usually head for the Mayowood bike trail and the shortest way to get there is down 20th St SW and those HILLS. So I get to run them twice as well as 5th Ave SW south past Apple Ridge up to that water tower. Lots of hill work. Yesterday morning the running conditions were just great. It had rained some over night but wasn't raining during the run. Pleasant temps. In fact, I took off my shirt and ran in my sports bra. Can't do that too often in November. I met some TriRochester guys about 1/2 mile from the turnaround and my goal was that they not catch me. Assuming they also turned around, they didn't catch me. : ) I was happy. I think there were 15 runners at Dunn Bros. this morning which was great. Dave, Pam, Amy, Jean, Laura, Jim, Tom, Tom, Andy, Erin, Monica and her sister, Millie, Meredith, me. Hope I didn't forget anyone.

Got my drapes hung in the dining room on Wednesday evening. A great project to get done. Those sliding doors are like a big black hole after the sun goes down, and when the sun is up, it's hard on the furniture.

Got the RTC retrospective edition done and off to Dave for printing and mailing. I'm now working on moving files (race results mostly) from the existing RTC website to the new one. I think it'll be an improvement, at least on the back end and for race directors. And I believe we're saving some money in the deal.

Didn't hit any stores on Black Friday (or Saturday). Just don't need or want anything and have no desire to fight the crowds.

Well, I'm enjoying a rare day off so best get busy. Going to dinner and the George Winston concert this evening with friends. Sounds like a lovely way to cap off the weekend and begin a new week.

Enjoy your day.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

2011-11-26T06:02:00.000-06:00

I've been workint A LOT lately, and that leaves little time for blogging. None, really if my priorities were 100% right. But I'll put a little post out there so you know I'm alive. If you're my Facebook friend, you do get an occasional update though.

I just looked through the photos I've taken recently and there aren't many. I didn't even take any over Thanksgiving except this one last night of Matt in his "ugliest holiday sweater" for his Hear and Now holiday performance next weekend. It was a Salvation Army "find", in the women's section.

As you can see from the photo above, the house is liveable now. I still need to hang some things on the wall an do something with a bunch of boxes in the lower level, but liveable is good. And I could find everything I needed in the kitchen to make a Thanksgiving dinner, so that was good (turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, Brussels Sprouts). And it was good. My fave ... the Brussels Sprouts. I'm not a gravy eater and the rest tasted pretty much like it always does. : )

My stepmom's surgery went very well and she is recovering at cardiac rehab and will probably be released (to come back to my house) next week. Her son David and his family came up from the Des Moines area last weekend and dad took us out to eat. It was nice to see them. The girls are getting so big.

Ellen and I

I've been running most days, or getting on the Stairmaster, but haven't been to the pool or gym in about 3 weeks (before the NYC marathon). I have to work 9 to 5 today so won't make OSS, but hope to get a longish run in Sunday morning before/with OSS (Dunn Bros. north at 8:00.

Well, I better get busy. The times is getting away from me AGAIN.

Toodles ...............

Hear and Now

2011-11-22T17:28:00.000-06:00

Hear's (misspelling of "here" is intended!) my son Matt singing his arrangement of Uncle Kracker's Follow Me with his acapella group Hear and Now. I'm so proud!! I could never sing in front of people like that. I have this Uncle Kracker CD and it's a fun one.

A HUGE congratulations to Michelle Williamson (Tom and Karen's daughter) who's 23 and completed her first Ironman tri this weekend ... Ironman AZ. She 1) won her age division, and 2) is now registered for Ironman Kona 2012. Woot woot!! So proud of her. : )

Ran 8.02 miles this morning in the new neighborhood. Two hours on the Stairmaster yesterday. Working a lot of hours and thus don't have much time for blogging. Still lots of unpacking and hanging pictures, drapes, etc. to do yet. But it's liveable "hear and now". : )

Well, I'm going to try to get done with the RTC year-in-review newsletter this evening. Hoping you'll like it. Look for a story from Tom O' (Memories of Melby), an On The Run With ... Millie Suk, a story on sudden death in athletes by Jeff Pasternak, M.D., recipes from me, and ... lots more. It'll arrive in your mailbox sometime in December (if you're a current RTC member that is!). Printed in color.

Toodles.

Getting There

2011-11-20T21:29:00.000-06:00

Slowly but surely, the new (temporary) place is getting liveable. There's still a pile of boxes in the living room and I need to decide what goes in storage and what goes in the one free drawer and one free cabinet in the kitchen. The office is liveable, my bedroom is liveable, dad and Ada's room is liveable, bathrooms are liveable and the downstairs family room needs a LOT of help. What I really need is either: 1) more storage, or 2) less stuff. Option 2 is probably the better solution.

Millie and I had to practice our winter running skills this morning. We ran up to the cemetary on the bike path and then out to Quarry Hill and the tennis courts, the lake and then back to Panera. Very slippery in spots. But thankful that as of now we only have a dusting of snow. I'm really not looking forward to winter this year. This year more than most. I got in just over 8 miles. With Millie's 5 early miles, she got in about 12.5 (I went out another half mile after she met her sister and dad for coffee). Yesterday I ran with OSS up the Douglas Trail. Just a hair over 15 miles for me. Longest run since NYC.

We had a LUABC meeting at Jean's house this evening. We celebrated Laura getting her master's degree and also conducted a business meeting. The half marathon course has been certified and the giveaway this year will be embroidered black fleece gloves.

Well, I'm tired and I have to work 'til 10 PM tomorrow, so I'm going to call it a day. I'll post some pix tomorrow. Have a great week!

Not So Much

2011-11-17T07:10:00.001-06:00

Very good news on the home front. My stepmom had a heart valve replace yesterday and it went very well. When I left the hospital she was still in the ICU and just taken off propyphol (sp?) and they were going to start waking her up. Hope she is doing well today.

It was a pretty un-birthday like day. Mostly. Went in to the office for a while in the morning, but didn't have to work at JCP. Went to the hospital. Moved the last two loads of stuff out of the house and started cleaning. Didn't even sit down and eat a meal. By then it was 5:30. Amy and Jean convinced me to join them for a glass of wine at Dooley's despite the fact that they were smartly dressed in work clothes and I was in cleaning clothes. It was a nice break with good friends. Then I decided to go to Target and look for a few storage containers instead of back to the cleaning (which I will start shortly). I bought myself a slice of cake, but no candles and didn't sing to myself. : ) THANK YOU, all 151 of you, for the birthday greetings on Facebook!! Made my day.

Well, I better get busy. I have to turn the house over to the new owners in 28 hours.

Have a good one.

Dead Tired

2011-11-15T22:09:00.000-06:00

That's about all I can say. I'm dead tired. This move is dragging on and on due to limited time to work on it. And no time to work out, which doesn't help my stress level. But I'll get through it. I have to.

Prayers, positive thoughts, etc. would be appreciated for my stepmom Ada. She is having a heart valve replaced in the morning. They will be staying with me for a couple of months. I feel so bad that they have to stay in this messy disorganized house, but there's nothing I can do about it. I just don't have any time to get it organized. My food is at the other house, and I am here. Hoping that this weekend might bring a little order to the chaos. I am very emotional about selling my home on Kal Lane. It was a great house and I put a lot of myself into it (built it, and I designed it). I'm hoping to find the time to bake one last batch of cookies over there. Just the thought of that makes me cry. But in the overall scheme of things, it is just a house.

Well, I'm totally exhausted. Worked at JCPenney until 10:00 PM, then had to go to Kal Lane to get my bedding out of the dryer, bring it over here to make up my bed, and try to wind down after another marathon 20-hour day. And another one today.

Good night friends.

A Break

2011-11-11T21:33:00.001-06:00

All I've done today is pack and work. No workout. No time. So now, I've decided to take a few minutes for me, and you. Here are my souvenirs from NYC:

Workout pants from Athleta, styled like jeans. Their pants almost all comes in talls, even small tall.

Headband and gloves, with the 5 boroughs on the fingers. Fun.

Yvonne and Jodi said I NEEDED this NYC purse. From a little boutique next to 30 Rock.

Five dollar pink animal print scarf from Chinatown.

From the expo (back of the shirt).

Race shirt.

Well, I suppose I better get back it. This is an exhausting and emotional job. At least I'll be glad when all my stuff is in one house. The movers moved the big stuff this morning. I have yet to pack up the kitchen, the office and some of my clothes. But I have another six days. Lots of friends helping move tomorrow morning/afternoon. THANK YOU all in advance!! Beer/pop/cookies provided. Come join in the "fun". Any time 9:00 or after.

Good night.

Home

2011-11-10T07:02:00.001-06:00

No time for a detailed post with having to pack up the house. But here a few pictures from the trip. What a wonderful time it was. Spectacular weather.

American Diner for breakfast on Saturday

I'm in!!

Times Square daytime

We went to see Memphis on Broadway. Great play. Great message.

Tom, me, Jodi

Times Square at night

Sunrise on marathon morning

"Green" athletes' village

Baggage claim

Finishers!! Tom, Andy, me, Yvonne, Jodi

St. Patrick's cathedral

Rockefeller plaza

Top of the Rock view

Protestors on Wall Street

In Little Italy

Morning run along the Hudson the morning after the marathon

Tom and his two new BFFs

Moi at Good Enough To Eat .... fabulous breakfast

Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on TODAY

Pedicab ride through Central Park

Fountain from the opening of Friends (Central Park)

YUM!!

Sunset Tuesday over the Hudson

And our journey came to a close. Much more another day. No time now. Have a good one.

NYC Marathon. Check.

2011-11-07T05:28:00.001-06:00

Well, I did it. I finished the NYC marathon. Of course, not without pain and my usual "issues", but I was so happy to finish.

Nice medal, but cheapo lightweight plain ribbon!

The weather was PERFECT. 40s at the start. Not sure about the finish. High 50s? Sunny skies. Wind, but not as much as Saturday. And so many spectators. It was incredible. We were up early to meet at 5 in the lobby to catch the subway to the Staten Island Ferry to catch a bus to the start. It all went like clockwork. Clocks were set back on Sat night/Sun AM. We got to the lobby. No Mike Schmitt. At 5:05 I called his room. Jessica said that no, Mike wasn't on his way down. Their clocks said it was 3:50 AM. I told her it was 5:05 AM and we had to leave. Get on the ferry and who comings walking on ... Mike. I don't know how he pulled that off, but good thing he laid everything out Sat night.

There were people everywhere on Staten Island checking our numbers on the walk to the corals. We must have had to show it to 10 people. Understandably, they take security very seriously here. Peter and I sat together in the green coral and ate our breakfasts waiting for the 8:10 cutoff for bag drop before walking to the corals to wait for 90 minutes. Lots of waiting, that's for sure. But I brought plenty of clothing so I was warm, except for my toes. There are LOTS of people from all over the world at this marathon so many languages were being spoken all around us. And lots of people to talk to.

After opening the closed corals if that makes sense, we walked to the bridge on ramp to wait for about half an hour. Still had my heat blanket so I was relatively warm. Then, we were off. At about 3 miles I could feel my hip. Oh no. This could be a long day, I thought. My mind just wasn't in the right place for this marathon. I was conting down the miles to the finish after 2 miles, and several times actually thought about quitting. But I kept pressing on. We ran through Brooklyn for many miles and my friend Summerson Springer ran up on me and we chatted for a while. It was great to see her. She was running faster than me, so shortly she went on ahead.

I think my first portapotty stop was at about 6 miles. Then another one at 11 or 12. Then a couple more after that. I was drinking at every water stop hoping to keep the cramps at bay at least for a while. But with the cool temps and an apparently full bladder, I just had to stop. I wish I could get those minutes back but that's not to be. There are lots of hills on this course. Long bridges, hilly Central Park made it a challenging course. But I loved it. I loved seeing the city, all the runners (very much shoulder to shoulder the early miles with some tripping going on), all the neighborhoods, all the bands, all the spectators. Not a fan of huge marathons, but I liked this one. Liked the running part of it better than Boston.

So when did the cramping start? Twinges at 13 but then more heavily at about 18. But this time I wasn't stopped in my tracks for minutes at a time rubbing my adductors and weeping. I was able to stop for a short time, get the cramp to release (mostly hamstrings) and keep moving (albeit slowly). My first half was a 1:53 on my garmin. Finish time 4:06:50 on my garmin. Haven't seen an official time yet. I was satisfied with that. Not happy with the time in the overall scheme of things, but satisfied. My goal was to finish and that's what I did. So I met my goal. Hoping that if I can do speedwork and tempo runs and lose weight in 2012, unlike this year, my running will improve. But for now, I'm a NYC marathon finisher and I'm happy about that.

Late afternoon we made our way to Manhatten. Some went to mass, some walked Fifth Avenue. It was alive with people on a Sunday night and all the stores were open. (I didn't buy anything). I was surprised. We stopped for a burger before riding to the top of Rockefeller Center. We were starving and the burgers and fries hit the spot.

Here's a toast to a very good day.

More later. Have a great day!

The Big Apple

2011-11-04T07:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it's almost here. Almost time to (try to) run through the five boroughs of NYC with my good friends (Jodi, Yvonne, Tom W, Andy, Peter, Mike) and 45000 "other" friends. Yikes. That's so many people. The logistics have me nervous on this one. We have to take the subway to the Staten Island ferry (we're scheduled for the 5:45AM) which will take us ... I'm not sure. I'll just follow the crowd. My life has been a bit too busy to think very much about this trip. Back to the "try to" run thing. I've run 6 miles since Saturday. And my body is tired. My body is hurting. My left hip and lower leg were barking this week. I don't know if it's all the time spent lifting, carrying, bending, going up/down stairs or what, but my confidence level for this marathon is pretty low. So no workout today. No workout tomorrow. I'll just try to press on to the finish, but it's going to take me a while, I pretty much know that. Just hoping it isn't too terribly ugly.

I am looking forward to seeing the sights, seeing a show on Broadway tomorrow afternoon, eating in Little Italy afterwards and spending time away from the baggage that is my life right now. It's a much needed respite and I hope I can let everything go for a few days and enjoy NYC. The weather sounds pretty perfect. Low of 38 on Saturday, high of 56 Sunday, low of 43 Sunday and then 63 Mon and Tues. SWEET.

Eric came home last night and made us a pizza and brought a bottle of pinot noir. We ate while we watched the Wild game (they won 4-1). What a nice relaxing evening. I'd had such a full day. Worked 9 to 6:10 and had done some more moving in the AM.

Well, I'm going to get busy. I'll post from NYC. Toodles.

Too Busy for Words

2011-11-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

Oh my. So tired. I slept for 3 hours last night. Woke up at 1:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. Which certainly left me dragging today. Got on the Stairmaster for an hour before my FIRST job. Then started training at JCPenney. So much to learn. Then moved a few loads to my rental house.

I've been given the weekend of 11/12 and 11/13 off so I can move which is wonderful, as I am supposed to be free to work all weekends. If you're available to help (I'm thinking we'll start the afternoon of the 12th, after the Gamehaven race), please let me know. It's greatly appreciated. Starting another job, getting ready to go to NYC to run a marathon (totally unprepared), moving, family staying with me for a couple months while undergoing surgery, ... it's overwhelming. And in the middle of all this, I'll turn 51.

Congrations to the Strain family on the birth of Ellis on Sunday morning. Dan gave me permission to post this.

Now Dan and Heidi have "My Three Sons". Remember that show??

Here are my nephew and niece in their Halloween costumes yesterday. SO CUTE.

Well, I'm still really dragging but I should try to get a little more done before I collapse.

Good night.

One (More) Last Hurrah

2011-10-30T20:41:00.003-05:00

On the spur of the moment I decided to invite some friends over for a soup and salad supper. And eleven (plus me) showed up!! Hurrah!! It was really a fun evening. I made butternut squash soup...

an autumn salad ...

and a cherry pie and some cookies. Amy brought a DELISH wild rice soup. Gotta get that recipe. Jean brought Caesar salad and beverages. Jim Li brought homemade applesauce and beer. We ate 'til we were full to overflowing. And laughed A LOT. Which I needed. It was a nice break for me.

Shirley wanted to take a pic of my CA "bags". EVERY time I use one of these I get a compliment. They are definitely attention getters.

What a fun evening. What great friends.

No workout today. My body is tired and needs a rest. My left hip is a bit sore and all this moving stuff isn't helping. So I gave myself a day off (and that isn't easy for me). I spent 12 hours going through "stuff". Wow. Did I uncover some relics. All my grade school report cards. A program from a 1983 Vikings game. Remember Matt Blair and Tommy Kramer?

And my second grade school photo.

And my college sorority photos. Can spot me?

And the girls of Vanaheim (I think this was senior year, but I lived here both Jr. and Sr. years). Can you spot me in this one?

Congratulations ... to the Strain family on the first of son number three this morning. First was William, then Wes and now ... I'm not sure!! Dan wouldn't tell me before the baby was born. But it might not be a "W" name, that much I did know. And congrats to Jeff and Trevor who finished 4th (8:56) and 5th (8:58) at Surph the Murph 50-miler. Yowza!! They're amazing!! Congrats to Laura who finished her master's thesis this past week. Good news all around. : )

Well, that's enough for today. I am absolutely bushed. And tired of making decisions ... what to keep? what to throw? what to try to sell? Enough.

Good night ...

Negligent

2011-10-29T17:46:00.000-05:00

Sorry. I'm very negligent in posting. Live is very full right now.

Thursday: Helped at the section cross country meet. It was a perfect day for running. Cool. Not too windy. A little bit nippy for the spectators and volunteers, but all in all, very nice.

Congratulations to Shane Nepstad for qualifying for the state meet next weekend!!

Shane is on the right

There are still some beautiful leaves around the top of the hill.

That brings me to Friday. Most of the day was spent transferring utilities and everything else, changing addresses, etc. A little packing, but not much. Today put a bunch more stuff on Craigslist.

I picked up a part-time temporary job at JCPenney in their home dec. dept. I work on commission, so if you want to buy something there, ask when I'm working!! I start on Wednesday. We'll see how it goes. I don't really have time for another job right now, but I'll make it work somehow.

Nice turnout at Newt's this morning for OSS. Maybe 15 or so. I ran 13.45 miles, my last long run until the New York City marathon next weekend. Congrats to Laura who finished her master's thesis this week. Hurrah!! I've been thinking about Jeff and Trevor today. They're running a 50-miler at Surph the Murph. What a great day for an ulta. Wanda and Buddy are running Marine Corps tomorrow, where the weather has been less than ideal. Hoping it turns for the better for them. The Grahaminator was out at Oxbow today. Hope Casey had a good turnout. Racing options were the Monster Dash and Spirit Run. What a busy day. What a beautiful day.

Well, I'm expecting some friends for dinner at 6:00. Just soup and salad, bread and dessert. One last hurrah before this house is a war zone with boxes and "stuff" everywhere.

Enjoy your day.

SOLD

2011-10-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, it became official. The buyers walked through the house on Monday with the person who'd done an inspection previously and it went very well. No more projects for me to tackle. (Yeah!!) So now, I can move on. For the time being, I'm renting a house and when things start to settle down a bit, I'll decide what my next move will be. But for now, I've got to get moved. The big move out/move in weekend will be November 12/13. If you'd like to help out, even for a short time, just one car load, it'd be greatly appreciated. I've gotten rid of lots of "stuff" but still have lots of "stuff" left. I'll be putting more of it on Craigslist in the upcoming days, making trips to Salvation Army, etc. I've got 2 bags of running clothes that I'd like to give to runners, mostly women's size medium. If anyone knows of a good home for them (they're in excellent condition, I just have too much) please send me an email. Thanks!!

Workouts: 10 miles yesterday morning. Nice morning. This morning, 2 hours on the Stairmaster. It's a chance to get through a few magazines which I otherwise don't do, and no impact on my legs. Does leave two big puddles on the basement floor though. Tomorrow: Team R.E.D. is at the Schmitt's (see the blog for more info) and all are welcome to attend. Not sure what my workout will be. Either a morning run or lifting/swimming. I'll decide when I wake up. It's been that kind of year ... pretty unstructured and unfocused. But that's OK.

Tonight: book club. I didn't want to go to the store to buy anything as I've got plenty of food in this house, so I'm making Baked Potato Soup to share. Haven't finished the book, but that's OK.

Well, back to work. Have a great evening. Toodles.

Waiting ... and waiting ...

2011-10-25T09:23:00.000-05:00

Seems that's all I'm doing lately. And getting tired of it. Not much to share on the home front.

I ran 10.04 miles this morning. There's kind of a stiff breeze from the NE, but all in all, for late October in Minnesota, it was nice. Yesterday I gave my running muscles a break and lifted and swam in the morning and went for a 30 mile bike ride late afternoon. It was nice to be out on the bike again. It's been a while.

Tomorrow night: Book Club. Reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. Here's a 100,000 foot view of the story: "Henrietta was the involuntary donor of cells from her cancerous tumors that have been cultured to create an immortal cell line for medical research. These so-called HeLa cells have not only generated billions of dollars for the medical industry; they have helped uncover secrets of cancers, viruses, fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping." I'm just over half done (and probably won't finish) and it's pretty slow going. A little too much cellular info and the story is dragging. But we'll see how the discussion goes. Thursday: Working the Section 1A cross country meet. Then there are two options: Team R.E.D. or TriRochester at Glynner's (or the couch at home!). Saturday: I believe I heard Jean say that OSS is at Newt's north. And Matt's friend Whitney posted this on my FB wall: On Saturday my nursing program is holding a little event ... you can run as fast or slow as you want, you can wear a costume or not, there will be prizes and treats. The cost is 10 dollars and it supports the Nursing college board at the U of M rochester. I would love to see you there and bring all your running buddies too. Registration starts at 9AM down at solider fields park.

Sorry I'm short on news. But that's the way it goes some days. Have a good one. : )

Friends

2011-10-23T16:44:00.000-05:00

Had a wonderful evening with friends last night, thanks to Amy. It was her third annual fall dinner at her beautiful home outside Chatfield. Such a relaxing evening ... just exactly what I needed. Headed down 52 with Jean and George just as the sun was setting.

I just love sunsets. There were 11 of us for dinner and it was delicious.

Not sure what was in the air (ghosts?) on that one, but nothing was burning!! We feasted on salad, chicken, calico beans, squash and pumpkin muffins. A perfect fall menu. I was hungry after my morning run and afternoon walk. Can't remember if I ate lunch ...

Dessert was delightful. Randy and Anita brought apple crisp, Amy had a pumpkin cheesecake and I brought some cookies.

Lovely, lovely evening. THANK YOU Amy.

The day started with about a dozen of us at Brothers for O.S.S. I wanted to do more than the 10 scheduled miles, so I got back too late for breakfast. Then Jean and I went to look at a neighbor's house that's for rent. Can't remember what I did with the middle part of my day. It must be my age ... or just too much going on these days I guess. A big shout out to everyone that ran in Mankato yesterday. Some really impressive times on a perfect marathoning/half marathoning day. Good job one and all!! Today I met Jean, Dave and eventually John and Jim at Panera for a run followed by breakfast/coffee. Best wishes to Dave as he runs a marathon in Greenville, SC next weekend. Pam is running the half. Have fun!! Run fast!! : )

Oh ... now I remember what I did yesterday. Worked on the "special issue" of RTC News. It's going to be a year end retrospective. Thanks to everyone that's providing input. I think it'll be a very good read. We're printing it, in color.

I have banana bread in the oven and it smells wonderful. Haven't had lunch (had breakfast at 10:30) but I think I'll just skip it at this point.

Until next time ...

Things I Love

2011-10-21T21:27:00.002-05:00

It has been a rough day for my family. Lots of tears. Fear of the unknown. Prayers. I will just say that no one should ever EVER be given a diagnosis of cancer on a Friday afternoon.

I am going to end my day in a happy place. I'd seen something like this this, on some blog, somewhere, sometime. Here goes ...

Some Things I Love

My family
The ocean
Campfires
Cookbooks
Roses
Baking cookies
Boston
Giordano's pizza
Sunrise
Libraries
Cake
Norway
The smell of bread baking
Reading books
Babies
Math
Christmas music
Cherry jam
Finishing a marathon
Rain falling
Dark chocolate m&ms
Playing solitaire
A clean, tidy house
Peanut butter
Euphoria (from Calvin Klein)
Big funky purses
Autumn leaves
Running
Mountains
Road trips
A clean car
Cherry pie
Listening to a violin
Fireplaces
Sunset
A good book
Christmas
The color pink
Good wine
Riding a bike
Ronnie's Rolls (Decorah, IA)
Dark chocolate
Watching Seinfeld
Making friends
Traveling
What Not To Wear
Handmade quilts
Taking pictures
Grocery shopping
Shoes
Taking a nap
LBDs (Little Black Dresses)
Snow falling
My friends
There you have it. Feel free to comment on this post with some things that you love.

Sleep well, my friends. Good night.

Crazy Busy

2011-10-20T20:36:00.001-05:00

So much going on. So much to do. So this will be short.

Off-Season Striders are gathering at Brothers on Saturday morning at 7:30 AM. Here's the route (thanks to Pete Martin):

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=457143&mid=50

Then gather for breakfast afterwards. Brothers was my request ... I've got a gift certificate that's expiring soon. ;-)

Wanted!! Runners!! The Bear Creek 5 Prediction run is November 5, and it's a BARGAIN. $10, with a $2 discount for RTC members. All particpants will get polypropylene gloves. And the customary post-run treats I'm sure. I'll be in New York, but if I was in town, I'd be there!! Starts at 9:00 AM at Mayo High School, door 6. Hand carved wood bear trophies to those closest to their predicted time without being faster.

Wanted!! Committee members!! Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer could use a few more dedicated, fun-loving folks for our steering committee. If interested, please contact John. Thanks!!

On the home front: putting stuff on Craigslist, or giving it away, or throwing it away. It dawned on me that it was past time to flush the sediment from the water heater. (According to the owner's manual it's supposed to be done every 6 months.) So I drained it, flushed it and successfully got it lit again. Hot water in the morning. :-) (A little) success.

Time to get back at it. Sorry to not be very newsy.

Sweet dreams.

So Little Time

2011-10-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

Life seems a blur these days. So much to do. So much going on. And seemingly little time to get everything accomplished.

Yesterday started with lifting and swimming at the Y. After work, a stop by Great Harvest and then my brother's house to see Kaleigh get on the bus for kindergarten.

Then a trip to Trader Joe's to get some things for supper. My dad and Ada, my brother and his kids, Matt and I all ate together. We had peppercorn and garlic-crusted pork tenderloin, a wild rice pilaf, green beans amandine and Great Harvest honey whole wheat bread. Brownies and ice cream for dessert. Pretty good meal.

After supper, we were off to John Marshall H.S. for Matt's end-of-student-teaching directing opportunity. He directed the ninth grade band for a piece called Rhythm Stand by Jennifer Higdon. I was so proud. He was so cool, calm and collected. Nothing like I'd have been in his position. This photo was during the practice run-through.

Now he's back in Winona and student teaching elementary students in Lewiston.

This morning brought a 12 mile run for me. Nice morning. First run in pants for the season, but I think I could have gotten away with shorts. This afternoon I swept all the leaves out of the garage (these brisk NW winds fill it in no time) and put the glass in the storm door on the front. Seems like I just put in the screen.

Well, time to roast some "sweets" (sweet potatoes) for supper. Have a good evening.

Later ...........

SOLD, Redux

2011-10-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

So. Back to last week. First showing of the house was 7:15 PM Wednesday, the evening it was officially listed. Three showings Thursday morning. Two showings Thursday afternoon, both second showings. One call was "I want to show it immediately." So I grabbed my shoes and was out the door putting my shoes on as I left. I found out there would be at least one offer, which came Friday. (The other people weren't expecting to find a house they liked and didn't have their financing in order yet.) Full price offer. Closing November 18. Wow. Exciting, but it caught me so off guard. With the average time on market in Rochester of about 6 months, I wasn't expecting to decide where I'd live next for a while yet. But that wasn't to be. So now I'm dealing with "Where next?" And that's still TBD. Stay tuned.

Friday was spent getting ready for Saturday's breakfast run (and pondering everything that is involved in selling a house, finding another residence, and moving). I brought 7 bags of leaves to the compost ...

made Butternut Squash soup (with potatoes and leeks) for supper (DELICIOUS recipe ... thanks Margo!) ...

and lots of baking for Saturday, including these caramel pecan cinnamon rolls.

And blueberry scones.

And lots of cookies.

I think 30 people made an appearance at one time or another on Saturday morning, though not all were there for the lift off picture.

Steve and K.C. popped in for just a minute.

The food was plentiful and delicious. Thank you everyone for your contributions!!

Thank you to everyone that showed up!! What a fun morning.

After getting the house cleaned up, and resting for a minutes (I'd been on my feet all day) I headed out for a run hoping to get in a long one but not knowing how it would go being I hadn't slept much and the wind was blowing HARD again. But I just kept running circles around the hill until I had in 20.33 miles. 3:09. Not super fast, but I ran a marathon last weekend and 69 miles last week. Good enough. I was tired when I was done. When I returned, Dad and Ada were here. Ada and I went to Trader Joe's for a few things for supper. Eric and Alley arrived just before dinner. It was great to have them here with us.

Today Jenni and the kids came over for the afternoon. Such cute kids. We had a lovely relaxing afternon after having chicken wild rice soup, Brussels sprouts and bread for lunch. And cherry pie for dessert.

I love my family. <3

Well, I really need to call it a day. It's been a very busy few days and life will only get busier. Good night.

SOLD

2011-10-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

Well, I got a full price offer from a fully qualified buyer on Friday. And the house is sold. To close Nov. 18. Which sent me into a panic because I have to determine "what/where next?" now. So my life has become crazy busy.

About 30 showed up for the breakfast run yesterday and it was great fun as always. I enjoy the company of my running friends so much. Ran 20.33 miles yesterday afternoon, then my dad and stepmom arrived. They drove up from Florida. Eric and his girlfriend Alley came down from the cities together and we had a lovely supper yesterday and lunch today along with my sister-in-law Jenni and the kids. So it's been busy but very enjoyable. Ran at Panera this morning with Dave, Pam, Jean, Tom and when I got back to Panera John was there but I didn't stay for breakfast. Still a brisk west wind out there.

Well, I'm going to mow before the Lace-Up meeting this evening. More later, during the Vikings game. I'll have pix too.

Toodles ................

Another Crazy Day

2011-10-14T05:51:00.000-05:00

Started my morning yesterday with an hour swim, lifting and a 6.01 mile run. Good workout. Then off to work. While I was at work, the house was shown 3 times. Afternoon brought two second showings. With a showing Wed evening that was 6 in 24 hours. I'm feeling like I'm gonig to be homeless sooner than I thought. But it doesn't mean anything until I have a Purchase Agreement to look at. Needless to say, I have to keep the house immaculate. After an hour and a half I could get back into the house for a short time before leaving for the RTC board meeting. Of note: Trash pickup Monday at 5 PM and I will be starting a year-end issue of "RTC News", which will be a colored/printed/mailed version.

Getting ready for tomorrow morning's Breakfast Run (BTW: You are all invited!) 7:30 AM. Run or walk if you wish but come for breakfast for sure!

Well, I'm going to start baking and when the sun comes up, go for a run. Enjoy your day!!

Busy Day!

2011-10-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

... so this will be short. 10.01 mile run this morning before work. Trip to Sam's Club. Nap. Baked cookies. Movie with friends. Showed the house. Two more showings tomorrow.

At the movie (Snowflower and the Secret Fan). The woman sitting behind me hit the back of my seat fairly hard and gave me a jolt. Then she was rustling rather loudly through her belongings for about 2 minutes. While the credits were rolling I got out my dumb phone (very small screen) to see the time as I'd gotten a call from a realtor during the movie and wanted to see if it was too late to call back. The phone was in front of my torso and I think must have been partially obstructed by my giant purse. This woman behind me immediately said to me in a loud voic, "Miss, you're blinding me with that thing!" Oh. My. Gosh. I was flabbergasted. We got up and left.

Just a reminder ... all are welcome at the breakfast run/walk (running/walking is optional) on Saturday morning. 7:30. Bring a hearty appetite!! I'm hoping for a big crowd and will be baking up a storm!

Good night.

WTG Paige!!

2011-10-11T18:54:00.000-05:00

A shout out to Paige Reeves for her first 100% outdoor 103 mile bike ride. You rock girl!! I accompanied her for the final 60 miles after work ...

Beautiful fall day, with temps in the 70s. Brisk south wind, however. But we got 'er done. The route was through Hammond, Millville and Elgin, including a Cat 5 climb just south of Millville.

Somewhere on highway 63

Hammond

Between Hammond and Millville

Stretching our legs in Millville

Gel break!!

I am so proud of her. She had an awesome ride; very strong.

I started my day with a 6.07 mile run. Legs felt great. No more lingering soreness after Saturday's (slow) marathon. Been thinking about this one ... and ashamed that with my horrible finish time I won my age division. But there's nothing I can do about that. The only people I'm competing against are number 1, myself and number 2, the others in my age division. I have no control over who shows up and who doesn't. Or how the weather can make for a miserable marathon. So, I'll just take the "win" and be done with it. And hope for a better finish time next marathon.

Not too much more to report. The For Sale sign goes up in front of the house. That's going to feel weird.

Time to wash a few dishes and then put my feet up for a few minutes. Have a great evening. :-)

Cooking Light October 2011

2011-10-11T06:45:00.000-05:00

It was a delightful evening and a wonderful menu. We met at my house yesterday evening. We missed Laura and Mary, though. Our menu consisted of:

Marinated Peppers and Mozzarella, Cheese and Pear Pork, Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Smashed Potatoes, Autumn Apple Spinach Salad, Walnut Bread, Salted Caramel Brownies. Barbara went above and beyond and made three kinds of brownies for us to enjoy. It's so hard to pick one favorite from this menu ... so I'll pick 3. The pork, potatoes and brownies. Thank you to these special friends for sharing a wonderful evening with me!!

It was also photo day for the house, so it was in tip top condition. Here are a few pix:

Everything had to be put away, so the dish drainer was in the dishwasher, baskets in the microwave, laundry soap in the dryer ...

Well, I might get out and move my legs for a few miles this morning with a little run/walk. Paige and I are planning an 88-mile ride this afternoon. I'll hang on for one 44-mile loop through Hammond/Elgin and see how it goes after that. Supposed to get windy today. Yesterday I hit the pool and gave my legs a rest.

Have a wonderful day!

Well Done!

2011-10-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

A shout out to those I know that ran marathons today ... Andy (3:43) and Jim (3:40) ran Chicago and Ron (2:52) ran Denver. Excellent performances gentlemen!!

A few notes about me cramping during a marathon ... for those that have known me for a while, you've heard my stories. Either just bear with me, or skip this. But I'll share the story again in the hopes that maybe someone reading this might have some more advice to offier me. In 22 marathons, I've never been able to run the whole thing. I've always been stopped by leg cramps. Sometimes they start as early as 13 miles, sometimes as late as 23 or so. I've learned in the last year that I can run through them for a while and they will (usually) eventually release. This is especially true when it's just my calves that are involved. But when it gets to the point where it's calves, hamstrings and especially adductors (inner side of upper leg), I can't move. And I want to scream. I have to stand there and massage the cramps until they release. Yesterday, mile 25 was 15:22 and mile 26 was 16:27. I am embarrassed at all my mile splits for that marathon, but the last two were torture. So ... what I have I tried that might resolve the problem? LOTS of hydration the day before. Friday night I was up 3 times to pee. LOTS of hydration during the race. (Usually I have to stop at least once on the course to pee, but yesterday I didn't.) I take electrolyte capsules during the race. Yesterday, probably 6 or 7. I've tried Endurolytes, Succeed and one other that escapes me. I salt my food the day or two before the race. I've tried carrying small baggies of Heed or Perpetuem (Hammer products) during the race and mixing my own non-simple sugar electrolyte drinks during the race. I've gone out slow ... nothing faster than 9:00 pace. Yesterday I took 3 or 4 GUs (can't remember as I gave one away and don't remember exactly how many I started with). One MD suggested I needed more calcium in my diet so I started taking calcium citrate. I use The Stick regularly. I know the cramping is worse the warmer it is. So ... I'm really at a loss as to what else to try. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I'd love, just once, to be physical or mental fatigue be the limiting factor in a marathon, and not leg cramps. JUST ONCE.

My day today started at Panera with Dave, Emily, Jean, Kristin, Millie, Tom and eventually the "other" Tom. We headed toward the Cascade trail and the new bridge and bike path. My legs actually felt pretty good after about 10 strides. By about 3 1/2 miles, my right knee was a little sore so I decided it would be best, to try to avoid injury, if I turned around and did a walk/run back to Panera. So I got in 7.01 miles before we went inside for coffee.

At about 11:30, I helped someone move an extremely heavy desk from an upstairs bedroom out to his truck. I was giving it away on Craigslist. It's all steel and boy was that a workout. But nothing in the house got damaged in the process so all good.

After that I went for a bike ride as Paige was under the weather and we were going to ride a 44-mile loop this afternoon. I decided that 30 would probably be just fine so I rode through Rock Dell and just past highway 30 before turning around. Wicked SE wind, but that made riding north a whole lot of fun. All in all it was a beautiful day.

This evening my house was "staged" before being photographed tomorrow afternoon. All clutter (i.e. knicknacks, photographs, "stuff") had to be removed (even rugs in the bathrooms) and it has to look like I don't live here. I think she was successful.

Well, time to call it a day. Hope you all had a great weekend, and a great week ahead.

Good night ............

Super Secret Road Trip

2011-10-08T21:39:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it ... I kept it a secret all week. Here's how it started ...

My friend Cindy from St. Cloud is running the 50 states. She ran Omaha a couple of weeks ago and is running in Dublin Ireland the end of the month and she wanted to get in another state inbetween those two marathons. So 2 weeks ago I got on marathonguide.com and found the Prairie State Marathon in Libertyville, IL, a state she still needed to run but she didn't want to run Chicago.

Then, last Saturday I gave her a call after pondering the marathon myself and before you know it, a road trip was hatched. So late yesterday afternoon we were off to the prairie state.

We arrived in Libertyville at about 9:00 PM after our carbo-loading dinner .. a Subway sub. I had chicken. And we each had one of my cookies. Not my normal pasta meal, but we'd make it work. The race started at 8:00 AM and our hotel was less than a mile from the race venue. It was a beautiful morning ... but in the 60's already and forecast to be in the low 80's. Yikes. Waaaaaay to warm for this runner. But I'd do the best I could given the circumstances. The venue was a beautiful forest preserve as they call them in Illinois.

I didn't carry my camera on the course or take any photos afterwards, but the leaves were just beautiful. The first mile was on an asphalt trail and then we were on crushed limestone. I got a few small pebbles in my right shoe but the surface was nice for running. The course was very flat. But it was hot and there were many miles on the second loop that offered no protection from the sun. And we were all feeling it. I carried a bottle of Powerade in my left hand the entire race and I was so glad I did. I filled it an additional two times and took Gatorade or water at every water stop. Like Cindy said, given today's conditions (this in an email from the event yesterday morning "Weather: The weather forcast is predicting unseasable warmer temperatures. Be prepared and take proper precaution on event day.") there should have been water every mile after 20. And they advertised gel at two locations on the course, but there were none. One guy I ran with for a while had no gels, so I gave him one of mine as I had 4. Temp at the finish: 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Conditions that really make me suffer. At 5.0 miles to go, I had 3:11:44 on my watch. With 10 minute miles, I could finish sub-4:00. But I knew it would only get uglier with the rising temps and another trip through the sunny 2-mile stretch to the finish. Sure enough at 24.45 miles, my adductors seized up and brought be to a screeching halt, doubled over and literally moaning. Embarrassing but I was in so much pain. I can handle calf or hamstring cramps, but those adductors bring me to my knees. Feels like a knife being stabbed in the medial size of my upper leg. I stood their massaging the cramps until I could start (barely) walking. I walked to mile 25 and thought I'd try to run once again. But after 10 to 15 strides all the leg muscles cramped up again (adductors, right hamstring, calves) and brought me to a halt. After a few more minutes of self-massage I started walking but was on the verge of tears. I knew that to finish, I could only walk it in. Embarrassing, humiliating. But I just wanted to get this over with. Finally finished with a 4:16 which I am not proud of. But I was glad to finish. 8 in my age group and I came in first.

First male finisher 2:49 and second was 3:02 or something close to that. Times were slower than last year, most likely due to the heat. I saw the winner when he was at mile 25 and he didn't look so great. Head down and not moving too fast. Tough day for all of us. EXCEPT CINDY!! She rocked it with a 3:28 just 2 weeks after running a 3:25 in Omaha. She is a marathon machine. I am in total awe of her. And very proud as well. :-)

I ran with a waist pack containing gels, a pouch of electrolyte capsules and some Werthers candies. Shed my white singlet before even starting as it was so warm and ran with that tied around my waist pack for the whole race. After cleaning up in the beach house on a wonderful little lake we hit the road with a cold Diet Coke for me and a cold Diet Dew for Cindy. And a cookie of course. And a sunburn for each of us.

We drove home through Milwaukee.

After arriving home and getting a shower, I got a pork sandwich and fries at Glynner's. I was craving their delicious seasoned fries. It totally hit the spot and I ate every bite. :-)

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :-)

Paint

2011-10-06T20:34:00.001-05:00

I feel like I'm painting in my sleep these days ... not enough sleep, too much paint, and not enough time to enjoy this beautiful weather!! But, I think I'm done painting. Here are the kitchen before and after ...

After the wallpaper was removed

and dining room before and after. The dining room is the biggest change, as there was a very busy colonial wallpaper on top before painting.

After the wallpaper was removed

Before the window toppers were added back

The painting went well and went quickly. It was all the prep that was time consuming and not very much fun. I am very happy with the results. Just in time for Cooking Light to be at my house on Monday. Here is the menu:

Appetizer: Marinated Peppers and Mozzarella (Kathryn)
Main dish: Cheese and Pear Pork p. 150 (Renee)
Side: Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Smashed Potatoes p. 168 (Margo)
Salad: Autumn Apple Spinach Salad ... feel free to substitute something for the bleu cheese ... this is the third dish with that in it http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/autumn-apple-spinach-salad-10000000701044/ (Oct 2004) (Laura)
Bread: Walnut bread http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/walnut-bread-10000001932611/ (Nov 2009) (Diane)
Dessert: Salted Caramel Brownies p. 110 (Barbara)
Wine (whoever would like to bring some)

Bleu cheese seems to be a common theme in the menu. Hope everyone likes bleu cheese. :-)

Morning workout: 6.04 miles. Beautiful morning. Slept in.

I am looking forward to plunking down on the couch and reading the paper, so that's what I'll go do.

Good night ...............

Cutting In

2011-10-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

That's what I've been doing this week ... cutting in. With a paintbrush and paint. The wallpaper has been removed from the dining room and kitchen, the walls have been patched, the trim masked and the painting has begun. Painting really isn't so bad ... once you finally get to paint!! I've got to roll on one more coat in the kitchen and then do the dining room. The dining room will be a piece of cake after the kitchen. I took a before shot and I'll take an after tomorrow after I take down the tape. I really like it painted instead of papered. Should have done this long ago. :-)

What a beautiful morning for a run ... what a wonderful week of weather for October. Gotta love it.

A few more words about TC10/TCM. Congratulations to so many people ... Wanda for another marathon PR (at age 49) ... 3:04. Wow. And Andy and Trevor (and Jeff?) for running TCM PRs. And Ann (and maybe some others) for running 10 miles ... farther than she'd ever run before. Amy ran a 3:40-something just a short time after completing Ironman Louisville. And I know there are so many others who deserve a mention. So many successes. But kudos to everyone who ran any distance in any amount of time on Sunday ... in the overall scheme of things it doesn't really matter how long it took. What's important is that you did it.

My River Runner friend, and co-webmaster, Pat took a photo of me at mile 8.5. Here ya go ...

Just returned from seeing Moneyball with some friends. Good movie. I recommend it.

And now, I'm off to bed. Good night friends ...

TC10

2011-10-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

Well, my one race for the year is in the books. It went OK, but I wish I'd have run about 2 minutes faster but I guess that wasn't to be today. But with NO speed training this year, no racing, and plenty of injuries I guess I have to be satisfied with the outcome. Here's the lowdown:

Chip time: 1:14:44
Age group: 6/276 (winner was 1:13:24 ... yes, I'm old)
Gender: 166/4630
Overall 668/7546
Splits: 7:14 7:01 7:38 (hill) 7:18 7:35 7:44 (hill ... this one is a killer on the marathon) 7:43 7:23 7:32 7:07

It was a beautiful day for the 10-miler, though I think it got warm for the marathoners.

After finishing the 10-mile, Team R.E.D. hung out at mile 26 and we watched our friends finish the marathon.

The police escort for the male winner

Male winner

Female winner

Kuniaki Ota and Jim Li

Andy

Rick

Barefoot Superhero

After baking in the sun for a few hours, the party was over and it was time to hit the road. A GREAT day!!

Good night. ;-)

Gearing Up

2011-10-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I'm running what I consider to be my first race of the year. I "participated" in a triathlon a while back, but that was a disaster. And I ran a 10K back in January (in the middle of a 20-mile run) and ran a 5K in February (the day after a 20-mile run). So ... I'm not expecting great things, or a great time, out of my body, or my mind for that matter, tomorrow. I've been injured too much of the year and have done no speedwork. So I'll just do my best and hope it goes OK. And hoping to beat last year's 1:27:30 when I was dragging my left leg along as I had a pulled hamstring.

Yesterday noon, Amy and I went up to the expo to pick up 7 packets.

Spotted at the expo, in order of appearance, were Peg Arnold, Wally Arnold, ...

Lisa Finstuen, Pete Martin, Carrie Tollefson (she recognized me!). My only purchase ...

a headband. But I stopped in Running Room today and picked up some asics 2160s which are $79.99.

After leaving the expo, we went across the street to Cossetta for lunch. Yum!! I had a slice of cheese pizza.

It's got a wonderful Italian market next to the restaurant.

Today's market? The Rochester Downtown Farmer's Market which was a beehive of activity on a beautiful early fall morning.

My purchases included potatoes, leeks, kohlrabi, bread, butternut and delicata squash.

I'm thinking some potato leek soup might be right delicious this week. However, the temps are forecast to be mid-70s with sunshine which isn't exactly soup weather but I'll take it!!!

No running today. No running yesterday. I feel like a SLUG!!! Good luck to all of you running TC10 or TCM yesterday. Looks to be a spectacular day for a distance run. Speaking of which ... Sharon asked me to update the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon website, which I did. And it's now open for registration. I sent mine in today. The 2012 race is being run in memory of Paul Melby, which is mentioned on the website.

Well, I'm going to floss and brush and get ready to call it a day in the next couple hours. The car pool (me, Woo, O'Leary, Mary C. and Anne) lifts off from Hobby Lobby at 4 bells. A very early start to the day.

Happy fall, and good night.

It's TCM Time

2011-09-30T09:49:00.000-05:00

Soon, Amy and I will be heading up to the TCM expo to pick up some TC10 packets (ourselves and for others). I love the excitement of a marathon expo. Glad I'm just running the 10 mile, though. LOTS of Team R.E.D. folks will be running 10 and then standing at mile 26 to cheer on the marathoners. Sounds like a beautiful weather weekend.

Backing up ... Wednesday night was book club. I made a blueberry peach pie.

It was a hit. I brought home about a 1" slice which made Matt happy. I really should make another one for him. Anyway, Jay Furst's (P-B editor) was at book club and they'd recently been rating berry pies in SE Minnesota. She said mine would have made the list. :-) Anyway, everyone seemed to enjoy it. I actually got the book read (The Heretic's Daughter). It was very dark, about the Salem witch trials. We had good discussion though. That was a shameful part of our country's history.

Last night Matt and I joined the TriRochester folks at Glynner's.

If you're interested in running on Saturday morning, Lana is gathering some folks to run 8 to 10 miles beginning at Brothers at 7 AM. All are welcome to join them.

Yesterday, I ran 7.15 but my legs felt tired. So today I swam and lifted and haven't run yet. Might not. (It's 9:42 AM and I haven't even had breakfast yet. Tummy is bothering me again.) Tomorrow ... rest day.

Just made some chocolate chip pecan cookies for the going away party tonight. I think I finally made a batch without mishap (too much flour, no baking soda, forgetting to set the timer). Hoorah!!

Well, that' it. Have a wonderful day!

Dedication

2011-09-28T18:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening, the sign at Brooklawn Park in Byron was dedicated in memory of our dear, and dearly missed friend, Paul Melby.

The gathering was called on short notice but the crowd was HUGE. The biggest turnout I'd ever seen for a Team R.E.D. event.

Not surprising as Paul was so well liked and was everybody's friend. A big highlight of the evening for me was as I was walking to the park from my car, Madi and Carson Melby came running over yelling "Renee!" And Carlson asked if I brought cookies. "Yup!" I said. He asked if he could have one. I assured him that after the gathering was over he could have a cookie. I explained to them that there were two kinds to choose from so of course, they all wanted two!! And two they got.

Carson, Anna, cousin #1, Madi, cousin #2

It was a very special night. And guess what? I actually won something. Tom O' had 3 Bear's Den gift cards to be given away. First we had a stare down. I won against Sara Ryan. Then rock/paper/scissors, which I won against Roger. Then ... a Harvey Wallbanger drink mixing contest, with style points included. I had no idea what to put in there other than orange juice and I thought some vodka. I also threw in some triple sec and whiskey. :-) Guess what? I won!! Thanks to everyone that voted for me. :-)

Just returned from a 40.01 mile bike ride. This had to be one of the most perfect days for a ride that we've had all year. So enjoyed every mile. Negligible wind, partly cloudy. Just wonderful. (I have to say though, that I got lots of bugs in my face, though!) 10 other bikers out there. Can't say I recognized any of them. Two gals riding together knew me but I'm very bad at recognizing anyone on a bike. Sorry gals!! Morning workout: lift, 1 hour swim, 6.06 mile run. Yesterday I ran my 13.26 mile hill route. I just love that workout. 12 repeats of Lenwood Dr and I tried to keep miles 8 to 12 at 7 to 7:30 pace. One thing I always do the first time up Lenwood is kick all the black walnuts out of the way. Stepping on those things coming down is like stepping on ball bearings ... not good! Now I HAVE to taper for the weekend.

Congrats to everyone that got in the Boston Marathon for 2012!! I opted out for next year. After looking at the accepted qualification times, all three of my marathons last year would have gotten me in which makes me happy. I'm running Napa Valley in March so hopefully I'll be training with those of you running BoMa. :-)

Well, my ride for book club will be here momentarily. Have a wonderful early fall evening. Good night.

The Power of Words

2011-09-26T18:37:00.000-05:00

This morning I went to the pool for a swim. First, I went into the fitness center to lift and there I encountered my buddy Jack who will be 86 years young next month. Jack is a little hard of hearing, which you'd certainly expect at age 86. I think Jack is amazing and I told him as much this morning. When I tell him that, he always kind of "pooh poohs" the comment but I think it makes him happy. I asked him if he was going to swim today (I had to "freestyle" my arms to get him to understand) and he said he was, after he'd ridden the bike for 30 minutes. And he always swims freestyle, with a pull buoy, for a whole hour. This is his M/W/F routine each week after driving in from St. Charles. THAT's why I think he's amazing. And, he's a sweet man. Later in the pool, I was swimming in the lane next to Jack and he motioned me over. He had some very nice things to say to me. Just his two little sentences made me feel so good. It was a great way to start my day. So ... thank you Jack. You are amazing.

A few other words that made me happy ... "These are the best cookies EVER." "This pie was one of the best I have ever, I mean EVER, tasted in my pie eating life. 5 Stars!" "Thanks again for the cookies. They were fantastic and they won a blue ribbon among the discriminating palates of my kids. My younger son had suggested that you sell them at the Farmer's Market as they are much better than the current 'cookie lady's' cookies!" You all brought a little sunshine to my cloudy weekend and I thank you.

And, I got in a 5.10 mile run. Considering I ran more than 28 miles this weekend, my legs felt good. I think I'll do my hill workout tomorrow, swim and lift (no legs) on Wed and Fri, run a few miles on Thursday and take Saturday off in preparation for TC10 on Sunday.

Yesterday 6 or so of us ran a preview of the Lace-Up half marathon route. Basically it's the same as last year but going out a little farther on the Mayowood trail and only circling Silver Lake once (hoorah!). It came out to 12.70 miles from the north drive of Mayo H.S. back to that spot, so John will tweak it a little bit to hit 13.1 miles and we'll be good to go. BTW: Our committee is now a few people short. If anyone would like to join us, please email John. We'd love to have you join us.

Then I fnished my baking and it was off to Pine Island for the "PI Ride". There were some last minute cancellations and some of the "maybes" didn't show, but there were 6 riders (I did NOT ride) and a total of 15 eaters. Thank you Millie for keeping me company. :-)

There was plenty o'food to go around. None of the raspberry pie pie made it home. But I did have 2 pieces of blueberry left for Matt which was his only request. He loved it. Still have some peach cookie cobbler left. Thanks to everyone who participated!! I didn't do a very good job of taking photos. I don't think I got any good ones of Paul T, Zach and friend, Paige ...

The only downside was that I got stung on my right little finger by a "bee" ... actually a yellow jacket or wasp or whatever. I don't know my "bees." And it REALLY hurt. The whole finger got all red and swollen like an overstuffed sausage. I couldn't bend it at all. And it still hurts today, but the swelling and pain are lessening.

I have a busy week. Tonight, home. Tomorrow: dedication of Melby/Brookhaven Park in Byron. 6 PM. (All are invited, with a 5.5 mile CC run followed by social time at The Bear's Den.) Wednesday: Book Club. Finished The Heretic's Daughter this afternoon. What a dark story, but I finally finished a book club book so I'm proud of myself. Thursday: TriRochester at Glynner's at 6 PM. (All are invited). Also, Team R.E.D. will be gathering somewhere (see http://byronteamred.blogspot.com/) for details. (All are invited). Friday: A Going Away party. Saturday: I'd best get to bed early for TC10 bright and early Sunday.

Time to fix supper. Until next time ...

My new Facebook profile pic ... me as a youngster

Thanks For Your Time

2011-09-26T14:19:00.000-05:00

I received the following via email from my stepmom Ada, and liked it enough that I wanted to share it. I think there's a tie-in to the quote from Aibileen from The Help: "You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way.. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams.

There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days..
"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you.. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway , Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly..

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package.. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett . It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most was...my time."
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
2. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
3. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
4. You mean the world to someone.
5. If not for you, someone may not be living.
6. You are special and unique.
7. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.
8. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.
9. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.
10. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
11. Always remember the compliments you received... Forget about the rude remarks.
12 . Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.
13. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Godspeed

2011-09-25T18:45:00.000-05:00

I just returned from the visitation for Jason Stevens. So very sad. The family had arranged a display of running memorabelia ... his spikes, letter jacket (CC captain, Big 9 scholar, all-conference), awards, even his asics trainers with a little dirt on them. So powerful. Thus, I'm going to leave the rest of my day for tomorrow's post.

Godspeed Jason.

What's New?

2011-09-24T19:40:00.001-05:00

Well ... not too much really. That can be good. That can be bad.

My day started with a 15.06 mile run with a few speedier miles thrown in. A good workout. Love these temps for running. I wouldn't mind some sunshine and 70 degrees for later in the day, though. Jeff, Trevor, Dan and Andy received (finally!) their promised cookies for finishing first in the relay division of the Med-City Marathon. Enjoy guys ... and so sorry for the delay. No excuse. I just didn't get it done.

My handyman and his helper were over this afternoon removing wallpaper in the kitchen. I do NOT like those white walls. As soon as they finish, I will start painting. Same color as the family room since the walls run right into each other. A nice neutral beige-y color. I thought about the brick red that's on the fireplace wall (I really like color) but ... I'm supposed to be "neutralizing". Humph.

Spent some of the afternoon reading my book for book club on Wednesday ... The Heretic's Daughter. It's set in the late 1600s and has to do with witches near Salem, Mass. Not what I'd usually read, but I'm giving it a go.

I also started pie baking for the PI Ride tomorrow afternoon. I parbaked a shell for Raspberry Cream and made the blueberry this evening. Tomorrow, I'm making Peach Cookie Cobbler. I think I'll do that instead of peach pie as it uses up more peaches and is a little healthier. I've got a lug of peaches to use up.

Supper was some pesto tortellini combined with some leftovers from the fridge and a chiffonade of fresh basil. Tasty if I do say so myself. And a salad of course.

Guess what? I now have a wallet to match my super fun zebra purse. Love it.

Don't forget ... Sunday morning at Mayo H.S. at 7:30 at the north doors. A preview of the proposed LUABC course. Join us!!

Good night.

Slow Day

2011-09-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

Not much on the news front today ... 10 mile run this morning. Very pleasant temps. Then went to pick 6 more pints of raspberries, stopped at the apple orchard for some chestnut crab apples and winter squash, Super America for $3.49/gallon gas :-), HyVee for a few things for Sunday and finally JCPenney to redeem some coupons on some fantastic deals. When I got home, my handyman David was here removing the kitchen wallpaper which means it'll soon be time to paint. He said the paper was tough to remove. Well, it's been on the walls for 20 years with no edges peeling up, so I guess the glue was pretty strong. I can't remember if it was prepasted or not, but a kitchen is a bugger of a room to paper ...

Tomorrow AM, I guess I will run at the RAC. Sunday, I will run a preview of the LUABC course at Mayo HS at 7:30 (south doors ... door 6). All are welcome to join us, then we'll go out for coffee/breakfast afterwards. Then ... the PI ride. :-) Sounds like beautiful weather coming up. Should make for some nice colors on the leaves.

Sorry there were no photos today. Just one of those kind of days.

Good night.

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

2011-09-22T16:09:00.000-05:00

For those of you that have read and/or watched The Help, you most likely recognize those words. What a powerful story. I read the book and many times a movie based on a book disappoints. Though there were some liberties taken with the story, the movie was still excellent and it brought tears to both my eyes and Amy's. Like I said on Facebook, I want to be just as strong as Aibileen and Minnie when I grow up. It was so well cast. Thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Yesterday was an emotional day. I'd learned of two friends that experienced heartbreaking losses in their immediate families and they were on my mind all day, and all night actually. I slept very lightly and fitfully. It's been on the news and in the papers, so the names are not secret. I'd exchanged two emails with Shaun on Tuesday and life with him was very much normal. Until the tragedy at midnight. My heart just breaks for this family and another. Life is so fragile.

Yesterday morning, I discovered I'd lost a filling on a top tooth so this afternoon found me at the dentist having it replaced. The novocaine is still wearing off. I tried drinking ... and water dribbled all over the right side of my face. But that shall pass, and the tooth looks and feels great. My tongue is MUCH happier now. It just wouldn't leave that tooth alone. :-)

The numbers are changing slightly for my "PI" ride on Sunday, but the menu is in place I believe. The pies shall be: peach, blueberry, cherry and raspberry cream. The route has changed too (from the Treadman course to something else ... PI ride route) thanks to Pattie Ekman knowing that the snowmobile races were taking place in Douglas on Sunday. Thank you Pattie!!

Workouts: Tuesday was run 4 or 5 (can't remember), lift, swim an hour. Today (recovery) was run 6, lift, swim an hour. Lovely morning today. Yesterday (terribly windy) was run 13.25 and what a workout. I ran my Merrihills loop and did 12 repeats of Lenwood Dr. It's .10 mile up and just the right steepness. The last two repeats were just for fun. :-) And because my legs didn't feel trashed. And because I had the time. I was able to squeeze another 1.25 miles into this workout this week. Hoorah!! So I went home going counterclockwise "around the hill" and up Folwell Drive. I ran 7 to 8 minute pace for miles 8 to 12 (except when stopped for traffic) so it was a strength and stamina workout. Loved it. But it felt good to recover today, too.

Well, there's a lockbox on my front door now. That was an emotional moment yesterday too, signing the listing agreement with Re/Max. But it's what I have to do. Tomorrow, the wallpaper in the kitchen and dining room are being removed and then I need to paint.

Well, need to remove all the window coverings, switch plates, etc. before tomorrow so I'd best get busy.

Until next time ........

Off Day

2011-09-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

Today was an off day in several ways. First, my normal schedule just got all discombobulated. I wasn't scheduled to work so I slept in. Then finally decided to go to the Y to lift and swim (and I drove because it was raining). After lifting, I looked in my backpack and thought I'd forgotten my goggles and cap hanging on the laundry room door, where I usually hang them to dry.

Well, I got home and saw only the cap hanging there. It turns out the goggles WERE in my bag as well as a spare cap. Drat. I decided to eat breakfast, get a few things done, and then run down to swim at 11 which I did. My legs really needed an off day today. One thing I wanted to get done was make some cookies for my friend Nancy which I did. I forgot to set the timer for the first pan. Drat. But I checked on them before they burned. Then after swimming, I ate the first half of the sandwich I didn't eat this weekend and purchased at Nelson Bros. at the Clearwater truck stop on I-94. I just love their sandwiches, especially on the multigrain bread. Anyway, half a sandwich is a good-sized meal.

Even after a couple of days in the fridge it was still delicious. And I have the other half for tomorrow's lunch. Then it turns out I did need to go into work for a while. When I pulled in the driveway coming home I noticed that the hydrangeas are really beautiful right now.

I cut a few stems to bring inside. I was contemplating running with the Tuesday night trail runners at Willow Reservoir this evening, but my legs just didn't have any more miles in them today so I decided to let them rest. I want to run a good hill workout in the morning, rain or no rain.

I picked up these socks at Scheel's in St. Cloud on Saturday. I just thought they were perfectly "me".

As of tomorrow, my house will be on the market. It's such a royal pain to keep it showable all the time. But I gotta do what I gotta do. I'm listing it with ReMax.

Plans are shaping up nicely for the "PI" ride on Sunday afternoon. The weather looks absolutely perfect. We'll ride the Treadman course (forward or backward ... your choice) starting in Pine Island. So far, there will be 18 of us there. I'm supplying homemade pies. So far, this is my plan ... some sort of apple (traditional or streusel), peach, cherry and raspberry cream. And of course, there will be cookies.

Well, back to reading Runner's World. I'm so far behind on magazines it's not even funny. Pretty soon they will be relevant again, though. I'll be reading winter 2010 issues and it will be winter 2011. :-)

Good night.

Food Coma, Part II

2011-09-19T21:05:00.000-05:00

Just a note about today ... ran my hill loop through the Merrihills Dr SW neighborhood but didn't run hill repeats. It was nice to have some energy by the time I got to Merrihills, Hillside Ln, Crest Ln. I took the long way home and ended up with just over 12 miles. Late this afternoon I took a bike ride before having to leave to volunteer at Community Food Response. I rode 15 miles out (just past Oxbow Park, through Salem Corners) before turning around.

Nice ride, enjoyed the sunshine, but there was definitely some wind from the W/NW. Bumped my average speed by .9 mph going back. 30.10 miles total. Tomorrow AM, I'll hit the pool to give my legs a little rest. If I have the energy, I'll join the TNT (Tuesday Night Trails) crew at the Willow Creek Reservoir at 6 bells.

So ... back to the weekend's food coma. Sunday morning brought a passing shower which ended JUST as we set out for the 12+ mile hill run from Rick's cabin.

Gary, Deb, Wanda, Jodi, Rick

Jay, Donnie, Gary, Rick, Deb, Wanda (background ... Cindy, Paul)

This run is a great workout. Rick advertised it as having 7 hills. I beg to differ ... I say there's more!! The hilliest sections are in the second half. I missed one of the last turns and stopped to ponder things ... then backtracked and looked for footprints on the gravel/sand road (which I found). 12.65 miles total. GREAT workout. Especially following 20 on Saturday morning. The run was followed by ... you guessed it. More delicious food. Rick prepared breakfast burritos which were delicious. (I'm thinking about doing them for my breakfast run on the 15th. All are welcome to join in the fun, whether or not you run.)

Jodi, Wanda, Rick, Pat

The Spread

Donnie and Gary

Cindy, Jay, Allison, Buddy

I was hungry!!

Kathy and Deb

Wanda, Donnie, Jodi, Kathy, Cindy

Allison, Rick, Pat, Jay, Wanda, Kathy, Cindy

Connie, Gary, Deb, Matt, Buddy, Mark

Paul, Deb, Wanda

Soon, too soon, it was time for me to head home. And as is almost ALWAYS the case, a traffic backup of about 20 miles that ended in Rogers (FOR NO APPARENT REASON). Cost me about an hour. The ONLY thing out of the ordinary in the vicinity of where the speed picked up (above 5-20 mph) were what looked like a STS crew picking up trash in the ditch. These delays heading toward the cities on 94 on a Sunday (or out of the cities on a Friday) are soooooo frustrating.

I got home about 2:45 and had to leave for our pizza extravaganza at Jay and Joan's at about 3:45. It's an annual get together with my Cooking Light group and guests. And so much fun. And so delicious. The rain certainly put a damper on things as we couldn't enjoy their beautiful yard and patio, but the pizza was delicious as we assembled and ate it inside their beautiful home.

Well, that brings you up to date on my weekend food coma. Good thing I skipped lunch both Saturday and Sunday. :-)

Good night all.

Food Coma

2011-09-18T20:46:00.001-05:00

No kidding. Thank heavens I've also been running quite a bit, but I'm not sure which way the balance scale would tip in the calorie deficeit v. calorie excess world. But it's been a very enjoyable couple of days despite crummy weather. Left Friday evening for Donnie and Cindy's in St. Cloud and arrived about 9:30. Then it was up bright and early to meet Jodi at 6:00 AM for a long run. The official start time for the breakfast run is 8:00, but many if not most of them front load miles and many are done at 8:00, stay for the photo, then take off.

This group of people are just the GREATEST ... so much fun to be around, so welcoming, so kind. There just aren't enough superlatives to describe them. Jodi (back, very tall and skinny and blonde (and fast!), white shirt) and I ran the Sauk Rapids bridge loop (5.5'ish miles) then added on another 10 minutes out, 10 minutes back to get back by 7:00 to meet Cindy (front, bright shoeslaces). Amy was out there too and joined us (front, far left). We picked up Rick (neon yellow shirt) on the back side of the loop and stretched the loop out to highway 23/Division before going back for the photo ...

Pat Ross, official (and unofficial) SCRR photographer

and another (the third) bridge loop.

I decided to stretch this one out to the SCSU campus and ended up running with Beth ...

a triathlete who started running with the River Runners this summer to improve her running. Very nice gal and familiar with St. Cloud which was good as I would have gotten lost. But once we exited the SCSU campus and took the bridge over toward Munsinger Gardens, I was on familiar territory. The first part of the Earth Day Half Marathon runs through this neighborhood. It's very pretty and right on the river.

Then a bunch of us gathered inside the Ace for breakfast.

From lower left ... Cindy, Adam, Rick, Bob, Kathy, Dave, Deb, Pat, Paul, Gary

From lower left ... Mark, Donnie, Beth, Al, Tim, Anita, Cindy

Gary, Jodi, Mark

Whoa Mark!! Did you eat all that??

I'd run 20.00 miles on just a 90-calorie granola bar and half a bottled of G2 (and some water) and was HUNGRY. So I had oatmeal AND one pancake. I could have gotten by without the pancake, but I ate it anyway. :-)

Fun (and lots o'cookies) was had by all. Then I went back to Donnie & Cindy's for a shower then hit a few stores but unfortunately didn't do much to stimulate the economy. I did pick up a swimsuit for lap swimming at Scheel's. Mine is getting a little thin. Stopped at ... EnduRUNce (running store), Revolution (bike shop), Scheel's, Cash Wise (for salad for supper), Byerly's (for their free seasonal cookbook), Big Apple Bagels (they only had a few bagels, maybe 3 to 5, so I skipped it). Decided not to go to Gruber's (quilt shop) or Crafts Direct as I'd end up spending money on stuff I didn't really need. Then I headed west on 94 up to Freeport and St. Rosa and eventually Little Birch Lake to meet up with Rick, Ron, Bonnie, Gary, Paul and eventually Jay, Donnie and Cindy for a relaxing afternoon, delicious supper and finally a good night's sleep at Rick's beautiful lake home.

We saw the sun for about 3 minutes this weekend :-0

The Grillmeister :-)

Gary, Paul, Ron, Bonnie, Rick

Our delicious meal

Rick and Gary ... the cleanup crew

Jay and his prize cookies (for winning a 10K)

Paul, Cindy, Donnie

And the rest is To Be Continued as I am very tired. Good night all.

Fun!!

2011-09-17T10:44:00.000-05:00

Great 20.00 mile run with the River Runners. I'm on Donnie and Cindy's computer so can't post photos til I get home. Thank you Jodi, then Cindy and Amy, Rick, then Gary and Bob, and then finally Beth, for making the miles so much fun. And much faster than I would have run them!! I didn't stop my watch for any of our stops back at Ace (3 of them, including the photo) and I ran 3:11 and am very happy with that.

From Jean: Can't make RAC today? Join us for 8-10 miles tomorrow, Sunday, at 7:30am at Newt's North (old Wallin's West). Breakfast is served 8-11am on Sunday.

More tomorrow. Toodles!

Baking up a Storm

2011-09-15T21:07:00.001-05:00

Lots of baking to do for upcoming days, so yesterday I got started. I'm going up to St. Cloud tomorrow evening and staying with Donnie and Cindy and then going to the breakfast run at Ace on Saturday morning. I'm bringing my bike so will bike either somewhere around St. Cloud/St. Joe or out at Rick's cabin. There's going to be a big slumber party out there Saturday night and another breakfast run Sunday morning. The weather looks to be a lot more favorable than last time when we were hit by a big ol' thunderstorm Saturday morning. So I've made ...

oatmeal raisin (Rick's favorite ... and I think Paul's too), these killer chocolate chocolate chunk ones ...

straight up chocolate chip (the recipe is called The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, and it is) for Jay for winning a 10K ...

chocolate chip oatmeal pecan ...

and blueberry bread for the boys.

I'm not quite done, but I'll finish tomorrow. In addition to treats for St. Cloud and the boys, I need to have some "dessert" (probably going to be cookies) ready for 4:00 Sunday afternoon when my cooking group is going to my friends Jay and Joan's home to make pizza in their wood-fired backyard oven. YUM. It's an annual tradition. And I owe Nancy some chocolate chip cookies Monday morning. And ... needless to say, lots to bake. But it will be a fun weekend.

The last of the realtors reports in tomorrow and hopefully next week the house will be on the market. It's been a long road to get here. I'll be hosting an OSS breakfast run in October, likely the last one I'll be host(ess)ing. So ... I hope lots of you show up!

I decided against registering for the Boston marathon next year. I've run it 3 out of 4 years now and decided that I'm not all fired up to do it again next year. I'd like to go back at some point though. I also decided against running the Mayo Open 5K this evening. I'm just not in racing shape and didn't want to embarass/disappoint myself. TC10 is going to be bad enough.

Workouts: today, 5 mile run, lifted and an hour in the pool next to speedy Wendy. She's a dear soul. :-) Yesterday, 12.04 miles and a great workout. 10 repeats of the .10 mile Lenwood Dr hill, then up 18th Ave to Westwood, then the 2 hills on Merrihills Dr, then Hillside Lane, then the 2 hills on Crest Lane, then up Fox Valley Dr on the TJMaxx side. I love that run.

Well, back to The Help. I'm almost done now and thoroughly enjoying it. I'm going to give it to Eric to read tomorrow and think he will enjoy it as well. Now I want to see the movie.

Good night.

Le Tour de Pepin (and Then Some)

2011-09-13T18:30:00.000-05:00

Finally, yesterday was the day to ride around Lake Pepin. I didn't have to work and it looked to be a nice warm, but very windy day (and it certainly was). With the winds projected to be from the SW, I decided to start in Red Wing and ride down the MN side and up the WI side having cross winds for pretty much the whole ride since the river runs NW to SE. There is only one town to stop in on the MN side (Lake City) until crossing at Wabasha so I decided I'd rather enjoy the little towns on the WI side later in the morning/early afternoon.

About 10 feet into my ride, I found a dime. I don't usually stop for pennies, but I do stop for anything "silver". I thought .... hmmm. Maybe this is going to be a good day. I needed one. I headed south out of Red Wing on highway 61, destination Wabasha where I'd cross the river into Wisconsin.

There was quite a bit of traffic heading south out of Red Wing. And no view of the lake. My second least favorite stretch on the MN side. I pulled over into a nice rest area north of Lake City. It had a great view of the lake (which is actually just a widening of the Mississippi River for those not familiar with it).

Next stop, Lake City the birthplace of water skiing and a very nice marina.

Right across from the marina, and next to Nosh (the restaurant), is a great little bakery called Rabbit Bakery. But it was closed on Monday. :-( Bummer. Oh well ... a few calories and a few bucks saved.

These are the typical views on the MN side on highway 61. Not much for hills on this side ... a few rollers south of Lake City but nothing too bad.

I crossed the river at Wabasha.

And up ahead ... Wisconsin and the town of Nelson.

I stopped at the Nelson Cheese factory for something cold to drink. They don't sell G2 or Gatorade or anything like that so I settled for a sparkling French Berry Lemonade which hit the spot and gave me 100 calories.

In this photo, you can see how the wind was blowing yesterday. After a while I got VERY tired of it.

This was my least favorite stretch on the WI side ... from Nelson to Pepin. The road isn't good and the scenery isn't much better. Nothing to look at on either side of the road.

A nice shoulder though, except on the bridges. Next little hamlet on my route ... Pepin. A cute little town and home of the famous Harbor View Cafe. I have still never been there. Have to put that one on my bucket list.

North of Pepin, the scenery is really nice. Great views of the lake and many Scenic Overlooks.

Next stop? Stockholm. My favorite town on the trip. So many cute little shops. I debated stopping at Stockholm Pie Co. for a piece o'pie but resisted the urge and kept going.

It starts getting more hilly north of Stockholm. Here's a nice view of Maiden Rock.

Not much of interest in the town of Maiden Rock though. I stopped at this little Wayside between Maiden Rock and Bay City to fill my water bottles. After drinking 90 degree (ambient temp) water, even some well water that was slightly cool tasted good.

Little did I know what awaited when I pulled out of the Wayside. THE HILL. Bruce Petz had warned me about THE HILL but didn't say where it was other than the WI side. I hadn't encountered anything worse that what I normally ride around here, but there it was ... it's a doozy. Deceptive. Long. But it was a nice long coast down the other side ... 2 miles I'm guessing. And then just a short jaunt into Bay City where I KNEW I'd stop since I'd passed up pie in Stockholm. There it was ... Flat Penny Ice Cream. Never been there before, but I was hungry (63 miles on a bagel and 2 90 calorie granola bars) and it was hot (90'ish) and it sounded heavenly.

The ice cream (all soft serve) was delicious. I had a small turtle sundae.

It must have looked good to the guy who walked in behind me as he said, "I'll have the same thing she's having." :-) The nicest thing happened ... I was standing outside looking at the menu and the owner (in the orange shirt) came out and said to come inside and cool off and he'd fill my water bottles for me. He even filled them with ice. Heaven on earth. Man that ice water hit the spot. Two guys sitting at a table asked what I thought of THE HILL. I told them. :-)

Then it was about 7 miles back to Red Wing. After crossing the bridge over the river, the 3 miles back into town were by far the least favorite on my trip. Lots of traffic and at times, no shoulder. I mean NO SHOULDER. The fog line was on the edge of the road.

I headed back to Rochester and decided I would really like to having another century ride under my belt. I had 72.01 miles at this point. So when I got home, I headed out for a 14 mile out-and-back ride. Oh my. I headed west and south (Salem Corners, Rock Dell, turning around at highway 30). The wind was absolutely terrible and my mood at this point was worse. The turnaround couldn't come fast enough. The ride ended up being 100.49 miles. :-) And my legs felt great, I must say. The most energy I've had on a century ride yet.

Some thank yous ... to the two semi drivers who each gave a nice little "toot toot" as they passed. The five guys on motor cycles (single, single, 3 together) who gave nice big full arm waves. The guy at Flat Penny who filled my bottles with ice and water. The nice guys in Flat Penny who chatted for a few minutes. The gal in Rock Dell who also filled my bottle with ice and water (forgot to fill them when I got home and I needed water bad ... all I asked for was her outside faucet/hose and she gave me ice water instead. I told her she was an angel.) You all had a part in my very pleasant day, and I thank you.

A good day. A very good day indeed.

p.s. Today's workout ... recovery. 4 mile run, lift, one hour swim.

Toodles.

Cooking Light September 2011

2011-09-13T17:44:00.000-05:00

Another relaxing evening with good friends and delicious food. And I was STARVING after my 100 mile bike ride yesterday. :-) Here's the evening in pictures ... thank you Mary for a wonderful evening.

More Later

2011-09-13T05:19:00.000-05:00

Just a quickie post this morning. Yesterday was a full day and I just didn't have time to post but I sure have lots of subject matter! Le Tour de Pepin (Plus) finally did occur yesterday. What a beautiful ride. Save for one large hill south of Bay City, WI the hills weren't bad at all. Nothing worse than around here. It was a beautiful ride. 72 miles around. I started in Red Wing. I decided, despite the stiff west wind, to make it another century ride so I ended up riding 100.49 miles. That was enough!! I'll post more, including lots of photos, later.

Evening found me with my Cooking Light friends, at Mary's house. It was yet another delicious meal. Here's a sneak peek:

Well, I better hit the road, the gym and the pool. Later!!

Triathlon

2011-09-12T06:50:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all my Ironman friends!! You are all so amazing. Only in my dreams am I an Ironman. They all finished, on a warm day. A shout out to Joe Moyer who rocked the bike (21.67 mph avg speed) and the run (3:43 marathon) and Kris and Diana Koepp who rocked the swim (55 and 58 minutes respectively). Diana also finished 2nd in her age group. I am so proud of all of them. Each event (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) in itself is a test of endurance but stringing them all together is just ... incredible.

I did my own mini triathlon yesterday. It started out with a run from Panera. I got in 10.15 miles. Pictured around the table enjoying coffee and carbs ...

Amy, Ruth, Marcella, Jean, Pam, Dave, Tom, Kristin.

Then it was off to Fleet Farm for water softener salt and paint (they didn't have what I needed). Then a mile and a half swim at the Y. The pool is open again. Yeah!! Then off to Menards for paint to finish up the picnic table (they did have what I needed). Then a 30.87 mile bike ride. Glad I wasn't riding west all day yesterday. But it was a good day.

Today I'm riding around Lake Pepin. About 70 miles and it's going to be windy. Winds 15 to 25 mph from the SW with gusts to 35. I'm going to start in Red Wing and ride the MN side then up the WI side. Then back to Roch for Cooking Light this evening. Here's the menu:

Laura: Appetizer
Margo: Blueberry Crisp (p. 100)
Mary: Summer Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Panini with Balsamic Syrup (p. 32)
Diane: Fresh Lima Beans (p. 68)
Barbara: Melon Gazpacho with Frizzled Prosciutto (p. 77)
Pam: Smoked Potato Salad (p. 119)
Renee: Wine

Should be a fun day! I've got my SPF 50 sunscreen packed as it looks like this could be the last summerlike day in quite a while.

Have a good one!

Let's See ...

2011-09-10T17:17:00.001-05:00

... where did I leave off?? Thursday?? Thursday's workout: 12.0something miles. No hills. No speedwork. Just Around The Hill miles. My legs still felt beat up from Monday. Somewhere along the way, something got tweaked in my right calf. I stopped, rubbed it and continued on. No problem. But later in the day, it was very sore. Wonderful. ANOTHER injury. Limped around the rest of the day and attended the RTC Board meeting Thursday evening at the RAC. I've agreed to sit on the board for the rest of the year. We will be pulling together a printed, possibly color, end of the year issue and I'll be looking for articles. If there's anything you'd like to share ... race reports, info, photos, whatever ... please send them my way.

Which brings me to Friday. No morning workout. Running was not an option and I just never got around to getting on the bike. I've had realtors tell me that I should remove the wallpaper in the dining room and kitchen and paint. Yeah, I knew that. But now I've got to do it. I'm hoping to find someone to remove the paper and then I'll paint. But maybe I'll end up having a wallpaper removal party too. I started cleaning off a shelf in the family room, as it was too visually cluttered. My "trophy case" is now empty.

Mid-day I went out to Firefly Berries and picked 12 pints of raspberries. There are LOTS of berries left and they will be open for picking until a frost.

Late afternoon Friday I finally got on the bike and rode my Pine Island loop. The weather this week has been magnificent. There was a little NE wind yesterday but all in all, lovely day. Rode 42.76 miles.

Bathroom break

Thistle

Finished up about 6:00 PM. Didn't know whether I'd be running this morning or not. I wore my Injinji socks for the first time. I know one thing ... they take a LOT longer to put on.

Then my friend Joy advertised on Facebook that she had beets to give away. For free!! Yum!! I love roasted beets. I've never had pickled beets but I don't much care for pickled anything so I will roast these. So nice of her!! I brought her a few cookies. Here's Joy with her grandson Peter.

It was a beautiful sunset yesterday.

This morning, after much stretching and massaging the back of my legs with a rolling pin, I decided to try running at the RAC. The scheduled distance was 20 miles. Had no idea whether I'd even be able to run a mile but I wanted to give it a go. A good-sized crowd gathered as usual and off we were for a big loop on the north side of town (Walmart, Essex, Foster Arends, Quarry Hill). I ran the first several miles with Miki and her friend Kristin. They turned off early as they'd run 20 miles on Monday. Well, one thing led to another and I ended up running 20.04 miles. And I'd have to say it was my best 20-miler this year.

3:03:44 including 5 stops for Gatorade (2 cups at each stop), food (banana slices and/or the candy offered at that stop ... thank you Jean, Jules, Laura and Marcella!), and a few laughs. Never stopped my watch. Here are my splits: 8:31 8:10 8:08 9:41 (water stop) 8:20 8:31 8:32 10:35 (water stop) 8:21 10:27 (water stop) 8:36 8:30 11:05 (water stop) 8:52 9:00 10:26 (water stop) 9:58 8:56 9:05 9:29 Average: 9:10 pace. If I subtract 1.5, 2, 2, 2.5, 1.5 minutes for the standing around at the water stops (9 1/2 minutes) that gives me a 2:54 20 miler. Very pleased with the run, no matter how you look at it ... long bike ride late yesterday, corn and salad for supper last night, twinge in my calf for 2 days, 2 slices of bread and jam before the run, didn't eat either GU I carried along. Hoo-rah!! Here's the "after party" ...

Kristin has a passion for purple :-)

??? and Trevor

Scott

Yours truly ... I ran about 17 miles with the flower :-)

Dave, Kristin, Tom

Dave, Tom, Tom

This afternoon I read some from The Help and painted the two benches from the picnic table before I ran out of paint. I need water softener salt, so will make a run to Fleet Farm tomorrow and pick up both.

Looks a lot better, eh?

Supper ... I need more than a salad. So I'll harvest some of my basil and make Basil Arugula Walnut Pesto Pasta, a Cooking Light recipe. Easy and delicious. Speaking of Cooking Light ... on Monday we have our monthly gathering and I'm to bring wine. So I went to Andy's Crossroads this afternoon to consult with my friend Lyle who pours there on Saturdays. I brought the menu and he (and Pam and Margo) had suggestions for me. I ended up with a Menage a Trois red, an evodia Garnacha blend (Spanish I think) and a Prosecco. I don't work on Monday so I'm planning to (finally) bike around Lake Pepin. A nice 70 mile ride. Really looking forward to it.

Tomorrow ... OSS at Panera south at 7:30. 8 to 12 miles. I'll be there. Emily Gilles is planning a 9.11 mile run tomorrow (9/11) from the Soldier's Field parking lot at 6:30 am. The route is in the shape of the twin towers. Monday, trash pick up at 5:00 PM from the SF Snappy Stop parking lot.

I'd hoped to be in Madison, WI tomorrow cheering on all my Ironman-to-be friends ... Cheri Bates, Jeremy Ekman, Scott Ewen, Anne Welle Hoeschen, Diana Koepp, Kris Koepp, Erin Lemke, Bob Miller, Mario Minelli, Joe Moyer, Darin Napton, Joe Ryan, Tom Williamson. But I hatched the plan too late and there were just NO hotel rooms available (under $200 anyway). I found one in Dodgeville and one in Portage, but I decided to nix the idea and stay home. BEST OF LUCK to all of you!! You're all amazing. Have fun!!

Well, I better get busy. Enjoy this lovely, lovely weekend.

Toodles.

Sore

2011-09-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

I had a hard hill workout yesterday. And upon rising this morning, my muscles reminded me of that fact and they're still reminding me. I haven't been this sore in a long, long time. I can still feel the uphills (glutes) as well as the downhills (quads). I'd planned to go out to Byron to run around the track for a while,

but that was tempting the (injury) fates. So I opted to ride out there instead

and ended up running 32.20 miles. It was another beautiful evening.

I passed this poultry barn on county 3, and it looked like they all wanted out!!

Supper was ... you guessed it.

And, I opted for a piece of Matt's b-day cherry pie. De-lish.

Tomorrow I'll be attending the RTC board meeting. We're (I'm) going to be pulling together a year-end newsletter. If you've got anything you'd like to submit (race reports, funny Melby stories, news items, training info) PLEASE send it my way. THANK YOU.

Time to chill. Good night ...

A Day of Celebration

2011-09-06T20:25:00.001-05:00

Twenty-three years ago today, at 8:57 AM I gave birth to a big (9 lb 3 oz) beautiful baby boy. My second son, Matt. Happy Birthday to one of the most wonderful people I know. I love you!! Here are a few scenes from the memory book I created for him for high school graduation.

Matt likes cherry pie for his birthday, so I made one this afternoon. It's still a bit warm ... and delicious. One of my best efforts I must say. :-)

My morning workout, at sunrise (and it was another picture perfect day for running): 12.04 miles ... Mayowood Road, 10 x Lenwood Drive SW hill (.10 mile up), 18th Ave SW, Westwood Dr, Merrihills, Crest Lane, Fox Valley Dr. LOTS of hills, and a great workout. I really should get to the Y and lift tomorrow. I'll have to make that a priority. Pool is closed for the week. I might also venture out to the track at Byron tomorrow at 5:30 to see what's cookin'.

I thought my knee was doing pretty well until today when I kneeled on it. On the carpet. OUCH.

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather forecasted for this week. It's perfect.

Good night. ;-)

Sunshine and Shadows

2011-09-05T20:04:00.003-05:00

Today, we finally saw the sun and as a result, shadows. My morning found me running "around the hill" one and half times for a total of 10.13 miles. It was an absolutely beautiful morning for a run. I wore gloves as it was 45 degrees when I left, but took them off half way through the run. Finally a little good news in my life ... I wore my size small Nike tempo track shorts agan. Good news is hard to come by these days.

Finally had breakfast about 11:00. I've only been eating 2 meals per day lately. Just haven't been feeling quite right. So I've lost a little weight, which is good. Anyway, had oatmeal with raspberries on top. Then I sat out on the patio reading The Help. Really enjoying it. Mid-afternoon I went out for a ride. Matt opted out, so I went solo. Just did my Pine Island loop. 42.39 miles. I wore my new "pretty" jersey. The way my luck has been going, I feared I'd crash and rip it to shreds. Luckily it came home totally in tact. (I've got some serious smudges and dirt on my camera lens. My apologies.)

My "pretty" jersey

The sumac is turning colors

Saw one other cyclist out, but didn't know him. I finally caught him going north out of Byron up that big hill on County 5 past Oxbow. Just as I caught him, he flatted. I stopped to see if he needed help, which he didn't. I wished him the best and continued the ride.

For supper, I got a pizza from Papa Murphy's. I'd purchased 3 pies from the Lace-Up auction and hadn't redeemed any of them. Checked the nutrition facts online and decided on a Mediteranean Chicken De-Lite. Ate a little pizza, some cantaloupe and 2 ears of corn. For Matt's birthday (tomorrow) I had a BOGO coupon for a Creation ... buy one get one free. He got coffee something or other and I got cookie dough something or other. The "cookie dough" stuff they put in it is extremely sweet. Ate a few bites and the rest is in the freezer for another day.

My knee is doing well today. The oozing has stopped and most of the swelling is now gone. I've stopped icing it. I guess that's a little more good news for the day. :-)

Here's wishing for more sunshine than shadows in your life. Good night.

Cool Down

2011-09-04T20:06:00.001-05:00

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday morning, we were dripping wet within minutes of taking off. Today before I left for Dunn Bros. I was digging for gloves!! It was 50 degrees on my thermometer, and windy. I managed 10.21 miles (up to 37th St, Century H.S., Viola road and a couple loops around the lake). But I'm still lacking energy and just not quite feeling right. Not much appetite. Actually, I didn't even eat "breakfast" today until about 1:30 after swimming laps for an hour. I'm just now finishing off the piece of pie I bought on Friday. And still have half a caramel sitting on the counter. :-) Running this morning were: Tom W, Dave P, Dawn L-B, Kristin Z, Laura L, Jean M. Joining us for coffee: Sonja K, John S, George H and their guest Marcella (I hope I remembered that right).

Finished reading Blood, Bones and Butter today. It's memoirs of a cook. Really enjoyed it. Quick read. Next I'm going to finally read The Help. I bought it for book club months and months ago but never got it read. Sonja said to read the book before seeing the movie.

Matt and I are changing our biking plans for tomorrow. A couple people thought that biking around Pepin tomorrow would be pretty busy, so we'll bike somewhere around here instead. Not sure where yet though.

Here's a pic of me running at Gamehaven last Tuesday, thanks to Tom O'. :-)

I was really concentrating on where I was putting my feet down. I'm always afraid of rolling an ankle, especially when running in long grass. Monday evening there is a 6:00 PM run out at Chester Woods.

Here are some run and bike pix from last week's tri:

I was wearing a race number skirt during the run. The cord from my shorts was sticking up out of my shorts and my shirt wasn't staying down. Sure wish my belly button wasn't exposed in all these shots. And bad hair ... bad, bad hair. First a swim, then a bike helmet on wet hair, wind and rain, then a run. Yikes.

Made Roasted Beets & Sweets and a salad for supper. I am stuffed.

Hope you're all enjoying a long weekend. It was nice to see some sunshine this afternoon. :-)

Good night.

Tough Run

2011-09-03T17:02:00.000-05:00

I decided that my knee could probably handle a long run today since I could bend it fairly well this morning and the swelling had gone down. So I ventured over to the RAC ...

to join the rest of the folks gathered for the scheduled 17.49 mile run. I'm not good at guesstimating numbers but I think probably 40-50 showed up. The sky in the photo above is deceiving. It looks like rather pleasant weather. It wasn't. I wish I had a photo of what it was like running through the heavily canopied Mayowood bike path with the rain just beating down. It was so dark, and I've never run in such hard rain. And it happened again several miles later. I think the only good thing about the morning was that I didn't bring my camera on the run. I would have ruined it. After the first mile, over my the post office, I was already feeling the effects of the very high dew points so I slowed down. And kept slowing down ... It just wasn't a good day. I wasn't adequately fueled or hydrated and my legs were already cramping at about 8 miles. I went into the Apache McDonald's and got a super size cup of ice water and carried that the rest of the run. I brought a GU and a Hammer Gel, both vanilla flavored. Ate the GU at about 11 miles and opened the Hammer Gel several miles later. It tasted really awful so I had to throw it. Don't know what the story was with that. THANK YOU to the gal in the pink top who gave me her last 3 GU Chomps at the last water stop. You are a sweetheart!! They really helped a lot.

After I got back to the RAC and dispensed cookies (a couple to the "pink top gal", FOUR to Andy, and I ate one myself) I went back out for 1.5 miles as I was so close to 20. I felt so much better after that. I was actually running fairly decently at that point. And it felt like the dew point had dropped a little bit. On the way home I stopped at Kwik Trip for my 20-mile "chocolate-frosted-longjohn-straight-up-no-peanuts-no-sprinkles" reward. I totally earned this one.

However, it didn't totally hit the spot. My appetite isn't great and it had either been previous frozen or had been sitting out too long. Wasn't the freshest donut in the case. Whatever. I ate it anyway.

This afternoon, I worked the 40% off sale at GAP. A one day only sale (saw Sonja there) and I had $30 in Rewards coupons. This boatneck 3/4 sleeve knit dress was $69.95 and with the sale and rewards, I ended up paying just $1.97. Sweet. It's cute and comfy on.

That's all I know. Hoping for some better weather tomorrow. Have a good one.

Here We Go Again

2011-09-02T20:05:00.000-05:00

Another injury. Hopefully, only superficial and temporary. I was out running this morning and at about 5 miles, my right toe hit a little, and I mean little, blob of concrete stuck to the bike bath. In a split second, I was falling forward. Both hands hit the ground as well as my right knee.

I kept going, running and walking, blood running down my leg, until I got home. I was hoping to run 10 but quit at 7.5. By that time it was also raining. Yup ... I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I hadn't been up long, and was already having yet another bad day. Things didn't get any better, so I decided to take off in the car rather than sit at home, icing my knee, feeling sorry for myself.

I drove up to Red Wing, and then across the bridge to Bay City, WI. Stopped in a little antique store. Didn't buy anything though.

Then driving south on 35, I saw this sign next to the road.

Errrrrr!! Screeching halt and left I went. 3 miles. To ...

It's a beautiful spot way up on a hill. I picked what I wanted of blueberries, then inquired about raspberries. Yes, they were ripe for pickin' too. So pick I did.

It was painful to bend my knee, so I mostly picked from the top of the bushes. It's just beautiful on that farm. Too bad the weather wasn't quite as nice.

Then I continued south toward Stockholm and Nelson. After 2:00 and no lunch yet! There are some beautiful view of Lake Pepin/the Mississippi along this stretch.

Arrived in Stockholm and after visiting a few of the many quaint shops, stopped in the Stockholm Pie Company for "lunch". I chose Caramel Apple Crunch a la mode.

It was a tough decision. They all sounded good!! Still, I didn't have much of an appetite. (For me, that's unusual but that's the way it's been for a few days now.) So I ate the ice cream and about 1/3 the pie. The rest is sitting on the counter now. A treat for tomorrow.

There are so many cute little shops to wander through. I didn't buy anything, other than one salted caramel (which I ate half of ... yes, it's also sitting on the counter!).

Stopped at the original Nelson Cheese in Nelson. Fun stop. Great old ivy-covered stone building.

I bought a "Dieter's" sandwich to go, no sprouts. Yup ... it's in the fridge. In its entirety. I'll save it for another day.

Never had a Nelson sandwich before, but it sure does look good. For supper, since I knew I needed to eat something if I hope to run in the morning (provided my knee cooperates), a leftover ear of corn and leftover green beans. And a slice of bread.

Made a new cookie recipe from the King Arthur Flour cookbook. Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies. Looks like a keeper. If my knee will bend in the AM, and the swelling is down, I will attempt running and bring them to the RAC. If that doesn't work out, they'll go to Dunn Bros. on Sunday morning (7:30) where I'll try again. My fingers are crossed ... I wanna run.

Hoping that tomorrow will bring me a good day. Good night. ;-)

Steamy

2011-09-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

Well, summer is definitely back for one day anyway. Sticky. It was already 72 degrees at 5:30 AM when I left to run down to the Y to swim. With a backpack on, I was pretty wet by the time I got there. Lifted and then swam for an hour. Had a decently good swim. Ran 5.0 miles.

This evening, I rode with Paul Thomford from the Bear's Den at 5:30. The wind was kind of stiff from the south so we rode to Rock Dell. Coming back, I took off for home at Salem Corners and Paul went back to the Den. I was beat. Actually, my legs were kind of dead before I even started. 35.28 mile ride. Temps in the 90's, dewpoint 72.

Matt and I are going to ride around Lake Pepin on Monday. We were going to do it tomorrow, but it's supposed to rain. I think I'll go pick raspberries in the morning after working out. Guess it will be a run day. Lubed my bike chain this evening. It's nice and quiet again. :-) I still keep checking my back tire for a flat. Still haven't gotten over my 3 flats in 24 hours from a few weeks ago. New Continentals are working great, though. I like the red/black color. Snappy.

Here's a few pix from my brother's family's recent cabin vacation. So beautiful.

Rick's going to have another "Run from Rick's Cabin" on September 18. Hoorah!!

Good night all.

And Fun Was Had By All

2011-08-31T17:46:00.004-05:00

I joined 13 other runners last night at the Gamehaven Scout camp for a preview of the 5+ mile course to be used for the race in November. It's akin to Living History Farms in Des Moines, but some say it's a lot more fun!! We didn't encounter any snow yesterday, but the bog was a little bit wet.

After standing around in the parking lot getting cold (60's and breezy) most of went to Whistle Binkie's on the Lake to socialize. Fun evening.

This morning, on tired legs after 5.78 miles in the evening yesterday and 5.0 miles in the AM along with an hour swim and lifting, I ran 12.02 miles. By the end, I must say I'd finally tired myself out. As I sit here typing, I'm debating whether to go out for a leisurely bike ride. Still haven't decided. It's so nice out ... Just mowed, weeded, watered, clipped a hedge and cut some flowers.

Kathryn told me about a bike rally in LaCrosse this weekend. Rides from 30-100 miles Thurs thru Monday. I might go over and ride but it's pretty loosely organized it seems. I'll think about it.

Congratulations to my friends Lisa and Wanda (center and right, with Deb on the left) who set PRs on Saturday at the half marathon!! They are really running well. That's not an easy course.

Deb, Lisa, Wanda

I have lots of pictures to post from the half marathon, but they're on my laptop and I'm on my desktop so I'll have to do that in another post.

A few tidbits about Sunday's tri ... the overall winner was a 16-year old male with a 1:12. Second and fifth place finishers (overall) were female. :-) There's no way I was going to be in the prize money. Great athletes. Also, no age-group awards were given out. :-( Don't wetsuits just make a girl look look fab?? Not so much. Like a stuffed sausage is more like it.

Congratulations to my St. Cloud DuTri friends who completed IM events this weekend!! Louisville: Nicole (Bergh) Haas #285, Cindy Lewandowski #586, Amy Woolsey # 542 , Raechel Konczewski #267, Melany Swenson #149. Grant Swenson # 1335, Adam Konczewski #975, Pam Stevens #667, Daryl Stevens #2837, Sheila Pearson #135, Kathy Carlson #639, Kate Adams #649. Canada: Michael Murray. You guys are amazing!!

Later. Enjoy these waning days of summer.