Fabulous Friday

What a beautiful forecast we have for today and the weekend. Love it!

I’ve been waiting for my dreams

To turn into something I could believe in

And looking for that Magic rainbow

On the horizon ...

And I’ll taste every moment

And live it out loud

I know this is the time,

This is the time

To be more than a name

Or a face in the crowd

I know this is the time

This is the time of my life

Time of my life

The Time of My Life --David Cook

I think that must just about say it all for the Olympians competing in Beijing. I'm so enjoying the coverage, rooting for the favorites and the underdogs as well. I'm not able to watch much this week so I'll have lots of recorded coverage to enjoy when the games are over. This evening, late night, women's 10000m final. Tomorrow 6:30 pm, women's marathon.

In the photo above, Tom Woo is running on the left side of the road in a white shirt/black shorts behind someone wearing a white shirt/black shorts. It's Maribelle's 5K in Seabrook, TX. The leader in this picture is former New Zealand Olympian Sean Wade and the overall winner. Sean is the 2006 Running Times Masters Runner of the Year. He ran a 15:29 in this race. Tom took 2nd in his age group, 11th overall out of 362 finishers. Beer and Pizzas after the race before 8AM :)

Will the real Larry Pederson please stand up?? This picture just cracks me up. (Thank you Kevin Torgerson for taking it on your cell phone and sending it to me.) Both of the gentlemen in this photo are named Larry Pederson, and they both actually spell their last name the same way--'d', no 't'!! Larry on the left is 'ultra Larry', race director for In Yan Teopa and the Superior Trail races. Larry on the right is the just-retired All Comers, and Broadway Stair Climb Larry. :0)

Race notes: The Mayo Open cross country 5K race location is to be determined. Brett Carroll, high school meet director, spotted inline skating down 11th Ave SE on Wednesday morning!, is meeting with Park & Rec to see if it can be moved back to Eastwood. So stay tuned here and on the RTC website for race location information. The Beacons for Babies 8K race date has been moved out a week to Friday, October 17. This is an evening event.

Hopefully you're all busy planning your race strategies for the Rochester Half Marathon and 5K which takes place Saturday, August 23. K.C. Reed does a fantastic job directing the race and I'm sure he's ordered especially wonderful weather for all of you to enjoy! Be there!

Thank you to everyone that has come through with a story for the September issue of RTC News. I so appreciate your contributions. The newsletter is anything but a solo effort.

Thank you to Chris O'Brien for the following cartoon. I only run 2, maybe 3 days per week, and I look forward to those days, my 'cross training' days as I'm more of a gym rat if hours/week were tallied. I'd rather be out on the roads, truth be told ...

Things to think about: Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours? Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat? Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window? HA!!

Well, it's off to do a wedding and another rehearsal. I'll be eating both lunch and dinner at church, I guess. And the RAC in the early am for an 18-miler. Then another wedding. :) Then watch Deena run a marathon.

Cheers.

Back in Business!!

As of this morning, and $250 later, I'm back in the baking business. Expensive little heating element burnout, 'twas ... Why they don't put a fuse of some sort between the heating element and the relay board, I'm not sure ...

From Paul Christian: Sunday's Outside the Lines (ESPN) Feature Two Topics: Kenya Violence Takes Toll on Elite Runners; MLB Looking at Broken-Bat Related Injuries, Use of Maple Wood Sunday's Outside the Lines (9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN; noon, 9 a.m. PT, ESPNEWS) will examine the impact recent violence has had on elite runners in Kenya, a country known for producing world champions in the sport, and the program will also look at the spate of broken-bat related injuries in Major League Baseball now that maple is the wood of choice. Kenyan Runners John Barr's report will focus on how elite runners in Kenya have dealt with the aftermath of the violence that broke out in December after a presidential election that some felt was rigged. Catherine Ndereba, who will compete in the Olympics women's marathon Sunday, Aug. 17, avoided attacks by hiding in her home for days following the violence that erupted after the election. Other runners were not spared, including former Olympic sprinter Lucas Sang, who was murdered in the violence. The International Crisis Group, a human-rights organization, concluded that Sang died while commanding a raiding party. "Initial reports portraying athletes as victims of the post-election violence eventually gave way to another, far-more controversial storyline," Barr reports. "According to one human rights group, some of Kenya's runners, the same athletes who brought this country so much acclaim, funded and even took part in the deadly attacks." But David Okeyo, Secretary General Athletics Kenya, disputes the report that blames Sang for being part of the violence, saying, "As far as we're concerned up to now, it was a very malicious report, very malicious indeed." Also in the piece, Catherine Ndereba, Kenyan Olympic marathoner, said of competing as a county despite tribal differences: "When we come to the Olympics, we will have to do the Olympics as a team, and we are not going to do it for one tribe or the other. We are just going to do it just for Kenya as Kenyans."

Tonight's TNT (Thursday Night Triathlon) has been cancelled.

Running Room is staffing a water stop at City of Lakes 25K on September 7 and is in need of volunteers. We are needing volunteers to start arriving at 7am to help set up and prepare the waterstop. The time commitment is from 2 to 4 hours, as long or short as you want it to be! We had a great time last year and are expecting to have just as much fun this year! Please let me know via e-mail if you can help us out! My e-mail is Peg Arnold .

Olympics: The women's 10000m final will be shown during the 11:30 pm to 1 am time slot on Friday night. The women's marathon will be shown during the 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm time slot on Saturday. Lots of shorter distance track races beginning on Friday. Tune in!

Yesterday, Wednesday, was a running day. Ran with Bruce and Lisa at 5:15 am at the Y and we ran our usual 8.4 mile route. I ran from home which meant that my run was 12.4 miles. And for a change ... it was a great run. Despite the higher mileage of the past weekend and an hour on the Stairmaster and half hour on the elliptical both Mon and Tues. Go figure. My legs didn't feel 'shot'. I was able to run pick-ups and work the hills. Great feeling.

Well, I've got a wedding rehearsal both today and Friday and weddings Friday and Saturday. And an RTC board meeting tonight. And I'll try to work in a long run in there somewhere. ;-)

Oldest son, Eric, just called. They landed safely in Las Vegas (he and 3 friends) moments ago. He needs $400. :-)

Truths adults have learned

• Raising teenagers is like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree.
• Middle age is when you choose cereal for the fiber, not the toy.
• If you can remain calm, you don't have all the facts.
• You're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
• You appreciate the fact that wrinkles don't hurt.

Have a wonderful day!

Still a fish out of water ...

Sigh. The appliance repairman came today and has to order a new relay board for my range. Sigh. That means at least another week without an oven. Sigh. The Ragnar Relay and long run troops may have to remain cookie-less. This could be ugly. Sigh. Unless I beg some oven time from a friend. Sigh.

Another beautiful sunrise this morning. These colors lasted just a few short minutes.


Congratulations to RTC members James and Kerry Rosane on the birth of son Bo in the wee hours of the morning today. Bo weighed in a healthy 9 lbs 5 oz. Mom and son (and father and brother!) are doing just fine.

From Kelly Lyndgaard: Study says runners live longer. What better reason to keep doing what we so enjoy doing!

From Mike Schmitt: Sweepstakes to win a chance to view the NYC marathon as a V.I.P. Now, wouldn't THAT be fun?

From Lionel Cheng: 10K in WI October 25, hosted by Dean Karnazes (Ultramarathon Man). It takes place on the Kettlemoraine Trail. There are other, longer, events the same weekend. Here's an active.com link.

Don't forget to respond to David Sletten if you're going to attend the picnic on August 21. More details on RTC website.

From RASC: ESSEX PARK Bruce Walk and others have started work this summer on the trails at Essex Park. You can see an update of the trail work at http://rasc.multisportsystems.com/page/show/41792. Bruce is looking for volunteers who may be able to spare a few evenings over the coming month to help with trail clearing. If you are interested, please contact him at bmwalk@aol.com

Here's a link to a the actual NBC footage of that fabulous 4 x 100 men's freestyle relay swim the other night. Excitement seems to be 'de rigueur' for the 10:30 pm time slot. Last night, the US men were performing some spectacular gymnastics, particularly on the high bar. Here's a link to a page containing the high bar finals.

From Runners' World: LEG CRAMPS. OUCH. Your muscles are seizing up big time. SCIENCE Electrical impulses in the muscles have gone haywire, causing rapid contractions. CURE Stop and stretch. Scientists are unsure of exactly what causes cramps, but it's not as simple as electrolyte imbalances or dehydration. Now that's an understatement!!!

Our dinner last night at Kelly Lyndgaard's home was delicious. I have no particular favorites as everything was a favorite. The chocolate marshallow cookies were a take-home item and I haven't tried it yet. But everything else was a keeper!

Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand. --Native American Proverb

Happy trails.

un.be.lievable.

I just watched the 4 x 100 freestyle Olympic men's swim relay. One of the most exciting finishes I've ever seen in any sporting race. Ever. The American's pulled off a stunning upset of the French team, earning Michael Phelps his second gold medal of these games. Wow. Stunning.

A Beautiful Run

It was just too nice not to be out doing something. I had to go for a little run. A friend called and asked to borrow my cherry pitter, so I said I'd run it over to her. (Fox Hill.) Then I continued down to county 22 and headed north. As I was coming down the hill toward 2nd St SW, what did I see? A beautiful bald eagle, soaring above the road. Majestic. Beautiful. Glorious. No wonder it's a symbol of our country. It's just a spectacular bird. I continued watching until it went over by Cascade Lake. Another running coming by said that he too had noticed it. I'd seen it one other time this year in pretty much the same location.

I continued on to the west 52 frontage road and up Folwell Drive to home. I actually felt very good, except for the first dozen or so strides which were a little tentative, so that was a boost for my confidence. And what did my GPS read when I got home? 4.83 miles. Yesterday: 21.37 miles. What's 21.37 + 4.83? A marathon!! Kismet.

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep ...

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep ... (River of Dreams, --Billy Joel)

Of what do I speak? Ragnar Relay!! We've been given an approximation of our running times. I'm running the 9th, 21st and 33rd legs which are approximated to be at 5:09 pm, 4:01 am and 11:41 am if everyone runs their approximate 10K pace. Lots of approximations, here. Anyway, I don't think that's too bad. I can be semi-coherent at 4:01 am and I'm guessing that the folks running in the dark in the middle of the night won't be running their usual 10K pace so I could very well be running later than 4:01 am. I'd personally rather run at 4 am than 1 or 2 am. Speaking of Ragnar, a Rochester team still needs a male and a female runner. If you are interested in participating (and it sounds like a lot of fun!), contact Andy at 631-678-3053.

Well, the Olympics are under way as I'm sure you all know. Track & Field doesn't start until the 15th, but there's still plenty to watch. Even sports that I don't participate in (gymnastics (I was always about a foot too ball), swimming, volleyball (I did do that one for a couple years)) are so enjoyable to watch--seeing the best athletes in the world give their all in an attempt at winning a medal. And it's nice to be able to turn on the TV on and have something that's worth watching. ;-)

Went down to Running Room to try on the new Nike pink and black threads. Turns out I liked the top I thought I'd like the most, the least. But I bought the two other ones. And the tempo track shorts, which are my favorite. I bought the last size medium shorts, but did you know that if you don't see the size you need they can have it sent in from another store? Just ask! No extra charge.

Speaking of Running Room, the manager position is also available (in addition to assistant manager). Please send your resume to 711 S. Broadway if you're interested in applying. Spread the word.

The cinch bags and socks have arrived for TreadMan TreadMan (duathlon--5K run--32K bike--5k run on September 27). We still need volunteers and participants! Here's the bag:

Well, yesterday dawned a lot more humid than I'd anticipated. I wanted to get in a 20-miler as the next 2 weekends won't be conducive to doing that (two weddings next weekend, then Ragnar) and I want to get in at least 3 20-milers before TCM. So I started early at the RAC and ran 3 miles with Nacho (Ignacio), Tom and Greg.

I stopped at the corner to take a picture of a rainbow.

So. It was plenty humid even at 6:15 am or so, so I had my doubts about whether I'd get 20 in. I don't do well in the humidity. Turns out there were LOTS of people there for the 7:00 start.

From the RAC, we headed east on 19th St, then north on 18th Ave to 48th St NW, then east to the Watson soccer fields where we had our first of 4 water stops (15 mile route). As always, THANK YOU water stop volunteers.

From there it was south on West River Parkway toward Silver Lake. I met Candy and Barb running toward us, so I stopped and talked to them for a while. When we hugged, they told me I was very sweaty. How right they were. ;-) (That's Dan Strain on the right.)

After several minutes, they said I better keep running lest I lose my running buddies.

Our next water stop was at Jefferson School, 14th St NW and 11th Ave. A chance to fuel up before heading up Viola Hill. I ran down 14th St with Elisa Johnson and Roger Heil. Elisa was a 'guest' with us, living in Janesville, MN and camping with her family in Zumbro Falls. She's training for C.I.M (California International Marathon) which takes place in December. She's run Fetzer, SEMYO and Rochester Half in the past.

Then it was up Viola Hill and through Quarry Hill and back to Silver Lake for water stop 3. Water stop volunteer 1/3 was the winner for the wonderful treats she had for us:



After this, the next few miles were challenging. I started cramping (left calf), so had to back off. I'd taken 2 GUs and had a few chunks of bananas and plenty of Powerade and water, but stopped at Methodist hospital for 4 little glasses of water as I still felt thirsty (and I'd been sweating A LOT--my socks were soaked). On 11th Ave NW, I saw the smallest car I'd ever seen. I think there was room for only one person inside.

After the last water stop I perked up a bit and made another loop out 7th St NW, County 22 and back to the RAC for 20.03 miles. Had a bottle of G2 and then went out for just a couple more minutes for a total of 21.37 miles. After all was said and done, I felt good about the run. I thought I'd go home and collapse on the couch, but instead I went from the RAC to Sam's Club and then home to freeze 12 pints of green beans...

... then my brother and family came over for dinner. As I still don't have a functional oven, we had pizza from O'Neil's and a Sam's Club cake. My baby brother (about 8 years younger) turned 40 yesterday.

Speaking of food, tomorrow is Cooking Light cooking club at RTC member Kelly Lyndgaard's house. She's got a darling new short haircut. Kelly looks so cute no matter how long or short her hair is. ;-) Here's our menu:

Pam - Summer Squash Pizza
Renee - Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Marshmallow Cream Filling
Kelly - Grilled Grouper with Basil Lime Pistou
Kathryn - fruit dessert of your choice
Barb - Angel Biscuits
Mary - wine, Peas and Pods
Margo - Spinach Salad with Stone Fruits and Maple-spiced Pecans
Barbara - Fingerling Potato Salad with Gremolata dressing

I'm switching with Mary as I can't bake. I'm SOOOOO lost without an oven. I have a service call scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. I sure hope they don't have to order more parts. Apparently the little meltdown of the heating element did more damage than just ruin the element.

Well, that's it for today. This got to be a long post! Enjoy this beautiful day. It's spectacular. I think I'll grab Marathon & Beyond and plunk down on the chaise on the patio.

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."--Muriel Strode

Ciao.

Just like a fish out of water

My oven isn't working. I was preheating it yesterday, and hanging up my running clothes to dry on a rack in the basement, and I heard a popping sound for 3-4 seconds and I just knew what it was. It'd happened on my last range as well. Sure enough. The heating element blew. There was a little flame coming from the element when I looked inside. They don't have any in stock and they can't tell me whether it'll be days or weeks until the new one is available. Mama mia. I'm lost without it. ;-) So no cookies at the RAC training run on Saturday. Sorry.

I had a nice long run yesterday morning (by myself), even though my legs and I were tired. Another one of those nights where I just couldn't fall asleep. RTC members seen on the run: Mark Wernstrom in his truck on the 19th St bridge, Pete Gilman on West River Road and Elton Hills Drive and Joann Johnson on her bike near Silver Lake.

The RTC Potluck Picnic is Thursday, August 21 at Slatterly Park. Please RSVP to David Sletten if you will be in attendance. Friends and family are welcome. Please bring a dish to pass. The RTC will provide table service and beverages.

RTC member Fred Woolman is teaching Yoga, Pilates and an exercise ball class. There are daytime and after work classes available. Online registration is available. Priced very reasonably, I might add.

Our Ragnar Relay team has an official name as of today: Lost in Pace. Here were some of my other suggestions: Running Wild, Chipper by the Dozen , Will Run 4 Cookies, Kickin' Asphalt, Joggernauts, Rogue Runners, Old Soles, Burning Soles, Electrolyte Orchestra (you've got to be old enough to remember ELO--Electric Light Orchestra from the 70's and 80's--to appreciate that one. 8-) Thank you to Jessica Schmitt for being our third volunteer. We've now met our volunteer requirement.

Lopez Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, has been chosen by the U.S. Olympic team to carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremonies together. The last two track/field athletes to carry the flag were Francie Larrieu Smith (1992) and Evelyn Ashford (1988).

There's still time to submit a story for the September RTC News. Content is limited this month. Please consider submitting something!

Let's take a look back to 1993 and see what was happening in the RTC: The half marathon was called Guiseppi's Half Marathon. The race was the 1993 USATF state championship half marathon. 232 entered, 213 finished. There was a store (?) called Competitive Edge at 1107 7th St NW. Must have been a running store as they teamed with the RTC to offer a TCM training clinic. Class coordinators were Linda Gentling and Paul Soto. Steve DeBoer was the race director for the 5K Cross Country race (and still is!). Douglas Trail was postponed from July 31 to August 7 due to a lightning storm. Watermelons were given out as prizes (and still are!). John Haas and Paul Anderson were co-directors.

I ran with the guys at the Y at noon today. (Gary Malat, Jim Benike, Ross Hamernik, Dan Edwards, Jim Martinson. K.C. Reed is missing from the photo. He's to Jim M.'s right.)

I'm not having much success posting the MapMyRun maps to my blog, for some reason. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can help. When I save a run and select 'Post to my blog', the maps don't show up in the large, medium, small map windows and there's an error on the webpage (lower left). Anyway, here's a link to the 'modified Eastwood' run which we ran today, which is about 6 miles. My legs were shot today. Tomorrow will be an off day. Spotted riding by the Y after the run, fellow runner Judge Kevin Lund. He stopped for a Gary Malat Happy Birthday cookie. Then he was off to let a few more people out of jail, whereas K.C. was off to put a few more people in jail. A revolving door of sorts ...




K.C. thought I needed to blog a photo of me with my fair ribbons. So he took a photo. ;-)

Dug a few hills of potatoes this morning. I think freshly dug potatoes are pretty wonderful. They're Yukon Golds.

Well, I've run out of news. I hope you're enjoying this wonderful summer weather. I could take about 9 months of this.

"In running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his abilithy with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions." --Glenn Cunningham, American mile great of the 1930's despite severe burns that nearly cost him his legs in childhood