Worn Out

When I got up this morning, I looked outside on the front step and this is what I saw. The deer had decimated my impatiens. They've been munching on them all summer, but this time they REALLY did a number on them. So that's it for the impatiens. I think I'll replace them with a couple of mums and hope for the best. Sometimes Bambi makes me SOOOO frustrated!!

Today was my day for a long run for the week. I dinked around the house longer than I should have this morning, and I paid for it. It was after 7:00 by the time I got going. The first 9 miles were fine. Hilly, but fine. (Down Fox Valley Drive SW to county 22 to Meadow Lakes up 2nd St SW hill right on County 104 right on 19th St NW up through a new neighborhood north of Prairie Walls climbing gym to the Douglas Trail). That's where the rain started (and about where I saw Pete Gilman). I continued on the relative shelter of the trail to 55th St NW. That's when it REALLY started coming down. I was east of highway 52 and as soaked as I could get. Then I turned south on 18th Ave and into the wind and really started feeling cold. And I knew I had at least 6 more miles to get home. I was feeling a little woozy, too. So I stopped at Casey's and asked for a big trash bag to rip some holes in and use as a little protection from the rain and wind. It helped. I probably looked like a dork, but didn't much care. I headed straight for home, stopping at Ciber for some more water. I was sooooooo happy to get home. 20.33 miles later.

Feel fine, now. :-) Even took a little nap at noon.

On Wednesday, P.K. and I talked about canning peaches. She's canned them in a combo of Riesling and Muscado. I think that sounds fantastic and might try it. I found a recipe online for canning peaches in a rose wine. I think I could substitute the riesling/muscado for the rose. But I know you do have to be careful when canning.

I have exactly one story (mine) for the September issue of RTC News! Not good! If you have something you'd like to contribute, please send it my way. Soon. :-) Thanks.

The August issue of the Running Room eMAGAZINE is now available. My Rochesterfest Triathlon story is on page 4, a Stewartville Summerfest story by Peg Arnold on page 5 and a Spinach Salad recipe from me as well as a $10 off coupon on page 12.

From Jean Murray: Time for a Hot Summer Night Beer Run!?? Meet next Thursday, Aug. 13 at 5:30 pm at Glynner’s Pub at Northbrook Plaza, N. Broadway. We’ll start with some running ,,,really! Perhaps Team RED members from Byron will join us and show us how it’s done!

Are you sans-GPS? Here's a route-mapping/pedometer tool passed along by my friend Leslie. Thanks, Leslie!!

I was talking yesterday with Melissa Gacek from White Bear Lake yesterday on the phone. She's running the Rochester Half and was asking about the course and whether there were any hills. I said that yes, the new course does have some hills. :-) She said it sounded like good training for TCM. I agree!! So please ... consider running it. Or the 5K.

I added a few recipes and photos on my recipe blog today. :-) Speaking of recipes, here's a good one. Just tried it for the first time this morning.

Overnight Oatmeal Pancakes


2 c. old fashioned oats
2 c. buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Mix oats and buttermilk or yogurt in large bowl and let sit overnight.

2. In the morning, mix eggs and butter with oat mixture.
3. Stir dry ingredients together and add to other ingredients. (I added a little extra buttermilk at this point--maybe 1/2 cup--to thin out the batter a little.)

4. Coat nonstick griddle with a small amount of oil. Preheat on low/med heat. When hot, add batter in 1/4 cup amounts.

These pancakes take longer to cook ... about 3 minutes on each side.

It's time for me to make Marilee Hardyman her long-awaited Snickerdoodle cookies (and listen to the Twins on the radio--who knows? maybe since they lost to Cleveland they'll beat Detroit? Stranger things have happened). Marilee got the "Where Is It?" contest right in the newsletter back in May. I am so negligent on getting these cookies to her! They'll be delivered to the RAC at 6:50 AM.

Thought for the day:

At age 4 success is .....not wetting your pants
At age 12 success is....having friends
At age 17 success is....having a drivers license
At age 35 success is....having money
At age 50 success is....having money
At age 70 success is....having a drivers license
At age 75 success is....having friends
At age 80 success is....not wetting your pants

~Author Unknown

Until tomorrow.

The Perfect Day, Part 3

Yet another perfect Minnesota summer day. 70s, low humidity, puffy clouds. Looks like some rain might move in overnight, which is fine as we do need it. Though I really need to get down to my garden and start picking!!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my friend Stacy and her family were over for dessert last night. They moved from Rochester to Chapel Hill, NC 3 years ago. It was so much fun to see them again. The girls are getting so big. Pictured are Jon, Emily, Stacy and Miriam Abramowitz.

For dessert I made Oatmeal Cookie-Peach Cobber. It has to be one of the best dessert recipes I've ever made. The boys agreed. It's from Cooking Light magazine.

Oatmeal Cookie-Peach Cobbler

TOPPING:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
4.5 oz. all-purposed flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

FILLING:
11 c. sliced peeled peaches (about 5 pounds)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (I mixed in a little brown sugar for flavor)
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
(I added about 1/2 tsp. cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350.
To prepare topping, place first 3 ingredients in a largr bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Weight or lightly spon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour, oats, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

To prepare filling, combine sliced peeled peaches, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour, and fresh lemon juice in a bowl; toss to coat.

Spoon mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dollop 12 mounds of chilled dough over peach mixture at even intervals. (I spread it out more than that.)

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Yield: 12 servings.

Mary brought some wine ...

and we enjoyed a very nice evening. P.K. walked up the big hill to join us ...

I canned peaches today and have some left over. I told Eric I could can some more or make another pan of this dessert. He said that was a VERY easy choice. I, however, don't want the temptation of a whole pan of this sitting around. Our cooking group is getting together at my friends Jay and Joan's on Sunday evening for pizza. We each make our own and then cook them on his wood-fired oven in the back yard. It's always a WONDERFUL time. Anyway, I'm bringing dessert and I think this would be a good choice. I told Eric he should come along. :-)

This morning I went to the Y and lifted. I got home at 7:24 and decided I had enough time to do a tempo run. So I ran the 7.15 mile loop around the hill. I ran 4 miles during the tempo: 7:08 7:00 6:56 6:49 A bit faster than I'd planned but at least it got me home in time to get to work at 9:00!! I was going to do TNT this evening but I was so sleepy today that I decided I didn't need to do a triathlon in addition to everything else. Tomorrow morning I'll do my long run (it might be in the rain) and then Saturday will be off in prep for Sunday's 15K up in Edina.

Today for lunch I met Betsy Baartman and Judy Weller at Panera. We had a very nice time. It's good to have good friends. :-) Judy and Betsy are running the Leading Ladies half marathon next weekend. (Though Judy may be running the whole thing as a training run for her Ironman Louisville coming up at the end of the month ... I can't remember.)



I had You Pick Two with a half strawberry poppyseed salad and half of some kind of chicken sandwich, which I also can't remember! I'm very tired today ...




This afternoon, I canned a load ...

of peaches (7 pints).



At Running Room: Buy 2 pairs of socks and get a free Saucony bag. While supply lasts.

From Bill "Multisport" Nevala: Greetings Multisport Friends! Due to extremely low registrations for the 2009 Treadman Duathlon on Sept 5th, 2009, we have announced the cancellation of the event. Several emails and calls have come our way in the past 24 hours asking us to reconsider. I would like to ask you all if you have an interest in this event? If you would like for us to re-open registration for this event, contact us at wnevala@yahoo.com by Midnight, Sunday, August 9th if you wish to register. If we do open registrations back up we need to have your registration confirmed by Aug 16th, 2009, which is our T-Shirt ordering deadline. We need to have at least 100 registrants by Aug 16th or we will be forced to cancel the race altogether. If I have at least 100 potential registrants email me, I will re-open registration. If you want this event to happen, we need you to express your interest asap. Thank You, Bill Nevala, Race Director CONTACT ME AT: wnevala@yahoo.com or WINMultisports@gmail.com

Well, I think I'm going to call it a night. It's 10:30, I'm tired and I have a busy 3 days coming up. (Tomorrow: long run, get to the garden, lots to do around the house--and I owe 2 people a batch of cookies each; Saturday: baking bread and making blueberry jam with Etta, 40th birthday party in the PM; Sunday: morning 15K in the cities with my race team and the pizza party in the PM).

Ciao.

A Perfect Day, redux

Yup. It was another perfect day. Weather-wise anyway. Mid-70's and sunny. NW wind so low humidity. Love. It.

Morning workout: ran down to the Soldier's Field pool and swam for an hour. Judy was there too. I was happy about that! Coach Sfire gave me some more pointers on my form, these having to do with balance. I seem to be keeping my head down a bit better now. I tell you, there is a whole lot of technique involved in swimming. I have to think constantly while I'm swimming. Head down. Roll. Kick. Shoulder position. Arm position. It's just not natural for me. I hope that someday it will be so I can just get in the pool and swim and not stress out about every little part of the freestyle stroke! I talked with Tom Jaeger for a few minutes afterwards. He said that coach Sfire has the patience of Job, which is a good thing. 'Cause I hear what he says, but it's sooooo hard for me to put it into practice. Anyway, then I ran home and dropped off my backpack and ran another mile. Seen out running on the path around the pool: John Shonyo and Mike "Why Aren't You In The Pool?" Schmitt. :-)

After work it was so beautiful outside that I decided to go for a bike ride. Salem Corners to Rock Dell to High Forest and back into town on County 8. Very nice ride. I felt a little feisty so it was a relatively hard ride. There was definitely a NW wind, but not as strong as it has been on recent rides so that was nice. 37.04 miles. Still need to do more bike shopping. SO much to do ... SO little time!


My friend Stacy and family were in town visiting so they came over for dessert this evening. More on that tomorrow. :-) (Pictured are Stacy and daughters Emily and Miriam.)



There's a story to it, but I ended up with two of these New Balance running dresses, size small. If someone wants the other one, new and still in the package, let me know. It's $54.99. Otherwise, I'll send it back. Very comfortable and you could certainly wear it "out and about" as well.

Happy August birthdays to the folowing RTC members: James Bennett, Haraldur Bjarnason, Pat Brown, David DeLone, Trevor Distad, Dean Ferber, Alan Fritsche, Lin Gentling, Rosemary Harnly, Tom Harwood, David Jones, Madison Benton, Joey Keillor, Kathy Kenny, Sonja Kranz, Suzanne LaPalm, Kelly Lyndgaard, Mark Massaro, Colette Miller, Marilyn Monson, Laura Nelson, Bill Oehler, Pam Setera, Deb Thomford, Roger Vos, Francis Whalen, Mike Willard, Fred Woolman.

I'm doing registration (and race number assignment) for the Half Marathon and 5K on August 22. If anyone has a special request for a number, let me know. Steve DeBoer has already requested 23. It's his 23rd running of this event. :-)

From Paul Christian: Goucher wins half-marathon in Chicago
By Kevin Pates
Duluth News Tribune, Minn.
Aug. 3--Kara Goucher did what she planned Sunday: use the inaugural Rock ’n’ Roll Chicago Half-Marathon as a significantly hard workout and push hard over the final three miles -- to victory. She followed coach Alberto Salazar’s plan to a T and was the outright winner, leading all men and women in a field of 14,400, in 1 hour, 8 minutes, 5 seconds. It was her third half-marathon win in three tries, and the first in the U.S.

Goucher, 31, a Duluthian now residing in Portland, Ore., had run a U.S. record 1:06:57 in England in 2007 and 1:08:30 in March in Lisbon, Portugal. She’s preparing for the World Championships women’s marathon on Aug. 23 in Berlin.

“I believe I wouldn’t be running the marathon 1/8in Berlin 3/8 if I didn’t have a shot,” she told the Oregonian newspaper Sunday. “If I run fully committed, I do have a shot.”

Goucher stayed conservative early, running behind designated pacer Mike Donnelly, and then made a push over the closing miles. She ran 5:09 for the 10th mile and 5:05 for the 11th. Chad Ware, 24, of Chicago was second overall, and the first man, in 1:08:24, while Connie Abbott was the second woman in 1:21:50.

Goucher took the overall lead with more than two miles remaining in the 13.1-mile race.

As the only elite runner in the field, she was followed throughout on a Webcast by Competitor.com on what was dubbed “Kara Cam.”

“I felt I could run in the 67- 68-minute range,” Goucher told Competitor. “The race was great, better than my preparations for 1/8the Boston Marathon in April 3/8. It was awesome to be the first finisher and I wanted to enjoy the crowd. I really liked how the course changed up, there was never a stretch where it was dull, and you are going through the city, going over bridges and along the water. I really liked the course.”

Goucher and her husband, Adam, were due to fly to Europe later Sunday and arrive in St. Moritz, Switzerland, for 15 days of final marathon preparations.

Ware, who beat his personal best by more than a minute, ran cross country and track at Butler University. He was runner up at 10,000 meters in the 2007 Horizon League Championships. “It was cool. It was different being right there with a woman,” said Ware, the runner-up in May’s Green Bay Marathon in 2:20:56. “I was right on the pace I was hoping to run and having Kara there definitely helped me get my PR.”

I feel so behind on these posts, especially in the recipe department. Here's what I made last night for dinner, very much favorites of the boys.

Wild Rice Pilaf with Pecans and Dried Cranberries
From Cook's Illustrated

Serves 6 to 8
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
8 sprigs fresh thyme leaves , divided into 2 bundles, each tied together with kitchen twine
1 cup wild rice , rinsed well and picked over
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 large carrot , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
table salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries , sweetened or unsweetened
3/4 cup pecans , toasted in small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 6 minutes, then chopped coarse
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Ground black pepper

1. Bring chicken broth, 1/4 cup water, bay leaves, and 1 bundle thyme to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add wild rice, cover, and reduce heat to low; simmer until rice is plump and tender and has absorbed most liquid, 35 to 45 minutes. Drain rice in mesh strainer to remove excess liquid. Return rice to now-empty saucepan; cover to keep warm and set aside.

2. While wild rice is cooking, place white rice in medium bowl and cover with 2 inches water; gently swish grains to release excess starch. Carefully pour off water, leaving rice in bowl. Repeat about 5 times, until water runs almost clear. Drain rice in mesh strainer.

3. Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until foam subsides, about 2 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add rinsed white rice and stir to coat grains with butter; cook, stirring frequently, until grains begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 1/4 cups water to boil in small saucepan or in microwave. Add boiling water and second thyme bundle to rice; return to boil, then reduce heat to low, sprinkle cranberries evenly over rice, and cover. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 16 to 18 minutes. Off heat, fluff rice with fork.

4. Combine wild rice, white rice mixture, pecans, and parsley in large bowl; toss with rubber spatula. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.


Chicken in Sour Cream

2 c. sour cream (I use light)
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
4 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 5. celery salt
2 t. paprika
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 t. pepper
12 boneless chicken breasts
16 oz. box Italian bread crumbs (I use Pepperidge Farm stuffing and roll it with a rolling pin. It's not as fine textured as the bread crumbs)
1/2 stick butter or margarine (original recipe called for one stick)

Combine sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, paprika, garlic, and pepper in a large deep bowl with lid. Add thawed chicken breasts and coat the chicken well. Allow to marinate in the source cream mixture overnight in the refrigerator, covered. When ready to cook, remove pieces of chicken from the sour cream sauce and roll in the bread crumbs.

Arrange in a single layer in a 13x9" pan sprayed with vegetable spray and drizzle the butter over the chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes or until done.

There's more, but it'll have to wait 'til tomorrow. I'm having lunch with Betsy Baartman and Judy Weller tomorrow. Fun, fun, FUN!! Then canning peaches. Then doing TNT. What a great day!!

See 'ya.

A Perfect Day

Oh, it just doesn't get much better than this. About 75 degrees, a little wind, little humidity, sunshine. Sign me up for about 365 days of this. I spent as much time outside as I could today. And it started with ... speedwork.


Today was to be a run day. I don't really have a training plan. :-0 I just don't swim 2 days in a row, generally don't bike 2 days in a row, and don't run too often. (How specific is that??) My legs felt still felt a little tired when I left the house, as I'd run 9 yesterday. But I didn't just want to run junk miles today. So I decided to try running 1/4s after a 2 mile warm-up. Well, the warm-up got me to 2nd St SW and County 22/West Circle Drive. I ran my first quarter and that got me to the road leading up to Wimbledon Hills. So I thought why not just do the 1/4s on that nice flat stretch of bike path? So I set up my GPS to take splits every 1/4 mile and I'd try to run 10 x 1/4 mile with 1/4 mile recovery, if my legs held out. I wanted to run 6:30 pace which would be 1:37.5 for each 1/4. First one was 1:38. Perfect. Next one 1:34. Pretty close. Next one 1:31. Use those 6 seconds, Renee!! Next one 1:28. Hmmm ... Nice and steady, girl, no need to push this. Then it was 1:31. 1:31. 1:31. 1:31. I seem to have hit a physiological set-point here. Next one 1:33. Last one 1:28. I have to say it went great. And I actually had fun. I was sufficiently tired at the end of the last few, but certainly not trashed. I looked at my watch and it was 7:24 AM and I had 4.5 on my GPS. Still plenty of time for a nice cool down before work at 9:00. So I decided to run 5.5 more for a total of 10 (it was 10.05 miles when I got home). My hip is a non-issue. Hip, hip, hooray! I've been very diligent about doing my physical therapy exercises and will continue to do so.

Well ... when I went to look at my splits later I noticed that there were 2 runs today. That's right! I'd reset my GPS after the 2 mile warm-up. I must have still been hypoxic. So ... I got in 12.05 miles today. :-) Even better. I'm going to try to do some flavor of this on Tuesdays.

I'm really not much of a car buff, but there's this new, shiny black Porsche that I've been seeing in the mornings in the far SW side of town. Today it was heading north on county 22. Last week, it was heading into town from the Salem Corners area. Late model Carrera. Sweet.

After work today I stopped and got a lug of peaches. So I'll be canning peaches in the next day or two. Depends on when they're perfectly ripe. Salad today for lunch. I know. No surprise there. Apricots, a nectarine, some chicken, almonds, onions on some arugula that I wanted to use up before it turned to slime. :-)


Tomorrow night, a few friends are coming over for dessert and wine. Our friend Stacy who used to be a member of our cooking group moved away and is back in town for a visit. We look forward to seeing her. Pictures, for sure!!

The annual RTC Potluck Picnic is Thursday, August 20 at Soldier's Field Park at 6:00 PM. RSVP to president@rochestertrackclub.com if you can attend. It's always fun!! And delicious. I'll be there. For sure. This is the 40th anniversary for the RTC. Dwight Pierson, founder of the club, will be in attendance to give some history of the club.

A chance for your 15 seconds of fame: "I work for the company that is producing Mutual of Omaha’s official sponsor of the aha moment campaign – visit AhaMoment to see what an aha moment is and the great real stories we have collected so far. Associated to that, we have a 34-foot Airstream mobile film studio that is traveling the US on a 25-city tour to capture the country’s aha moments. We are headed to Rochester next Monday and Tuesday (August 10th & 11th), and would love to invite the members of the Rochester Track Club to share the story of what lead you to start running, and how your lives have changed since. You each would just have to step into the Airstream studio for a few minutes and tell your story on film, which would be posted to AhaMoment . We would love to have you if you are interested! We will be parked at the Rochester Recreation Center (21 Elton Hills Dr NW) Monday, August 10th (Noon to 8pm) and Tuesday, August 11th (10am to 8pm). Let me know as soon as possible and I can reserve some time for any of you that would like to participate, thanks! " Follow the tour on Twitter: @ahamomenttour Follow the tour on Facebook: Facebook My Aha Moment Megan Reed email

FYI: The Treadman Duathlon has been cancelled for September. :-(

Oh my, I just looked at the clock. It's almost 11:00 PM. The alarm will go off in 6 hours. And I didn't even get to my supper photos or recipes. Tomorrow!!

Quote for the day: "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” -- Theodore Roosevelt

Good night!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.....

It feels SO good to sit down. I'll get back to that. First, it's back to yesterday. Let's see ...

After church, I must have been dinking around for a couple of hours because I didn't get going on my bike ride until about 12:30. It was fairly windy, from the south, so that's the direction I decided to ride. Salem Corners, Rock Dell, High Forest, airport, Simpson, Rochester. Here's a map of my route:

Nice ride. Rolling hills. Windy. 46.17 miles. I was ready to be done. :-) I was talking with some gals at the GC5K on Saturday and this event sounds really fun: Firehouse 50. It's a 50-mile bike race on Saturday and there's a 15K running race on Sunday. What a fun weekend that would be!

Back to Sunday. After the bike ride, I mowed the lawn. I turned on my GPS hoping to find out how far I walk when I mow. It takes about an hour. Well, I turned it on and when I finished the front yard, it said I'd gone 18 ft. Wha?? Not so much. Then I noticed the time was still on 8 seconds. I must have somehow turned it off. I'm guess it's 3 miles or so. I turn the self-propelled feature off when I mow because I want to walk faster than the mower mows. So I think 3 miles, 20-minute pace, is reasonable. I noticed one daylily bloom that the deer didn't eat. :-)

The Love in a Mist below have been coming back, from seed, for many, many years. They're very light and airy. Pretty little flower. They dry nicely.

After supper, it was off to the fair to pick up my solitary 3rd place ribbon (for the Chewy Chocolate Cookies) and $.50 premium check. Yup. That's right. They cut checks for 50 cents. :-)

On the way home I stopped and got some burgundy colored mums. Planted them in front of the house in front of the new bushes. The boys pulled out the old overgrown ones several weeks ago.

The project is officially complete.

Then I baked cookies for the Cookie of the Month club. The guys (and gal) at the Y.

8 dozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl cookies. The recipe is on my recipe blog. When Eric came downstairs while I was baking, he said, "I know THAT smell!" :-) Indeed, it's a familiar smell in this house. He was happy to taste test. A full day it was.

Eric went to the Twins game yesterday with 3 friends. One of them had some corporate seats. First row above the Twins' dugout. He was in baseball heaven. :-)


Here's the latest view of Ted's arm. (A big dog ran in front of his bike and he went down.) He's got a couple of external fixators and is supposed to bend it three times a day and the entry points needed to be sterilized once a day. It's amazing what they can do to fix you up. The bone was really a mess. If you look at the X-ray, there are more than a dozen pins/screws and a big plate in the bone. I'm glad I'm not squeamish.

Today I ran down to the Soldier's Field pool ...

(that's a daytime view ... the sun is just coming up when we get in the pool. It's very cool. :-) I swam for an hour, went to the Y to lift and then ran home (about 4.5 miles--went to the Y first to give Mark Wernstrom his cookies). At noon I ran with the guys (Jim Benike, Gary Malat, Dan Edwards) for 3.5 miles.


On the route is the garage with the tree growing through the roof.


Jim decided to run the 9th Ave SW hill. Sort of. :-)

Brad Hak has worked at the Y for several years and has never had one of my cookies. Un.Be.Liev.A.Ble!! Ellen Hamernik called him a "cookie virgin". :-)

When I got home, and after lunch, you know what I did? I took a nap!! It was wonderful. Then I went to Rochester Produce to get some sweet corn and decided to buy 5 dozen ears ...

and freeze it.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, bike time trials start. Here's the scoop from RASC site: For all of you thinking of doing the Treadman duathlon this year, here is a great opportunity to tune-up on the course. For the second straight year, the RASC Time Trial Championships will be run on the 18.9 mile loop that will be used for the Treadman Duathlon on September 5, 2009. The time trial series dates for the 18.9 mile loop are Aug 4, Aug 11, and Aug 18. On Aug 25th there will be a 3.39 mile Hill TT which starts at the Douglas trail where it crosses in Douglas to the top of Genoa at CR 105. The way the results will be scored are as follows: everyone can race all three days for the 18.9 mile loop and one attempt at the Hill TT on August 25th. Your Hill TT time will be added to your two best times from the long course which will result in your overall time. You must complete two long course TT's plus the Hill TT for an overall ranking. Start times will be 6pm and go off in 30 second intervals. Vehicle parking is in Douglas at the Douglas Trail lot on 75th. There is no fee for the time trials, but you must be a member of one of the following to participate: RASC, TriRochester, WOW (Women on Wheels), RTC, VeloRochester.

It's not quite 10:00, but I believe I'm done posting. I'm going to indulge myself and read Swim Bike Run before I'm so tired that I only get through one paragraph.

Good night. :-)

Granite City 5K

Deciding to take a little road trip, I ventured up to St. Cloud on Friday so as to run the Granite City 5K on Saturday. After a quick stop at Crafts Direct ...

(a crafters nirvana) ...

looking for some miniature baskets (which I found) along with some running/marathon scrapbook paper and stickers (hard to find) ...

I met with Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon race director on Friday to talk some about website "stuff". Then it was off to set up for Saturday's 5K ...

(quiz: how many people does it take to pitch a tent??) followed by a tasty meal at Pacific Wok.

It rained Friday evening, but Saturday dawned dry and breezy and about 60 degrees. Nice day for running. Just under 200 runners were registered for the race. The race takes place in Heritage Park on the grounds of the History Museum in St. Cloud. The course is not a P.R. course--lots of turns, a variety of surfaces (asphalt, old trail asphalt, wood chips, dirt, grass, gravel) and crowded conditions. I couldn't get around anyone for the first 1/2 mile or so. But it was lots of fun nevertheless. I ran a 21:44 (7:00 pace) ...

with splits of 6:58, 6:55 and 7:04. After the race and awards (bad post-race hair day),

there were door prizes. (Pictured above are two St. Cloud River Runner women's race team teammates Cindy Lewandowski and Lisa Hines. I just love those pictures. Thank you Kathy!!) It was another "must be present to win" situation. (Recall the Graniteman tri, where I WASN'T present to win a $500 HED bike wheel. Arghhhh!) Well, yesterday I won a $20 gift card to Red Lobster. Hip, hip, hooray! I guess I can no long say I never win anything. :-)

(Thank you Kathy M. and Arvid for the contributions to the slideshow.)

A very fun 24 hours. :-) Next weekend, I'll meet up with my River Runners race team in Minneapolis for a 15K race, part of the USATF race circuit.

On the way home, I stopped at Elsmore Aquatic in Apple Valley to get some swim "toys" or tools I guess. Flippers ...

and paddles. Well, I think I got the wrong size paddles so I'll have to exchange those next time I'm up there. They have some great deals on swim suits up there should you be in need of something for lap swimming.

In the evening, I went for a run. I wanted to get in a long run for the day (I'd run 5 in the morning in conjunction with the race, warm-up and cool-down) so that I could bike today. My GPS was virtually dead, so I did my 7.15 mile around-the-hill course but added another loop around the bottom of the hill. My best guess, figuring the mileage 2 ways as I know where the first 6 mile markers are, is that it was 12.5 miles. I felt fine, but was also ready to stop running after 12.5 miles. And ... I found a quarter. I guess it was my lucky day. :-)

Well, I think I'll go for a bike ride now and then mow the lawn and so some other yard work. It's a beautiful day, though again, cool for August. More later.

Ciao.