Liquid libations

Anyone wishing to join fellow runners at Whistle Binkie's on the Lake at 6:00 pm on Thursday, whether or not you're going to Ultramarathon Man, is welcome!

Fair report

Chocolate chip cookies (the ones with oatmeal, pecans, dark chocolate chips): No ribbon. Zip. Nadda. Zilch.

Peanut butter cookies: Blue ribbon.

HyVee chocolate dessert baking contest: First place! And $35! (Photo in post below) Holly Ebel from the P-B emailed that there were 60 entries in the contest.

Run for Abby update: The group running from the cities to Mayo is gathering on Sunday morning at the Douglas Trailhead in Pine Island at 8:30 and will begin running toward Rochester at 9:00 am. The run will be supported (water, Powerade, GU). If you'd like to run with them (they'd greatly appreciate it), you could meet them in Pine Island and run all the way in, or start in Douglas or Rochester and run toward them and then back toward Rochester ... lots of options. They would like to see some Rochester runners out there in this effort to raise funds for and awareness of childhood cancer.

RASC Time Trial Championships For all of you thinking of doing the Treadman duathlon this year, here is a great opportunity to tune-up on the course. This year the RASC Time Trial Championships will be run on the 20 mile loop that will be used for the Treadman Duathlon in September. TT dates are Aug 5, Aug 12, Aug 19. In addition on Aug 26th 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 is as follows: everyone can race all three days for the 20 mile loop and one attempt at the Hill TT. Your two best times from the 20 miler added to your Hill TT will give your resulting time. Start times will be 6pm and go off in 30 second intervals. Vehicle parking in Douglas at the Douglas Trail lot on 75th. There will be prizes for the top TT finishers (gift certificates to Rochester Cycle and Fitness). Currently our plan is to have 3 divisions: Men's Aero, Men's Stock and Women's Open. If enough women ride the events we may subdivide the women into 2 divisions (either by age or bike type). In addition, there will be special prizes for any riders who can complete the 20-mile loop at an average speed of over 25 mph (for men) or 22 mpg (for women). Note: no one in the last 2 Treadman events achieved these speeds!

Ran with Lisa and Bruce, then decided to go to the garden.


Today's gleanings from the garden: beans, beans and more beans; sugar snaps (under the broccoli and tomatoes); a few shell peas (and that's it for them). Looks like I'm going to have to start putting up beans. I've got another bag full in the refrigerator. When I got home from the garden, I was sweaty and dirty so decided to quick mow the lawn. (Still hadn't showered since the run.) My oh my that shower felt great! But by 10:30 am, my legs were toast! Then the fair (with niece Kaleigh) ...

I'm so ready to sit down for a while.

Looks like a scorcher of an end to the week expected. Our 30K around Lac Qui Parle lake should be nice and warm. ;-)

Carry on.

Yes, I'm still alive ...

... and cooking. Pretty much literally. At least I'm not having to spend the days and nights sleeping in a 4-H animal barn at the fair. Could be worse, as they say. A couple of us gals are going out to the Montevideo area to run a 30K on Saturday. High is forecast for 90 degrees. Lovely. Good thing it starts at 7:30 AM.

So what have I been cooking?

This is my entry into the Hy-Vee chocolate dessert contest at the fair. I was sweating (literally!) the whipped cream all day long. I decided to bring everything down to the fairgrounds, unassembled, and put it all together there at the last minute (thank you Ted for driving me down the street with the food vendors, right up to the front door!) and then quickly slip it into the refrigerator case so the whipped cream wouldn't weep/melt/separate or whatever was bound to happen in the heat and humidity. As to how it looks today, I don't know. I can only hope it held up OK. I did stabilize the whipped cream. BTW: When I phoned someone about this, she told me that all the chocolate desserts are given away TODAY and this evening to the fair workers and the public. Stop by ... you just might get a bite. I also entered my Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies. I have my fingers crossed.

Tomorrow after the 6:00 pm practice run at Running Room is an outdoor party with FOOD*FUN*MUSIC to be had by all. It's a farewell for staff going off to college. Also to be given away as prizes are passes to Ultramarathon Man which is showing at Galaxy Cine 14 at 7:30 pm on Thursday. I'm supposed to be getting passes as well. If you're interested in one or two, please email me. First come, first served. Assuming they actually do show up.

Today I was sitting at the Honda dealer having the 6-month check-up done on the Accord, stressing about this real estate sale which has complications and I have to handle by myself, fretting that I wouldn't be at home when the UPS guy is supposed to drop off the Ultramarathon Man tickets, and Matt calls and tells me that the battery on the van is dead. They were out camping ... he left the door open, he "guesses". When it rains it pours ... Lovely. Jump it.

Our Ragnar Relay team could use another volunteer or two. This is what I know about what is required: Volunteers must be at least 16 years old, be able to provide their own transportation, and be physically able to assist with course set-up, course direction, exchange point management, or time-keeping. We'd be so very much obliged. I'm sure some cookies could be in it for a volunteer. ;-) You can contact me or our captain if you're interested.

Congratulations to Chris Koch and Rob Mitchell who completed the Voyageur Trail 50-miler on Saturday in a time of 9:38 for 22nd and 23rd places. This was the first 50-miler for both of them. They reported perfect running conditions and no run-ins with trees. ;-)

From Mike Schmitt: Info on some demographics on a survey of runners. Separated into male and female responses.

From Chris O'Brien: A Hash House Harriers marathon, including a beer on every loop. Video clip

This Fri-Sun, some runners are running 75 miles from the cities to Mayo to raise funds for childhood cancer. The run is called 3 Days for Abby. They will be running from Pine Island down the Douglas Trail into Rochester and would like some company on their run. I'll post more info as to times, etc. when I have it.

I'll put in a shamless plug for RTC board member/race director Kevin Torgerson. He's performing in Beauty & The Beast in Stewartville (they do a great job by the way--I've been to several). Shows are Friday and Saturday, August 1 and 2 at 7:30 pm and Sunday August 3rd at 2 pm then the next weekend Friday and Saturday, August 8th and 9th at 7:30 pm and Sunday August 10th at 2pm. The costumes are very interesting and some great performances are awaiting you. You can save a buck for your gas mileage by calling to reserve tickets ahead of time at 533-1432.

Well, that's it! Stay cool.

Douglas Trail

Nice day for Douglas. I finished soaking with sweat, but this one can be, and has been, hotter than blazes so it was nice to have the more moderate temps. I ran 1:26:44 (on my watch) for 7:53 pace so that's halfway decent. I ran what felt comfortable to at times pushing it a bit. I actually won a watermelon! Congrats to Ron Giles, first overall in 1:04.24, and Mary Chestolowski, first female and third overall in 1:11.52. Thank you also to Sue Christian and Peg Arnold for taking finish line photos. This race also marked the debut of our new clock, which arrived this week. I like the nice big numbers.



Tom Woo photos (thank you Tom ... you're a great photographer):



Douglas Trail 2008

For some reason, they don't all show up in the slideshow. Click on the link below the slideshow to see all the thumbnails.

Ran/walked an extra 4 miles afterwards with Ron Giles. (Thank you for tolerating my slow pace and cramping legs!) The cookies seemed to be well-received. No passes to Ultramarathon Man materialized. Sorry about that. Only flyers. Passes will be available at the outdoor party after the 6:00 pm practice session at Running Room on Wednesday.

Congrats to Deb Thomford who placed 3rd out of 346 in her age division at the Bix 7 in Iowa today. That's a huge race. Kudos, kudos.

Congrats to RTC member Joann Johnson who has complete all 19 TRAM bike rides, raising money for MS.

Here's a pretty fabulous recipe that I discovered in the Rochester Methodist Hospital Auxiliary Cookbook and made yesterday. The whole family approves.

Chocolate Peanut Banana Bread
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. peanuts, chopped
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/3 c. milk
2 bananas, mashed
1 egg
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix bananas, milk, peanut butter, oil and egg. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Mix until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips 93/4 cup only). Pour in loaf pan that is greased on bottom. Sprinkle chopped peanuts and rest of chocolate chips over top. (Push them into the batter a bit, I discovered, or they'll fall out when you take it out of the pan.) Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then loosen sides of bread and remove loaf. Cool.

Yesterday, Ted and I were getting ready to take a look at the oldest RTC clock which has ceased functioning and thus prompted the purchase of the new $3600 clock, which looked pretty wonderful this morning I must say. Ted went downstairs to get a drop light and reported that there was a problem in the basement. Water. Coming from the furnace/air conditioner unit. I took the cover off and we couldn't see anything wrong and didn't want to mess with the sealed unit. Eventually deduced this morning that the drain hose was clogged, after a warm night without air conditioning. Oh well, call to the repairman averted.

I've spent a fair amount of time looking at the inerds of the clock but it's slow going. The numerals are mechanical put there are lots of electronics inside. Hmmmm.... Don't know what to make of all that stuff...

Well, I'd best get down to the garden and pick more green beans.

Cheers!

Another week has come and gone

Summer seems to be flying by. Next week we bid adieu to July already. Unreal.

News from USATF: Sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones has asked for pardon for her conviction on lying about taking performance enhancing drugs. Here's brand new USATF CEO Doug Logan's reponse.

Douglas Trail 11 mile (or 2 mile) is tomorrow. For those who aren't familiar with the Douglas trail, it's paved. It's not a true trail run. Also, if you're training for a marathon and are scheduled for more miles, lots of folks add on a few miles after they're done with the race. Come on out! More info on RTC website. The info page for that race appears to be down, but if you click on the Entry Form link, you can get all the information. Cookies are baked, so the poll at right is (un)officially over. The winner is/was: Oatmeal Super Chocolate Chunk with Pecans. Fresh out of the oven. Might make a second batch as this one made 34 cookies.

I was able to secure some free tickets to Ultramarathon Man, the movie, in return for promoting it. Since it's showing next Thursday, I will bring the tickets to Douglas tomorrow to be distributed there. I'll talk to race director Paul Anderson about giving some as prizes others as door prizes. Don't know how many tickets there are ... they'll arrive late this afternoon.

Mario Minelli has qualified for the World Championship Duathlon in Rimini, Italy which takes place on September 28. Congratulations, Mario! That's fantastic. Check out his blog to see how his training is going. So ... he won't be able to compete in TreadMan this year on September 27. ;-( Hoping that lots of you will! It's for all levels of ability ... beginner to experienced. Want to experiment with multisport training? Try TNT on Thursdays at Foster Arend. Except do a run-bike-run instead of swim-bike-run. There's a volunteer there every week to watch the bikes. We also need volunteers for TreadMan. Please contact me if you'd like to volunteer.

Spotted running Wednesday evening ... Tom Woo. Not a very good shot. It's shot by me, out the back of my car ... while driving. Yikes. I probably shouldn't do that.

That goofy Glamour stilletto run took place in Moscow this year. A photo and links to other photos on RunMinnesota blog.

I've spent some time looking through old RTC newsletters from Roger Spee. Just looking at the spring 1979 issue, a club member called Will Cloney, then race director of the Boston Marathon, to learn of the new qualifying times. Boy, the internet sure has changed things, hasn't it? Back then, the men's open class qualifying time was changed to 2:50. Age 40+, 3:10. Women: 3:20. Also in that issue, registration for "City of Lakes" marathon, which morphed into TCM, was $4.00 up until October 14th. After that, $15 until race day (note the late date) which was October 21. Looking at the results for what was then called the Sundance 11-Mile Trail Race (now Douglas Trail), some times for familiar names: Roger Spee (59:34), Jerry Goodrich (63:39), Al Gilman (63:40), Bruce Turlington (75:44 husband of Marie Boyd), Ed Creagan (81:09), Mary Fynbo (now Mary Wille): 86:23, Lin Gentling (94:36), Jeanne Block (115:37). Out of 141 finishers, there were only 20 women! Back then, it seems that a majority of the road races had an accompanying 2-mile jogger. Fetzer and Douglas seem to be the only ones that have hung on to that shorter distance event.

Well, suppose I should post this and get on with my day.

Thought for the day, from Pattisue Plummer, 1992 olympian: "Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push behyond where we thought we could go. It helps us find out what we are made of."

In the spirit of the currently wildly popular Batman movie ... "Tune in tomorrow. Same bat-time. Same bat-channel." (You might have had to watch the show in the 1960's to remember that one!)

Ha det bra.

Wow, it's a Wonderful Wednesday

Beautiful, beautiful day. It was a great morning for a run. Ran with Bruce, Lisa, Mark at 5:15 AM. I am noticing that we're losing daylight now in the early mornings. Much more pleasant than it has been the last few weeks. No sightings until I was about 2 miles from home I spotted Don Gabrielson and Jeff Judd on 9th St SE in front of Kmart heading out on their run. Then on Pill Hill I ran into (not literally, of course!) ...

Mary Chestolowski and Marilee Hardyman. They were doing hill repeats (ohmygosh ... 9 and 8 repeats, respectively) on lovely 9th Ave SW. I'm sure some of you know that hill. They were ready to start their last repeat when I came walking toward them. They asked me if I wanted to do one repeat with them. Sure. Why not. I'm tired, but what the heck. I had a little head start (they started down by a driveway and I just plodded up from the last corner) and they still made it to the top before me. They're in excellent shape. It was fun to have a sighting and run for a bit with them.

For those interested in the Dean Karnazes 50 marathons in 50 days movie, there is now a book scheduled for publication on 8/16 on the same subject.

Tune into the Aflac Iron Girl Lake Las Vegas Triathlon on NBC this Saturday, July 26, from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CST. For a sneak peak of Saturday's broadcast, the first-ever women's-only triathlon to be showcased on NBC, visit YouTube. The show was taped on location on April 12, 2008. Thank you Chris O'Brien for the heads up!

There are now online (and hard copy) roughly 2-mile walking routes mapped out for areas near downtown. So if you're out and about on your lunch hour either walking (or running!) and want to try a new route, check it out!

Let's send some positive vibes to Chris Koch and Rob Mitchell on Saturday as they embark on their first 50-miler at Voyageur trail. I for one look forward to hearing about Chris and Rob's Excellent Adventure! And let's hope there are no "heels over head", "let's get one with a tree" acrobatics during this one.

I submitted a recipe to the Post-Bulletin a couple of weeks ago in answer to a request for an ice cream dessert recipe. It appeared in last night's paper. It's really quite tasty, and quite easy, but not exactly health food. If you cut it up in enough pieces and don't eat it but a couple times a year ... all things in moderation they say.

I sent for a copy of the new RRCA Runner's Etiquette: Rules of the Road and Races brochure. Here's a link to a .pdf version of the brochure. Good rules to follow when running, whether training or running in an organized event. They're available for bulk purchase.

Here's a photo from Monday morning, a glimpse of what us early morning types get to experience now and again:

Well, that's all I know for today. Here's another quote from "The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life" (thank you, Lionel Cheng for lending it to me ... I'm now reading his book about Fred Lebow and the New York City Marathon "Anything for a T-shirt"):

"First, we try to fun faster. Then we try to run harder. Then we learn to accept ourselves and our limitations, and at last, we can appreciate the true joy and meaning of running."

Moving at the speed of life ...

1:29 PM update--THE Quote of the day after I told Eric (oldest son) if he wanted a water bottle for warm runs, I'd be happy to give him one: "Look at me. I'm half Kenyan." Spoken after returning from a 7.25 mile run. My reply ... which half??? HA!

It's the dog days of summer ...

Whew. It's another hot, sticky, day. I think I'm staying inside for the rest of the day. To rest my weary legs ...

At 7:00 am when I went for my long run, it was 100% humidity (lots of fog). I still didn't have a particular route in mind. Headed down to the west 52 frontage road thinking I'd head to Silver Lake/Parkwood Hills but at the last minute decided to head north to 2nd St SW and then left and out to County 22 and then head north for about 8 more miles, turn around and run home (I wanted to get 18 miles in for the 30K in 2 weeks). Stopped to pick a couple of black raspberries and took a photo of the wild parsnip (stay away from it ... the oil, when it gets on your skin and gets exposed to sun, causes a blistering rash). No sooner had I done that than I brushed up against some with my right elbow. Oh, sugar. So I headed to the bp to wash it off with soap and water. Snapped a photo of the toilet in the rest room. I think they need a new flush kit, not??

Headed north on 22 and at the top of the hill saw two runners coming toward me. It was Tabitha Beck and Donna Mitchell. Asked then where they were going (they'd just started out) and they were running down to Running Room and then back via the end of the Med-City half marathon route, for 10 miles. I asked if I could join them and they said sure. At the bottom of the hill, Carlo Biondolillo ran by us. He was headed toward St. Mary's. He's training for a marathon in Venice, Italy this fall. Lucky duck.

Don't recall any more sightings until we got to Running Room. The 8:30 group was gathering. Judy Weller had another cute pink skirt on. She surely is queen of the running skirts! They look good on her. After our water and Sport Beans we stepped outside and there in the parking lot were Tom O'Leary and Tom Woo (they'd run 16 miles) and Peg Arnold with this way cool car--a BMW Z4. Wally's 49th birthday present. I can't imagine what he's getting for his 50th! A leer jet perhaps??!! Peg had driven it down and made Wally run in (from Byron). Ha! We encountered Wally as we were retracing our way back to Tabitha's house. Told him his new car was cute. ;-)

We made it back to Tabitha's without incident. I decided to head north on County 22 and got to the 19th St NW and Lynn and Daryl Saari pulled up and asked if I wanted a ride. I probably looked like what the cat might drag in. Or worse. 'Twas still pretty sticky and I was literally dripping. I told them I was fine and had just 4 miles left. Then I discovered I still had Donna's Luna bites in my pack so headed back to Tabitha's to drop them off. Continued east on 7th St NW and made my way around the neighborhood by the lake then up County 22 and finally up Fox Valley Drive SW. My legs were shot after having run the 4-mile yesterday. But I was happy to have gotten 18.36 miles in. Inhaled a bowl of oatmeal, took a quick shower and made it to church in the park by 11:00. I just went out and picked some more wonderful black raspberries--the biggest and best they've been this season, so I'll be jammin' again this afternoon. After a nap!

"If people were possessed by reason, running marathons would not work. But we are not creatures of reason. We are creatures of passion." --Noel Carroll, Irish middle-distance star in the mid-1060's

Live your passion!

Rochester Women's Race

Well done, Jeanne Block! She sure knows how to put on a race. It's a great atmosphere and sure wouldn't be the same without her touch. She started directing the race in 1984 and has done it ever since (that's 25 years!). And she's a skier at heart! She must make 100+ muffins and about as many Cinnamon Twists (see recipe below) for after the race, makes 27 awards (photo in slideshow), always has a very nice premium (tanks with shelf bras this year--photo in slideshow), she has ice cold wash cloths for us at the finish line, she gets door prizes from The Mouse, our friend Mary makes pies to give away, ... She's a great director, and a great friend. Thank you, Jeanne! Mary Chestolowski was the first finisher out of 78 registered, in 24:55. Way to run, Mary! (p.s. Dan Strain rode by on his bike. I told him I was bushed. He said that you're supposed to be bushed after a 5K. I told him that was the problem ... it was 4 miles and I was bushed after 5K!!)

Just as I predicted, I'm not exactly pleased with my time. I for sure thought I'd go under 30:00 (7:30 pace). I hung on for about 2.5 miles, but crashed mile 4 and ran a 30:08. Just was a tough day and I didn't have anything left and just couldn't push myself. It felt really hot and humid. Oh, well. There's always next year ;-) or another race (It's looking like it'll be Douglas Trail 11-mile next week, not the 15K Elvelopet in Decorah). I wore my new yellow skirt and top from REI outlet today (photo in slideshow). There are more left, gals! And I, who never wins anything, won a door prize today. I was shocked!! A glass cylinder with a light in it. Very cool! (Photo in the slideshow.)

Simply Super Crescent Cinnamon Rolls
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2/3 c. finely chopped nuts (optional)
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 4. cinnamon
1/4 c. softened margarine
(Renee's comment: I find this is enough filling for 2 batches when I make them.)
Combine all filling ingredients. Preheat oven to 375. Separate the 2 cans of crescent roll dough into 4 rectangles each. Press perforations to seal. Spread filling mixture on 4 of the rectangles. To with remaining 4 rectangles. Cut each rectangle "sandwich" into 6 strips lengthwise. Twist each strip and form each one into a coil. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Glaze: 1+ c. powdered sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp. softened margarine, 1-2 Tbsp. milk, 1/4 tsp. vanilla.

The latest RRCA Footnotes is available online. Lots of articles and race recaps.

The Running Room catalog is now online for your shopping pleasure!

Looking for Runners in a University of Minnesota Study on Magnetic Resonance Imaging The University of Minnesota is currently looking for volunteers to refine a magnetic resonance imaging technique to measure fat in the leg. They are interested in subjects ages 18-45 who are participating in a regular running program and are otherwise in good health. The study will involve one outpatient visit to the University of Minnesota. This will involve scanning one leg using magnetic resonance imaging for approximately 1.5 hours. The total visit time will be approximately 2 hours. Compensation will be provided. If interested, please email endores@umn.edu. Alas, I'm too old ...

Runners running the following 2008 marathons are being asked to participate in a study by the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (and will be eligible for prizes--iPod, Garmin 305, Bose SoundDock system--Tom Woo won an iPod last year!): Boston, Grandma's, LA, Rock 'N' Roll, San Francisco, Chicago, Twin Cities and Marine Corps. Involves 3 surveys. Register here.

New 3.5 hour DVD available on Pre: Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story. Website includes a trailer.

Thank you to those who supported RTC member Joann Johnson and the MS Tram. She will be presenting them with $2000 as she begins her ride. Follow their progress online at MS Tram. If you've been to the All Comers' track meets, I'm sure you've seen Joann and Dennis there.

I got an Athleta catalog in the mail the other day. Some really cute things in there. Some even come in tall sizes. ;-) Cute activewear dresses and skirts.

I decided to try again with chocolate chip cookies at the Olmsted county fair. Also registered for peanut butter cookies and the HyVee chocolate dessert contest. The cookies each have a first place premium of $1.00. The dessert, $35, $30 or $25 for first, second and third respectively. I have to have it all baked and delivered on the same day and that is the clincher. I'll just have to see what I get done and what turns out successfully. They want you to sign up ahead of time even if you don't end up entering anything. Gee, that's just how a race director feels!!

This is how I felt today, pushing all the way, even though it was slow: "I'd rather run a gutsy race, pushing all the way and lose, than run a conservative race only for a win." --Alberto Salazaar

Long run tomorrow am. Look for photos. Of course...what else???!!

Ramblin', scramblin' Renee, signing off. 10-4, over and out.

TNT (Thursday Night Tri)

See Tri Rochester for more information. Every Thursday night at Foster Arends, 6:45 pm start. 21 participants on 7/17. Fun!

Oh, we needed that rain!

I'm so thankful for the rain that we received today. Everything was getting so thirsty. Could put a damper on the TNT (Thursday Night Triathlon) this evening, but there will be another Thursday. I'm scheduled to guard bikes this evening. And I'll take photos of course. And remember, you can turn this into TND (Thursday Night Duathlon) if you like and run-bike-run instead of swim-bike-run if you like and get into shape for TreadMan!

Very nice turnout for the 20-minute challenge last night, despite the rather oppressive heat and humidity. Lots of green hats and 20% off coupons were give out! (Click on the photo collage for a larger version of the photos.) Also new at Running Room, fruit smoothie flavors of Power Bar.

I bought some Extreme sport beans and Blueberry Pomegranate Gu Roctane to try. Cherry is one of my favorite flavors. The new beans have 50 mg caffeine.

New marathon event in Western Wisconsin. Marathon and 1/2 Marathon event feature 3/4 mile railroad tunnel. Bring your flashlights!! If you can't go to New York, go to Norwalk!!Rails to Trails Race Questions? cen90368@centurytel.net

Next on my race schedule: Rochester Women's Race (4 miles) on Saturday morning at 8:30. Haven't decided if I'll race it (and be disappointed with my time) or mix it up in the middle of a long run (and be disappointed with my time). ;-) But come on down to Silver Lake, gals!! It's really a fun event. Door prizes. Hand made awards. Tank tops.

John Resman gave me Roger Spee's collection of RTC News dating all the way back to the late 1970s. It's really fun reading. There are lots of people that have been significant contributors to this club for many, many years. And the same issues we deal with now were dealt with back then. What goes around, comes around as they say!

"Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation is what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." --Lou Holtz

Ramblin' Renee. Signing off.

I'm melting ....

This weather is soooo not for me. 90 degrees. Humid. Dew point approaching 70. No thank you. But it'll seem like no time and we'll be complaining about the cold and snow, so I'll hold my tongue. My garden, and my lawn, so need rain so I hope that's forthcoming in the next few days. The forecast calls for it. I believe I'll be walking the 20-minute Challenge at 6:00, especially given my morning run. More on that later.

From Chester Woods RD Jim Mason: Photos are now available. I don't like photos of myself, but there are a couple that I can't resist posting. Remember the tale of my little pre-race injury at Chester Woods? Here's a telling photo. I'm a step away from meeting that trailer hitch meeting my right shin. It shows up a little better if you view the slide show in the photo album above. Longest trailer hitch I've ever not seen. ;-)

Also, here's a photo of me at the top of the Big Dam Hill. What an interesting expression on my face. And it looks like it's the middle of the night. Needless to say, it's about 9:15 am and we'd just run through the woods. It was quite dark in there.

Coming up Sunday, September 21 at Mayo High School at 9 am, 4th Annual Join the Journey 10 mile Breast Cancer Walk. Register online by September 15 to guarantee t-shirt and lunch.

I created a very simple web page for the Rochester Half Marathon and 5K. It's got a slide show of my photos from last year. One of the best races in Minnesota, for sure. Great atmosphere. Great medals. Great shirts. Great treats (the Moo Machine (ice cream novelties) rocks!).

From Pat Brown: 50 in 50 in 50 from someone other than the more well-known Dean Karnazes. Sam was the speaker at the Route 66 marathon in 2006 which Pat ran.

Coming to the Rochester Family Y on Monday morning, July 21 the World Harmony Run, a global torch relay, seeking to strengthen international friendship and understanding. This is a youth-based activity. Contact the Rochester Family Y for more information.

Still looking for RTC mascots. Most of the ones available are animals. Pictured below is a roadrunner, which is a possibility for us. We'd like a human runner, but they're just not available and a custom mascot just might break the bank. Let me know what you think!

From Slowtwitch.com: 2 people die during Zugspitz Extrem-Berglauf due to extreme weather change.

Well, it was another warm and sultry morning for a run. I'd hoped to run some 800s, but ended up running a handful of 400s instead. Lisa is on vacation this week so she wasn't on a time schedule so we decided to run Bruce all the way home which meant a nice little run up Viola hill about 7 miles into the run. Spotted in Parkwood Hills, RTC member Henry Walker who'd just finished up some Nordic Walking in the park along with the horse flies, which he and Bruce warned us about. We were fine.

Here's a bit of nature captured this morning:

The park on the lower left is Homestead Park. Our mileage? 11.41. On the way home I stopped to pick a couple more containers full of black raspberries to make more jam. The skeeters were wicked bad. Then it was time to go to work. I was actually ready for a nap!

I'm thinking it's going to be BLTs for dinner tonight. Too hot to turn on the oven and I'm feeling rather sloth-like. I'm the only one in the family that goes for the whole shootin' match (BLTs)--we've got 2 x BLs (the boys don't like Ts) and 1 x LTs (Ted thinks B is too fattening--no wonder he stays so thin). I think the whole sandwich is rather delightful a couple times a year when tomatoes are at their most wonderful, thank you very much!

Next on my reading list, for book club, What is the What about the Lost Boys of Sudan. So far the few pages I've read are disturbing. One of the Lost Boys made the U.S. Olympic team in one of the distance runs thought I can't remember which one. Possibly 5K...

I'd better get busy. See you at Running Room for the 20-minute challenge!

"Our greatest glory is not never falling, but in rising every time we fall." --Confucius

Stay cool.

Some pretty spectacular evening clouds. The camera doesn't do them justice.

The Dog Days of Summer

Step outside today and you know it's summer, eh? Tomorrow is a running day. Hope it's a bit less sultry this week. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome--front steps of the Y at 5:15 am. We'll be gone by 5:16 am. ;-) I'm hoping to try to start getting in shape (yes, I'm a bit behind the game) and run some 800's during the run.

On Thursday, July 31, Wehrenberg Galaxy 14 Cine will be showing a documentary film entitled Ultramarathon Man. The film is about Dean Karnazes, a marathon runner called “America’s Greatest Runner.” This film chronicles his unbelievable feat of running 50 separate marathons spanning all 50 states in just 50 days! (The Rochester Public Library also has a copy of this book.) Showtime is 7:30. Group rates are $7.50 for groups of just 5 or more! Discounts are available for concessions, too. (There are a few options on that, so it’s best for those interested to call and arrange if they’d like.) Group sale discounts have to go through our home office by calling 314-822-4520 and asking for Group Sales. Or, they can email group sales. Here's a link to a preview. I'm hoping that we have a good showing (HA!) for this movie so we get more opportunities like this in the future without having to drive up to the cities. So please come!

Join us Wednesday at 12:15 for the weekly CardioVision 2020 Walk & Win organized walk in front of the Government Center. This week is sponsored by the Great Harvest Bread Co., and if you participate in Wednesday's walk, you will be eligible for the chance to win Great Harvest gift certificates. If it is raining at 12:15, we will meet inside the Government Center outside City Hall for a skyway walk. You can also participate in Walk & Win 2008 on your own with the Walk & Win card. You can find out more information on the program and download a Walk & Win card at the CardioVision 2020 website. Walk & Win Card

From Mike Schmitt: Alberto Salazaar to run TC10 leading a group of 25 Global Heroes who benefit from medical technology.

Shown is Kirsten Kranz and her cute new 'do' after donating her ponytail to Locks of Love on Saturday. The ponytails are used to make wigs for people who are undergoing treatment for cancer and have lost their hair. Very worthwhile cause and very nice of Kirsten to do this. She looks great! Such a cute, stylish cut.

The 5th Annual Historic Riverfront 5K Run/Walk will be held on September 27, 2008. The route starts/ends at Boom Island Park (700 Sibley St NE, Mpls)and takes you through the historic riverfront district and over the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. Click here for a map of the route. Your support will help us renovate the B. F. Nelson Park and other neighborhood activities. All members in your run club will receive a 20% discount off of the registration fee if they register prior to Aug 29th. This includes 20% of early bird registration of $15 (see below). This discount is not available when registering online. It is only available with paper registrations (please have your members include "Runner's Club Discount" and the name of your run club on the registration form). Email Pete Gamades or myself for a printable copy of the entry form.

A belated thank you to Greg Hagen and Dave Morrill for picking up trash while they were running on Saturday. I noticed that it didn't take long for our adopted park (around S.F. golf course) to look "trashy" again, so please feel free to pick it up a bit if you happen to be walking/running/blading/biking in that area. Thanks.

USATF is conducting a pre-run Stretch Study. The purpose of the study is to determine specifically if pre-run stretching of the three major leg muscle groups is beneficial for overall injury prevention or reduction. If you're interested in helping them out, please do.

Sport Beans has two new flavors--cherry and watermelon--which contain caffeine. Running Room Rochester carries them.

Here's a link to the Runner's World article/review of running skirts, in case you don't get the magazine. Thank you, Mike Schmitt, for the link.

Here's an article about RTC member Jim Hannon excelling at another sport--cycling. And he rode stage 10 of the Tour de France to celebrate his recent milestone birthday.



Cooking Light was delicious last night. Everything except for my Pistachio Biscotti. Didn't like them. The recipe contains orange zest, which I don't particularly like. Everything else was a definite keeper. The Sliders were surprisingly good. Mary got some really good ground beef from the butcher shoppe. It's been a long time since I've had a hamburger without ketchup, but this recipe was really simple, yet delicious. Also very good: The stone fruit salad and the poppyseed cake with fruit topping. My favorite wine? The asti made from a muscadine grape. I like the sweet, kind of bubbly stuff. ;-)




Also delicious was the pizza on Sunday evening at our friend's Jay & Joan's home. Yum. Yum. The temp of the pizza oven is around 800 degrees I believe and the pizza cooks in a literal flash (sometimes with a bit of ash ;-). Simply wonderful. Jay used an imported Italian flour, flown in from PA, on the recommendation of Carlo Biondolillo, in the crust which was very good. My favorite topping combination was one that I threw together after the tomato sauce was gone: Roscoe's BBQ sauce, sliced Yukon Gold potatoes, rosemary, chicken, a mix of Italian cheeses. It was really good. That's youngest son, Matt, creating his pepperoni masterpiece.

Hope to see you at the 20-Minute challenge (see previous posts for registration info). There's no downside--walk or run, no time is kept, it's free, you get a free hat!!

"Don't just go where the path leads, go where this is no path." --Unknown

Food, food and yes, ... more food

I'm lovin' this weather! I'm just not a hot & humid weather lover so this is just great. A little less wind would be appreciated, though. Spent much of yesterday outside pulling weeds. This evening we're going to be enjoying a friend's outdoor wood-fired pizza/bread oven for dinner. Can't wait! I'm bringing, in addition to our pizza toppings, raspberry cake! Can't remember if I posted this previously or not, but Paul Thomford inspired me to resurrect the recipe. I'd not made it in a while, but it's pretty wonderful.

Raspberry Cake

1 white cake mix (18 1/4 ounces)

Filling:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (I used light)
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. whipping cream, whipped (there is no light version!)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 package Raspberry Danish Dessert (Junket)--HyVee, by the Jell-O

2 to 3 c. raspberries (frozen, defrosted works as well)

Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake in greased and floured 13x9-inch pan. Set aside to cool. Mix cream cheese and 1 cup confectioners' sugar; fold in whipped cream combined with 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar. Spread filling on cool cake and chill in refrigerator. Mix Danish Dessert with 1 1/2 cups cold water; cook as directed. Cool. Mix in berries; spread over filling layer on cake. Refrigerate overnight.

So ... back to Friday. It was a harvest day from the garden.


I picked what remained of the shell peas (minus a few), broccoli, the first sugar snap and snow peas and the first 4 cherry tomatoes. The peas were eaten for dinner and frozen. The rest remains for eating fresh. Then I went foraging for black raspberries. Found enough for a batch of jam (3 Cool Whip tubs full). But it cost me ... in scratched up legs and very itchy bug bites, and they're not mosquito bites, but they're not tick bites either. But it was totally worth it! Momentarily I think I will venture out on foot to see where there are more ripe berries for the picking. The challenge is to not eat so many when I'm out picking.

Next on my foodie agenda was cookies for the morning run. Recipe is the one from the Post-Bulletin back in April or this month's Running Room eMagazine.

Saturday we were scheduled for 13 miles. I added a few early miles as I'm scheduled to run a 30K in a couple of weeks. Was a good day for a run even though I felt kind of sluggish. We stopped by Caribou Coffee downtown for the LUABC event. Laura Lenz was staffing the tables as we ran by and several of us returned later after the run to enjoy some more carbs and coffee, all to benefit breast cancer research at Mayo. Photos posted below in yesterday's post. Using alternate transportation to get to the run yesterday? Dan Strain (biking from way out in SE Rochester), Tom Williamson (biking), Mike Schmitt (on foot). Way to go!

Yesterday I also had to make treats (tripe-layer brownies) for the VBS workers at church this week. Good thing it was a cool day as it seemed the oven was on all day.

Triple layer brownies

1/2 c. margarine
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 T. cocoa
1/4 c. nuts (optional)
1 jar marshmallow creme

Mix above ingredients together. Bake at 350 in a 9 x 13-inch greased pan for 15 minutes. (You can also prepare brownies from a mix, for a 9 x 13 pan, and bake as directed). Remove from oven; spread 1 jar marshmallow creme over brownie layer. Bake until melted (2-3 minutes). Spread marshmallow over brownies. Cool.

12 oz. milk-chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups Rice Krispies

Melt the chips and peanut butter over low heat; stir in Rice Krispies. Spread over marshmallow layer. Allow to cool and set (takes a long time to set--for faster cooling/setting, may be refrigerated).

From my son Matt:

From Judy Weller: Skirts, skirts, skirts! On clearance for great (less than half) price at REI outlet. Cute patterned ones, too. Search for Sporthill skirts and you should find them. Selection is still very good.

A big thank you to race directors Jeanne Block (Rochester Women's Race) and Paul Anderson (Douglas Trail) for directing their respective races for 25 years!! What a great service, and great quality events, they've provided to the running community for so many years.

There's still time to sign up for the 20-minute Challenge at Running Room. It's FREE!! And you get a very nice hat. All you have to do is walk or run for 20 minutes on Wednesday at 6:00. Bring your family! Bring your friends!

Old news: 'Runner' completes the London marathon in 8:25, setting a record for running a marathon ... on stilts. Pre-race story.

Yesterday I did a little 'good deed for the day'. I was on my way to HyVee and saw a gal running as fast as she could, down the street, in bare feet. So I look toward where she's running, and she was chasing a dog. The dog was winning, and gaining ground. So I decided to chase the dog in the car, hoping it would stay close to the street. It did. Caught the dog for her. She was very happy. I'm sure her bare feet were too. ;-)

Tomorrow, it's Cooking Light for dinner. On the menu:

Tomato and Basil-Topped Garlic Bruschetta--Barb Giles
Peach Mojitos--Kelly
Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto--Kathryn
Sliders with Shallot-Dijon Relish--Mary
Tangy Mustard Coleslaw--Barbara Kermisch
Simple Black Beans (Caraotas Negras)--Pam
Pistachio Biscotti--Renee
Orange-Buttermilk Cake with Summer Fruit--Margo
Wine--Mary, Kathryn

Fun facts to know and tell: The price of a gallon of skim milk @ Aldi: $2.69. The price of a gallon of skim milk @ Kwik Trip (beltline and 3rd Ave SE): $3.50.

I'm seeing that the majority of you who have voted on the current poll never stretch. If I don't, I eventually get injured so I'm pretty diligent about it. To each his own as they say...

"Make dust, or eat dust." --Unknown

Have a good one!

LUABC@Caribou

Hello! Kind of a slow news day, but I have a few things I can share.

Thank you to: Laura Lenz, Abby, Sam and Todd Rowekamp, Jean Murray, John Shonyo, Tom and Shane O'Leary and Tom Williamson for picking up trash yesterday evening. We rewarded ourselves with DQ afterward. My chocolate-dipped cone really hit the spot!

Stopped in at Running Room first. They were just getting ready for the 6:00 practice session (also included is a photo of my brand new Pearl Izumis which I broke in this am):


RTC Board meeting this evening at the RAC conference room 6:00 - 7:30 pm. All members are welcome to attend.

Still have some track & field trials tapes to watch, but here's a clip of a great race, the men's 800m final:



Did you run one of the races in Stewartvile last Friday? If so, cast your vote for your favorite Stewartville Summerfest event (hoping it's the 'Fun Run'!)

Welcome to new RTC members: Andrew Becker, Kathrin and Peter Czarnecki and Silvia Fernandez!

Went for a run this morning instead of going to the gym. For some reason, I felt pretty good! Lately I've been bemoaning the fact that I'm not running/racing any faster and I decided that there's no time like the present to get to work on that situation. So I ran my 7.2 mile route which includes 2 hills, and I threw in 4 x 800m at what felt like threshhold pace. To top it off, when I got to the top of Fox Valley Drive SW, I threw in another 400m. Whew! It was a good workout. I noticed that the black raspberries are starting to ripen so I stopped to munch on a few of those along the way. ;-)

Here's a fabulous salad recipe, perfect for this time of year when the stone fruits are in season and at their most delicious:

Stone Fruit Salad with Toasted Almonds

Ingredients
1 cup riesling or other sweet white wine
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon almond oil (I used canola or walnut oil)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups mixed salad greens
3 plums, sliced 2 peaches, peeled and sliced
2 nectarines, peeled and sliced
2 apricots, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup pitted fresh cherries, halved
1/4 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation
Heat wine in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.

To serve salad, toss salad greens and fruit with dressing. Sprinkle with goat cheese and sliced almonds. Serve immediately.

Guess that's it for today. Arrivederci!

Funny video clip, given the times

Yes, I know it has NOTHING to do with running, but I couldn't help but chuckle ...

Fabulous turnout at All Comers last night. Larry said that we gave out 402 purple ribbons last night. Great crowd!! Thanks to all the volunteers, thanks to all the kids for running (and their parents for bringing them), and ... to Fred and Larry for organizing the meets for the last 5 years!! They did a great job. Photos below from our Pizza Party at Mr. Pizza following the meet.


Soldier's Field photos...the last meet for 2008:



Look for a story in the September RTC News from Ace Reporter, Sam Rowekamp. Sam was interviewing runners and volunteers last night gathering info, stats and quotes from those gathered at Soldiers' Field. Great job, Sam. I really look forward to your story, Sam! That's sister Abby in the upper left.)



From Mike Schmitt: Training Run for the NY marathon that includes stops (and photos!) with 42 decorated replicas of the Statue of Liberty. It's a monster of a blog entry. This guy is definitely really into this run! Thanks for passing it along, Mike.

From Tom O'Shaughnessy: Finally got the blank for the Northfield Athletic Club 14th Annual Triathlon (formerly Olympus Triathlon). Start time is not listed but they will be posted on the website. Distances are 500 meter pool swim, 9 mile bike and 3 mile run. I have done it before and it is fairly easy. Call 507-645-8007 for info.

Pacers are needed for the Des Moines marathon on October 19, both full and half. More info here. If anyone does this, I'd be interested in hearing from you after the event. Would make a good newsletter story, I think.


Forgot to mention that on Saturday I found a new way to get an adrenaline rush. I was driving on our way out to Canby for an anniversary party. I was behind a pickup and trailer loaded with building supplies. What I could see were some trusses on the trailer. It was very windy on Saturday. (Can you see where this is going??) All of a sudden, a square piece of something came flying out of the bed of the pickup--straight on 3 sides, ragged on the fourth. Looked kind of like wallboard or something. Luckily, the wind was a crosswind and it blew the whatever-it-was to the right of my car. Meanwhile, my heart rate felt like it had catapulted to the outer reaches of 200 or so. So I slowed WAY up and waited for a time to pass. Not so easy to do on highway 14. About 3 minutes later, it happened AGAIN. The other half of whatever 4 x 8 piece of building material was in his pickup bed again became airborne and scared the heck out of me. OK. This guy needs to know he's losing his load and it's a potential accident waiting to happen should the wind shift or the road change to a more southerly direction. Finally, I'm able to pass (floored my little Honda Civic) and I pull in front of him with my flashers on and flashing my brakes and motioning for him to pull over. Accident averted. And this guy has one less piece of corkboard than he thought. They were tied down, but only across the middle. Once he got up to about 55-60 mph, the wind got underneath and caused them to bend and eventually break.


Here's a great recipe for raspberries, which will soon be in season in Minnesota. My oldest son, Eric, just loves this recipe.



Raspberry Streusel Muffins

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. milk
1 to 1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries

Streusel:
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. In a small bowl, blend together the milk, melted butter and egg. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing just until moistened. Spoon about a tablespoon of the batter into each of 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Put 3-4 raspberries on top of the batter. Top with the remaining batter, then more raspberries. For the topping, combine the ingredients until the mixture resembles moist crumbs; sprinkle this over the muffins. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before carefully removing from the pans.


Hope to see some of you at trash pick-up at 6 pm. We need some new volunteers!! Meet at the parking area across Broadway from Snappy Stop. Doesn't take long ... 1/2 hour or so. It's a beautiful evening to pick up trash!!


Enjoy the day.

Tuesday ... at the races!

Tonight is the final All Comers' meet for 2008. Hope to see a great crowd. The weather is vastly improved from this morning. (At 4:55 am when I left for my run, you could cut the air with a knife. Oppressive.) And we can really use volunteers so please come on down to help. Soldier's field track at 5:45 pm, SW side.

From the Stewartville Star :

Volunteers needed to help pick up trash Wednesday night, July 9!
The Rochester Track Club has an area around Soldier's Field that we have adopted and try to keep trash-free. Join other members this Wednesday night, July 9, at 6 PM to help pick up this area. We will meet at the small parking lot off of Broadway South and 9th St., near the foot bridge. Gloves and trash bags will be supplied. If you can make it or have questions, please contact Laura Lenz or 282-0465. Thanks a lot.

Reminder:
Caribou Coffee and Lace Up Against Breast Cancer are teaming up to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research this Saturday July 12th at the Caribou Coffee located in the Kahler Inn and Suites (across 3rd Avenue from Rochester Methodist Hospital and next to Jimmy John’s). A portion of all Caribou sales (except for gift cards) on that day will go to LUABC.

Besides the great Caribou products that will be for sale all day, the LUABC Board will be there from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM handing out:

o Balloons
o Face tattoos
o Granola bars
o Literature on breast cancer
o Plus there will be drawings to win Caribou gifts

What is LUABC? We are a local non-profit group that raises money and awareness for breast cancer research. Our primary beneficiary is Mayo Clinic. Our major event is the LUABC Half-marathon and 5K Run/Walk held in February. The 2009 event will be held February 15th and will be part of Rochester WinterFest. (For more information contact John Shonyo or visit LUABC)

Congrats to Chris Koch and Rob Mitchell who ran the Afton 50K in 5:13. That's after having run 20 miles, including 2 races, the day before at Stewartville! They're training for the Voyageur 50-mile at the end of the month.

Heard on the radio: Steve Plascencia has been named head coach for the men's track & field team at the U of M. He is expected to remain as Cross Country coach as well.

TC10 is the 10-mile women's championship race this year. The race start time has been moved to 7:13 a.m. (not sure why the 13 ...). Comp entries available if you're super fast! More info here.

I'm contemplating entering some cookies again this year in the Olmsted County Fair. Shaun Palmer says I should enter Snickerdoodles and Monster Cookies. Still contemplating.

That's it for today!

From Joann Johnson: The MS Tram this year will start on July 20. It is a bike ride fund raiser for the multiple sclerosis society. This will be year number 19 for me as a rider. The funds raised go to the MS Society to sponsor research and help MS patients who suffer with the disease. As you know, this is the disease that Dennis (Joann's husband) has had for a long time.

If you want to contribute to this campaign you can get a check to me that is made out to the MS Society. My address is 1536 10th Ave. N.E. Rochester Minn. 55906. I will bring the contributions when we go to the start in Grand Rapids on July 20.

TC10 registration opens tomorrow, Monday. See the July 3 post for the registration link. I believe it's now online only and is a lottery.

Good turnout for the first marathon training run at the RAC considering it's a holiday weekend and there were races on Friday. 10 miles. I ran too hard and was trashed at the end, so today was an off day. Thank yo to Julie Yost Minnich (center of the collage) for being our water stop volunteer. Julie is having a baby in November!!

My dad is here from Florida and we had a golden wedding anniversary get-together to attend, 2 miles from the SD border so we spend about 8 1/2 hours in the car yesterday. Today called for a nap.

Hope your week is a great one! Talk at you later.

God Bless the U.S.A.

What a wonderful, wonderful day. Great crowds, and great fun to be had in Stewartville as usual, and wonderful weather all day long. Kevin does a great job and it's just a fun time down there. A personal thank you to Chris Koch and Rob Mitchell for running with and pacing me on the 5-mile. I'd registered for the 3-mile as well and was trying to hold a little in reserve, and it was great to have some friends to run with me. Thanks guys! And guess what?? They ran down to Stewartville from Bamber Valley School, ran both races and were then off to Afton to run a 50K on Sunday morning (intentionally on tired legs). This is in preparation for Voyager Trail 50-mile at the end of August. Good luck to them tomorrow.

Stewie photos:



Hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

There aren't enough superlatives for the weather out there today. Lovely, wonderfuly, spectacular, etc. Being the forecast for tomorrow is similar I'm sure there will be great crowds for the Stewartville Summerfest races. I'll be there for sure!

Great clip on KTTC Tuesday evening of the All Comers' meet. It was really a lovely evening. One more week left for this season. Larry counted purple ribbons this week and there were an estimated 361 kids participating. Fantastic.


Here's my photos:



TriRochester, Rochester's multisport club, is organizing TNT (Thursday Night Triathlons) beginning tomorrow, July 3, at 6:45 pm continuing right on into fall. They will be held at Foster Arends utilizing the roads and bike paths surrounding the park and the lake for the swim. Different formats are set up for each week of the month. You are also welcome to use this opportunity to practice the duathlon format for the TreadMan which is being held on September 27 this year (5K run--32K bike--5K run). You'd just substitute a run for the swim. All are welcome to participate. Free. You will need to sign a waiver before participating. Also needed are volunteers to watch the bikes while the participants are swimming or running. See the TriRochester website for complete information.

A raffle for 3 new bicycles and other bike accessories is being held to benefit the Stagecoach Trail Association (Douglas Trail to Owatonna). Kids raffle tickets are $5 and adults $10. The drawing will be held September 7 at Riverside Park in Mantorville (need not be present to win). Tickets may be purchased by contacting Chris O'Brien or any member of the trail association.

The July issue of the Running Room eMagazine is now available online with product reviews, race stories, tips and techniques, 20% off coupon and my now somewhat infamous Oatmeal Super Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe.

TC10 registration opens Monday online.

Track and Field trials on television this evening on USA network from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Consumer Reports has a running shoe review in their latest issue. Not the greatest selection of shoes and not all of them are of very good quality. If you want great selection, great service and a personalized gait analysis, stop by Running Room! And bring your 20% off coupon!!

RTC members celebrating birthdays in July: Theresa Backlund, Dawn Boynton, Alina Bridges, Tom Byrne, Chris Chen, Tom Clayman, Charro Coleman, Peggy Menzel, Wendy Distad, Elijah Ellis, Steve Hanke, Gladdie Hebl, Mark Holland, Ellen Joswiak, Don Myers, Larry (ultra) Pederson, Leah Polzine-Campbell, Mike Rahn, Jerry Reynolds, Priscilla Smith, Julie Stanton, John Trolander, Jerry Wille, Mary Wille. Happy Birthday one and all!

Went for my weekly Wednesday morning run yesterday. 14.37 miles. I was toast by the time I crested the last hill before the final .15 miles home. Mark Carey was at the top of the hill. I think I was somewhat delirious from the humidity so didn't even recognize him at first! Tough run for me yesterday, especially after 10 miles. Also spotted on the run: Pete Martin, Scott and Sonja Kranz, Melisa Blaski and Tiffany Christensen just coming off the 19th St NW bridge. Also spotted at home on the north side of Silver Lake was Dave Morrill who was watering with a hose with a sprayer on the end of it. I saw that and said, 'Shoot me ... PLEASE!' which he did. At pretty close range. It felt wonderful for about 5 blocks at which time I was pretty miserable again. ;-) Thank you, Dave!!

Finally got my jam made and peas shelled (two more buckets to shell today). Yum. The strawberry jam is fabulous. (Sure-Jell low sugar recipe.) Great on Great Harvest Bread. Click on the photo collage for a larger view.

Have a wonderful, and safe, holiday weekend! God bless the U.S.A.!!

Terrific Tuesday

Wow. We've now bid adieu to June. Seems like summer flies after the fourth of July. Guess we better enjoy it while it lasts! This evening is evening number 5 (of 6) for All Comers' at Soldiers' Field. We really need volunteers. Please stop by and help out if you are able.

Thank you to Tom Woo for the photos in my last post. I think Tom could have a second career as a sports photographer. Kelly Lyndgaard and Judy Weller report that they had a great time at the triathlon on Sunday and are pleased with their efforts, as well they should be!

Matt Schrader reports that he defended his Star of the North 5000m title in 20:44 up at Hamline University and earning silver medals in the long jump and shot put.

Steve DeBoer reports that he's run a minimum of 3000 miles every year since 1975. Wow. That's almost 60 miles/week on AVERAGE.

Mick King (Stress Solutions) is offering a Fridays in July special: a one hour massage for $25 + tax. The location is in The Stone Barn, just East of Apache Mall on 16th street. (upstairs) Call or email to schedule. Does not include gift certificate sales, splitting of the hour or super deep tissue work.

There's still time to sign up for Running Room's 20-minute challenge on July 16th at 6:00 pm. No fee, no time kept and you get a free (very nice) hat! Can't beat that! Encourage your friends to get out and get active and see what Running Room is all about.

Nice article in the P-B last night about the Stewartville Summerfest Runs (3- and 5-mile). It's just a great family-friendly atmosphere down there. There's a free 1/2 mile event for kids. LOTS of door prizes. Lots of watermelon. I've been known to bring cookies. And every finisher gets an American flag. I've got quite a collection of them now.

Got my strawberry jam made this afternoon. Don't have time to post any photos today. Tomorrow!!

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. See you at All Comers'.