Frustration

That's what it was in the pool this morning. Frustrating. Another coach, Brian, was there as John is out of town for several weeks. He was very nice, and very helpful. He told me I should really be breathing on both sides, every third stroke. I knew that but wasn't doing much about it. Wasn't doing anything about it is more like it. I'd tried to breathe to the left and it was totally awkward, which it was today as well. I felt like I was drowning. I swear my head doesn't turn that direction. Actually, that's one of the problems. I should be turning from the hips, not the head. He also had a tip about arm position for the pull--keep the elbows above the wrists. Swimming is incredibly technical and I have to think constantly while in the pool. And there are so many things to think about, I feel like I'll never be able to put it all together. I'm very competitive and have perfectionist tendencies and swimming is really testing those personality attributes! Anyway, it was a frustrating swim. But I'm very appreciative of the time and assistance that Brian devoted to me this morning. I'll be back!

Spotted this morning on the track doing speedwork--Tom-Tom, as in Woo-O'Leary. Also with them was new RTC member Paul Melby.

So this afternoon I went for a 36.99 mile bike ride since I felt like I'd gotten no exercise in the pool. It was a beautiful summer day. I rode the Salem Corners, Rock Dell, High Forest loop which I really like, since the wind was from the south. The wind turbines on the ridge south of County 6 were spinning pretty good. It felt great to go north. Spotted bike riding--Tom Williamson. Didn't get a good look at who was with him (2 gals) but I'm guessing daughter Michelle was one of them. They were coming into town as I was heading out to Salem Corners.

I had to go to the Government Center today for work and in the entryway were some teenagers from the corrections department, along with some kind of supervisor, selling fresh veggies. The pea pods looked very good, so I got some. Two boxes for $3.

It was a good deal, and if this in some way helped to make a difference in the life of a troubled youth, I was all too happy to support it. So for dinner I make teriyaki chicken with pea pods on basmati rice. Yummy.

I had 3 bananas that were way past edible, so I made chocolate chip/walnut/banana bread. The recipe is in my recipe blog.

We decided to put off the Julie & Julia movie until Sunday or Monday. We were too tired and busy for tonight to be much fun.

Matt dug the rest of the potatoes for me today. The tops were long gone so he had to virtually dig up two rows (of dirt) to find them. What a great kid. I'm so happy for his willingness to help.

A friend just returned from a trip to Maine and stopped at the King Arthur Flour store in Vermont (I am SO jealous ... King Arthur Flour "stuff" is a favorite of mine!) and brought me this T-shirt. I love it. It's so me. Just perfect. :-)

A few reminders for Thursday activities: A Beer Run at 5:30 at Glynner's Pub on North Broadway. T.N.T (Thursday Night Triathlon) at 6:30 PM at Foster Arends.

Next Wednesday at 6:30 PM at my house (2026 Kal Lane SW): packet assembly for the Rochester Half Marathon & 5K. We've got about 400 registered for the half and 100 for the 5K.

Thought for the day: "We are not at our best when we are perched at the summit; we are at our best climbing--even when the way is steep."

Happy trails.

Tuesday's Tidbits

What a beautiful summer day today. And it sounds like it's going to be nice all week.

Paula Patterson is a runner, and a friend of many of us. Her husband Bruce is battling pancreatic cancer. They are having a fundraiser for the family on Friday, August 21. More information can be found at Fight for Bruce .

I just registered for the Lakes Country triathlon in Baxter, MN on August 23, the day after the Rochester Half marathon. Speaking of which ... we still need volunteers! If you're not running, please consider giving us a hand. You'll get a T-shirt. :-) Email Jean if you can help out. Bring a friend, your family, a group that you're associated with ... all volunteers are welcome and appreciated. There will be a packet stuffing party at my house next week. Most likely Wednesday evening. Stay tuned.

It'll soon be time for me to put together another issue of RTC News. And I need stories. I think I'll have two once I get Ed Maslowski's story. If you have something you could contribute, please do! email me. PLEASE!!

From Bill Nevala: Hello Friends! We have received your message loud and clear, you want us to bring back registration for the Treadman Duathlon! Thank you for communicating with us. We have now opened online registration back up on Active.com and we have the download form on our website. We need you to register as soon as possible. Our T-Shirt deadline is Aug 16th. If you want to guarantee you will receive one of our really nice SweatVac Long Sleeve T-Shirts, please get your registration in by Aug 15th. Register now by visiting: http://winmultisports.com/tmd_registration.html (I'm thinking about doing it. I co-invented the thing 3 years ago. :-)

There's a workout logging/networking site called Strands that' new. Check it out!

From the folks at CardioVision2020: Greetings! To help raise awareness during "High Blood Pressure Awareness Month", you're invited to Rochester's Walking Wednesdays this week (Wednesday, August 12th) Where? The Peace Plaza-First Street walkway area (in front of the Marriott Hotel) When? Blood pressure checks from 12-1pm; Walk goes from 12:15-12:45 pm Who? Everyone is welcome to participate. Why? Physical activity is enjoyable, invigorating, and actually helps lower blood pressure, among other things. What? We'll walk with others from our community to one of the nearby fire stations and back. (The firefighters are willing and able to check your blood pressure if you'd like them to.) What else? Free water for the first 20 people, and a prize drawing. See you there! The CardioVision 2020 team

It was a great morning for a run today. I decided to do speedwork again. Same time. Same place. 2.25 mile warm-up and then 10 x 1/4 mile. Times: 1:32 1:33 1:32 1:30 1:28 1:30 1:28 1:29 1:30 1:28 1:28. That last one HURT. I jogged back a 1/4 mile to get my water bottle and decided to do one more for good measure. And to make sure I was really done. It was 1:33. Yup. I was done. Then I ran a l-o-n-g cooldown until I had 10.29 for that run. So total for the day was 12.54. A good workout. Felt great. :-) Chatted with Greg Hagen over by DAHLC. He was biking to work. I told him I still owed him a batch of cookies. :-)

On the way home from the law office I bought peaches to can in a combo of Riesling and Muscado (wine). The gals last night thought it sounded terrific. As do I. They'll be perfectly ripe in a day or two. Over ice cream ... yum!

The boys picked about 10 gallons of green beans today (I think--I was at work all day). Matt froze them tonight, bless his heart. 36 quarts. And 15 last night. My freezer runneth over ...

It was hopping at the Running Room late this afternoon. LOTS of people in buying shoes for cross country. Did you know that student athletes get a 20% discount? Yup! Just mention it when you check out.

Tomorrow I'm going to the movie Julie and Julia with some friends. It's about Julia Child and a gal who made every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. I've heard good things about it. But how can you go wrong with a foodie movie??

Quote for the day: "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. " --John Wooden

Good night.

Delightfully delicious!!

Another wonderful meal with wonderful friends. It doesn't get much better than that. Other than we were missing Margo. The dynamics are always a little different, a little "off" when one of us is not there. And she was missed.

The food was fabulous. My picks? The Rainier Cherry Crumble was to die for. Rainier cherries aren't cheap, but this was totally worth it. Fabulous. Other faves were the basil dip and stone fruit salad. Before dinner we were talking about physical therapy and I demonstrated one of my "moved". Kathryn grabbed my camera and got a shot of me in action. Missing--the 3 b's: a band in my left hand, a balloon in my mouth and a ball between my legs. Weird? Yes. But it works.

I found out today that I'm "in" for the Zoom! Yah! Yah! indoor marathon in January. It's held in the field house at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Should be interesting! Also running from Rochester will be Ron Giles. He ought to whip around that track like a tornado!! Running from Sartell will be my friend Arvid. He's the one that got me to the finish line in Duluth. :-)

From Marianne Couser: "We just found out that Chad was on the cover of the May issue of the magazine Youth Runner. We were pretty amazed. He is also on their website, http://www.youthrunner.com/ . You might have to click the home, highschool, kids button first. It flashes back and forth between him on the cover and advertisements. He came in second at the Disney mile last January, and the cover states he is from Rochester, Minnesota along with his time." Way to go, Chad! He is a very talented young runner.

Just a little tidbit about the photos from Laura Lenz's birthday party in Saturday's post: I had one, yes one, tortilla chip. No cake. No ice cream. And what am I doing in the photo Tom Woo took of me? Eating that torilla chip! Too funny!!

It was potluck. So I brought Snickerdoodles and calico beans.

Calico Beans

1 lb. hamburger (I use 1/2 lb)
1/2 lb. bacon
1 med. onion
28 oz. can Bush's Baked Beans
2-1 lb. cans kidney beans (I use one can kidney beans and one can black beans)
1 lb. can butter beans (I use baby butter beans--they're smaller)Sauce: 1/4 c. vinegar
1 c. ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar

Fry hamburger with onion. Cut and fry bacon. Rinse kidney, butter and black beans. Mix everything together. Heat sauce ingredients in saucepan until warm. Pour over beans. Bake at 300 for 2 hours in the oven or on low in crock pot for 4-8 hours.

Etta and I made cracked wheat bread and blueberry jam over here on Saturday afternoon. Rather than recap it all here, I'll point you to her blog: http://depressionmarathon.blogspot.com/ She was a natural! Both were delicious. :-) We were done in 3 hours.

We're heavy into green beans here. Picked 6 gallons yesterday. Matt was a dear son and froze them for me while I was at my dinner tonight. 18 quarts. The freezer is so full ... I'm not sure where he found space for them, but apparently he did.

I'll be working at Running Room Tuesday afternoon from 1-4. Stop in and say howdy!!

Quote for the day: “Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again.” -- Andre Gide

Happy trails!

Pizza Perfect

Sunday evening, some of the members of my cooking group enjoyed a wonderful evening at the home of my friends Jay and Joan. We've done this every year for several years and always thoroughly enjoy it. We all bring a dish to pass or wine and pizza topping ingredients. Jay and Joan provide the oven (it's a work of art) and pizza crusts and red sauce. Jay cranks up the oven the day before by burning wood. The next day it's way up to usually 800 degrees. Jay said that yesterday it was a cool 641 degrees (he's got a digital thermometer on it). We then each make pizza and do lots of taste-testing. :-) Ummmmm .... delicious, and a definite highlight of the summer. The weather was perfect, the food was divine, and the friendships for keeps.

A perfect pizza day. :-)

Tonight our group meets again at Diane's home. On the menu:

Appetizer: Basil Parmesan Dip with Pita Chips (p. 99) Kathryn
Beverage: Watermelon and Cucumber Tonic (p. 149) Barbara
Bread: Purple Basil Parmesan Biscuits (p. 101) Barbara
Main Dish: Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli and Bell Peppers (p. 90) Diane
Salad: Stone Fruit Salad (past issue) Renee
Side: Marinated Summer Beans (p. 152) Mary
Dessert: Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (p. 146) Pam
Rainier Cherry Crumble (p. 164) Laura
Wine: Margo

Gotta get changed and am looking forward to an excellent meal! More later, or tomorrow.

Ciao!

MDRA 15K in photos

Hilly, Hot and Humid

Those were the conditions for the MDRA 15K this morning in Edina. When I got up at 4:45 AM, the thermometer said 72 degrees. Ouch. That's the warmest morning we've had all summer. And I've got to race in it! But so did everyone else. Some handle heat and humidity better than others, though. Anyway, I was r-e-a-l-l-y tired when the alarm went off. I was hoping I'd make the drive up to the cities without falling asleep. Well, after puttering around a little bit, I did feel a little more with it. A Diet Coke also helped the situation. :-0


I'd not run this race before and did not know what to expect of the course or the competition. From the get-go, both were a little intimidating. It's a 3-loop course and we started almost at the top of the steepest hill. And the runners ... oh, my. I was psyched out. This event is part of the USATF team circuit and it appeared that EVERYONE was on a team, and running for time. A fast time. I was very intimidated. My legs felt tired and heavy, I kept yawning, and didn't know how my race would go today, especially after a 20-miler on Friday. But I was also happy to be running with, and representing, the St. Cloud River Runners race team. I am so happy to be a part of the team, and treasure the friendships I've made. (Pictured are, front: Molly Borski, Lisa Hines, Wanda Gau, Cindy Lewandowski; back: Anita Baugh, Denise Baxter, Erin Lemke, me, Kate Adams)

Well, we started at almost the crest of the biggest hill, which we'd run up 2 more times, and kept making right turns until we were back at the race headquarters/finish line area. There was another hill in the last mile, which we ran up 3 times. So it was a hilly course making it hard to compare my eventual time with the Spring Classic 15K course which is pancake flat. But there was no time to dwell on that. There were 9.3 miles to run.

First mile: 6:33. Yikes. What have I done? Again .. out w-a-y too fast. Settle down. Get back to a maintainable pace. Or you're going to crash and burn, especially in this kind of weather. The rest of my splits were: 6:57 7:08 7:05 7:09 7:10 7:31 (?? Ouch) 7:12 7:24 (I should have sucked it up and pushed this mile.) But I was happy with my 1:06:57, which was a P.R. My previous P.R. at this distance was in May at the Spring Classic 15K with a 1:07:40.

A little aside here, which I got permission to post: Denise Baxter pulled me aside today and told me that she had something to tell me. An old boyfriend of hers found her through this blog. :-) Denise and I were in Duluth for Grandma's and stayed a couple of nights in a rented house. (Other than a horrendous marathon, I had a wonderful weekend!) Anyway, I'd posted a couple of photos and this old flame saw them. Denise contacted him through Facebook and they've re-established their friendship/relationship and Denise will be going out to visit him in Richmond, VA in a few weeks. What a neat story! And I'm so happy for both of them. Denise was beaming today. :-)

I chatted with these friends up there: Pat Brown,

John Brown (no relation!), and Francine LePage. Cookies were shared with friends ...

and strangers. (New friends?!) Before leaving the cities, I stopped at Whole Foods on Fairview and Grand in St. Paul ...

and then the brand new, just opened Trader Joe's on Randolph and Lexington, also in St. Paul.

I must have torched some calories as I'm STILL hungry, even after a wonderful evening of homemade pizza from a wood-fired oven with my Cooking Light cooking group friends.

More on that tomorrow. I'll create a couple of slideshows tomorrow. My list of things to post is HUGE but I need to get to bed now. It's 10:30.

Good night!!

Happy 40th Birthday Laura Lenz!!

Laura’s Birthday

Photos courtesy of Tom Woo. Thanks Tom!!