The Lowdown

Here it is. My story. Grandma's Marathon, 2009. My first Grandma's marathon. I'll start out by saying this was by far my most challenging, painful, ugly marathon yet. (Number 13). And very emotional for me. It still makes me tear up when I think about it. A very sincere, heart-felt thank you to Arvid Fristad for staying with me through it all and getting me to the finish. You can't take the finish line for granted, especially in the marathon. Let's go back to the beginning ...

Judy Weller (left) and I travelled together up to Duluth for a two-night stay--to run the marathon and enjoy a girls' weekend away. Also joining us would be Denise Baxter from St. Cloud. We stayed in a rented house benefitting the Northern Communities Land Trust along with Joe and Sara Ryan and his nephew Brad and wife Kara. (I can't believe I didn't get a photo of them!)

That worked out just great. We had lots of living space, a full kitchen, etc. It's much cheaper than a hotel and I'd recommend this option to anyone else wanting to go to Duluth that weekend.

When we arrived in Duluth, we went straight to the expo to avoid the crowds that would be arriving for the 6:00 PM 5K race.

I spotted (or was spotted by!) several Rochester runners there, including ...

Marissa, Lori and Kevin Torgerson (Marissa was running her first marathon and Kevin his 20th). They were profiled in the Post-Bulletin on Friday.

Also, Pete and Heidi Martin ...

Julie (VanderSchaaf) Reiland and girls ...

Brian Purrington ...

the "ebulient" Kenny Parker and Ron Giles ...

and Kyle Kircher and his friend Erica.

I must say that arriving at the expo caused some trepidation ... this was starting to feel pretty real now. I was going to have to decide SOON whether I was going to try to run this thing. I usually get a bit nervous for a marathon, but for all of them but Boston last year, I felt prepared. Not so this year. Anything but prepared ... and that isn't a good feeling. No warm fuzzies to be had to be sure.

After leaving the marathon, we went to a private home for a very delicious lasagna dinner with fellow River Runners. Thank you to Dave and Lori for the delicious meal.

By this time, I'd decided to run on Saturday morning. The $10K question was ... how far? The answer was totally unknown to me. I would start running and quit when continuing (running or walking) was no longer a viable option.

When reviewing the race instructions in my packet that evening, I saw that the first sag wagon/drop point was at 13.3 miles. Yikes. Further than I thought. But I was going to carry my cell phone so if worse came to worst, I'd sit on the side of the road somewhere until one of my friends could come rescue me. And I knew that there had to be some sort of procedure for getting people off the course at points other than the 4 drop points. (The next three were at roughly 16, 19 and 22 miles.)

After lots of marathon and triathlon talk, at 10:30 or so we all retired to our respective beds, couches and air mattresses to try to get some shut-eye.

Sleep did not come easily and was fitful. I was still mulling over the decision to run. Was I being foolish? Selfish? Crazy even?? I had been trying to hydrate diligently so I was up at 11 PM, 1 AM and 3 AM and probably got 4 hours total sleep. If that. But I was still going to run.

[It's 10:22 PM. To be continued ... sorry--I need my beauty sleep!]

It's Mine

A Grandma's Marathon 2009 finisher's medal.

And I couldn't be happier. I didn't think it would happen. And I've never worked so hard for a finisher's medal. They say a picture is worth 1000 words. It just might take at least that to tell this story. But I'm not going to get a chance to post the whole story in one post tonight. There's just way too much to say.

A teaser: I finished in 4:54:37. This was my second slowest marathon ever after Boston last year which was a total disaster. I really, really wanted to finish, but not at the expense of my body in the form of serious injury. So ... my game plan was to run as far as I could, no matter how long or short that distance was. Then it became running as far as the first sag wagon and then from sag wagon to sag wagon (roughly 13 miles, 16, 19 and 22 or 23). By then I knew a finish was possible even though I felt like death warmed over. And I got there feeling woozy and couldn't even run across the finish line.

The day started with stepping out of the car at Fitger's to catch the shuttle bus and standing there in the parking lot was Joan Benoit Samuelson. (For my non-runner readers, she's a very famous American marathoner and won the first Olympic women's marathon in 1982.) She graciously agreed to a photo and then was whisked off in a Suburban to Two Harbors. (Hmmm...do you think she might be sponsored by Nike??)

After the race, I had lunch with the River Runners at Sir Benedict's Tavern and Bob Kovell who was sitting on my right asked me if I knew that the winner of the marathon, Chris Raabe, a St. Cloud River Runner was sitting on my left. Huh? Excuse me?? I was clueless, but sure enough. It was him. His dad Bill is on the left.

More, much more, on the intervening hours tomorrow. Meanwhile ...

Happy Father's Day to all you dads! Hope you enjoyed your day and were treated extra special by those you love and those that love you.

Until tomorrow, ciao.

Well, that didn't help much

I went for a 4.38 mile run/walk this morning to see how things felt. I ran the first 2 miles, then did some walking and then running again to see how it felt to alternate between the two. Felt OK. I've also been doing a lot of stretching today to try to stretch out these super-tight hamstrings. It's helping. So ... I'm no closer to a decision. Had it felt terrible, my decision would have been made. Bag Grandma's marathon. Now, I still have a decision to make.

Saturday is the start of Rochesterfest. I see on the website that runners K.C. Reed and Kevin Torgerson will be in the dunk tank at some point during the week!

Saturday will be the last run of the season for the Off-Season Striders before the group runs at the RAC start up on June 27 at 7:00 AM. On Saturday, the OSSers will meet at Panera south at 7:30 AM. The planned route is 10 miles.

Pasta salad and fresh fruit for supper tonight. Too hot to cook. I think I've decided on the marathon cookies: 1) monster cookies with Reese's Pieces and chocolate chips, and 2) macadamia nut white chocolate chip cookies. I will have plenty of time to make them in the morning since there will be no Friday workout and Judy and I are leaving for Duluth about 11:00.

Toodle-oo!!

Still Undecided ...

Still haven't decided anything about Grandma's. It's a topic of daily conversation. Everyone is asking me about it ... I just don't have an/the answer yet.

All Comers mile: Joey Keillor scorched the track running a 4:30 mile in the rain yesterday. Christy Marvin was the fastest female with a 5:11. We haven't had a female mile that fast in a long time. Good running one and all! Complete results on the RTC website including my 'joggers' mile. ;-)

Thursday activity options: Beer Run at Beetles on 2nd at 5:30 PM. Thursday Night Triathlon at Foster Arends at 7:00 PM. I guess theoretically one could do both! I might just go up and swim 400M to get one more open water swim under my belt. I'm theoretically tapering for a marthon on Saturday. ;-)

I went for an easy bike ride this afternoon. Didn't push it at all and tried to just spin in easy gears and enjoy the scenery. The corn has come a long way in the past week. The recent warmer temps and timely rain are no doubt the reason. Someone had cut a field of hay on Saturday and it's still laying there. Doesn't smell like it did when it was freshly cut. :-) There's a farm on the way to Rock Dell with a huge vegetable garden to the west of the house. It'd be fun to be able to walk through it some time. ;-) Tomorrow morning I think I'll try to run a mile or two just to see how it feels. Maybe that will aid me in my decision-making between now and Saturday morning.

Another decision for tomorrow: what kind of cookies to bring to Duluth. I'm leaning toward Monster cookies--lots of peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate!!

FYI: There's a Blues & BBQ festival on August 22, the same day as the Rochester Half Marathon & 5K. It's from 4-10:30 PM at the Peace Plaza. Cost is $25. Yeah ... I know this is virtually unreadable. But it's a cool poster.


Dinner tonight: Pasta with peppers, garlic, olive oil. It was my recipe of the month in the Running Room eMagazine some time in the last year or so. Easy and delicious. It's from chef Stephen Larson who used to own Gourmet's Garden cooking school.

For the pasta:
4 quarts water
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 pound dry spaghetti noodles (I used Barilla Spaghetti Rigati--spaghetti with ridges)

Directions: Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the salt, then add the noodles and cook at a medium boil while stirring often until al dente (about 6 to 8 minutes). Meanwhile, make the sauce.

For the sauce and to finish the dish:
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (I used about 5 Tbsp.)
8 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed flat (with the side of a chef's knife)
One red bell pepper, cored and seeded and cut into short julienne
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes (use more or less to taste)
1/4 c. finely shredded Italian parsley (I used fresh basil this time)
Cooked pasta from above
6 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: Put a 12" skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, remove it from the heat and add the oil to the pan followed closely by the garlic. Let the garlic cook 1 minute until lightly golden in color. Add the bell peppers, salt and pepper flakes then return to high heat. Let cook 1 minute while stirring often, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. When the pasta is done, drain it well and toss with the sauce. Divide onto plates then top each with a sprinkling of Parmesan and serve.

Salud!

From Paul Christian:

Beardsley adds new chapter to his life and running story
MCT REGIONAL NEWS
By Kevin Pates
Duluth News Tribune, Minn.
(MCT)
Jun. 16--Even if you think you know Dick Beardsley’s story -- a Minnesota guy becomes a star marathoner, is felled by injuries and addiction, and survives it all -- there’s more.
New chapters continue to unfold for the 53-year-old, who owns the fastest time in Grandma’s Marathon history, which have initiated a screen- play of his life for a possible movie, while a second autobiography is in the works.
Beardsley had a total replacement of his right knee Jan. 7 and, this won’t surprise anyone, he’s back running. He’ll certainly put in a few miles later this week in downtown Duluth when here as a speaker and radio commentator for Saturday’s 33rd Grandma’s Marathon.
“I’ve been told a number of times, since the knee replacement, that I wouldn’t or shouldn’t run again. I haven’t gone back to it to prove the doctors wrong, I just love running,” Beardsley said recently from home in Austin, Texas. “I may be making a big mistake, but I don’t think anyone really knows the effects of running on an artificial knee. Yes, the knee will probably wear out faster, maybe it will last only 10 years instead of 15 or 20, but how will I know unless I try?”
Right now he’s running 40-45 miles a week, squeezed into his life as a sought-after motivational speaker. His longest run with the new knee, nine miles, came Monday.
A nasty turn
A wave rolled over Beardsley as he stood in the Atlantic Ocean off Palm Beach, Fla., last September and his right knee was twisted. It ultimately needed arthroscopic cleaning in November and then the situation became seriously complicated by an infection. The infection ate away the knee joint and, after facing excruciating pain, a knee replacement was Beardsley’s only option.
He underwent a three-hour operation and was hospitalized four days. It was the 12th operation on the knee since his first in 1976, and cost about $50,000. The DePuy orthopaedic rotating titanium knee, with a ceramic surface, made by Johnson & Johnson, is the most up-to-date replacement joint, said Beardsley, and allows for improved side-to-side movement and better wear.
Physical therapy and then biking and swimming were the first steps on the road to recovery.
“I found I loved biking and you can get an aerobic fix on the bike, but it’s still not like running,” said Beardsley, who completed about 30 career marathons, including his course-record in the 1981 Grandma’s Marathon in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds.
So, little by little, he’s gotten back to it as he continues to travel almost every weekend as a speaker. An atrophied right quadriceps leg muscle meant slow going at first, as it took nearly 12 minutes to cover a mile. He eventually was able to run without a limp and now can run a mile in under eight minutes.
Beardsley’s wife, Jill, said Dick isn’t one to take the easy route.
“At first, he had accepted that he wasn’t going to run again. And then he said, ’Let me try this and try this.’ He’s going to run and live for today. That’s who he is; he’s not going to limit himself,” said Jill Beardsley, a citizen runner, who helps organize his speaking engagements.
The Next Chapter
Beardsley’s life has been detailed in his 2004 autobiography “Staying the Course: A Runner’s Toughest Race,” which included his battle with prescription pain killers, and in John Brant’s 2006 book “Duel in the Sun,” the story of the 1982 Boston Marathon, a searing race against Alberto Salazar. Beardsley was also featured in the acclaimed 2007 independent documentary “Spirit of the Marathon.”
Yet, not all of his tales have been told, leading to work on a second autobiography and a screen play by film producer Paul Martin of Vineyard Productions of Sonoma, Calif.
Yet whatever new material is produced, running is still at the base of Beardsley’s identity.
“When I retired from running, after the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, I knew I wouldn’t be back at that level again. But I still like to push myself as hard as I possibly can,” said the two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion, who grew up in Wayzata, Minn. “Even now, I’m at a slow place, but I’m doing more than just shuffling my feet. I’m working at it and I actually feel like a regular runner again.”
Before the knee replacement, Beardsley was still running marathons, including the 2006 Grandma’s Marathon when he finished in 2:47:56 at age 50. He’s not predicting a 26.2-mile race any time soon on his new knee, but there is precedent.
Randy Rendon, also a resident of Austin, Texas, had a knee replacement in 2007, according to the Austin American-Statesman, and six months later completed the 2008 Houston Marathon at age 60 and did so again in 2009.
—————

US Olympian Kastor to run in Chicago Marathon
By PATRICK HORNE
AP Sports Writer
It’s not a coincidence Deena Kastor chose to take the first big step in her comeback from last summer’s devastating foot injury by running in the Chicago Marathon.
Besides being flat and fast, the course provides a bit of Olympic symmetry since it will be used for the 2016 Games if Chicago wins its bid to host. Kastor, the American record holder, broke her foot at the Beijing Olympics.
“I have high expectations for the race,” said Kastor, who won it in 2005. “I’m really excited to get after it and lower my personal record.”
Kastor set the U.S. record of 2 hours, 19 minutes and 36 seconds at the 2006 London Marathon and believes she can better that mark, and even get below 2:18. Paula Radcliffe of Britain holds the women’s world record, running a 2:15:25 at London in 2003.
The 36-year-old Kastor is the first elite woman to commit to run in Chicago on Oct. 11.
“Chicago regularly brings in a star-studded field,” she said. “I really think that I am going to have my work cut out for me.”
Among those Kastor expects to see in the field is Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania, who won gold in Beijing.
Kastor won marathon bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was among the favorites last Aug. 17, but felt something pop in her foot just past the 3-mile mark. She pulled up immediately with what was later diagnosed as a broken foot.
Her training for Beijing had gone well, and the injury took Kastor completely by surprise.
“Everything seemed fine,” she said. “My foot got tight for just 30 seconds before it happened. It was more painful than anything I’d ever been through before.”
That pain extended to her mental outlook. After years of preparing to perform on a global stage, Kastor was left with stores of physical and emotional energy she couldn’t use.
“It was bizarre to feel this pent-up tension and not have an outlet,” she said.
It didn’t take long for that sense of unfinished business to spur Kastor to launch a bid to run at the 2012 London Olympics.
“Being not able to perform to my potential (in Beijing) fired that desire,” she said.
Kastor, who lives in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., didn’t start running again until November, after her foot had time to heal from the break that was attributed to a vitamin D deficiency. She has addressed that problem by adjusting her diet and adding supplements.
By the spring she had resumed her normal training routine and returned to competition in the Bay to Breakers and the Great Edinburgh Run, winning the 10-kilometer race in Scotland in 32:38 to beat three-time champion Jelena Prokopcuka.
Kastor was a prerace favorite to win her second New York Mini 10K title this month, but did not race due to inflammation in her big toe. She saw a foot specialist in Toronto who advised her to temporarily scale back her training, especially on hard surfaces.
That’s fine with Kastor, whose love of running first took root as an 11-year-old on the trails in the Santa Monica mountains near where she grew up in Agoura Hills, Calif.
She laughed when asked what it will take to run 26.2 miles at a 5:18 clip.
“It’s going to take a strong start, a strong middle and a gutsy finish,” she said.

Toodles!

I Am Still A Runner

Thank you to those of you who responded to yesterday's post about Marc, the runner coming up from the Cornbelt Running Club for a long series of radiation treatments at Mayo. Your offers of help and friendship are heart-warming.

I went to the doc today to try to find out what might be going on with this "hip thing". Good news. Appears to not be anything serious. He said that everything seemed totally normal on exam: no weakness, normal reflexes, normal neuro exam, piriformis and ITB nice and loose, good strength. Tight hamstrings. Yep, I knew that. He didn't think it appeared like anything in my hip and showed me my X-ray. There's a little bit of "something" which I can't remember but which is normal for someone "my age". Too many medical terms. I suppose I'm going to be hearing that more and more as time goes on... Anyway, he said that I had pretty much guessed right ... something with my back, probably as a result of my 2003 back surgery, though he couldn't say for sure what. Causes some sciatia-type pain. I was so afraid he'd say I shouldn't run any more so I asked him if I could still call myself a runner. "Absolutely, yes!" What a relief. He cleared me to run Grandma's though he said from what's been happening I might not finish without pain or might want to quit. But running should not cause any permanent damage. I should think about whether I'm ready for a possible DNF psychologically. That's the $10K question at this point. And I still don't know the answer. My psyche needs a finisher's medal. Anyway, I start physical therapy Friday 6/26 to strengthen my core and stretch out those tight hamstrings, etc. After a few weeks on that program we'll see how things are coming around.

Tonight was the All Comers mile, held in the rain. (Triathlon outing cancelled due to the weather.) Since there was only one other person in my age group there I decided to jog it for the Grand Prix points. I ran a slow 7:23 mile for 10 points but that's OK. I just wanted the points. Joey Keillor and Rob Mitchell ran excellent miles. I don't know their times but they were FLYING. Photobucket, or maybe my PC, are not cooperating tonight so I don't know if I'll get the slideshow done for this post but here are a few photos ...

Joey in front followed by Rob Mitchell and Brendan Sherman.

Also present on the day of his 85th, yes 85th, birthday was Steve DeBoer's dad. He ran the mile in 14:15. Wow. How many 85-year olds could do that?? Not many!! Happy Birthday, Wendell. Long may you run!

Got my hair cut today. I love it when someone else shampoos my hair ... :-)

Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer is having a fundraiser at Caribou Coffee (downtown) on 7/11 and is in need of volunteer workers for two-hour shifts, beginning on odd-numbered hours in groups of two from 7 AM to 9 PM. Please contact Kristin if you can help. Anyone want to work 9-11 AM with me??

I JUST got this email from Dan Strain: I thought I would tell you about a fantastic place we found last year right in Simpson. The guy has two varieties one is one the U of M developed and the other is a French variety. both are amazingly sweet, and we felt bad for the small farmer because he had so few customers (due to he just started growing them to sell a couple years ago) that there were tons of them going to waste, his rows were full and easy to pick (I didn't see our two year old for about 20 minutes because he was crouched down and just eating until they came out his ears). SO CUTE!!! I love these pictures.

Until next time!

Time is Fleeting

This is from an email I received today from the President of the Cornbelt Running Club:

If my sometimes suspect memory serves me correctly, I met you at an RRCA convention in the past few years when you received an award for your newsletter- perhaps at New Orleans, or maybe a couple of conventions? Hope I'm correct, anyway.

In any event, I'm writing to you to find some runners in your club to befriend a club member of Cornbelt that will start radiation treatments at Mayo on June 22. His name is Marc from Orion, IL. Last fall he ran about a 3:45 marathon, though he's not able to hit it that hard these days. Recent cancer surgery at Mayo waylaid his training.

He's looking at a rather long road of treatments, placing him in Rochester Monday thru Friday for 6 consecutive weeks. Like most of us, Marc keeps his sanity best when he can run. I know he could use a few runs during his time in your city but he doesn't know anyone there.

I believe he's scheduled for treatments on Mon, Wed, and Fri each week. Do you have anyone, or group, that he could join during the week when he feels up to it? Any help/contacts would be appreciated. He also doesn't have internet access at his farm, so phone numbers would be great.

If you would be interested in running with Marc, please contact me and I will get you in contact with him. Let's show Marc how friendly and supportive the running community is in Rochester and do what we can to make this difficult time in his life a little more bearable. Thank you.

Marathon This 'n That

Here's a story about a guy running Grandma's and he's 90 and the oldest runner to ever enter Grandma's. He ran his first marathon at age 59.

Doug Fish is planning to run Gradma's marathon Saturday. He's riding up with friends who are planning to stay 2 nights, but he'd rather come back Saturday and is wondering if there anyone who is driving back on Saturday who has room for another rider. If so, please email him at d_r_fish@yahoo.com.

From Judy Weller:

My doctor's appointment is tomorrow AM. Hopefully, I'll know a little more about what might be going on ... but I'm not counting on it without an MRI. Time, as they say, will tell.

USA Masters Outdoor T&F Championships On-time Deadline is Today

Got this via email today: June 15, 2009. The on-time entry deadline for the USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships is today (June 15) at 5:00 p.m. ET. The championships will be held July 9-12 in Oshkosh, WI. Entries submitted between June 16 and June 19 will be charged a $50 late fee (in addition to the normal entry fees). No entries will be accepted after June 19.

Triathlon Info

Chris Koch's Running Room tri class is meeting at Foster Arends at 7:00 Tuesday for a swim/bike/run practice session. Chris will start the session with about 10-15 minutes discussing USATriathlon rules. All are welcome to join in.

From the Graniteman Triathlon race director: We are not currently full and we have expanded our transition area this year to allow more registrations. The event is held at Pleasant Lake in Rockville, MN (near St. Cloud) and consists of 1/3 of a mile swim, a 15 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. This will be Sue Palmer's first tri. :-) Go, Sue!! Registration available online.

I swam laps for an hour at the Silver Lake pool this afternoon during open swim. They have a lane roped off just for laps. It worked out fine. It's a nice long (50M) pool. And the water is a bit choppy due to the kids playing and the water slide going so that's good practice as well. All you need is a pool pass which is available at the front desk at the Y.

Miscellany

Here's a link to the Rochester Half Marathon course map. It's close. Course designer Dave Morrill will be writing an article about the new course for the July issue RTC News.

Reminder: Tomorrow night is week #2 for All Comers' Track Meets (6:00 PM) and it's also the All Comers' mile (5:30 PM) which is part of the RTC Grand Prix Series. The mile each week is part of the Youth Grand Prix Series.

It's soon strawberry picking season! I usually pick at Sterling Fruit Farms. 252-1309 Go east of town on county 9 for a couple miles then turn north on county 11 for about 2 or 2 1/2 miles. You'll see the sign on the right. Hours are 8-7 Mon thru Sat. Picking starts Wednesday.

I haven't posted a recipe in several days so I think it's time I did that again. If you like Snickerdoodle cookies and like them puffy and soft, you'll like this recipe.

Snickerdoodles

1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. milk
3 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat butter and sugar 3 minutes with mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in milk. Whisk dry ingredients. Stir into wet ingredients. Chill 2 hours.

Divide dough into 24 portions (they're about 1.4 oz. each). Mix 1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar with 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Roll dough in balls. Roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake 13 minutes at 350. Allow to cool several minutes on cookie sheets before removing to cooling racks.

Well, here it is 9:30 PM. And once again I've not read the paper. I've read about 3 of them in the last 10 days. And haven't watched more than about 2 hours of TV in probably 2 months. I feel stretched as thin as worn out lyrca. :-) It's my own doing, though ...

Friendship quote for the day: "I'll lean on you and you lean on me and we'll be okay."- Dave Matthews Band

Ciao.

So much to do, so little time

Busy, beautiful day. What a perfect summer day. Warm, bordering on hot but not humid. Not much wind. Love. It. I could live in a climate like this for about 350 days/year. The other 15 would have some snow for Christmas. :-)

After church this morning, I worked in the yard until the Y opened at 11:00. Pulled some weeds, deadheaded flowers and went to Sargent's to buy 2 new viburnum to replace the ones next to the front stoop. Got a couple herbs too (spearmint and sage) and 3 more tomatoes (an heirloom, a Health Kick paste and an orange cherry tomato). Didn't get the shrubs planted yet, but did the others. I'll do the shrubs tomorrow. I have a yew that needs planting too.

Since yesterday was a pretty light workout, I decided today would be a longer, harder workout. So I started at the Y with a one hour swim (a mile and half--53 laps/106 lengths). It felt like a decent swim. I had 38 laps (76 lengths) at 43:11. Then I hopped on the bike and decided to see what I could do in about an hour forty as I had to be at the Mac Attack 5K at 3:00 to volunteer. I rode out to Salem Corners, south to Rock Dell and then out to MN 30 which was just over 14.5 miles.

Going out I rode comfortably and enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery. Going back in I had two goals: 1) I decided I wanted to exceed the speed limit in Rock Dell (30 mph), 2) try to maintain at least 20 mph the whole way back into town. 30 mph through Rock Dell? Check. Not hard. There are about 10 buildings in town. :-) Maintain 20 mph? Not-quite-check. There were a few hills/inclines where I just couldn't keep it up and my quads were screaming. But it was a good ride. Saw 8 other bikers out. All the serious bikers did the little biker acknowledgment/salute which made me happy. :-) The 3 recreational riders opted not to return my greetings. :-( I toodled around the neighborhood to cool down until I had 30.08 miles in. Then when I got home Matt was just leaving for a run. I'd come back into town 8 minutes faster than I went out so I decided I had time to run a mile with him, so I went out on my noodle legs for one mile and there was no pain while running, other than the usual fatigue from just having gotten off the bike. Yippee! A great boost for my self-confidence. I'm glad that even though my running is not going like I want, I still have other options for working out.

Down Memory Lane

While I was out riding today, I was thinking about all the biking I used to do. 25 years ago, I was doing a lot of riding and there were some local races that I'd participate in. The races have long since disappeared. Those were the days ... when cleated shoes and pace lines didn't freak me out ...

Also, the equipment and shoes/clothing have changed quite a bit. Pictured above is some of my "stuff" from back then. It looks like it should be in a museum!! My shoes (Italian--Duegi--cleats have been removed) had wooden soles and leather uppers. Shorts had a real chamois in them, as in real leather! They sold chamois cream that you could rub into them to keep them relatively soft. Jerseys were generally polypropelene or wool. The stuff still fits, so I'm still using it. For sustenance on long rides, I'd stick a banana and a little bag of Fig Newtons in my back pockets. There wasn't the plethora of bars, energy gels, etc that we have to choose from now. Gatorade was around at that time, however. So many things have changed since the early 80's: disc wheels, index shifting, bar end shifters, aerodynamic options for all the extras, oversize but lighter weight tubing, and frames and components combined are probably a couple of pounds lighter with the advances in technology.

Anyway, whatever is going on with hip/back seems to resolve rather quickly, at least after yesterday, which is good news. No pain today. It had been the case that turning at the end of the lanes in the pool would bother it, or sometimes just sitting, after running but that wasn't the case today. :-) Tomorrow? Lift early AM, then probably Stairmaster. Afternoon, probably bike.

When I got home I grabbed a shower, a yogurt and a handful of shredded wheat and was off to the Mac Attack. I'd been curious about the outdoor lap swimming during open swim times at Silver Lake, which was where the race was. Sure enough, there were 2 lanes for laps. Yahoo!! I asked a guard if that was usually the case and she said that it was unless people complained. So I think I'll do my swimming outside in the afternoons when possible. I'd much rather be outdoors in the 50M pool than indoors in a 25M pool.

About mid-afternoon I was famished. Nothing left in the tank. Had two little granola bars in my car and some Great Harvest bread at Mac Attack.

Enjoyed a nice big salad when I got home then worked in the garden for a little while. The kohlrabi is looking good ...

the broccoli is starting to form heads ...

and the peas are in flower.

"May there always be work for your hands to do, may your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine on your windowpane, may a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you, may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you." -- Irish Blessing

Kom igjen (på norsk). [Come again (in Norwegian).]