Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday With Dorie Time! Summer Fruit Galette
Michelle of Colorado Springs picked out the Dorie Greenspan recipe this week. She chose the Summer Fruit Galette. By linking to her name you will find the recipe. By clicking on the Tuesday with Dorie on the sidebar of this blog you will find all of the other Galette's posted.
This was easy peasy to create and very good to taste. Troy and Tyler gobbeled it up very quickly. Troy prefers this galette over pie. I would prefer pie and really don't know why one would chose to create a galette over a pie. For a change, I suppose. I said the same about the cobbler. I guess I am just a pie gal, not to mention that I LOVE Dorie's pie crust! The blueberry pie was to die for.
This galette uses one crust and you can use any type of fruit available. I used strawberries since I picked a zillion of them this year. Now I have a zillion raspberries and soon will have a zillion blueberries. We love berries!
Next up is Black and White Banana Loaf. I am going to bake mine today, along with a few new loaves of bread that I haven't yet tried :)
This was easy peasy to create and very good to taste. Troy and Tyler gobbeled it up very quickly. Troy prefers this galette over pie. I would prefer pie and really don't know why one would chose to create a galette over a pie. For a change, I suppose. I said the same about the cobbler. I guess I am just a pie gal, not to mention that I LOVE Dorie's pie crust! The blueberry pie was to die for.
This galette uses one crust and you can use any type of fruit available. I used strawberries since I picked a zillion of them this year. Now I have a zillion raspberries and soon will have a zillion blueberries. We love berries!
Next up is Black and White Banana Loaf. I am going to bake mine today, along with a few new loaves of bread that I haven't yet tried :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Voyageur 50 Mile Fun Run
As predicted, Voyageur 50 Mile was a party on the trail!
I left home by 315 AM, after 4 hours of sleep and pulled into Carlton a bit early, it was only 6 AM and the race didn't begin until 7.
Plenty of time for catching up with old friends and making new friends. These races are a social outlet for me. Sure, it takes training, but the race for me is really the party..the visiting the socializing. Lots of fun and smiles all around.
The weather was gorgeous, a start of 62F, clear sunny skies, with a forecast high of 83. Pretty sweet.
I had decided to take the race easy, don't push it, don't fall, don't try to PR..but if everything seems easy peasy then go for it. After speaking with Beth Simpson-Hall, 3 time Leadville finisher and will be out there again next month, I knew my plan was on the right track. Easy. Beth and husband Larry had recently returned from Colorado as Larry AGAIN finished Hardrock and Beth paced him for 56 miles. Incredible. She'll be a Hardrocker in the future.
I didn't line up in the first pack this year. The last two times I've run this race I have, just because I then push through the rocky rooty first few miles. I have fallen down each time, too. Yesterday I went more slowly and didn't fall during this section.
I decided to carry one bottle and I added a 'luggage' compartment to my bottle that connected via velcro. I could jam 8 gels and Advil in there. I decided to use a drop bag for the 1/2 way mark were I had 8 more gels and some Hammer Heed. The course uses Ultima, which I didn't think I liked, but as it turned out, it was just fine.
I didn't have any appetite, again, I don't know what is up with this change in eating and racing, but it seems that I am not hungry for pb&j this year as I always have been. I did gels on the 45 minute and drank 24 oz of Ultima every 30 minutes. This is a new phenomena for me as well..drinking more than 24 oz an hour. I did grab a few pretzels, some cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon along the course. The aid stations were well stocked.
The day was just beautiful. The course is a nice blend of rocks and roots, bridges, steep ups and downs, creek crossings, grassy areas, a bit of road and the powerlines where there are 10 or so 350' hills that are very steep and climby. It's an out and back course so on the way back the powerlines can kill a person. Hot and tough.
As I was feeling so great I began to run harder and began to think about that 1025. At about 20 miles I was running hard, coming down a steep creek bank. I came to the bottom, tried to jump across but didn't make it. The ground made a sharp V shape. See that V? My feet were at the top left of it, my butt in the point and my shoulders and head on the top right of it. I some how spun around, was facing the wrong direction. My shoulder hurt the most, I really slammed it. I kind of laid there for a while, stunned. Then I became scared and couldn't get out of my position. I ended up rolling out of the V into the creek and righted myself. This was my wake up call..or my excuse to slow down. I told myself to be careful, Leadville is 3 weeks out, no need to hurt something for heaven's sake.
As I was running along I noticed that my skirt was falling off. The waist has become too large. Oh man. I could feel it falling down off of my hips, exposing my butt crack! How bad is that? Pretty soon Greg..Greg? Olson? It was his first 50, and he introduced himself at the start to me. He reads this blog and told me that I motivate him! He said it is funny because when I began running I would write about these ultra runners that were of elite status, that I was kind of nervous around them, that I felt unsure, and not adequate around them, and he said now here you are, friends with them and running with them! I told him it was I that had the problem with feeling unsure of myself, they were always there, and kind. So, as Greg was following me we were running down down down hill, a real long down hill. I was holding up my skirt. I told him it was falling off. He says "I thought so, but I'm not looking"! I had to laugh. Then I realized I had 4 pins holding my number, I could use a pin to make the waist smaller. It worked! I no longer had to hold it up as I ran. Sheesh.
I measured my waist this morning, it is 2" smaller since I last measured a few months ago. No wonder the skirt, and everything else for that matter, no longer fits.
As I was running down into the turnaround near 25 miles I saw Dawn Long ahead of me. She took a hard fall. I felt badly for her. Her sister was at the turn around so she said she would clean her up and make sure she was ok. Another reminder to me to slow down.
I came into the 1/2 way point at 4:50, grabbed my gels and Heed and got out of there.
I like the out and back. On the way out there I was able to see all of those in front of me. Wynn Davis was winning the race, John Storkamp was about 5, Rochelle Wirth was in 1st and Helen Lavin was in 3rd. I cheered loudly for the girls!
As I came out of the turn around and headed back I was able to see everyone else in the race. I love it! Lots of good jobs and high fives and hugs.
Pierre was ahead of me, I figured I'd try to catch him again. We had been going back and forth on the way out and I enjoy his company. Pierre. If one would have told me a few years ago that I would be brave enough to even talk..much less run with Pierre I would have called him a liar. I never thought I'd be able to run with Pierre, much less, actually be his friend. I have always thought so lowly of myself, that those that are faster, stronger, 'more tough/elite' wouldn't have the time to speak with me. Sad, hu? I'm glad I am trying to get over that..I still have a hard time breaking through that.
Anyhow, eventually I caught Pierre and we ran the rest of the race together. We trudged through the powerlines again, oh man, how tough! It was 2 PM, hot as hell, and our legs were tired. As we came out of the powerlines I noticed that I was freezing. Freezing! I had goosebumps, the hair on my arms was standing straight up. The gal at the aid station said my lips were turning blue. Nuts. Dehydration. I had been drinking 24 oz every 3 miles. I was sweating like crazy. My top and skirt were streaked with white salt. Then I realized I hadn't peed ONE time. Not once! That is so unlike me. I usually pee every hour. I became a little nervous.
We came into mile 39.5 on a 10:15 hour finishing pace. Kim Holak was working the aid station. She just finished Hardrock, too! I told her when I became tired the next 10 miles I was going to think of what she had just accomplished.
Pierre and I trudged on. I was slowing. I no longer cared about the 1015 or the 1025 or whatever. I was worried that I was so damn cold when it was 80F. I was freezing.
We continued on, past the last aid station, thank god, ready to finish up the last 3.4 miles. The last section takes for flipping ever. It's all rocky and rooty, along the river. I was sucking it up. I went slowly, I didn't want to fall, I wanted to come out in one piece. I began to get a bit dizzy, slowing down. I told Pierre to go on, that I was fine. He went up ahead just a bit. I finally saw the bridge that goes to the asphalt bike path. Oh! Happy days. I came out on the bike path and saw Pierre up ahead. I ran to catch him, but wasn't getting too far! As Pierre came to the road he turned backward, running, waiting for me. We ran in together at 1055. I was 8th woman out of 32. A record 139 entrants in total. I don't recall where I fell overall, I'm sure the results will be up shortly.
A spectacular day!
Those that finished earlier than us, were spectation, or had dropped, were all sitting on the grassy hill at the High School cheering. It's awesome! We came in, hugged and asked how everyone else was doing.
John Storkamp finished in just over 7 hours! Holy balls. Helen won the woman's in just over 8 hours! Wow. Crazy fast runners. I'm so proud of them.
Hey, all of us that were at BETA two weeks ago running the SHT, finished Voyaguer today! John and Helen came out on top :)
I took a nice warm shower and sat with the others to cheer on our friends. We swapped stories and laughs. This is one of the best parts of the race. Laughing and being silly afterward. Everyone is exhausted and delirious and out of hand...good stuff.
A nice meal of lasagna, bread and hot coffee..I was satisfied and happy.
At the award ceremony Rochelle Wirth, 2x woman's winner of Voyageur came up and introduced herself to me. She told me that she reads this blog and wanted to introduce herself. I was star struck and didn't know what to say at first. I began to feel unsure of myself. I can't quite explain it. I wanted to say that I was flattered that she read my blog and that she come up and to say hello to me. I did remember to congratulate her. Thank you, Rochelle! I hope I didn't seem cold to you.
After everyone came in we visited a bit and then headed off for home. I wasn't tired at all. I drank 4 cans of Diet Pepsi before I left the race, another 3 on the way and finally at 10 PM I stopped to pee in Cambridge! I hadn't peed since 6 AM. WHAT is up with that? I do not know. It was wonderful to crawl into my own bed post race, curl up with my book and relax, smiling to myself about the day.
I'm drinking drinking drinking water today. I feel very dehydrated and am down 4 pounds. THAT never happens either. I don't get it.
Hope everyone had a grand time at Voyageur yesterday, thanks for the party!
I left home by 315 AM, after 4 hours of sleep and pulled into Carlton a bit early, it was only 6 AM and the race didn't begin until 7.
Plenty of time for catching up with old friends and making new friends. These races are a social outlet for me. Sure, it takes training, but the race for me is really the party..the visiting the socializing. Lots of fun and smiles all around.
The weather was gorgeous, a start of 62F, clear sunny skies, with a forecast high of 83. Pretty sweet.
I had decided to take the race easy, don't push it, don't fall, don't try to PR..but if everything seems easy peasy then go for it. After speaking with Beth Simpson-Hall, 3 time Leadville finisher and will be out there again next month, I knew my plan was on the right track. Easy. Beth and husband Larry had recently returned from Colorado as Larry AGAIN finished Hardrock and Beth paced him for 56 miles. Incredible. She'll be a Hardrocker in the future.
I didn't line up in the first pack this year. The last two times I've run this race I have, just because I then push through the rocky rooty first few miles. I have fallen down each time, too. Yesterday I went more slowly and didn't fall during this section.
I decided to carry one bottle and I added a 'luggage' compartment to my bottle that connected via velcro. I could jam 8 gels and Advil in there. I decided to use a drop bag for the 1/2 way mark were I had 8 more gels and some Hammer Heed. The course uses Ultima, which I didn't think I liked, but as it turned out, it was just fine.
I didn't have any appetite, again, I don't know what is up with this change in eating and racing, but it seems that I am not hungry for pb&j this year as I always have been. I did gels on the 45 minute and drank 24 oz of Ultima every 30 minutes. This is a new phenomena for me as well..drinking more than 24 oz an hour. I did grab a few pretzels, some cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon along the course. The aid stations were well stocked.
The day was just beautiful. The course is a nice blend of rocks and roots, bridges, steep ups and downs, creek crossings, grassy areas, a bit of road and the powerlines where there are 10 or so 350' hills that are very steep and climby. It's an out and back course so on the way back the powerlines can kill a person. Hot and tough.
As I was feeling so great I began to run harder and began to think about that 1025. At about 20 miles I was running hard, coming down a steep creek bank. I came to the bottom, tried to jump across but didn't make it. The ground made a sharp V shape. See that V? My feet were at the top left of it, my butt in the point and my shoulders and head on the top right of it. I some how spun around, was facing the wrong direction. My shoulder hurt the most, I really slammed it. I kind of laid there for a while, stunned. Then I became scared and couldn't get out of my position. I ended up rolling out of the V into the creek and righted myself. This was my wake up call..or my excuse to slow down. I told myself to be careful, Leadville is 3 weeks out, no need to hurt something for heaven's sake.
As I was running along I noticed that my skirt was falling off. The waist has become too large. Oh man. I could feel it falling down off of my hips, exposing my butt crack! How bad is that? Pretty soon Greg..Greg? Olson? It was his first 50, and he introduced himself at the start to me. He reads this blog and told me that I motivate him! He said it is funny because when I began running I would write about these ultra runners that were of elite status, that I was kind of nervous around them, that I felt unsure, and not adequate around them, and he said now here you are, friends with them and running with them! I told him it was I that had the problem with feeling unsure of myself, they were always there, and kind. So, as Greg was following me we were running down down down hill, a real long down hill. I was holding up my skirt. I told him it was falling off. He says "I thought so, but I'm not looking"! I had to laugh. Then I realized I had 4 pins holding my number, I could use a pin to make the waist smaller. It worked! I no longer had to hold it up as I ran. Sheesh.
I measured my waist this morning, it is 2" smaller since I last measured a few months ago. No wonder the skirt, and everything else for that matter, no longer fits.
As I was running down into the turnaround near 25 miles I saw Dawn Long ahead of me. She took a hard fall. I felt badly for her. Her sister was at the turn around so she said she would clean her up and make sure she was ok. Another reminder to me to slow down.
I came into the 1/2 way point at 4:50, grabbed my gels and Heed and got out of there.
I like the out and back. On the way out there I was able to see all of those in front of me. Wynn Davis was winning the race, John Storkamp was about 5, Rochelle Wirth was in 1st and Helen Lavin was in 3rd. I cheered loudly for the girls!
As I came out of the turn around and headed back I was able to see everyone else in the race. I love it! Lots of good jobs and high fives and hugs.
Pierre was ahead of me, I figured I'd try to catch him again. We had been going back and forth on the way out and I enjoy his company. Pierre. If one would have told me a few years ago that I would be brave enough to even talk..much less run with Pierre I would have called him a liar. I never thought I'd be able to run with Pierre, much less, actually be his friend. I have always thought so lowly of myself, that those that are faster, stronger, 'more tough/elite' wouldn't have the time to speak with me. Sad, hu? I'm glad I am trying to get over that..I still have a hard time breaking through that.
Anyhow, eventually I caught Pierre and we ran the rest of the race together. We trudged through the powerlines again, oh man, how tough! It was 2 PM, hot as hell, and our legs were tired. As we came out of the powerlines I noticed that I was freezing. Freezing! I had goosebumps, the hair on my arms was standing straight up. The gal at the aid station said my lips were turning blue. Nuts. Dehydration. I had been drinking 24 oz every 3 miles. I was sweating like crazy. My top and skirt were streaked with white salt. Then I realized I hadn't peed ONE time. Not once! That is so unlike me. I usually pee every hour. I became a little nervous.
We came into mile 39.5 on a 10:15 hour finishing pace. Kim Holak was working the aid station. She just finished Hardrock, too! I told her when I became tired the next 10 miles I was going to think of what she had just accomplished.
Pierre and I trudged on. I was slowing. I no longer cared about the 1015 or the 1025 or whatever. I was worried that I was so damn cold when it was 80F. I was freezing.
We continued on, past the last aid station, thank god, ready to finish up the last 3.4 miles. The last section takes for flipping ever. It's all rocky and rooty, along the river. I was sucking it up. I went slowly, I didn't want to fall, I wanted to come out in one piece. I began to get a bit dizzy, slowing down. I told Pierre to go on, that I was fine. He went up ahead just a bit. I finally saw the bridge that goes to the asphalt bike path. Oh! Happy days. I came out on the bike path and saw Pierre up ahead. I ran to catch him, but wasn't getting too far! As Pierre came to the road he turned backward, running, waiting for me. We ran in together at 1055. I was 8th woman out of 32. A record 139 entrants in total. I don't recall where I fell overall, I'm sure the results will be up shortly.
A spectacular day!
Those that finished earlier than us, were spectation, or had dropped, were all sitting on the grassy hill at the High School cheering. It's awesome! We came in, hugged and asked how everyone else was doing.
John Storkamp finished in just over 7 hours! Holy balls. Helen won the woman's in just over 8 hours! Wow. Crazy fast runners. I'm so proud of them.
Hey, all of us that were at BETA two weeks ago running the SHT, finished Voyaguer today! John and Helen came out on top :)
I took a nice warm shower and sat with the others to cheer on our friends. We swapped stories and laughs. This is one of the best parts of the race. Laughing and being silly afterward. Everyone is exhausted and delirious and out of hand...good stuff.
A nice meal of lasagna, bread and hot coffee..I was satisfied and happy.
At the award ceremony Rochelle Wirth, 2x woman's winner of Voyageur came up and introduced herself to me. She told me that she reads this blog and wanted to introduce herself. I was star struck and didn't know what to say at first. I began to feel unsure of myself. I can't quite explain it. I wanted to say that I was flattered that she read my blog and that she come up and to say hello to me. I did remember to congratulate her. Thank you, Rochelle! I hope I didn't seem cold to you.
After everyone came in we visited a bit and then headed off for home. I wasn't tired at all. I drank 4 cans of Diet Pepsi before I left the race, another 3 on the way and finally at 10 PM I stopped to pee in Cambridge! I hadn't peed since 6 AM. WHAT is up with that? I do not know. It was wonderful to crawl into my own bed post race, curl up with my book and relax, smiling to myself about the day.
I'm drinking drinking drinking water today. I feel very dehydrated and am down 4 pounds. THAT never happens either. I don't get it.
Hope everyone had a grand time at Voyageur yesterday, thanks for the party!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Another Party on the Trail!
Voyageur 50 mile is tomorrow! This was my second 50 mile race that I did. Ufdah! It was a tough one. I ate 18 Advil; not a very smart thing to do, I know. My knees were giving out and I thought I had injured myself for life. Not so. My body just didn't know what was happening to it! Marie and I ran this race together and yes, her husband Tom, who is NOT a runner..was running faster than us. He came running out of an aid station, down the trail, screaming "Julie and Marie! Come on you girls, you have to RUN, they are going to close the course, RUN RUN RUN!" Tom was running! Marie and I felt like we were running, in our minds, but no, our bodies weren't running.
We ended up finishing last..well over the course allotted time of 13 hours. We were 14:30 or so. The wonderful RD saved us lasagna and even a finishing piece of pottery. Barb is a sweetie.
Since then my body has become stronger and I am running faster. Last time this course gave me a 1026.
Voyageur is a sweet little race. For $35 the finisher receives a piece of hand made pottery, a t shirt, a lasagna, bread, salad and ice cream finishing dinner and a shower! You just can't beat it.
Not to mention the best part: all of my dear friends will be here as well. We'll have a grand time!
The race goes from the Carlton High School into the woods, through Jay Cooke Park, power lines from hell- 350' straight up, over and over and over again, Mission Creek Trails to Skyline Drive in Duluth, across Spirit Mountain Ski Slopes, into the Zoo and back on out again. It's a great race!
Carlton is only a few hours from home and the race doesn't begin until 7 AM. I'll just wake up around 3 AM, and be on my way by 330 AM, run the race, attend the awards and head on back home to sleep in my own bed. Topaz and I can enjoy the trails on Sunday morning. Or will I be back at Hyland or Powder Ridge?
We ended up finishing last..well over the course allotted time of 13 hours. We were 14:30 or so. The wonderful RD saved us lasagna and even a finishing piece of pottery. Barb is a sweetie.
Since then my body has become stronger and I am running faster. Last time this course gave me a 1026.
Voyageur is a sweet little race. For $35 the finisher receives a piece of hand made pottery, a t shirt, a lasagna, bread, salad and ice cream finishing dinner and a shower! You just can't beat it.
Not to mention the best part: all of my dear friends will be here as well. We'll have a grand time!
The race goes from the Carlton High School into the woods, through Jay Cooke Park, power lines from hell- 350' straight up, over and over and over again, Mission Creek Trails to Skyline Drive in Duluth, across Spirit Mountain Ski Slopes, into the Zoo and back on out again. It's a great race!
Carlton is only a few hours from home and the race doesn't begin until 7 AM. I'll just wake up around 3 AM, and be on my way by 330 AM, run the race, attend the awards and head on back home to sleep in my own bed. Topaz and I can enjoy the trails on Sunday morning. Or will I be back at Hyland or Powder Ridge?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Tuesday With Dorie
Today is Tuesday; time for another Dorie Greenspan recipe! This week's recipe is Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler. I had never created a cobbler before. I always wondered why one would want to bake a cobbler when you could bake a pie instead. Well, now I know. Cobbler is must easier, more rustic, less fussy and very tasty. I baked this yesterday around 10 AM and by 9 PM I was washing out the pan. All gone! A testament to it's tastiness.
Of course I had to double the recipe. An 8 or 9" square would never be enough in this household, even if we are only 4. I doubled and baked in a 9x13.
Filling:
1 lb sweet cherries
12 oz rhubarb
1/3 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 t ginger
Topping:
3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
3 T brown sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 stick cold butter
1/2 c whole milk
Mix fruit, sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Stir a bit while creating topping. Put flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and ginger in a food processor (again, I don't have a food processor so did by hand), pulse to pea size pieces. add milk, pulse to form moist clumps and curds. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 20 pieces and gently shape each into a ball. Pour fruit into buttered pan and top with the flour puffs. Bake 35-34 minutes at 375; Remove pan and let set for 20 minutes.
They ate this with vanilla ice cream. Good stuff! You can check out other creations by clicking the Tuesday with Dorie at the side bar. Next week: Summer Fruit Galette. I have been picking oodles of strawberries and raspberries so will use them in the galette. I have never created a galette before. It looks to be a round of pie dough folder over at the edges, with an exposed middle of fruit filling, topped with custard.
I'm enjoying trying new recipes. I have gone back to the beginning of Tuesday with Dorie and am creating the recipes from January, when the group began. Last week I made Quintuple Chocolate Brownies, Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Cookies and Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. I'm partial to the Quintuple Chocolate Brownies-5 kinds of chocolate! Yikes. They were gone before I could photo. I will make another batch though, for sure!
Of course I had to double the recipe. An 8 or 9" square would never be enough in this household, even if we are only 4. I doubled and baked in a 9x13.
Filling:
1 lb sweet cherries
12 oz rhubarb
1/3 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 t ginger
Topping:
3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
3 T brown sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 stick cold butter
1/2 c whole milk
Mix fruit, sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Stir a bit while creating topping. Put flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and ginger in a food processor (again, I don't have a food processor so did by hand), pulse to pea size pieces. add milk, pulse to form moist clumps and curds. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 20 pieces and gently shape each into a ball. Pour fruit into buttered pan and top with the flour puffs. Bake 35-34 minutes at 375; Remove pan and let set for 20 minutes.
They ate this with vanilla ice cream. Good stuff! You can check out other creations by clicking the Tuesday with Dorie at the side bar. Next week: Summer Fruit Galette. I have been picking oodles of strawberries and raspberries so will use them in the galette. I have never created a galette before. It looks to be a round of pie dough folder over at the edges, with an exposed middle of fruit filling, topped with custard.
I'm enjoying trying new recipes. I have gone back to the beginning of Tuesday with Dorie and am creating the recipes from January, when the group began. Last week I made Quintuple Chocolate Brownies, Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Cookies and Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. I'm partial to the Quintuple Chocolate Brownies-5 kinds of chocolate! Yikes. They were gone before I could photo. I will make another batch though, for sure!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Yet Again; Hyland Hands Me My Ass
This morning I was up and out of the house before any sane person would rise and run. Oh, wait, there are a group of runners at Afton beginning at 10PM or 12AM so, no, I'm not the only one.
We have two neighborhood grad parties this afternoon and we are going to the Twins game tonight. Yeah, are the Twins hot or what? Holy crap. I love 'em. I give Tyler a hard time because he told me they were going to suck this year, with trading off Santana and Tori. I told his he was wrong and negative. Ha!
I had to get in my workout early. I have places to go and people to see.
I reached the Hyland Hills ski hill at 437. Flashlight and cooler in hand I traipsed up the gravel path, over the railroad tracks .. into a downed tree. Gee, it wasn't there last Thursday. I hurt my head. You know what? I have a huge bump on the back of my head where I was hit with a foul ball at Troy's baseball game last Thursday. It hurts badly. It was embarrassing; everyone asking how I was, was I going to faint, did I need ice? I didn't like all of the attention. I was fine, if I wasn't, I would have said something..you know? Anyhow, now the front of my head hurts too. I plowed right into the tree.
Onto the hill. Unpack cooler, fill bottle, spray for bugs, iPod, sunscreen. Oops. Sunglasses which I didn't yet need were on my head and feel off. I stepped on them. Scrunch. Bummer because these Oakleys are my spare pair. I lost my good pair on the way to, from or at Gretchen's last week. Damn. REI, here I come...$$
I felt good and strong..for the first 3 hours. Eventually Frisbee golfers arrived. I hadn't seen them before, when I run the hill on Sundays or Thursdays. I was looking for their Frisbee's for them as much as they were. One guy kept losing his blue disc.
After a few hours Greg Allen arrived. He is running Leadville, too. He's been out two other times and is going to get his finish this time. It was nice to talk with him, to take my mind off of the hill I was doing over and over and over again.
Pretty soon I noticed a man and woman hiking hills around me. After a while I was coming down the hill and singing with Ozzie and man and woman were at the bottom of the hill where I was heading. The man asked "Julie Berg?" "Yes, I am". "Tom Knutson" Oh! Happy Days! Tom is a legend. I told him so. He is very humble and scoffed at the idea of being legendary. He has 4 Hardrock Finishes, multiple Slams and many other incredible feats of legendary status. I was so happy to see he and his beautiful wife, Pam. I had a few more repeats before it was time to loop around so I finished them up and then asked if I could tag along with the two of them for a bit. Pam said it would be fine, that I could talk Leadville with Tom. He spoke of the course, the aid stations, the cut offs, weather, packs, liquids and foods; I'm so happy they were at the ski hill today. Tom boosted my confidence in myself in finishing Leadville. I questioned running the ski hill and he confirmed this is the type of training I should be doing.
When I was feeling strong, a few hours earlier, I had told Greg it seemed LAME-OH to be running a ski hill when others were able to run miles of mountainous elevation. Well, in MN there isn't that opportunity so I guess I gotta do what I gotta do..ski hill is it. Tom said this is right where I should be.
I was soaked. My shorts were dripping. I can't remember a time when that occurred. I seem to be sweating more than ever lately. What's up with that? It is humid, about 75 F is all. Odd.
A few hours later and it was finally time to wrap up the day. I felt nauseated and beat. I did get many more repeats in this week than last, great improvement but man, I was exhausted! I was thankful my session was done.
6 hours on the ski hill is tougher than 11 hours on the Superior Hiking Trail for me. Last week after I finished the 40 miles I was planning the next 20 for the following day. Today I'm thinking about 20 tomorrow and thinking I hope my calves aren't stiff!
I grabbed all my stuff and walked the 1/2 mile to the car. I spotted a buck peeking at me down the trail. Rarely do I see bucks. He was majestic, beautiful and huge.
My calves twiched all of the way home. I arrived here and jumped into the cool pool. Ah, relief. A cold soak in the tub and a warm shower. More relief.
Next Saturday is Voyaguer 50 Mile. The first time I ran V I ran it in 14:30 with my friend, Marie. We missed the final cut off but they allowed us to finish since we seemed to have our wits about us. Paul Hasse was the sweep and followed us to the finish. The following year I finished in 12:30, then 11:45 Last year I didn't run as I ran Vermont 100 the week before. The year before that I ran V in 10:26, my PR for the course. I would like to beat the 10:26 but I keep telling myself this is a final long training run before Leadville. No need to push or rush. Relax and enjoy. I'll see how it goes. 10:25 PR would be pretty sweet.
We have two neighborhood grad parties this afternoon and we are going to the Twins game tonight. Yeah, are the Twins hot or what? Holy crap. I love 'em. I give Tyler a hard time because he told me they were going to suck this year, with trading off Santana and Tori. I told his he was wrong and negative. Ha!
I had to get in my workout early. I have places to go and people to see.
I reached the Hyland Hills ski hill at 437. Flashlight and cooler in hand I traipsed up the gravel path, over the railroad tracks .. into a downed tree. Gee, it wasn't there last Thursday. I hurt my head. You know what? I have a huge bump on the back of my head where I was hit with a foul ball at Troy's baseball game last Thursday. It hurts badly. It was embarrassing; everyone asking how I was, was I going to faint, did I need ice? I didn't like all of the attention. I was fine, if I wasn't, I would have said something..you know? Anyhow, now the front of my head hurts too. I plowed right into the tree.
Onto the hill. Unpack cooler, fill bottle, spray for bugs, iPod, sunscreen. Oops. Sunglasses which I didn't yet need were on my head and feel off. I stepped on them. Scrunch. Bummer because these Oakleys are my spare pair. I lost my good pair on the way to, from or at Gretchen's last week. Damn. REI, here I come...$$
I felt good and strong..for the first 3 hours. Eventually Frisbee golfers arrived. I hadn't seen them before, when I run the hill on Sundays or Thursdays. I was looking for their Frisbee's for them as much as they were. One guy kept losing his blue disc.
After a few hours Greg Allen arrived. He is running Leadville, too. He's been out two other times and is going to get his finish this time. It was nice to talk with him, to take my mind off of the hill I was doing over and over and over again.
Pretty soon I noticed a man and woman hiking hills around me. After a while I was coming down the hill and singing with Ozzie and man and woman were at the bottom of the hill where I was heading. The man asked "Julie Berg?" "Yes, I am". "Tom Knutson" Oh! Happy Days! Tom is a legend. I told him so. He is very humble and scoffed at the idea of being legendary. He has 4 Hardrock Finishes, multiple Slams and many other incredible feats of legendary status. I was so happy to see he and his beautiful wife, Pam. I had a few more repeats before it was time to loop around so I finished them up and then asked if I could tag along with the two of them for a bit. Pam said it would be fine, that I could talk Leadville with Tom. He spoke of the course, the aid stations, the cut offs, weather, packs, liquids and foods; I'm so happy they were at the ski hill today. Tom boosted my confidence in myself in finishing Leadville. I questioned running the ski hill and he confirmed this is the type of training I should be doing.
When I was feeling strong, a few hours earlier, I had told Greg it seemed LAME-OH to be running a ski hill when others were able to run miles of mountainous elevation. Well, in MN there isn't that opportunity so I guess I gotta do what I gotta do..ski hill is it. Tom said this is right where I should be.
I was soaked. My shorts were dripping. I can't remember a time when that occurred. I seem to be sweating more than ever lately. What's up with that? It is humid, about 75 F is all. Odd.
A few hours later and it was finally time to wrap up the day. I felt nauseated and beat. I did get many more repeats in this week than last, great improvement but man, I was exhausted! I was thankful my session was done.
6 hours on the ski hill is tougher than 11 hours on the Superior Hiking Trail for me. Last week after I finished the 40 miles I was planning the next 20 for the following day. Today I'm thinking about 20 tomorrow and thinking I hope my calves aren't stiff!
I grabbed all my stuff and walked the 1/2 mile to the car. I spotted a buck peeking at me down the trail. Rarely do I see bucks. He was majestic, beautiful and huge.
My calves twiched all of the way home. I arrived here and jumped into the cool pool. Ah, relief. A cold soak in the tub and a warm shower. More relief.
Next Saturday is Voyaguer 50 Mile. The first time I ran V I ran it in 14:30 with my friend, Marie. We missed the final cut off but they allowed us to finish since we seemed to have our wits about us. Paul Hasse was the sweep and followed us to the finish. The following year I finished in 12:30, then 11:45 Last year I didn't run as I ran Vermont 100 the week before. The year before that I ran V in 10:26, my PR for the course. I would like to beat the 10:26 but I keep telling myself this is a final long training run before Leadville. No need to push or rush. Relax and enjoy. I'll see how it goes. 10:25 PR would be pretty sweet.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
BETA III
Each year, mid spring, I send out an email to the MNDRS (Minnesota Dead Runners Society) list serve to see if anyone is interested in the BETA run on the Superior Hiking Trail. It has become an annual event. I look forward to it every year, as do others. Maria, Pierre, Duke and I have made it to each BETA. This year we had 12 turn out for the weekend of fun.
My plan was to leave Big Lake early so that I could run some of the SHT that I haven't seen before. Check in at the House Of Beauty wasn't until 4 PM. When I left Big Lake it was already 80F with a high of 95. When I arrived Lutsen it was 51F. Crap. I arrived in Lutsen at 930 and stopped in at Caribou Highlands. Vladimir offered me a ride back from Cascade State Park when I was finished with my run so I left my car there. I ran the section of the SHT from Lutsen to Caribou Trail to Cascade State Park. It was a great section of trail. Some hills, some runnable areas, Lake Agnes, it was beautiful. 18 miles later Vladimir picked me up and brought me back to Caribou Highlands. I still had a few hours so I ran up to Moose Mountain and back, another 12 miles. Moose was covered in fog. I couldn't see the trees off of the trail. It was kind of erie but very cool.
At 400 I pulled into our house for the weekend. It sits on the rocky Lake Superior shoreline. It's incredible. Really. Well, for $500 a night it should be, right?
Maria was at the house and Duke, Pierre and John had arrived and were already out running the trail and stashing water for the 40 mile run on Saturday.
The past two years we have had someone crew for us. The crew will meet us with water, food, etc at designated areas. This year we didn't have that luxury. We did pretty well without a crew, however.
After everyone arrived we had a great Mexican feast. Spicy chicken, rice, beans, salsas, chips, cilantro corn dish, queso, salads, amazing food items . We then figured out where we needed water and gels. We figured out where we would leave cars for the finish to get back to home base and how many cars we needed in the morning to transport ourselves to our start at Finland Rec Center, which is mile 50.5 of the Superior Sawtooth 100 mile run (or the start this year for the 50 mile run). Alicia, Helen, Jim, Holly, Maria and I deposited water jugs and gels at designated posts. With the water that Duke, John and Pierre dropped earlier we were all set.
Nancy and Tom were going to meet us at mile 22 or so 6 hours into the run. The thought was they would do some hiking, then if someone wasn't up for the full 40, they could catch a ride here back to the house at this point.
By 1030 we were all in bed, resting up for the run on the trail. It stormed. There was thunder and lightening and rain all night long. I was thinking that the run Saturday would be wet and slippery.
By 430 we were all awake, drinking coffee and eating breakfast. The sky was no longer stormy. By 500 we were nearing the start point and the sky was BLUE! It was going to be a great day.
We began our run at 516 AM. John and Duke would lead the pack as they are the speediest of the group. I figured they would finish in 9 - hours. I figured it would take the rest of us about 11-12 hours.
I couldn't help but run with a smile on my face. The morning was spectacular. It wasn't raining! The temperature was 51, a nice stiff wind, I was with a bunch of friends doing what I love to do. Within a few miles we heard a loon talking up a storm. He went on and on, probably calling for his mate.
Pretty soon I had removed my jacket. It was warming up nicely. I had on my Golite Rush pack with 42 oz of Heed, some powder Heed, gels, a few sandwiches and some nuts. I was ready for fun.
There really aren't any spectacular views from miles 50.5 to 80 of the 100 mile race. We began at Finland - mile 50.5 I don't really care for the Sonju Lake area as it is nothing but low land, roots and bugs. During the 100 I'm running this area at night so it is difficult getting over the roots, but in the daylight it isn't all that awesome. It kind of wears on a person. During the 100 mile race the first miles bring Bean and Bear Lake views which are spectacular, Mount Trudee which is real cool, the drain pipe which is awesome, the beaver dams which are way cool. The last 20 miles of the 100 bring Carlton Peak which is incredible..huge granite walls of rock which you don't see in MN anywhere else, Temperance River which is amazing and Moose Mountain. Those middle miles of the 100 are kind of crappy, in my opinion, in comparison to the rest of the trail that I have seen so far. I don't know why some people want the 50 mile to be point to point. For 2008 , it will now begin at Finland to Lutsen. It will be a much slower race, as the course will be more difficult, but the views are not great. I'd rather run the 50 out and back. Being able to climb Carlton peaks front and back, going across Moose Mountain 2x, than seeing all the roots of Sonju. Although, Manitou River is pretty, the 50 milers will see that section now. Still, I would prefer the 50 out and back.
Back to the Beta Run. We were having an absolute fun fest. Maria, Holly, Alicia, Jim and I were running in a pack. Duke and John were way ahead, then Pierre and then Helen were up ahead. Jeff was in between them and us.
We stopped at our drops and refilled our water bottles and bladders, filling up on gels and depositing our garbage into a ziploc bag. We were going to pick up the garbage and remaining jugs after our run.
As we made our way through the Sonju Lake area we were slipping and sliding on the board walks. Holly and I went across one board walk in particular and yelled back to Maria, Alicia and Jim "it is slippery, slow down!" they didn't hear us. I yelled "i stopped on that one, it's too slippery". They didn't hear us. We watched in fright as Maria was running fast and came to the board walk, taking one step, her legs came out from under her, she went down on her back, hard. Oh man. She really whacked herself. The board walk was like glare ice. Maria couldn't move her three fingers on one hand. As she righted herself and began to scoooch along the walk she tried moving her fingers. Eventually she was able to move them. They did swell and bruise. Pretty soon we noticed her pack was leaking. When she came down on her back, her pack cushioned her fall. Her bladder was punctured and her water was leaking out. She pulled out her bladder and ended up turning it upside down to save some of the water, the leak was near the spigot. She was in rough shape. We continued on through Manitou River. It's a steep descent, then a steep uphill. It isn't so bad early in a run, in the daylight but during the 100, in the night, it is plain old tough. Maria is going to have her aid station here. I am already looking forward to it! It's at the 100K mark of the 100 and for most of us, we will hit it before day light. I'll be moving slowly so will be able to have a full hot meal here before heading up river.
I looked at my watch and saw that we would probably miss Tom and Nancy. It was near 12 and I told them we would meet them at the next check point between 10 and 11. As we approached the check point we noticed a Red Bull can full of wild flowers! Nancy had been there. Sure enough, a few more steps and we came up to the check point and Tom and Nancy. Jeffrey was here too. He had reached the point 40 minutes earlier, had rested and refueled. He was ready to head out with us. Maria and Jim decided they were ready to call it a day. Maria was pretty sore from her fall. They would go back to the house and clean up, then meet us at other check points.
Alicia, Holly, Jeffrey and I took off for some more running of the Superior Hiking Trail. Alicia began to have some trouble with her stomach. Holly and I ran up ahead and increased our pace a bit. The next sections were more runnable than where we had been. We ran to the next aid point in 1:35 and waited for Jeffrey and Alicia. When they didn't appear in 15 minutes we decided to head on. I crushed an empty jug, opened up another that we had stashed and refilled my bottles. Holly now had Nancy's pack so she refilled her bladder, we ate and headed out. Holly and I had a great conversation and a wonderful time running together. We had never run together before so had plenty to talk about. Pretty soon we were nearing Temperance, one of my favorite sections, and we saw Maria and Jim coming toward us. They hadn't seen Jefferey and Alicia at the last check point. I told Maria we waited, then left. She said she saw a crushed water container, that this was the sign Jefferey had gone through. I told her I crushed the water container! Now I was worried that I had messed up and left Alicia and Jefferey high and dry. It almost made me vomit. What if I because I crushed the jug, causing Maria to clean the aid, leaving them without water and gels. Oh no. I felt horrible. I hoped that they had made it through before Maria and Jim arrived.
Holly had run her longest run ever! 35 (?) miles on the SHT! She was finished. I was going to run the last leg of our planned run, from Temperance to Britton Peak, one of my favorite sections, 7 miles. The Temperance River was full and the waterfalls were crashing. It was a beautiful sight. I ran along, enjoying myself, reflecting on the fun day I had. I still felt strong and was excited to see Carlton Peak.
I was becoming hungry. So far I had been drinking Heed and taking gels, plus I had a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I remembered that Nancy gave me a baggie of trail mix that Jeff had stuck into my pack. I began to think about how good that mix would taste. After thinking about the nuts and pineapple and blueberries for 15 minutes I finally stopped and removed the mix from my pack. Oh, it was as wonderful as I had imagined it would be! I guzzled Heed and ate a fair amount of trail mix, now I was ready to finish this run up. As I came to Carlton Peak, taking in the huge granite rock wall I realized that this section was longer than I had thought. I had forgotten about the 1.5 miles to Britton. Dang. All of a sudden the remaining 1.5 miles was a dreary trudge. I wanted to be done. It's amazing how the brain can change everything. 1.5 miles seemed daunting. I laughed at myself. If I can be excited about a 40 mile run, surely a 1.5 mile section isn't going to exhaust me.
Finally I ran onto Sawbill Trail. I was finished. 11:40 for the run. Holly's car was at the finish. She gave me her keys at Temperance where she finished. There was a jug of water in front of her car she left. I guzzled most of the gallon of water and stretched out, went to the bathroom, removed my pack and felt totally relaxed. It was a great run.
Pretty soon I found myself driving to Finland Rec Center, where my car was. I had left it at the start. I was craving the Diet Pepsi that I had in the back of my car. Before I made it to Finland I realized I was driving Holly's car and surely couldn't drive the two cars back to the house. Sheesh! I turned around and went back to Tofte. Ultra Brain.
I pulled into our lot and went to the house, asking if someone could take me to my car. I didn't want to shower, eat and still have the hour drive to pick up my car and come back. I'd be exhausted. I wanted to get that over with and then enjoy the evening. Jim, Duke, John and I went to Finland. The first thing I did was ask Jim about Jefferey and Alicia and the aid. Thank goodness, they had made it through the check point before Maria did. They refilled and refueled. They stopped at Temperance. I had wasted so much energy worrying about them. I was so relieved to hear that everything went well.
John and Duke finished in 8:16! Faster than I thought they would. Pierre and Helen came in a few hours later.
After returning home I quickly checked in with everyone. John had grilled burgers, there was a ton of food on the table. I took a shower and ate Nancy's asparagus/carrot bake with 5 scrambled eggs. I was hungry! We cleaned up the dishes and spent the evening visiting. At about 10 Duke decided to build a fire on the rocky shoreline. By 1130 everyone was snug in bed, exhausted from a fine day of running and fresh air.
Sunday morning and everyone was up by 630. Pierre brought cheese, bread and wine; Maria had cinnamon rolls, I made eggs, Holly had a sweet potato bake, there was fruit, great coffee; another fine meal.
We packed up and said we'd be back for more next year. Maybe three nights, with a trip to the Canadian border. We will be marking BETA IV on the calendar for next July.
Before going home I wanted to run the new section of the SHT through Duluth. Unfortunately, the SHT store was closed in Two Harbors and neither of the two gas stations that I stopped at to ask employees for SHT maps had a clue as to what I was asking for. I finally had to call home, have Tyler look up the SHT website. He let me know there were maps at Thompson Hill rest area. I always stop there on the way out of town!
I stopped by the rest area and sure enough, there were maps of the SHT going through Duluth. I grabbed what I needed and headed off to find the Rose Garden off of London Road. There were the blue blazes! I couldn't believe it. On the trail the blue blazes are on the trees and rocks, guiding me along the trail. Here in town, the blazes were on the telephone poles. I couldn't get lost! I crossed London Road and followed a few blocks to Chester Creek Trail to Skyline Parkway. It was awesome. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt, following blue blazes and my map through town.
Before I knew it I was near UMD and then into the woods. I ran along and took in the new views, views that I had never seen before. I was quite proud of myself for not becoming lost. As I reached the nature center I looked at my watch and realized I needed to turn around and get back to my car and head home. I followed my trail, in reverse and was able to make my way back. I did become a bit confused once I was nearing London Road. A quick check of my map to get the street numbers straight and I was back on track. I think I covered 15+ miles here. What a great trail. I think I'll make a day trip and cover another section of the trail near Duluth.
I had an incredible weekend on the Superior Hiking Trail. Total mileage for the three days was roughly 85 miles. As great as it was, it sure is nice to be back home! After being at the cabin for a few days and off to Lutsen it seems like I have been gone quite a bit.
Steve and the boys returned from the lake, they had a fabulous time. Troy was so exhausted, he slept until 930 this morning. He NEVER sleeps past 630. I couldn't believe that he was still sleeping when Topaz and I came home from our run.
Both boys played baseball tonight. Luckily they both played at the 4 plex so I could watch both of them. They are wrapping up their seasons. Tyler is done tonight and Troy only has a week left. Summer is winding down. Boohoo. No Twins until Friday as it is the All Star break. We're watching the Home Run Derby. I don't care for it. We have tickets for Saturday's game against Texas. Don't know what I'll do with so much time on my hands as the boys finish up baseball. I'm sure I can think of something :)
I have two loaves of bread in the oven and it's getting late. I'll post pictures of BETA III tomorrow.
My plan was to leave Big Lake early so that I could run some of the SHT that I haven't seen before. Check in at the House Of Beauty wasn't until 4 PM. When I left Big Lake it was already 80F with a high of 95. When I arrived Lutsen it was 51F. Crap. I arrived in Lutsen at 930 and stopped in at Caribou Highlands. Vladimir offered me a ride back from Cascade State Park when I was finished with my run so I left my car there. I ran the section of the SHT from Lutsen to Caribou Trail to Cascade State Park. It was a great section of trail. Some hills, some runnable areas, Lake Agnes, it was beautiful. 18 miles later Vladimir picked me up and brought me back to Caribou Highlands. I still had a few hours so I ran up to Moose Mountain and back, another 12 miles. Moose was covered in fog. I couldn't see the trees off of the trail. It was kind of erie but very cool.
At 400 I pulled into our house for the weekend. It sits on the rocky Lake Superior shoreline. It's incredible. Really. Well, for $500 a night it should be, right?
Maria was at the house and Duke, Pierre and John had arrived and were already out running the trail and stashing water for the 40 mile run on Saturday.
The past two years we have had someone crew for us. The crew will meet us with water, food, etc at designated areas. This year we didn't have that luxury. We did pretty well without a crew, however.
After everyone arrived we had a great Mexican feast. Spicy chicken, rice, beans, salsas, chips, cilantro corn dish, queso, salads, amazing food items . We then figured out where we needed water and gels. We figured out where we would leave cars for the finish to get back to home base and how many cars we needed in the morning to transport ourselves to our start at Finland Rec Center, which is mile 50.5 of the Superior Sawtooth 100 mile run (or the start this year for the 50 mile run). Alicia, Helen, Jim, Holly, Maria and I deposited water jugs and gels at designated posts. With the water that Duke, John and Pierre dropped earlier we were all set.
Nancy and Tom were going to meet us at mile 22 or so 6 hours into the run. The thought was they would do some hiking, then if someone wasn't up for the full 40, they could catch a ride here back to the house at this point.
By 1030 we were all in bed, resting up for the run on the trail. It stormed. There was thunder and lightening and rain all night long. I was thinking that the run Saturday would be wet and slippery.
By 430 we were all awake, drinking coffee and eating breakfast. The sky was no longer stormy. By 500 we were nearing the start point and the sky was BLUE! It was going to be a great day.
We began our run at 516 AM. John and Duke would lead the pack as they are the speediest of the group. I figured they would finish in 9 - hours. I figured it would take the rest of us about 11-12 hours.
I couldn't help but run with a smile on my face. The morning was spectacular. It wasn't raining! The temperature was 51, a nice stiff wind, I was with a bunch of friends doing what I love to do. Within a few miles we heard a loon talking up a storm. He went on and on, probably calling for his mate.
Pretty soon I had removed my jacket. It was warming up nicely. I had on my Golite Rush pack with 42 oz of Heed, some powder Heed, gels, a few sandwiches and some nuts. I was ready for fun.
There really aren't any spectacular views from miles 50.5 to 80 of the 100 mile race. We began at Finland - mile 50.5 I don't really care for the Sonju Lake area as it is nothing but low land, roots and bugs. During the 100 I'm running this area at night so it is difficult getting over the roots, but in the daylight it isn't all that awesome. It kind of wears on a person. During the 100 mile race the first miles bring Bean and Bear Lake views which are spectacular, Mount Trudee which is real cool, the drain pipe which is awesome, the beaver dams which are way cool. The last 20 miles of the 100 bring Carlton Peak which is incredible..huge granite walls of rock which you don't see in MN anywhere else, Temperance River which is amazing and Moose Mountain. Those middle miles of the 100 are kind of crappy, in my opinion, in comparison to the rest of the trail that I have seen so far. I don't know why some people want the 50 mile to be point to point. For 2008 , it will now begin at Finland to Lutsen. It will be a much slower race, as the course will be more difficult, but the views are not great. I'd rather run the 50 out and back. Being able to climb Carlton peaks front and back, going across Moose Mountain 2x, than seeing all the roots of Sonju. Although, Manitou River is pretty, the 50 milers will see that section now. Still, I would prefer the 50 out and back.
Back to the Beta Run. We were having an absolute fun fest. Maria, Holly, Alicia, Jim and I were running in a pack. Duke and John were way ahead, then Pierre and then Helen were up ahead. Jeff was in between them and us.
We stopped at our drops and refilled our water bottles and bladders, filling up on gels and depositing our garbage into a ziploc bag. We were going to pick up the garbage and remaining jugs after our run.
As we made our way through the Sonju Lake area we were slipping and sliding on the board walks. Holly and I went across one board walk in particular and yelled back to Maria, Alicia and Jim "it is slippery, slow down!" they didn't hear us. I yelled "i stopped on that one, it's too slippery". They didn't hear us. We watched in fright as Maria was running fast and came to the board walk, taking one step, her legs came out from under her, she went down on her back, hard. Oh man. She really whacked herself. The board walk was like glare ice. Maria couldn't move her three fingers on one hand. As she righted herself and began to scoooch along the walk she tried moving her fingers. Eventually she was able to move them. They did swell and bruise. Pretty soon we noticed her pack was leaking. When she came down on her back, her pack cushioned her fall. Her bladder was punctured and her water was leaking out. She pulled out her bladder and ended up turning it upside down to save some of the water, the leak was near the spigot. She was in rough shape. We continued on through Manitou River. It's a steep descent, then a steep uphill. It isn't so bad early in a run, in the daylight but during the 100, in the night, it is plain old tough. Maria is going to have her aid station here. I am already looking forward to it! It's at the 100K mark of the 100 and for most of us, we will hit it before day light. I'll be moving slowly so will be able to have a full hot meal here before heading up river.
I looked at my watch and saw that we would probably miss Tom and Nancy. It was near 12 and I told them we would meet them at the next check point between 10 and 11. As we approached the check point we noticed a Red Bull can full of wild flowers! Nancy had been there. Sure enough, a few more steps and we came up to the check point and Tom and Nancy. Jeffrey was here too. He had reached the point 40 minutes earlier, had rested and refueled. He was ready to head out with us. Maria and Jim decided they were ready to call it a day. Maria was pretty sore from her fall. They would go back to the house and clean up, then meet us at other check points.
Alicia, Holly, Jeffrey and I took off for some more running of the Superior Hiking Trail. Alicia began to have some trouble with her stomach. Holly and I ran up ahead and increased our pace a bit. The next sections were more runnable than where we had been. We ran to the next aid point in 1:35 and waited for Jeffrey and Alicia. When they didn't appear in 15 minutes we decided to head on. I crushed an empty jug, opened up another that we had stashed and refilled my bottles. Holly now had Nancy's pack so she refilled her bladder, we ate and headed out. Holly and I had a great conversation and a wonderful time running together. We had never run together before so had plenty to talk about. Pretty soon we were nearing Temperance, one of my favorite sections, and we saw Maria and Jim coming toward us. They hadn't seen Jefferey and Alicia at the last check point. I told Maria we waited, then left. She said she saw a crushed water container, that this was the sign Jefferey had gone through. I told her I crushed the water container! Now I was worried that I had messed up and left Alicia and Jefferey high and dry. It almost made me vomit. What if I because I crushed the jug, causing Maria to clean the aid, leaving them without water and gels. Oh no. I felt horrible. I hoped that they had made it through before Maria and Jim arrived.
Holly had run her longest run ever! 35 (?) miles on the SHT! She was finished. I was going to run the last leg of our planned run, from Temperance to Britton Peak, one of my favorite sections, 7 miles. The Temperance River was full and the waterfalls were crashing. It was a beautiful sight. I ran along, enjoying myself, reflecting on the fun day I had. I still felt strong and was excited to see Carlton Peak.
I was becoming hungry. So far I had been drinking Heed and taking gels, plus I had a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I remembered that Nancy gave me a baggie of trail mix that Jeff had stuck into my pack. I began to think about how good that mix would taste. After thinking about the nuts and pineapple and blueberries for 15 minutes I finally stopped and removed the mix from my pack. Oh, it was as wonderful as I had imagined it would be! I guzzled Heed and ate a fair amount of trail mix, now I was ready to finish this run up. As I came to Carlton Peak, taking in the huge granite rock wall I realized that this section was longer than I had thought. I had forgotten about the 1.5 miles to Britton. Dang. All of a sudden the remaining 1.5 miles was a dreary trudge. I wanted to be done. It's amazing how the brain can change everything. 1.5 miles seemed daunting. I laughed at myself. If I can be excited about a 40 mile run, surely a 1.5 mile section isn't going to exhaust me.
Finally I ran onto Sawbill Trail. I was finished. 11:40 for the run. Holly's car was at the finish. She gave me her keys at Temperance where she finished. There was a jug of water in front of her car she left. I guzzled most of the gallon of water and stretched out, went to the bathroom, removed my pack and felt totally relaxed. It was a great run.
Pretty soon I found myself driving to Finland Rec Center, where my car was. I had left it at the start. I was craving the Diet Pepsi that I had in the back of my car. Before I made it to Finland I realized I was driving Holly's car and surely couldn't drive the two cars back to the house. Sheesh! I turned around and went back to Tofte. Ultra Brain.
I pulled into our lot and went to the house, asking if someone could take me to my car. I didn't want to shower, eat and still have the hour drive to pick up my car and come back. I'd be exhausted. I wanted to get that over with and then enjoy the evening. Jim, Duke, John and I went to Finland. The first thing I did was ask Jim about Jefferey and Alicia and the aid. Thank goodness, they had made it through the check point before Maria did. They refilled and refueled. They stopped at Temperance. I had wasted so much energy worrying about them. I was so relieved to hear that everything went well.
John and Duke finished in 8:16! Faster than I thought they would. Pierre and Helen came in a few hours later.
After returning home I quickly checked in with everyone. John had grilled burgers, there was a ton of food on the table. I took a shower and ate Nancy's asparagus/carrot bake with 5 scrambled eggs. I was hungry! We cleaned up the dishes and spent the evening visiting. At about 10 Duke decided to build a fire on the rocky shoreline. By 1130 everyone was snug in bed, exhausted from a fine day of running and fresh air.
Sunday morning and everyone was up by 630. Pierre brought cheese, bread and wine; Maria had cinnamon rolls, I made eggs, Holly had a sweet potato bake, there was fruit, great coffee; another fine meal.
We packed up and said we'd be back for more next year. Maybe three nights, with a trip to the Canadian border. We will be marking BETA IV on the calendar for next July.
Before going home I wanted to run the new section of the SHT through Duluth. Unfortunately, the SHT store was closed in Two Harbors and neither of the two gas stations that I stopped at to ask employees for SHT maps had a clue as to what I was asking for. I finally had to call home, have Tyler look up the SHT website. He let me know there were maps at Thompson Hill rest area. I always stop there on the way out of town!
I stopped by the rest area and sure enough, there were maps of the SHT going through Duluth. I grabbed what I needed and headed off to find the Rose Garden off of London Road. There were the blue blazes! I couldn't believe it. On the trail the blue blazes are on the trees and rocks, guiding me along the trail. Here in town, the blazes were on the telephone poles. I couldn't get lost! I crossed London Road and followed a few blocks to Chester Creek Trail to Skyline Parkway. It was awesome. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt, following blue blazes and my map through town.
Before I knew it I was near UMD and then into the woods. I ran along and took in the new views, views that I had never seen before. I was quite proud of myself for not becoming lost. As I reached the nature center I looked at my watch and realized I needed to turn around and get back to my car and head home. I followed my trail, in reverse and was able to make my way back. I did become a bit confused once I was nearing London Road. A quick check of my map to get the street numbers straight and I was back on track. I think I covered 15+ miles here. What a great trail. I think I'll make a day trip and cover another section of the trail near Duluth.
I had an incredible weekend on the Superior Hiking Trail. Total mileage for the three days was roughly 85 miles. As great as it was, it sure is nice to be back home! After being at the cabin for a few days and off to Lutsen it seems like I have been gone quite a bit.
Steve and the boys returned from the lake, they had a fabulous time. Troy was so exhausted, he slept until 930 this morning. He NEVER sleeps past 630. I couldn't believe that he was still sleeping when Topaz and I came home from our run.
Both boys played baseball tonight. Luckily they both played at the 4 plex so I could watch both of them. They are wrapping up their seasons. Tyler is done tonight and Troy only has a week left. Summer is winding down. Boohoo. No Twins until Friday as it is the All Star break. We're watching the Home Run Derby. I don't care for it. We have tickets for Saturday's game against Texas. Don't know what I'll do with so much time on my hands as the boys finish up baseball. I'm sure I can think of something :)
I have two loaves of bread in the oven and it's getting late. I'll post pictures of BETA III tomorrow.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Hammerin' Hyland
After running repeats at Hyland last Sunday I had stiff calves until Friday. I couldn't believe how stiff I was. I was hoping it would go away before Afton. It finally did, but man, it held on for dear life.
Today I was at it again. Abusing my body, breaking it down, so that it can recover, rebuild and become stronger than it was yesterday.
I live 70 miles from Hyland and in rush hour, heading toward Minneapolis/St Paul, is a recipe for a long frickin' commute. Sometimes two hours. Instead of facing that crap, which I left when I began to work for the school district in Big Lake, I left home at 4AM so I could skip rush hour and arrive Hyland at 5. I made it in an hour flat. Good omen.
I carried my cooler of Heed, gels, iPod, cell, ice and water up the trail from the lot to the hill. The sun rose, the birds awoke; it was a glorious morning. Up and down the hill I trudged. I do trudge. I'm not exactly graceful. As I am running down the hill it feels like my teeth could fall from my mouth. I'm bombing down as fast as I can go. Sometimes I fall. At the bottom of the hill I turn around and run up to the second ski lift pole, then the trudge is on. Up up up I go. Trudge trudge trudge.
My plan was to run repeats from 5 to 11. That I did. I counted out 60, just because I counted out 60 last week and then stopped. I figured I needed to surpass 60 in order to improve. I counted 10 more and then told myself no more counting. From now on I am only counting hours.
As I was bombing down hill I noticed a woman with a huge pack on her back running along the gravel road. She had grey hair and looked to be in her 60's. Eventually she made her way to the hill and I introduced myself to her. Her name is Rosie. She is 64 years old. She is at Hyland with a back pack, getting ready to head out to Montana to hike with her son and grandchildren. She won't have her son having to wait for her to catch up. She's going to be hiking right with him. My eyes filled with tears when she told me so. I was in awe. I told her so. I told her how much I respected her and how awesome I thought she was. She couldn't imagine going out to run 100 miles in Leadville Colorado.
I want to be just like Rosie when I'm 64. Out at Hyland with a pack on my back. Getting ready to hike in the mountains with my boys and their children. I don't think it gets any better than that. Rock on Rosie!
At 1100 I was ready to head home. It was 84F. By the time I arrived Anytime Fitness for an hour of legs it was 61F in Big Lake! A storm passed through while I was gone. I heard on the radio it went through Bloomington with golf ball sized hail, straight line winds in excess of 50 miles an hour. I'm glad I hit was hammerin' Hyland early today and was out of the area before Mother Nature hammered away.
So legs:
Barbell Squat: 210x12x4
Press: 280x12x4
Ham Curl: 105x12x4
Extension: 120x12x4
Deads: 100x12x4
And the leggies are tired. Tonight I coach my evening Beginning Runner Group. They may outrun me!
Three days running the Superior Hiking Trail is up next. Steve and Troy are limiting out on walley and northern on Lake Vermilion. They'll be home Sunday, too.
Run On!
Today I was at it again. Abusing my body, breaking it down, so that it can recover, rebuild and become stronger than it was yesterday.
I live 70 miles from Hyland and in rush hour, heading toward Minneapolis/St Paul, is a recipe for a long frickin' commute. Sometimes two hours. Instead of facing that crap, which I left when I began to work for the school district in Big Lake, I left home at 4AM so I could skip rush hour and arrive Hyland at 5. I made it in an hour flat. Good omen.
I carried my cooler of Heed, gels, iPod, cell, ice and water up the trail from the lot to the hill. The sun rose, the birds awoke; it was a glorious morning. Up and down the hill I trudged. I do trudge. I'm not exactly graceful. As I am running down the hill it feels like my teeth could fall from my mouth. I'm bombing down as fast as I can go. Sometimes I fall. At the bottom of the hill I turn around and run up to the second ski lift pole, then the trudge is on. Up up up I go. Trudge trudge trudge.
My plan was to run repeats from 5 to 11. That I did. I counted out 60, just because I counted out 60 last week and then stopped. I figured I needed to surpass 60 in order to improve. I counted 10 more and then told myself no more counting. From now on I am only counting hours.
As I was bombing down hill I noticed a woman with a huge pack on her back running along the gravel road. She had grey hair and looked to be in her 60's. Eventually she made her way to the hill and I introduced myself to her. Her name is Rosie. She is 64 years old. She is at Hyland with a back pack, getting ready to head out to Montana to hike with her son and grandchildren. She won't have her son having to wait for her to catch up. She's going to be hiking right with him. My eyes filled with tears when she told me so. I was in awe. I told her so. I told her how much I respected her and how awesome I thought she was. She couldn't imagine going out to run 100 miles in Leadville Colorado.
I want to be just like Rosie when I'm 64. Out at Hyland with a pack on my back. Getting ready to hike in the mountains with my boys and their children. I don't think it gets any better than that. Rock on Rosie!
At 1100 I was ready to head home. It was 84F. By the time I arrived Anytime Fitness for an hour of legs it was 61F in Big Lake! A storm passed through while I was gone. I heard on the radio it went through Bloomington with golf ball sized hail, straight line winds in excess of 50 miles an hour. I'm glad I hit was hammerin' Hyland early today and was out of the area before Mother Nature hammered away.
So legs:
Barbell Squat: 210x12x4
Press: 280x12x4
Ham Curl: 105x12x4
Extension: 120x12x4
Deads: 100x12x4
And the leggies are tired. Tonight I coach my evening Beginning Runner Group. They may outrun me!
Three days running the Superior Hiking Trail is up next. Steve and Troy are limiting out on walley and northern on Lake Vermilion. They'll be home Sunday, too.
Run On!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Afton 50K
Jason Husveth shot many many photos of the race on Saturday. He was able to get a shot of almost every runner during the day.
The photos Jason shot can be viewed here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jasonhusveth
Thank you, Jason!
The photos Jason shot can be viewed here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jasonhusveth
Thank you, Jason!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)