Sunday, October 26, 2008
Anoka Gray Ghost 5K
Yesterday 4 of my runners and myself ran the Anoka Gray Ghost 5K. It would be Jen and Laurie's first race! They were both very nervous about running a 5K so at our Monday class we switched up the schedule and bumped up to a 10 minute run/2 minute walk x 3. They finished the workout beautifully, giving each of them a bit more confidence.
Carol and Kimm were running the race as well; Carol was in my first class this summer and is still running strong, losing weight and becoming faster. Kimm was in my first class and is now my Beginners II class, completing tough workouts and knocking off time as she races.
I told the girls I would pick them up and drive us all to the race. Kimm was going to go with her hubby. Carol, Jen, Laurie and I were a bundle of energy, talking about the race, the fears, the expectations. It was so much fun! I thrive on this stuff.
It was a beautiful, sunny, breezy day; about 50 degrees. We left in plenty of time to find a place to park and pick up our numbers.
The race is the beginning of the Anoka Halloween Parade. My gosh, the people really come out for this one. I looked at the results last year and there were 1400 that ran the race! There were that many (or more) watching the parade. It was crazy. Many of the registrants dressed in Halloween garb. It was quite interesting to people watch as we waited for the start of the race.
We all walked to the back of the crowd to begin. We were with some big orange dice, some people that had actual pumpkins carved for their heads (smashing pumpkins) and other unique costumes.
We heard the blare of a horn and we were off! Off and walking..it was very congested and we were way in the back. Eventually we came out into the open and could run. There were many many spectators cheering us on, it was quite an affair. I was running down the Main Street of Anoka, then turning into the surrounding neighborhoods.
I ran this race as my second race ever, 8 years ago, or so. It has certainly grown since then. I was shocked to look at my watch at mile 1 and see 737; mile 2 at 1530. A bit after 2 miles we turned back the way we had started and were able to see the other runners. I saw Kimm, Jen and Laurie and Carol. It was great to see them all on their way!
I came in at 2414; stood in the chute to give my tag and turned back to get pictures of the girls coming in. Pretty soon Kimm came along, looking strong and happy, then Laurie and Jen, running the whole race together! I looked for Carol and missed her finish, darnet!
We collected our long sleeved Halloween finisher shirts, had apples and water and walked back to the car.
What a great day! Jen and Laurie were both talking about the next race and Carol wants to take 36 seconds off during her next one; all good indications that they will keep on running!
I just love this. To be able to show others that they CAN run, that it can be a life changing experience, that running can be fun and something they can do alone or with others. This is what I love to do. For Jen and Laurie, their doubts floated away, they finished their race when they really weren't sure that they would be able to. I'm so glad that I had a part to play in their first race.
We were a car full of smiles and laughs driving back to Big Lake.
Way to go, girls!
Carol and Kimm were running the race as well; Carol was in my first class this summer and is still running strong, losing weight and becoming faster. Kimm was in my first class and is now my Beginners II class, completing tough workouts and knocking off time as she races.
I told the girls I would pick them up and drive us all to the race. Kimm was going to go with her hubby. Carol, Jen, Laurie and I were a bundle of energy, talking about the race, the fears, the expectations. It was so much fun! I thrive on this stuff.
It was a beautiful, sunny, breezy day; about 50 degrees. We left in plenty of time to find a place to park and pick up our numbers.
The race is the beginning of the Anoka Halloween Parade. My gosh, the people really come out for this one. I looked at the results last year and there were 1400 that ran the race! There were that many (or more) watching the parade. It was crazy. Many of the registrants dressed in Halloween garb. It was quite interesting to people watch as we waited for the start of the race.
We all walked to the back of the crowd to begin. We were with some big orange dice, some people that had actual pumpkins carved for their heads (smashing pumpkins) and other unique costumes.
We heard the blare of a horn and we were off! Off and walking..it was very congested and we were way in the back. Eventually we came out into the open and could run. There were many many spectators cheering us on, it was quite an affair. I was running down the Main Street of Anoka, then turning into the surrounding neighborhoods.
I ran this race as my second race ever, 8 years ago, or so. It has certainly grown since then. I was shocked to look at my watch at mile 1 and see 737; mile 2 at 1530. A bit after 2 miles we turned back the way we had started and were able to see the other runners. I saw Kimm, Jen and Laurie and Carol. It was great to see them all on their way!
I came in at 2414; stood in the chute to give my tag and turned back to get pictures of the girls coming in. Pretty soon Kimm came along, looking strong and happy, then Laurie and Jen, running the whole race together! I looked for Carol and missed her finish, darnet!
We collected our long sleeved Halloween finisher shirts, had apples and water and walked back to the car.
What a great day! Jen and Laurie were both talking about the next race and Carol wants to take 36 seconds off during her next one; all good indications that they will keep on running!
I just love this. To be able to show others that they CAN run, that it can be a life changing experience, that running can be fun and something they can do alone or with others. This is what I love to do. For Jen and Laurie, their doubts floated away, they finished their race when they really weren't sure that they would be able to. I'm so glad that I had a part to play in their first race.
We were a car full of smiles and laughs driving back to Big Lake.
Way to go, girls!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Girl Power
3:00 PM. Turn off my computer. Clean up my desk. Change out of work clothes into running clothes. Gloves for the first time.
Pouring rain. Wind. Cold. 38F. Co-worker "I don't think they'll show up for a run today, do you? It's cold out. They aren't rain runners. They are fair weather runners" I think to myself "well, I think they'd at least let me know if they weren't going to show up today"
3:15. Driving cold rain. Wind. Cold. Here they come! Laura and Kimm. Are we running? Yes! Brrr. There's Heidi! Hills today. We'll run 2.5 miles to the big hill, 10 hill repeats and return to the school. It'll be OK. Heidi "OK, but I brought my gym bag. If I ditch you guys, I'm going to the gym" "OK".
Run run run. Warm up, run run run. Talk about past races. Kimm and Heidi have run 3 of them now, Laura 2. The first one was the Granite City 5K in St Cloud this August. They weren't runners before . They are now! They can run 5 miles without stopping.
Up the hill..little steps, pump your arms, relax your shoulders, turn around and go down, down to the sign. Back on up. 10 times.
Feel it in the butt, in the hamstrings, getting tired.
Half way there! Brrrr..driving cold wind and rain.
We continue .. and laugh .. and finish 10 repeats! Run back to the school. Walk to the parking lot to cool down..stretch.
They did it! 6+ miles, hills, 85 minutes. They wouldn't have completed the workout alone..in the rain....but when there is group waiting, a date set, you can bet they will be there!
Girl Power. Cheers to Heidi, Kimm and Laura. They make me proud :)
Pouring rain. Wind. Cold. 38F. Co-worker "I don't think they'll show up for a run today, do you? It's cold out. They aren't rain runners. They are fair weather runners" I think to myself "well, I think they'd at least let me know if they weren't going to show up today"
3:15. Driving cold rain. Wind. Cold. Here they come! Laura and Kimm. Are we running? Yes! Brrr. There's Heidi! Hills today. We'll run 2.5 miles to the big hill, 10 hill repeats and return to the school. It'll be OK. Heidi "OK, but I brought my gym bag. If I ditch you guys, I'm going to the gym" "OK".
Run run run. Warm up, run run run. Talk about past races. Kimm and Heidi have run 3 of them now, Laura 2. The first one was the Granite City 5K in St Cloud this August. They weren't runners before . They are now! They can run 5 miles without stopping.
Up the hill..little steps, pump your arms, relax your shoulders, turn around and go down, down to the sign. Back on up. 10 times.
Feel it in the butt, in the hamstrings, getting tired.
Half way there! Brrrr..driving cold wind and rain.
We continue .. and laugh .. and finish 10 repeats! Run back to the school. Walk to the parking lot to cool down..stretch.
They did it! 6+ miles, hills, 85 minutes. They wouldn't have completed the workout alone..in the rain....but when there is group waiting, a date set, you can bet they will be there!
Girl Power. Cheers to Heidi, Kimm and Laura. They make me proud :)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Run On Troy Man!
The Big Lake Hornets 7th Grade Football Team ended the season with only one loss the last game of the season. They lost to Princeton, who went undefeated. Great season Boys!Monday, October 13, 2008
Glacial Trail
I don't know when I have posted a race report a full day after the event. I arrived home last night, worked today, led my beginning running group and watched two football games out in the cold. I'm now baking cream puffs for Carol's birthday celebration tomorrow. I hope I have created enough to bring to the UMTR meeting tomorrow night as I will have no time to pull together anything else.
Hence, the late race report. Well, late in my world.
I haven't been to Glacial Trail before. I had heard that the course was a bit rougher than Ice Age. I would agree. Glacial Trail is a bit rockier, a bit hillier than Ice Age; but not anything like Superior Hiking Trail.
Leaving home at around 230 meant that I wouldn't arrive Greenbush WI until 900 PM or so. I had 101 things to wrap up Saturday morning so I had a later than usual start. The drive was incredibly boring. Gas is still $3.40 a gallon in parts of WI, here I was getting used to paying $2.64 in MN! Actually, I paid $2.56 in Coon Rapids last night. Woohoo!
I was shocked to see that they still smoke in public places in WI. I stopped in at a Subway and it was like walking into a bar in MN in the old days. A blue haze filled the restaurant, there were little gold tin ashtrays on the tables filled with cigarette butts and smoking patrons. It turned my stomach. Blech.
Somehow I became lost in Fondulac. The highway exit I needed to take was closed and the detour detoured me into an industrial park. It was dark, 800 PM and I just wanted to curl in a ball, cry, and have someone save me. That didn't happen. I found a gas station, asked directions, couldn't find my way, asked an another gas station and finally found my way out of Fondulac.
I was very excited to finally reach my roommates at AmericInn in Greenbush. Pierre and Kevin were in bed ready to snooze by the time I finally arrived. Pierre moved to the floor and gave me his bed. What a guy.
Yesterday morning as we walked to the car the first thing we noticed was how WARM it was at the early hour. I knew a hot one was on tap.
We received our sweatshirts, bags of hammer products and magazines in our race packets. The race headquarters was located in a very nice building with running water, banquet rooms, a very nice place to hold a race.
As I started out I couldn't believe how warm it was. I only needed shorts and a sleeveless top. What a switch from one week earlier, at Twin Cities Marathon!
The start of the race went through town a bit, on township roads, until we came to the Ice Age Trail. It was beautiful. Heavily wooded with oaks turning reds and rusts, birch areas all yellow, maple stands full of reds and oranges, just spectacular! There were even pine stands with soft needles to run upon. Most of the race was well covered with trees, there weren't many exposed areas, but when I came out into a field prairie section I could feel the heat. It was hot.
86F was the high Sunday, with 90% humidity. Crazy warm! I loved it though. I could have used another handheld as the aid stations were 7 miles apart, but I didn't realize it was going to be quite so warm. I was trying to conserve my drink but always came up dry. I didn't swell at all, interesting because they served Gatorade instead of Heed and I again didn't take any S or ECaps. Hmmm..
The volunteers were top notch as was the race director. The race was well organized, well marked..oh, I missed a turn. My own fault. I disregarded one of my rules. NEVER FOLLOW THE RUNNER IN FRONT OF YOU, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE COURSE MARKINGS. I failed my third rule. Instead of following the course markings, one mile out of aid station 1, I followed Brett and another girl, and went off trail for 11 minutes. We then realized we were not on the trail and headed back 11 minutes. I was so sad! I was running very well and fast for me, but dang, I screwed up. I kept berating myself about it and then finally told myself to let it go and eventually I did. But then I thought about it again at the end of the race and kept on thinking "hmmm..take 22 minutes off and..." you know. Forget it. It is what it is.
Oh my gosh, my legs were SO tired on the way back! The course is an out and back, which I love, as I can see everyone on the course. I couldn't wait to begin going back. I definitely felt Twin Cities Marathon on my legs, as well as all of the miles I've been putting in.
I began to fall. One, two, three times..then four. I then made a mental note to slow down and take it easy. I wasn't going to be able to make up that 22 minutes SO LET IT GO! I did. Again.
I caught Pierre before the last aid station on the way back. We were dragging ass. Pierre and I both ran TCM last Sunday. I was so hot. There were a ton of bees and wasps and gnats and lady bugs that had all come out for the beautiful day of summer. As I was having my bottle filled the bees were just hovering around it.
What a beautiful day. What a beautiful trail. An awesome race. I'm not sure where I finished, I left before the awards so that I could get back home. It was a l o n g drive.
I failed my 4th rule: THE HOURS DRIVEN MUST BE LESS THAN THE HOURS RUN. Dang! This drive was longer than my hours run.
I've never failed at my rules before. Two rules failed in one race.
I was planning on running Nerstrand next weekend as my hunters will be gone again..but alas, I think I'll run a nice little route with Topaz on the Blue Hill Trail, instead. Home. Sweet. Home.
Hence, the late race report. Well, late in my world.
I haven't been to Glacial Trail before. I had heard that the course was a bit rougher than Ice Age. I would agree. Glacial Trail is a bit rockier, a bit hillier than Ice Age; but not anything like Superior Hiking Trail.
Leaving home at around 230 meant that I wouldn't arrive Greenbush WI until 900 PM or so. I had 101 things to wrap up Saturday morning so I had a later than usual start. The drive was incredibly boring. Gas is still $3.40 a gallon in parts of WI, here I was getting used to paying $2.64 in MN! Actually, I paid $2.56 in Coon Rapids last night. Woohoo!
I was shocked to see that they still smoke in public places in WI. I stopped in at a Subway and it was like walking into a bar in MN in the old days. A blue haze filled the restaurant, there were little gold tin ashtrays on the tables filled with cigarette butts and smoking patrons. It turned my stomach. Blech.
Somehow I became lost in Fondulac. The highway exit I needed to take was closed and the detour detoured me into an industrial park. It was dark, 800 PM and I just wanted to curl in a ball, cry, and have someone save me. That didn't happen. I found a gas station, asked directions, couldn't find my way, asked an another gas station and finally found my way out of Fondulac.
I was very excited to finally reach my roommates at AmericInn in Greenbush. Pierre and Kevin were in bed ready to snooze by the time I finally arrived. Pierre moved to the floor and gave me his bed. What a guy.
Yesterday morning as we walked to the car the first thing we noticed was how WARM it was at the early hour. I knew a hot one was on tap.
We received our sweatshirts, bags of hammer products and magazines in our race packets. The race headquarters was located in a very nice building with running water, banquet rooms, a very nice place to hold a race.
As I started out I couldn't believe how warm it was. I only needed shorts and a sleeveless top. What a switch from one week earlier, at Twin Cities Marathon!
The start of the race went through town a bit, on township roads, until we came to the Ice Age Trail. It was beautiful. Heavily wooded with oaks turning reds and rusts, birch areas all yellow, maple stands full of reds and oranges, just spectacular! There were even pine stands with soft needles to run upon. Most of the race was well covered with trees, there weren't many exposed areas, but when I came out into a field prairie section I could feel the heat. It was hot.
86F was the high Sunday, with 90% humidity. Crazy warm! I loved it though. I could have used another handheld as the aid stations were 7 miles apart, but I didn't realize it was going to be quite so warm. I was trying to conserve my drink but always came up dry. I didn't swell at all, interesting because they served Gatorade instead of Heed and I again didn't take any S or ECaps. Hmmm..
The volunteers were top notch as was the race director. The race was well organized, well marked..oh, I missed a turn. My own fault. I disregarded one of my rules. NEVER FOLLOW THE RUNNER IN FRONT OF YOU, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE COURSE MARKINGS. I failed my third rule. Instead of following the course markings, one mile out of aid station 1, I followed Brett and another girl, and went off trail for 11 minutes. We then realized we were not on the trail and headed back 11 minutes. I was so sad! I was running very well and fast for me, but dang, I screwed up. I kept berating myself about it and then finally told myself to let it go and eventually I did. But then I thought about it again at the end of the race and kept on thinking "hmmm..take 22 minutes off and..." you know. Forget it. It is what it is.
Oh my gosh, my legs were SO tired on the way back! The course is an out and back, which I love, as I can see everyone on the course. I couldn't wait to begin going back. I definitely felt Twin Cities Marathon on my legs, as well as all of the miles I've been putting in.
I began to fall. One, two, three times..then four. I then made a mental note to slow down and take it easy. I wasn't going to be able to make up that 22 minutes SO LET IT GO! I did. Again.
I caught Pierre before the last aid station on the way back. We were dragging ass. Pierre and I both ran TCM last Sunday. I was so hot. There were a ton of bees and wasps and gnats and lady bugs that had all come out for the beautiful day of summer. As I was having my bottle filled the bees were just hovering around it.
What a beautiful day. What a beautiful trail. An awesome race. I'm not sure where I finished, I left before the awards so that I could get back home. It was a l o n g drive.
I failed my 4th rule: THE HOURS DRIVEN MUST BE LESS THAN THE HOURS RUN. Dang! This drive was longer than my hours run.
I've never failed at my rules before. Two rules failed in one race.
I was planning on running Nerstrand next weekend as my hunters will be gone again..but alas, I think I'll run a nice little route with Topaz on the Blue Hill Trail, instead. Home. Sweet. Home.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
BOSTON BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't even believe that it is true. Yeah. Boston. I qualified for Boston. Not only did I run a PR but I qualified for Boston.
I guess you know that I qualified for Boston...
I've never been fast. My first marathon was 8 years ago at Grandmas where I ran a 457. Since then I've run 20 some marathons; my fastest at Grandmas was 358, my fastest at Twin Cities was 419.
Today I figured I'd run a 415-430 as per my marathon history. I have tried to qualifiy, oh boy, have I tried. It hurts too much, I get tired, I walk a bit, I hurt some more, the breathing turns to gasping and I throw in the towel and think "well, I don't have to run Boston" .
When I first went to a 'beginning ultra meeting' that some veteran ultra runners were hosting, Tom Andrews was speaking with us about our goals. We went around the table, everyone wanted to run a 50K, a 50 Miler, a 100 Miler. I wanted to qualify for Boston. It was such a lofty goal, I didn't know if I could. I had run a dozen plus marathons at the time and was no where near my goal. Tom suggested I first qualify for Boston, then work on the ultra, as running ultras would probably make me slower, he thought. Well, I didn't believe I could get any slower.
Each expo that I attend I grab a 350 Clif Pace Team band..for just in case. Yesterday I did the same. I really didn't believe that I could run a full minute plus some faster per mile than last year, but maybe I'd try it. Why not?
This morning was miserable. It was cold and rainy. It poured. Heavily. It was windy. It wasn't my type of race weather at all. I didn't use my iPod. I didn't have my rock to roll to. I forgot to hit my lap button to time myself.
I ran along, taking in the views, thinking that the rain wasn't so bad. Thinking that I was glad I wore a short sleeved top because I was warming up quickly.
I heard Kevin yell out Julie Berg! early in the race..mile 2 or so. I saw Allan Page playing the tuba..just like every other year..on his corner. The spectators were thinner this year, due to the rain, but there were still many out there cheering.
I enjoyed myself. I wasn't feeling stressed, I was just thumping along, enjoying the City. Calhoun and Harriet were beautiful..leaves changing, beautiful homes, lots of loud cheering spectators. I noticed I was running in white steam. Steam from the bodies of all of the runners! I've never experienced that before. Steam was oozing from our bodies, it was a white cloud of body odor to run through. Crazy.
Ah, Nokomis. Home of FANS 24 Hour Run. I ran fast as I could up and over the cement bridge and around the parkway. I love FANS. I laughed.
I looked down at my watch and then at the mile marker. Hmm..did I start at 800 my watch time? Probably a bit later..I looked at my pace chart..really? Could I really be under a 350 pace? Hm. Don't want to get too excited.
I was drinking one powerade and two waters at each station. I carried two Hammergel Espresso gels in each hand and had one every 4 miles. I picked up two Cliff shots at mile 17 and ate those as well.
Pretty soon I came up on the 350 pacing team. Wow. Wow again. I could feel the excitement and hope build. What if? What if, here, at 43 years of age I ran a PR and qualified for Boston? It's early..don't have those thoughts. But I feel so good. I have no aches or pains. I have no stomach trouble. I am power running up these hills like they are nothing.
I think I'll hang here with this group for a while.
It was awesome! I was running with the 350s and not dieing. We were a group of 15 or so at this point.
I crossed the half way at 152. Not bad I thought. Pretty soon our leader said she had to stop. Oh geeze. She had to go to medical. I would have never guessed, she looked so strong. She handed off her 350 balloons to the rest of us and we just kept on running. Two in our group (or more) had Garmin something or others on and kept yelling out our pace. A few times we had to back off, we were going to fast.
I felt amazing.
At mile 20 I was waiting for the crash. It didn't happen. I didn't even have to stop and pee! Everything was going so well. I saw Steve Quick and yelled hello to him.
Mile 21, getting a bit tired.
Mile 22 another gel and hey! I hear Julie Berg! There is Matt Patten.
Mile 23 .. I am going to make it. I can keep this up and I am going to PR and flipping qualify. OH. MY. GOD.
Mile 24 and I hear Julie Berg! There is Eve, Duke and Wynn! Hey!! Just what I needed :)
Mile 25 and my group is gaining speed, hell, they are flying, I try to keep up. I will keep up. One more mile. You can do it. Suck it up and fly with them.
Mile 26. Jubliant. Joyful. Wow. Is this for real? Maybe I'm dreaming and I'll wake up and set Boston as a goal.
There is the finish and I'm qualified and I PR'd and wow. Just wow.
346. Rockin'!
As I crossed the finish line I saw Helen. Amazing to run into friends with 11000 people running this race. I went a bit farther and saw Dave Just, great. Then Joann Fallis and her daughter at the sweats handoffs. Incredible.
I get on the bus to take back to the Dome. One person is on the bus. It's Pierre! Oh my god! Incredible. Pierre had a great run, too. Next Sunday we are both running the Glacial Trail 50K/50 Mile.
Good stuff, good stuff :)
I am still going to run McNaughton 100 this April, but next April, I think this family is going to Boston!
**I want to give a heartfelt congratulations to two of my online clients, whom also finished the marathon well ahead of their goal of 5 hours!
I guess you know that I qualified for Boston...
I've never been fast. My first marathon was 8 years ago at Grandmas where I ran a 457. Since then I've run 20 some marathons; my fastest at Grandmas was 358, my fastest at Twin Cities was 419.
Today I figured I'd run a 415-430 as per my marathon history. I have tried to qualifiy, oh boy, have I tried. It hurts too much, I get tired, I walk a bit, I hurt some more, the breathing turns to gasping and I throw in the towel and think "well, I don't have to run Boston" .
When I first went to a 'beginning ultra meeting' that some veteran ultra runners were hosting, Tom Andrews was speaking with us about our goals. We went around the table, everyone wanted to run a 50K, a 50 Miler, a 100 Miler. I wanted to qualify for Boston. It was such a lofty goal, I didn't know if I could. I had run a dozen plus marathons at the time and was no where near my goal. Tom suggested I first qualify for Boston, then work on the ultra, as running ultras would probably make me slower, he thought. Well, I didn't believe I could get any slower.
Each expo that I attend I grab a 350 Clif Pace Team band..for just in case. Yesterday I did the same. I really didn't believe that I could run a full minute plus some faster per mile than last year, but maybe I'd try it. Why not?
This morning was miserable. It was cold and rainy. It poured. Heavily. It was windy. It wasn't my type of race weather at all. I didn't use my iPod. I didn't have my rock to roll to. I forgot to hit my lap button to time myself.
I ran along, taking in the views, thinking that the rain wasn't so bad. Thinking that I was glad I wore a short sleeved top because I was warming up quickly.
I heard Kevin yell out Julie Berg! early in the race..mile 2 or so. I saw Allan Page playing the tuba..just like every other year..on his corner. The spectators were thinner this year, due to the rain, but there were still many out there cheering.
I enjoyed myself. I wasn't feeling stressed, I was just thumping along, enjoying the City. Calhoun and Harriet were beautiful..leaves changing, beautiful homes, lots of loud cheering spectators. I noticed I was running in white steam. Steam from the bodies of all of the runners! I've never experienced that before. Steam was oozing from our bodies, it was a white cloud of body odor to run through. Crazy.
Ah, Nokomis. Home of FANS 24 Hour Run. I ran fast as I could up and over the cement bridge and around the parkway. I love FANS. I laughed.
I looked down at my watch and then at the mile marker. Hmm..did I start at 800 my watch time? Probably a bit later..I looked at my pace chart..really? Could I really be under a 350 pace? Hm. Don't want to get too excited.
I was drinking one powerade and two waters at each station. I carried two Hammergel Espresso gels in each hand and had one every 4 miles. I picked up two Cliff shots at mile 17 and ate those as well.
Pretty soon I came up on the 350 pacing team. Wow. Wow again. I could feel the excitement and hope build. What if? What if, here, at 43 years of age I ran a PR and qualified for Boston? It's early..don't have those thoughts. But I feel so good. I have no aches or pains. I have no stomach trouble. I am power running up these hills like they are nothing.
I think I'll hang here with this group for a while.
It was awesome! I was running with the 350s and not dieing. We were a group of 15 or so at this point.
I crossed the half way at 152. Not bad I thought. Pretty soon our leader said she had to stop. Oh geeze. She had to go to medical. I would have never guessed, she looked so strong. She handed off her 350 balloons to the rest of us and we just kept on running. Two in our group (or more) had Garmin something or others on and kept yelling out our pace. A few times we had to back off, we were going to fast.
I felt amazing.
At mile 20 I was waiting for the crash. It didn't happen. I didn't even have to stop and pee! Everything was going so well. I saw Steve Quick and yelled hello to him.
Mile 21, getting a bit tired.
Mile 22 another gel and hey! I hear Julie Berg! There is Matt Patten.
Mile 23 .. I am going to make it. I can keep this up and I am going to PR and flipping qualify. OH. MY. GOD.
Mile 24 and I hear Julie Berg! There is Eve, Duke and Wynn! Hey!! Just what I needed :)
Mile 25 and my group is gaining speed, hell, they are flying, I try to keep up. I will keep up. One more mile. You can do it. Suck it up and fly with them.
Mile 26. Jubliant. Joyful. Wow. Is this for real? Maybe I'm dreaming and I'll wake up and set Boston as a goal.
There is the finish and I'm qualified and I PR'd and wow. Just wow.
346. Rockin'!
As I crossed the finish line I saw Helen. Amazing to run into friends with 11000 people running this race. I went a bit farther and saw Dave Just, great. Then Joann Fallis and her daughter at the sweats handoffs. Incredible.
I get on the bus to take back to the Dome. One person is on the bus. It's Pierre! Oh my god! Incredible. Pierre had a great run, too. Next Sunday we are both running the Glacial Trail 50K/50 Mile.
Good stuff, good stuff :)
I am still going to run McNaughton 100 this April, but next April, I think this family is going to Boston!
**I want to give a heartfelt congratulations to two of my online clients, whom also finished the marathon well ahead of their goal of 5 hours!
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Twin Cities Marathon
Running the Twin Cities Marathon is always a blast. I think it is even more fun for me now, since I have been running ultra marathons on the trail, than it was in my pre ultra marathon life. The stress of wondering if I can finish it is gone. I know that I won't die. Two positives.
For most of my runs I am without human companionship, and I enjoy it that way. Thankfully I have an ultra dog in Topaz, who is always willing and wanting to run mega miles with me. The trail races are a fun time to see other people; but still, I am usually running alone as the 100s usually have a pretty small entry and we are usually stretched out far apart along the trail. It is always a treat to run along with someone else for a while.
At Twin Cities Marathon there are people all over the place. The first few miles are actually packed in quite tightly with people tripping over one another. Eventually we thin out a bit, but there are always people near. The spectators are thick. Last year was a beautiful warm day and the spectators were thicker than I've ever seen. Many of the runners weren't happy with the heat, I thought it was delightful.
The media is all over TCM. The local news media personnel are running, the forecasters are busy talking about what Sunday will be like, it is crazy. It's crazy how much media the marathon gets. The forecasters are saying cloudy with rain in the afternoon.
I'll be meeting two of my online training clients for the first time. I have been training a husband/wife team for the past three months. TCM will be their first marathon! I'm so excited to meet them in person. They will be flying in from KS tomorrow.
I'll be volunteering for a few hours at the expo. I believe I'll be at packet pickup. Stop in and say hello.
I have no time goal for the marathon on Sunday; just a fun run through the City. I would guess 4-430 will be my finishing time. I'm sure looking forward to it :)
For most of my runs I am without human companionship, and I enjoy it that way. Thankfully I have an ultra dog in Topaz, who is always willing and wanting to run mega miles with me. The trail races are a fun time to see other people; but still, I am usually running alone as the 100s usually have a pretty small entry and we are usually stretched out far apart along the trail. It is always a treat to run along with someone else for a while.
At Twin Cities Marathon there are people all over the place. The first few miles are actually packed in quite tightly with people tripping over one another. Eventually we thin out a bit, but there are always people near. The spectators are thick. Last year was a beautiful warm day and the spectators were thicker than I've ever seen. Many of the runners weren't happy with the heat, I thought it was delightful.
The media is all over TCM. The local news media personnel are running, the forecasters are busy talking about what Sunday will be like, it is crazy. It's crazy how much media the marathon gets. The forecasters are saying cloudy with rain in the afternoon.
I'll be meeting two of my online training clients for the first time. I have been training a husband/wife team for the past three months. TCM will be their first marathon! I'm so excited to meet them in person. They will be flying in from KS tomorrow.
I'll be volunteering for a few hours at the expo. I believe I'll be at packet pickup. Stop in and say hello.
I have no time goal for the marathon on Sunday; just a fun run through the City. I would guess 4-430 will be my finishing time. I'm sure looking forward to it :)
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