You need to click on the picture to actually view him. Sorry.
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!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Tuesdays With Dorie
Oh my gosh, it's already 1027 PM and I forgot to post my Tuesday with Dorie picture.
Busy day today. Drove home from the cabin, unpacked, baked a pie, another batch of pain la ancienne and a pasta salad for my UMTR board meeting. As I was driving home from St Paul just a minute ago, I was thinking about my coaching group tomorrow morning, realized it was Tuesday evening and that I hadn't yet posted my pie. Oops.
This pie is wonderful. I've never baked a blueberry pie before so I don't have one from which to compare. I have always used my Grandmother's 'Never Fail Pie Crust' with shortening, egg, milk and flour. I have never used butter in a crust. Boy oh boy, I don't think I'll use another pie crust other than this one from now on. It was light and so flavorful.
I used fine graham crackers to place on top of the bottom of the crust so the pie wouldn't become soggy. It worked very well.
I've never used an egg wash over a crust before as I did for this, nor have I sprinkled sugar on top of the crust before baking. I will from now on!
The lemon zest and juice in the pie was wonderful.
Amy from South In Your Mouth picked this weeks recipe. You will find the recipe there.
Busy day today. Drove home from the cabin, unpacked, baked a pie, another batch of pain la ancienne and a pasta salad for my UMTR board meeting. As I was driving home from St Paul just a minute ago, I was thinking about my coaching group tomorrow morning, realized it was Tuesday evening and that I hadn't yet posted my pie. Oops.
This pie is wonderful. I've never baked a blueberry pie before so I don't have one from which to compare. I have always used my Grandmother's 'Never Fail Pie Crust' with shortening, egg, milk and flour. I have never used butter in a crust. Boy oh boy, I don't think I'll use another pie crust other than this one from now on. It was light and so flavorful.
I used fine graham crackers to place on top of the bottom of the crust so the pie wouldn't become soggy. It worked very well.
I've never used an egg wash over a crust before as I did for this, nor have I sprinkled sugar on top of the crust before baking. I will from now on!
The lemon zest and juice in the pie was wonderful.
Amy from South In Your Mouth picked this weeks recipe. You will find the recipe there.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
One Of The Boys Is Not Like The Other..
One of these boys is not like the the other, one of these boys is just not quite the same. Can you tell which one is not like the other, before I tell you his name?Do you remember that song?
Fun Frolicking Through The Park
Oh yes. I did have fun. I did frolic. I had fun frolicking through the park. I had fabulous fun frolicking through the park. Say that 10 times!
The Afton 25K/50K race is absolutely top notch. 2008 brought a new race director to the race. John Storkamp. He did a wonderful job. He was (he looked and acted) calm, cool and collected. He didn't seem stressed, he seemed to have fun. Not only did he direct the race; he also created the awards. The medals around our necks (which volunteers helped to create) and the prints he created for the top finishers. Amazing. Kudos to John and Cheri, and to the volunteers that manned the start/finish and all of the aid stations.
Today promised to be Afton-esque. Hot and humid with a nice breeze which later became a stiff wind. Perfect. It reached 89F.
Hammer Nutrition again provided a zillion packets of gel for each station and HEED, as they did at the Superior 25K/50K. This just makes the race so much easier for me! I didn't have to carry anything but a bottle and I didn't need a drop bag for HEED. Awesome. I didn't eat any solids. I consumed 240 ounces of HEED and 6 gels, 24 oz of water.
I've never had so much to drink during any race before. Ever. The aid stations were 3 miles apart and I filled my bottle at every one, draining it before the next one. My clothing was very white and salty post race. My skin looked like a salt mine. I had NO swelling as I didn't take any E/SCaps. I seem to get enough salt from the HEED. Something else I have finally figured out this year.
For the race I had a few goals going through my brain. First goal: A PR. My fastest Afton 50K time is 609. I wanted to run 608 for sure. Second goal: Break 6 hours. I thought I could. Third goal: PR Superior 50K time of 557. I wasn't sure of this. It's strange, but in the past I have run Superior 50K faster than Afton 50K and Superior is a tougher course. As I was running today I realized it must be because for Superior I am post McNaughton 3 weeks and have had a few days of light recovery running, then heavy training. For Afton I am deep into training for a summer 100 so I am tired. I use both of these runs as training runs so I don't taper. Well, my finish today didn't live up to that idea. Goal 4: AWARD. I wanted one of John's prints. How wonderful it would look on my wall of fame. Ha on the fame.
I did something I haven't done before. I looked at the entrants to see how many women over 40 were running. Hey, I wanted to see if I could win a print! There were 11 of us listed in the 40-49 age group for the Masters award. I knew John was giving 1, 2 and 3. I also knew that Eve Rembleski (ROCK ON EVE!) would win the woman's and as there were no doubling of awards the first master woman was still up for grabs. I figured I'd come in 4th in the batch which was too bad because 4 didn't get an award. Oh well. Onto Goal 1-3.
My god, people near my home shot off fireworks all freaking night. I went to bed at 11 and woke up every 35 minutes to boom boom boom. Topaz was a nervous wreck, Toffee was sleeping on my head, it wasn't a good night. 400 came too early.
I made it to Afton in plenty of time to get my packet from Tom and Nancy, my awesome Marmot shirt and had some time to visit with Deb, Maria, Pierre and many others. We lined up near the back and listened to John's go.
I wanted to really blast the downhills. I'm lacking in this area and with Leadville approaching, I figured this is a great place to do it. I had great success with the hills. I wore my Garmin 50 and saw that the downhills were sometimes a sub 7 minute mile pace. Granted, they only lasted a short time, but I'll take what I can get!
First loop I ran a bit with Pierre and Doug, talking Leadville. Doug has paced out there and Pierre has run it. I love listening to other's stories. Eventually I ran off and never really ran with anyone through the rest of the race. I didn't listen to my ipod until the last half of the last loop. I was just enjoying the warm air, all of the volunteers, the beautiful scenery that the Afton State Park offers.
I came into the 25K mark at 248. E Fisher Drew gave me a gentle pat and a 'go' to get out and get running. Thanks E! I needed that. I realized I could PR and break 6 hours. I felt fine, nothing hurt, I wasn't tired at all. I thought maybe I should have gone faster.
Second loop I had to go pee for the first time which is crazy in itself. I usually pee at least once an hour. As I walked into the bushes I fell! I tripped over a stump and cut my knee. I couldn't believe it. It was only bleeding a bit, but still. Fall while walking.
I walked up some of the huge monster hills, but otherwise I ran the race the best I could. When I didn't see anyone in front or in back of me I decided to play my ipod for a while. Nobody every came up on me. I began to pass some men but never saw any women out there. I began to wonder where I was in the field of girls.
As I came into the final aid station I gave Jefferey a quick hug and asked Tom for the time. I asked him if I was going to break 6 hours. Isn't that ridiculous. Me who is running the race, asking Tom, who is working the aid station if I am going to break 6 hours. How silly of me. Nancy yelled YES you can, go!
I went. I ran as fast as I could that last section. It is the most difficult section for me. It's the snowshoe trail and rooty and rocky. I need to watch where I am placing my feet. Most of the Afton course is runnable, but this section is a slow runnable for me. I still hadn't looked at my watch. I just wanted to run hard and break 6 hours. I didn't know if I could or not but I knew if I looked at my watch and thought I could, then I would let up. I didn't want to let up.
I finally heard some female voices in back of me. They turned out to be Pam and Kami. I asked Kami if she was from Monticello, as I recalled seeing her listed as a finisher last year, and Monticello is only a few miles from where I live in Big Lake. Yes, it was Kami from Monticello. We chatted and grinded to the finish line. I crossed the line in 5:50
I reached all four goals. I PR'd my Afton time, I broke 6 hours, I PR'd my Superior 50K time and I won an award: First Master Woman. I love it!
After I ran into the finish line it was time to catch up with everyone. I sat with Eve and Wynn. Eve BROKE her woman's course record set last year again. She finished in 413! Get this. She forgot to take today off, she is working right now. Yeah. After running a 413 50K!!
I had fabulous fun frolicking through the park.
The Afton 25K/50K race is absolutely top notch. 2008 brought a new race director to the race. John Storkamp. He did a wonderful job. He was (he looked and acted) calm, cool and collected. He didn't seem stressed, he seemed to have fun. Not only did he direct the race; he also created the awards. The medals around our necks (which volunteers helped to create) and the prints he created for the top finishers. Amazing. Kudos to John and Cheri, and to the volunteers that manned the start/finish and all of the aid stations.
Today promised to be Afton-esque. Hot and humid with a nice breeze which later became a stiff wind. Perfect. It reached 89F.
Hammer Nutrition again provided a zillion packets of gel for each station and HEED, as they did at the Superior 25K/50K. This just makes the race so much easier for me! I didn't have to carry anything but a bottle and I didn't need a drop bag for HEED. Awesome. I didn't eat any solids. I consumed 240 ounces of HEED and 6 gels, 24 oz of water.
I've never had so much to drink during any race before. Ever. The aid stations were 3 miles apart and I filled my bottle at every one, draining it before the next one. My clothing was very white and salty post race. My skin looked like a salt mine. I had NO swelling as I didn't take any E/SCaps. I seem to get enough salt from the HEED. Something else I have finally figured out this year.
For the race I had a few goals going through my brain. First goal: A PR. My fastest Afton 50K time is 609. I wanted to run 608 for sure. Second goal: Break 6 hours. I thought I could. Third goal: PR Superior 50K time of 557. I wasn't sure of this. It's strange, but in the past I have run Superior 50K faster than Afton 50K and Superior is a tougher course. As I was running today I realized it must be because for Superior I am post McNaughton 3 weeks and have had a few days of light recovery running, then heavy training. For Afton I am deep into training for a summer 100 so I am tired. I use both of these runs as training runs so I don't taper. Well, my finish today didn't live up to that idea. Goal 4: AWARD. I wanted one of John's prints. How wonderful it would look on my wall of fame. Ha on the fame.
I did something I haven't done before. I looked at the entrants to see how many women over 40 were running. Hey, I wanted to see if I could win a print! There were 11 of us listed in the 40-49 age group for the Masters award. I knew John was giving 1, 2 and 3. I also knew that Eve Rembleski (ROCK ON EVE!) would win the woman's and as there were no doubling of awards the first master woman was still up for grabs. I figured I'd come in 4th in the batch which was too bad because 4 didn't get an award. Oh well. Onto Goal 1-3.
My god, people near my home shot off fireworks all freaking night. I went to bed at 11 and woke up every 35 minutes to boom boom boom. Topaz was a nervous wreck, Toffee was sleeping on my head, it wasn't a good night. 400 came too early.
I made it to Afton in plenty of time to get my packet from Tom and Nancy, my awesome Marmot shirt and had some time to visit with Deb, Maria, Pierre and many others. We lined up near the back and listened to John's go.
I wanted to really blast the downhills. I'm lacking in this area and with Leadville approaching, I figured this is a great place to do it. I had great success with the hills. I wore my Garmin 50 and saw that the downhills were sometimes a sub 7 minute mile pace. Granted, they only lasted a short time, but I'll take what I can get!
First loop I ran a bit with Pierre and Doug, talking Leadville. Doug has paced out there and Pierre has run it. I love listening to other's stories. Eventually I ran off and never really ran with anyone through the rest of the race. I didn't listen to my ipod until the last half of the last loop. I was just enjoying the warm air, all of the volunteers, the beautiful scenery that the Afton State Park offers.
I came into the 25K mark at 248. E Fisher Drew gave me a gentle pat and a 'go' to get out and get running. Thanks E! I needed that. I realized I could PR and break 6 hours. I felt fine, nothing hurt, I wasn't tired at all. I thought maybe I should have gone faster.
Second loop I had to go pee for the first time which is crazy in itself. I usually pee at least once an hour. As I walked into the bushes I fell! I tripped over a stump and cut my knee. I couldn't believe it. It was only bleeding a bit, but still. Fall while walking.
I walked up some of the huge monster hills, but otherwise I ran the race the best I could. When I didn't see anyone in front or in back of me I decided to play my ipod for a while. Nobody every came up on me. I began to pass some men but never saw any women out there. I began to wonder where I was in the field of girls.
As I came into the final aid station I gave Jefferey a quick hug and asked Tom for the time. I asked him if I was going to break 6 hours. Isn't that ridiculous. Me who is running the race, asking Tom, who is working the aid station if I am going to break 6 hours. How silly of me. Nancy yelled YES you can, go!
I went. I ran as fast as I could that last section. It is the most difficult section for me. It's the snowshoe trail and rooty and rocky. I need to watch where I am placing my feet. Most of the Afton course is runnable, but this section is a slow runnable for me. I still hadn't looked at my watch. I just wanted to run hard and break 6 hours. I didn't know if I could or not but I knew if I looked at my watch and thought I could, then I would let up. I didn't want to let up.
I finally heard some female voices in back of me. They turned out to be Pam and Kami. I asked Kami if she was from Monticello, as I recalled seeing her listed as a finisher last year, and Monticello is only a few miles from where I live in Big Lake. Yes, it was Kami from Monticello. We chatted and grinded to the finish line. I crossed the line in 5:50
I reached all four goals. I PR'd my Afton time, I broke 6 hours, I PR'd my Superior 50K time and I won an award: First Master Woman. I love it!
After I ran into the finish line it was time to catch up with everyone. I sat with Eve and Wynn. Eve BROKE her woman's course record set last year again. She finished in 413! Get this. She forgot to take today off, she is working right now. Yeah. After running a 413 50K!!
I had fabulous fun frolicking through the park.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Summer Road Trip(s)
A few weeks ago I asked Steve and the boys if they had any interest in accompanying me to Colorado in August to run the Leadville 100 Trail Race. The boys were lukewarm to the idea and Steve was very interested as long as he had the vacation time. He checked with his employer and even after taking next week off for the 4th of July he still has plenty of vacation this year to burn.
I guess I'm planning another road trip! I'm glad they are going to come along. We haven't taken a drive vacation in quite some time. It's been years since we drove out to CA - a three week drive trip - we are overdue. We'll drive to Rapid City for night one, I better get out an atlas and begin to make reservations and create a plan. We'll probably take 10 days, I'll have plenty of time to acclimate and hike the peaks out there. What a great adventure :)
I'm making a few mini road trips in the next weeks. Up to the cabin on Lake Vermilion, back home to run Afton 50K, back to the lake, up to the Superior Hiking Trail for the Third Annual BETA run. Great fun.
Today's Beginning Run Group was wonderful. The gals walked 6 minutes, ran 4 minutes x 3 with a long walk for a cool down. They are doing fantastic. Next week we'll do a 5/5 with a longer finish walk. By walking longer at the end the bodies will be stressed and then recovered to a longer exercise session for when we are running more than walking and then lengthening our sessions. The all want to continue this through the fall and are asking about winter running. A good sign, isn't it! They are enjoying it as much as I.
I am trying Bread Bakers Apprentice Pain la Ancienne - a cold ferment baguette. My first try, I'm anxious to see how it turns out. While I bake this baby I spray water into the oven, creating a steam for a nicer crust. Learning learning learning..
I guess I'm planning another road trip! I'm glad they are going to come along. We haven't taken a drive vacation in quite some time. It's been years since we drove out to CA - a three week drive trip - we are overdue. We'll drive to Rapid City for night one, I better get out an atlas and begin to make reservations and create a plan. We'll probably take 10 days, I'll have plenty of time to acclimate and hike the peaks out there. What a great adventure :)
I'm making a few mini road trips in the next weeks. Up to the cabin on Lake Vermilion, back home to run Afton 50K, back to the lake, up to the Superior Hiking Trail for the Third Annual BETA run. Great fun.
Today's Beginning Run Group was wonderful. The gals walked 6 minutes, ran 4 minutes x 3 with a long walk for a cool down. They are doing fantastic. Next week we'll do a 5/5 with a longer finish walk. By walking longer at the end the bodies will be stressed and then recovered to a longer exercise session for when we are running more than walking and then lengthening our sessions. The all want to continue this through the fall and are asking about winter running. A good sign, isn't it! They are enjoying it as much as I.
I am trying Bread Bakers Apprentice Pain la Ancienne - a cold ferment baguette. My first try, I'm anxious to see how it turns out. While I bake this baby I spray water into the oven, creating a steam for a nicer crust. Learning learning learning..
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Tuesdays With Dorie
As most of you readers know, I love to bake. I love to bake cakes, sweet rolls, brownies, cookies and most recently slowly fermented breads.
I had been looking at a fabulous cookbook: Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It is a huge hardcover beautiful book full of desserts to bake. After a search online I found a whole group of people baking to Dorie. I jumped on the bandwagon. Each Tuesday a different member of the group chooses recipe to bake.
Today Apple Cheddar Scones was the recipe to create. Now, I am not a scone girl. I have never baked a scone nor have I ever purchased one or tasted one. Give me ooey gooey chocolate and loads of sugar instead, please!
I really didn't know what to expect. They were very simple to create. 10 minutes in the kitchen and I was done. I did sub the dried apples for one whole fresh apple. Instead of cutting into 12 I cut into 8 because I like things big and chunky. Instead of finely diced dried apple I used big hunks and big hunks of cheddar instead of shredded.
They turned out beautifully. They are light and fluffy. Troy ate his with butter; Tyler ate his with apple preserves. I tasted Troy's but it just isn't anything I would want to 'waste' calories on.
I do look forward to baking through this book and creating something new each week.
Next Tuesday: Double Crusted Blueberry Pie. Troy's favorite pie is Blueberry :)
I had been looking at a fabulous cookbook: Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It is a huge hardcover beautiful book full of desserts to bake. After a search online I found a whole group of people baking to Dorie. I jumped on the bandwagon. Each Tuesday a different member of the group chooses recipe to bake.
Today Apple Cheddar Scones was the recipe to create. Now, I am not a scone girl. I have never baked a scone nor have I ever purchased one or tasted one. Give me ooey gooey chocolate and loads of sugar instead, please!
I really didn't know what to expect. They were very simple to create. 10 minutes in the kitchen and I was done. I did sub the dried apples for one whole fresh apple. Instead of cutting into 12 I cut into 8 because I like things big and chunky. Instead of finely diced dried apple I used big hunks and big hunks of cheddar instead of shredded.
They turned out beautifully. They are light and fluffy. Troy ate his with butter; Tyler ate his with apple preserves. I tasted Troy's but it just isn't anything I would want to 'waste' calories on.
I do look forward to baking through this book and creating something new each week.
Next Tuesday: Double Crusted Blueberry Pie. Troy's favorite pie is Blueberry :)
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