Sunday, April 06, 2008
Zumbro Bottoms Fat Ass Run
Larry Pederson, RD for the Fall Superior Races, put together yet another Zumbro Bottoms Fat Ass Run for those of us lucky enough to be a friend/acquaintance of his.
The Zumbro Bottoms river area is an incredible place to run. There is over 50 miles of trail; along the river, up in the bluffs, the views are incredible. There is a very nice park like area that makes for a nice relaxing aid station/start/finish with picnic tables, a shelter, bathrooms and a fire pit. Larry mans it all for us.
I almost didn't make it to Zumbro yesterday. As I was traveling East on 94 near Albertville I came across a horrific accident that had just taken place on the West side. 2 tour buses were travelling with High School students from Pelican Rapids, travelling home from Chicago from a band concert competition. One of the tour buses hit the ditch and over turned. I came upon the accident right after it happened. They hadn't yet completely closed 94, I only waited 25 minutes and was able to travel past. Because the rest of the family was already busy with other things, I decided to wait it out and arrive at Zumbro late. I'm glad I decided to.
3 hours later I arrived at Zumbro Bottoms. I saw Larry sitting in front of the fire and then watched another car pull up, as late as I.
I collected a map from Larry, asked who was all out on the trail, and saw that Lynn Saari was the other late arrival. Lucky me!
Lynn and I filled our bottles, decided we'd go out for about an hour, then come back to the rest area to refuel, and head back out for more.
We both admitted that neither one of us was very good at map reading or navigating. Larry mentioned he may offer a map reading instruction to members of UMTR. That would be a good class for me!
Once Lynn and I were able to find the trail, we had a great time. I have only spoke with Lynn a few times before so we were had plenty to talk about. The trail was muddy, some ice and snow, we were able to follow our trail shoe tracks back down the hill to the aid station. On the way back we ran into Alicia, Karen,Tom and Nancy, Wayne, Carl and Jim. We all trotted back to the aid station to refuel.
After filling my bottles I found that only Lynn and I were going to head back out. The rest were either taking off or were going to hang out and visit for the remainder of the day. Lynn and I looked at a map and headed back out for more. Lynn was looking to get roughly 20 miles in and I was up for whatever anyone wanted to run. 20 miles? Fine with me.
As we were running to the trail Steve and John were coming back. We said hello and that we were going to go out for a bit, and asked if they would like to come along for a while more. Steve and John are the fastest of the group, they had already been running for a few hours and had run more miles than anyone. John couldn't resist another run, and let Lynn and I away as Steve ran back to the aid area.
John knew the trail well so I put my map away. We spoke about John's WIN at Arrowhead, besting his already course record by 10 hours or more this past February. Crazy. John led us across the bridge, up into the bluffs and up a hill from hell. Steve and he had run up the hill during their previous loop; Lynn and I walked up the hill, huffing and puffing, sweat rolling into our eyes, amazed at how hot we felt. The snow was over our ankles but it was 60F. The first SHORTS run of the season! I had fabulous fun. I loved being out there so very much.
We ended up running over two hours for our second session, totalling 18 miles for Lynn and I. John ran much more than we did, and was running faster than we were. We all agreed that we had a great run and were ready to join the rest at the picnic area. As we ran to the rest area John yelled out to Scott to get a burger ready for him. Scott did just that.
After changing into some dry clothes and settling on a blanket with Maria, I spent the afternoon chatting with my good friends. It was a great way to spend the day.
I am thankful each and every day for this great group of friends that I have met. I would have never met them if I hadn't become an ultra runner.
Today Topaz and I headed out to the trail for a 10 mile run. Most of the snow is off of the trail now, we had a great relaxing run. His paw pad is all healed up and no longer tender to the touch.
Guess I should let up a bit before McNaughton is here. I suppose I'll rest on Friday, as I drive to Pekin. This is the first time (out of 4) that I'll be travelling solo. Wynn is holding the Chippewa 50K this Saturday so most of my friends are heading to his race instead of McNaughton. I heard that Chippewa is under 1.5 feet of snow. A 50K snowshoe race would be awesome fun!
Oh, and a plug for John. He is the NEW RACE DIRECTOR for the Afton 25/50K races. Check out his website and check out his race! We'll have a great time :)
The Zumbro Bottoms river area is an incredible place to run. There is over 50 miles of trail; along the river, up in the bluffs, the views are incredible. There is a very nice park like area that makes for a nice relaxing aid station/start/finish with picnic tables, a shelter, bathrooms and a fire pit. Larry mans it all for us.
I almost didn't make it to Zumbro yesterday. As I was traveling East on 94 near Albertville I came across a horrific accident that had just taken place on the West side. 2 tour buses were travelling with High School students from Pelican Rapids, travelling home from Chicago from a band concert competition. One of the tour buses hit the ditch and over turned. I came upon the accident right after it happened. They hadn't yet completely closed 94, I only waited 25 minutes and was able to travel past. Because the rest of the family was already busy with other things, I decided to wait it out and arrive at Zumbro late. I'm glad I decided to.
3 hours later I arrived at Zumbro Bottoms. I saw Larry sitting in front of the fire and then watched another car pull up, as late as I.
I collected a map from Larry, asked who was all out on the trail, and saw that Lynn Saari was the other late arrival. Lucky me!
Lynn and I filled our bottles, decided we'd go out for about an hour, then come back to the rest area to refuel, and head back out for more.
We both admitted that neither one of us was very good at map reading or navigating. Larry mentioned he may offer a map reading instruction to members of UMTR. That would be a good class for me!
Once Lynn and I were able to find the trail, we had a great time. I have only spoke with Lynn a few times before so we were had plenty to talk about. The trail was muddy, some ice and snow, we were able to follow our trail shoe tracks back down the hill to the aid station. On the way back we ran into Alicia, Karen,Tom and Nancy, Wayne, Carl and Jim. We all trotted back to the aid station to refuel.
After filling my bottles I found that only Lynn and I were going to head back out. The rest were either taking off or were going to hang out and visit for the remainder of the day. Lynn and I looked at a map and headed back out for more. Lynn was looking to get roughly 20 miles in and I was up for whatever anyone wanted to run. 20 miles? Fine with me.
As we were running to the trail Steve and John were coming back. We said hello and that we were going to go out for a bit, and asked if they would like to come along for a while more. Steve and John are the fastest of the group, they had already been running for a few hours and had run more miles than anyone. John couldn't resist another run, and let Lynn and I away as Steve ran back to the aid area.
John knew the trail well so I put my map away. We spoke about John's WIN at Arrowhead, besting his already course record by 10 hours or more this past February. Crazy. John led us across the bridge, up into the bluffs and up a hill from hell. Steve and he had run up the hill during their previous loop; Lynn and I walked up the hill, huffing and puffing, sweat rolling into our eyes, amazed at how hot we felt. The snow was over our ankles but it was 60F. The first SHORTS run of the season! I had fabulous fun. I loved being out there so very much.
We ended up running over two hours for our second session, totalling 18 miles for Lynn and I. John ran much more than we did, and was running faster than we were. We all agreed that we had a great run and were ready to join the rest at the picnic area. As we ran to the rest area John yelled out to Scott to get a burger ready for him. Scott did just that.
After changing into some dry clothes and settling on a blanket with Maria, I spent the afternoon chatting with my good friends. It was a great way to spend the day.
I am thankful each and every day for this great group of friends that I have met. I would have never met them if I hadn't become an ultra runner.
Today Topaz and I headed out to the trail for a 10 mile run. Most of the snow is off of the trail now, we had a great relaxing run. His paw pad is all healed up and no longer tender to the touch.
Guess I should let up a bit before McNaughton is here. I suppose I'll rest on Friday, as I drive to Pekin. This is the first time (out of 4) that I'll be travelling solo. Wynn is holding the Chippewa 50K this Saturday so most of my friends are heading to his race instead of McNaughton. I heard that Chippewa is under 1.5 feet of snow. A 50K snowshoe race would be awesome fun!
Oh, and a plug for John. He is the NEW RACE DIRECTOR for the Afton 25/50K races. Check out his website and check out his race! We'll have a great time :)
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
From Sand Running to Snow Shoe Running!
I had a fabulous vacation in Texas. The boys and I flew out of Minneapolis last Friday at 32F. We landed in Harlingen, TX 3 hours later at 102F. Heaven.
The whole week was wonderful. High temperatures were never lower than 85 and the lowest low was 49. Oh yeah. I loved every minute.
To be able to run without pants, without a jacket, without hat, mittens, snowshoes or gloves. What a treat! To pull on a pair of shorts, a run bra and head out to greet the morning darkness and watch the sun rise..spectacular.
What a difference a three hour plane ride can make!
Mom and Dad winter in a retirement community. Since we were last there, a few years ago, the association has upgraded the pool area by enlarging the pool, adding bathrooms and showers, lockers and an awesome hot tub. We spent a lot of time there. We also did a lot of shuffleing. There are 48 shuffle board courts, the 'olds' as Troy calls them, are playing shuffle all of the time. They also golf, play bridge, have a Spanish class, a yoga class, line dancing, ball room dancing; there is always something to do. I can see why Mom and Dad love it so. If they were still spending winters in Virginia, MN, they would be curled up on the couch at 6 PM when it is dark and watching TV. In Texas at 6 PM they are out and about, enj0ying the TX winter. What a concept. They will head back to Minnesota in three weeks. Hopefully the snow will be gone by then...
Padre Island was incredible. The winds were high, the waves were huge. We spent a great deal of time in the ocean, riding the waves. Troy made sure we visited the Sea Turtle care center. We learned all about the Sea Turtles. Troy has two Box Turtles, so was very interested.
Each morning I ran 12 miles before the boys awoke. It didn't take any time to acclimate to the heat. It felt so wonderful. I am such a summer person. Beach running is much easier than running in snowshoes! 12 miles on the beach took me a good 30 minutes less than 12 miles through the snow.
Our plane going back to Mpls. was delayed an hour, due to de-icing before departing for TX. Minnepolis was under a snow advisory. Joy. We landed in Minneapolis on Friday night, at 1045 PM. By the time we finally arrived to Big Lake it was 1 AM, due to the snow and bad driving conditions.
Topaz about had a heart attack when I walked through the door. He was pretty darn excited to run Saturday morning. 20 miles, through the snow, on snowshoes. I couldn't help thinking that yesterday at that time I was running 12 in the delightful warm ocean air. Back to reality!
Today was 20 more miles through the snow on the snowshoes. It snowed again last night.
It's nice to be home, but it was wonderful to be on vacation!
The whole week was wonderful. High temperatures were never lower than 85 and the lowest low was 49. Oh yeah. I loved every minute.
To be able to run without pants, without a jacket, without hat, mittens, snowshoes or gloves. What a treat! To pull on a pair of shorts, a run bra and head out to greet the morning darkness and watch the sun rise..spectacular.
What a difference a three hour plane ride can make!
Mom and Dad winter in a retirement community. Since we were last there, a few years ago, the association has upgraded the pool area by enlarging the pool, adding bathrooms and showers, lockers and an awesome hot tub. We spent a lot of time there. We also did a lot of shuffleing. There are 48 shuffle board courts, the 'olds' as Troy calls them, are playing shuffle all of the time. They also golf, play bridge, have a Spanish class, a yoga class, line dancing, ball room dancing; there is always something to do. I can see why Mom and Dad love it so. If they were still spending winters in Virginia, MN, they would be curled up on the couch at 6 PM when it is dark and watching TV. In Texas at 6 PM they are out and about, enj0ying the TX winter. What a concept. They will head back to Minnesota in three weeks. Hopefully the snow will be gone by then...
Padre Island was incredible. The winds were high, the waves were huge. We spent a great deal of time in the ocean, riding the waves. Troy made sure we visited the Sea Turtle care center. We learned all about the Sea Turtles. Troy has two Box Turtles, so was very interested.
Each morning I ran 12 miles before the boys awoke. It didn't take any time to acclimate to the heat. It felt so wonderful. I am such a summer person. Beach running is much easier than running in snowshoes! 12 miles on the beach took me a good 30 minutes less than 12 miles through the snow.
Our plane going back to Mpls. was delayed an hour, due to de-icing before departing for TX. Minnepolis was under a snow advisory. Joy. We landed in Minneapolis on Friday night, at 1045 PM. By the time we finally arrived to Big Lake it was 1 AM, due to the snow and bad driving conditions.
Topaz about had a heart attack when I walked through the door. He was pretty darn excited to run Saturday morning. 20 miles, through the snow, on snowshoes. I couldn't help thinking that yesterday at that time I was running 12 in the delightful warm ocean air. Back to reality!
Today was 20 more miles through the snow on the snowshoes. It snowed again last night.
It's nice to be home, but it was wonderful to be on vacation!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Sloshin' Through the Snow
Spring has sprung
The grass has 'riz
I wonder where the flower is?
There's the bird
On the wing...
Oh, that's absurd
The wing is on the bird!
I learned that poem in my First Grade Class, and have said it over and over each spring, for the past 35 years! I taught it to my boys, to their classes while I volunteer and to my coworkers.
Spring is Here!
Today the high is 50F. Low of 33F. It melted all night long! Woohoo. Last night the snow was sloppy and loose. I was soaked, but loved it. Tough going running through 7" of slop, but knowing that there is grass and dirt under all that slop is wonderful.
It might all be gone when I return from Padre Island. I'm hoping so.
Today after work I may be running in shorts. Oh yeah! They may no longer be for the treadmill and gym only.
Tomorrow the boys and I fly out to warmer climates. I am SO looking forward to it. Visiting with my parents, waterpark-ing, beaching, beaching, beaching..
Can't wait.
The grass has 'riz
I wonder where the flower is?
There's the bird
On the wing...
Oh, that's absurd
The wing is on the bird!
I learned that poem in my First Grade Class, and have said it over and over each spring, for the past 35 years! I taught it to my boys, to their classes while I volunteer and to my coworkers.
Spring is Here!
Today the high is 50F. Low of 33F. It melted all night long! Woohoo. Last night the snow was sloppy and loose. I was soaked, but loved it. Tough going running through 7" of slop, but knowing that there is grass and dirt under all that slop is wonderful.
It might all be gone when I return from Padre Island. I'm hoping so.
Today after work I may be running in shorts. Oh yeah! They may no longer be for the treadmill and gym only.
Tomorrow the boys and I fly out to warmer climates. I am SO looking forward to it. Visiting with my parents, waterpark-ing, beaching, beaching, beaching..
Can't wait.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
50 Mile Adventure Training Run
Mid week I decided to try and get a 50 mile training run in this weekend. I hadn't yet decided if it would be upon trail or road. Road would be much easier, but I wouldn't be able to bring Topaz. Trail would be snow covered and tough, better training for McNaughton and I would be able to bring Topaz along.
I have been collecting trail maps between my home and the Blue Hill Trail, where I normally run. I figured out a route between the Sand Dunes State Forest, the Grant N Aid Snowmobile Trails, the Ann Lake State Campground Horse Trails and the Wildlife Refuge. I penciled in a map to bring me from my home to the Blue Hill trail via all of the trails mentioned above. I would only have to run a few miles upon Country Roads between here and there and on "Orrock Corner" I could refuel at the gas station, about 20 miles out. I figured it would take me at least 12 hours to run this route in the winter, upon snow covered trails.
I asked the boys what they would like to do while I ran all day long. They both decided upon snowboarding. I called Mom's to offer rides home from the hill if they were willing to pick the boys up. Plans were set. I had their snowboarding gear all set by the front door with lunches packed and money for dinner at the chalet. I would pick them up at 7PM.
I decided to run my new scoped out trail run. I fastened red blinking lights onto my GoLite pack and Topaz's collar. After running the County Road for a two miles we would venture onto snowmobile trails. I didn't know if there would be snowmobilers out at 5 AM but who knows? I figured flashing red lights would help us out.
I packed Heed, HammerGel, Cliffblocks, Advil and Doggie Bones. I had my cell along for just in case. Extra batteries for the flashlight incase I didn't make my 4 PM finish time. Extra mittens and neck gaitor for comfort.
We were off at 4AM. The neighborhood was dark and quite..and spooky. Off onto the County Road, along the St. Croix River, up onto the Grant N Aid Snowmobile Trail for roughly 5 miles. Thankfully, I didn't see any snowmobilers. There was a good 8" of snow on the trail, but they must not get out and snowmobile quite so early. I did see a few on the way back home.
My bottles of Heed froze up pretty quickly. It was -8F when I left home and there was a stiff wind blowing. Even in the woods it was cold. It was dark and I hadn't run here before so I was rather skittish. Topaz was running like a wild dog; checking out the new scents of the new area.
I heard wolves howling. They freaked me out. I stopped and listened and I could hear them so clearly. I was on a snowmobile trail through pines, with low bog areas around. I had no clue where the wolves were. I began to talk to Topaz in a loud tone. Eventually I didn't hear them any more.
The sun began to rise as we exited the snowmobile trail and got onto the Sandune State Forest trails. These trails were mainly horse trails, from what the map said. There are a few horse camps out there, I guess. The trails are beautiful. It looked like some people had been cross country skiing out there during the week, as it had snowed on Wednesday and I could see the ski trails.
Soon we were on the Ann Lake Campground trails. These were drifted over and I couldn't really tell where the trails were. They were supposed to be horse trails. It was tough going, trudging through the deep snow.
As we got off of the Sandune State Forest Trails we entered some private property areas along the Wildlife Refuge. We ran through prairie areas of the Refuge. It was difficult through here; there were no tracks, there were huge drifts and at times I was up past my knees in snow. I was thankful I had worn my knee high gaitors over my shoes. The prairie was bumpy, with piles of dirt here and there to run over. I was glad to get off of this area.
For a while we had to run along County Road 5, to hit Orrock Corner. Here I realized that I didn't want to tie up Topaz to the gas station door. My friends own the liquor store next door, so I walked over there and asked if Topaz and I could come in. The gal working welcomed us in, offering Topaz a bowl of water, as she ran hot water over the frozen bottles, adding new water for me. I then added Heed, ate a banana, had a gel and headed for the Blue Hill trail.
We ran Sherburne Wildlife Refuge fire roads through the next area to County Road 9. There were many deer through here. During deer hunting season this area is just full of hunters. I counted 36 deer while running through here. It was amazing. Topaz kept running hard after the deer, trying to herd them back to me. I told him to take it easy; we still had miles to cover.
At 9 am we made it to the Blue Hill Trail; our stomping grounds. We ran a loop and headed back home, hoping to find the same way he had come.
We made another stop at the liquor store for water and a rest. I was getting tired of running through the snow. I pulled some ice out of Topaz's paws. I took a few Advil and re-lubed my feet up with my foot potion.
As we were entering the Ann Lake Campground I could smell a camp fire..and grilled cheese sandwiches! Was I halucinating? I didn't think so. Pretty soon I noticed hoof prints. There were actually horse people out here camping. I ran down a dirt road, that I hadn't covered on the way out, and saw campers, trailers and horses..and then people. A gal asked what in the world was I doing? I told her going for a long training run. She told me they were riding 25 miles and were tired, taking a lunch break. She couldn't belive I was running 50 miles, alone. They offered me a sandwich, but it just didn't sound good. I passed, but refilled my frozen Heed bottles with their water and they offered Topaz a bowl of water too. He ate a piece of bread and a piece of lunch meat.
As I said goodbye to the horse people, I thought that they kind of reminded me of a group of runners. They are out there in the woods, doing their thing, nobody knows they are there..kind of like a sub-culture, passionate about horses. We are the same, only passionate about running.
They gave me the lift I needed to get out of my tired funk. I ran a bit faster, a bit happier, heading toward home. I was glad that I was going to make it before my 4 planned time.
We entered the snowmobile trail and sure enough, a group of 8 snowmobiles zoomed past us. I don't think they even saw us. They were flying and oh, the fumes and noise. Ish. I could hear them for a long time. I rather hear the wolves and be freaked out by them! I guess I'll probably never be a snowmobile owner.
Off of the snowmobile trail, onto the County Road, along the St. Francis River, back into our neighborhood and home sweet home!
What a great adventure. I can't wait to do it again WITHOUT snow! It was just so difficult. I swear the wind became even gustier as the day went on..I was SO cold.
I came in the house, turned on the fireplace, fixed a hot cocoa, took a shower, made a sandwich and headed for the hill to pick up the boys.
This morning was a much kinder, more gentle, 15 mile run at Blue Hill. When I began running it was still dark. When the sun began to rise, it was spectacular! It looked like a pink ribbon was pulling the sun up into the sky, the sun, a big red ball. It had snowed last night, and when the sun was shining upon the field that I was running in, it looked like a field of pave cut diamonds. What a great morning!
I have been collecting trail maps between my home and the Blue Hill Trail, where I normally run. I figured out a route between the Sand Dunes State Forest, the Grant N Aid Snowmobile Trails, the Ann Lake State Campground Horse Trails and the Wildlife Refuge. I penciled in a map to bring me from my home to the Blue Hill trail via all of the trails mentioned above. I would only have to run a few miles upon Country Roads between here and there and on "Orrock Corner" I could refuel at the gas station, about 20 miles out. I figured it would take me at least 12 hours to run this route in the winter, upon snow covered trails.
I asked the boys what they would like to do while I ran all day long. They both decided upon snowboarding. I called Mom's to offer rides home from the hill if they were willing to pick the boys up. Plans were set. I had their snowboarding gear all set by the front door with lunches packed and money for dinner at the chalet. I would pick them up at 7PM.
I decided to run my new scoped out trail run. I fastened red blinking lights onto my GoLite pack and Topaz's collar. After running the County Road for a two miles we would venture onto snowmobile trails. I didn't know if there would be snowmobilers out at 5 AM but who knows? I figured flashing red lights would help us out.
I packed Heed, HammerGel, Cliffblocks, Advil and Doggie Bones. I had my cell along for just in case. Extra batteries for the flashlight incase I didn't make my 4 PM finish time. Extra mittens and neck gaitor for comfort.
We were off at 4AM. The neighborhood was dark and quite..and spooky. Off onto the County Road, along the St. Croix River, up onto the Grant N Aid Snowmobile Trail for roughly 5 miles. Thankfully, I didn't see any snowmobilers. There was a good 8" of snow on the trail, but they must not get out and snowmobile quite so early. I did see a few on the way back home.
My bottles of Heed froze up pretty quickly. It was -8F when I left home and there was a stiff wind blowing. Even in the woods it was cold. It was dark and I hadn't run here before so I was rather skittish. Topaz was running like a wild dog; checking out the new scents of the new area.
I heard wolves howling. They freaked me out. I stopped and listened and I could hear them so clearly. I was on a snowmobile trail through pines, with low bog areas around. I had no clue where the wolves were. I began to talk to Topaz in a loud tone. Eventually I didn't hear them any more.
The sun began to rise as we exited the snowmobile trail and got onto the Sandune State Forest trails. These trails were mainly horse trails, from what the map said. There are a few horse camps out there, I guess. The trails are beautiful. It looked like some people had been cross country skiing out there during the week, as it had snowed on Wednesday and I could see the ski trails.
Soon we were on the Ann Lake Campground trails. These were drifted over and I couldn't really tell where the trails were. They were supposed to be horse trails. It was tough going, trudging through the deep snow.
As we got off of the Sandune State Forest Trails we entered some private property areas along the Wildlife Refuge. We ran through prairie areas of the Refuge. It was difficult through here; there were no tracks, there were huge drifts and at times I was up past my knees in snow. I was thankful I had worn my knee high gaitors over my shoes. The prairie was bumpy, with piles of dirt here and there to run over. I was glad to get off of this area.
For a while we had to run along County Road 5, to hit Orrock Corner. Here I realized that I didn't want to tie up Topaz to the gas station door. My friends own the liquor store next door, so I walked over there and asked if Topaz and I could come in. The gal working welcomed us in, offering Topaz a bowl of water, as she ran hot water over the frozen bottles, adding new water for me. I then added Heed, ate a banana, had a gel and headed for the Blue Hill trail.
We ran Sherburne Wildlife Refuge fire roads through the next area to County Road 9. There were many deer through here. During deer hunting season this area is just full of hunters. I counted 36 deer while running through here. It was amazing. Topaz kept running hard after the deer, trying to herd them back to me. I told him to take it easy; we still had miles to cover.
At 9 am we made it to the Blue Hill Trail; our stomping grounds. We ran a loop and headed back home, hoping to find the same way he had come.
We made another stop at the liquor store for water and a rest. I was getting tired of running through the snow. I pulled some ice out of Topaz's paws. I took a few Advil and re-lubed my feet up with my foot potion.
As we were entering the Ann Lake Campground I could smell a camp fire..and grilled cheese sandwiches! Was I halucinating? I didn't think so. Pretty soon I noticed hoof prints. There were actually horse people out here camping. I ran down a dirt road, that I hadn't covered on the way out, and saw campers, trailers and horses..and then people. A gal asked what in the world was I doing? I told her going for a long training run. She told me they were riding 25 miles and were tired, taking a lunch break. She couldn't belive I was running 50 miles, alone. They offered me a sandwich, but it just didn't sound good. I passed, but refilled my frozen Heed bottles with their water and they offered Topaz a bowl of water too. He ate a piece of bread and a piece of lunch meat.
As I said goodbye to the horse people, I thought that they kind of reminded me of a group of runners. They are out there in the woods, doing their thing, nobody knows they are there..kind of like a sub-culture, passionate about horses. We are the same, only passionate about running.
They gave me the lift I needed to get out of my tired funk. I ran a bit faster, a bit happier, heading toward home. I was glad that I was going to make it before my 4 planned time.
We entered the snowmobile trail and sure enough, a group of 8 snowmobiles zoomed past us. I don't think they even saw us. They were flying and oh, the fumes and noise. Ish. I could hear them for a long time. I rather hear the wolves and be freaked out by them! I guess I'll probably never be a snowmobile owner.
Off of the snowmobile trail, onto the County Road, along the St. Francis River, back into our neighborhood and home sweet home!
What a great adventure. I can't wait to do it again WITHOUT snow! It was just so difficult. I swear the wind became even gustier as the day went on..I was SO cold.
I came in the house, turned on the fireplace, fixed a hot cocoa, took a shower, made a sandwich and headed for the hill to pick up the boys.
This morning was a much kinder, more gentle, 15 mile run at Blue Hill. When I began running it was still dark. When the sun began to rise, it was spectacular! It looked like a pink ribbon was pulling the sun up into the sky, the sun, a big red ball. It had snowed last night, and when the sun was shining upon the field that I was running in, it looked like a field of pave cut diamonds. What a great morning!
Friday, March 07, 2008
Another Winter Blast
Blast as in cold air. It's -11F this morning, with a wind chill of -28F. It's still cold. I had to laugh when I heard on the news this morning, while running on my treadmill, that it was -33F in Cook, MN, where our cabin is on Lake Vermilion, and a high of 86F in South Padre Island TX, where I will be next week. I am SO looking forward to it! Running on the beach, laying in the sun, swimming in the pool; wearing nothing but swim suits and running shorts for a week. Oh yeah.
I've entered the 100 mile week realm. Last week I logged 108 miles and this week I will hit a bit over that. Instead of feeling tired I am feeling pumped. McNaughton is only 5 weeks out. Hey, it might be spring in Pekin, IL by the time McNaughton arrives.
I'll probably have to head over to the Minneapolis Lakes area for a 50 mile run this weekend. The trails are pretty icy with a base of 8" of snow. I was able to run 40 out there last weekend but don't know if I want to do it again upon snow. Topaz gets so sad when I leave him behind, though. That being said, I'll probably be upon the trail.
The Board of the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Club met this Tuesday. Our website is up and running, we are accepting membership applications and are ready to rock and roll. Check us out if you live in the area. We offer two awesome trail series, discounts to running stores and we have many projects in the works. I'm honored to be involved!
I've entered the 100 mile week realm. Last week I logged 108 miles and this week I will hit a bit over that. Instead of feeling tired I am feeling pumped. McNaughton is only 5 weeks out. Hey, it might be spring in Pekin, IL by the time McNaughton arrives.
I'll probably have to head over to the Minneapolis Lakes area for a 50 mile run this weekend. The trails are pretty icy with a base of 8" of snow. I was able to run 40 out there last weekend but don't know if I want to do it again upon snow. Topaz gets so sad when I leave him behind, though. That being said, I'll probably be upon the trail.
The Board of the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Club met this Tuesday. Our website is up and running, we are accepting membership applications and are ready to rock and roll. Check us out if you live in the area. We offer two awesome trail series, discounts to running stores and we have many projects in the works. I'm honored to be involved!
Saturday, March 01, 2008
The Long Runs: The Ones I Love
Yesterday was Troy's day. I began the day with my 30 minute interval session on the treadmill then showered and readied for the day. I had the morning off to serve cake to Troy's first hour at school (a tradition each year, since Tyler was in Kindergarten), and then to take Tyler to his appointment with the surgeon. I didn't have to be to work until 1130.
When I asked Troy what he would like for his birthday breakfast he told me Belgian waffles. I began to mix them up before I woke he and Tyler for school. I placed Troy's big turtle birthday cake on the kitchen table; he hadn't seen it yet. I then placed his birthday present next to it.
When Tyler and Troy came down for breakfast they were pretty pumped. It isn't often that they get Mom's homemade Beligan waffles for breakfast. Usually it is steel cut oats and fruit. I hadn't told Tyler what I purchased for Troy, so he was a bit anxious to find out as well.
Troy absolutely loved the turtle cake. So much in fact, that instead of having me make his favorite banana split cake for the friend party today, he asked if I could order another turtle cake. I told him I'd try.
They ate their waffles and Troy opened his present. A Nintendo Wii! Tyler was as excited as Troy. They couldn't believe that Troy was so lucky. I loved seeing how excited they were.
I dropped the boys off at school and then hit the gym for 45 minutes of bicep/tricep work. Then off to the bakery to see about turtle cake #2. She told me it was no problem, she'd have one ready for me on Saturday. Good deal.
Picked Tyler up at school and we went to the surgeon. Good news. Tyler's infection is all gone, he still has an 8" abscess on his colon, but the tissue looks stronger than previous. He won't have to reconstruct the colon as we worried about. Tyler will probably have surgery to remove whatever is left of the appendix in August; after baseball, before football and school begin. I'm hoping I can schedule it the first week of August, before we head to Colorado for Leadville 100 (insert scary music here).
Back to work, uneventful, then home to find Tyler and Troy playing the Wii. Off to run 8 miles on the trail with Topaz before birthday dinner with the family at Troy's choice: Champps of course.
Today was a 40 miler. I didn't quite know how it was going to fit in, but I did. Troy's birthday party began at 3:00 today. I still had to pick up the cake and a few other items. The boys were going to ice fish this morning with Steve, wouldn't be home until 1, they would be busy, so I left before sunrise.
The trail has a packed base of about 6" of snow, with a new 2" snowfall we received on Thursday. It isn't tough to run 6-8 miles upon, but I thought 40 could be a challenge! It was.
I began at 430, flashlight in hand, listening to all the weird sounds of the woods. Everything is louder in the darkness! There were no new people tracks on the trail since I had run it on Thursday and Friday, other than Topaz's and my own. We ran two of the 5 miles loops, then headed off to the lake when the sun rose. I don't know that lake/meadow area as well as the loop, so I didn't want to venture out there in the dark.
After 15 miles went by I realized this is where I hit my zone. After 15 miles, I feel like I could run forever. Now, this is a slower, 9-10 minute mile run on easy trail. This isn't hard hills, fast tempo or anything. At a relaxing pace I just enjoy myself so much after 15 miles. Topaz does too. After 15-20 miles he begins to circle out farther from me, tearing down side trails, stirring up birds, deer and coyotes.
After 25 miles I was out of Heed. We headed back to the car, along a gravel road where the snow was almost all melted off of. It felt really nice to get out of the snow and all of the slipping and sliding I was doing. Back to the car at 30 miles, refilled Heed and headed out for the final 10. I was beginning to feel tired, ran upon the gravel for another 5 miles and then hit the trail for one final circle. Still, nobody else had been out there. Such a nice morning, and no people traffic. I love it!
I felt at peace. I felt like I could take on anything. I felt calm. I felt ready for Troy's birthday party!
I was finished by 1230 and feeling fine. A bit hungry, but that would have to wait. I hopped into the shower, then off to pick up the cake, the Papa Murphys Pizza and items for smores and candy bags. The woman at Target asked me if I was buying candy for a fundraiser. Um, no, I just have a candy addiction and am buying like the kids to do, for a birthday party. Oops. Back home before the first arrival at 300.
Troy's plan is to slide outside, have a bon fire with smores and hotdogs, pizza and cake later and lots of Wii.
I used to cringe when it was birthday party time. I thought about all the boys, all the mess, all the noise, no sleep for me, whine whine whine. Then I realized how quickly time was passing. These parties are once a year, I can certainly put up with that. I decided to have fun! Slide with the boys, enjoy the party. Tyler stopped having friend birthday parties at 12, I suppose this could be Troy's last. I better enjoy it!
If I don't get any sleep tonight, oh well. I have a 20 miler I'd like to get in tomorrow. I can always begin at 3 AM and be finished by 7. I suppose the boys won't make it upstairs for the Belgian waffles (yes, he picked that out for tomorrow too!) until 10:00. I asked the parents to pick up the boys by 12.
Off to catch up with the boys outside. Geeze. Topaz is running like a crazy dog up and down the hill while they are sliding. I may have to bring him in and make him rest :)
When I asked Troy what he would like for his birthday breakfast he told me Belgian waffles. I began to mix them up before I woke he and Tyler for school. I placed Troy's big turtle birthday cake on the kitchen table; he hadn't seen it yet. I then placed his birthday present next to it.
When Tyler and Troy came down for breakfast they were pretty pumped. It isn't often that they get Mom's homemade Beligan waffles for breakfast. Usually it is steel cut oats and fruit. I hadn't told Tyler what I purchased for Troy, so he was a bit anxious to find out as well.
Troy absolutely loved the turtle cake. So much in fact, that instead of having me make his favorite banana split cake for the friend party today, he asked if I could order another turtle cake. I told him I'd try.
They ate their waffles and Troy opened his present. A Nintendo Wii! Tyler was as excited as Troy. They couldn't believe that Troy was so lucky. I loved seeing how excited they were.
I dropped the boys off at school and then hit the gym for 45 minutes of bicep/tricep work. Then off to the bakery to see about turtle cake #2. She told me it was no problem, she'd have one ready for me on Saturday. Good deal.
Picked Tyler up at school and we went to the surgeon. Good news. Tyler's infection is all gone, he still has an 8" abscess on his colon, but the tissue looks stronger than previous. He won't have to reconstruct the colon as we worried about. Tyler will probably have surgery to remove whatever is left of the appendix in August; after baseball, before football and school begin. I'm hoping I can schedule it the first week of August, before we head to Colorado for Leadville 100 (insert scary music here).
Back to work, uneventful, then home to find Tyler and Troy playing the Wii. Off to run 8 miles on the trail with Topaz before birthday dinner with the family at Troy's choice: Champps of course.
Today was a 40 miler. I didn't quite know how it was going to fit in, but I did. Troy's birthday party began at 3:00 today. I still had to pick up the cake and a few other items. The boys were going to ice fish this morning with Steve, wouldn't be home until 1, they would be busy, so I left before sunrise.
The trail has a packed base of about 6" of snow, with a new 2" snowfall we received on Thursday. It isn't tough to run 6-8 miles upon, but I thought 40 could be a challenge! It was.
I began at 430, flashlight in hand, listening to all the weird sounds of the woods. Everything is louder in the darkness! There were no new people tracks on the trail since I had run it on Thursday and Friday, other than Topaz's and my own. We ran two of the 5 miles loops, then headed off to the lake when the sun rose. I don't know that lake/meadow area as well as the loop, so I didn't want to venture out there in the dark.
After 15 miles went by I realized this is where I hit my zone. After 15 miles, I feel like I could run forever. Now, this is a slower, 9-10 minute mile run on easy trail. This isn't hard hills, fast tempo or anything. At a relaxing pace I just enjoy myself so much after 15 miles. Topaz does too. After 15-20 miles he begins to circle out farther from me, tearing down side trails, stirring up birds, deer and coyotes.
After 25 miles I was out of Heed. We headed back to the car, along a gravel road where the snow was almost all melted off of. It felt really nice to get out of the snow and all of the slipping and sliding I was doing. Back to the car at 30 miles, refilled Heed and headed out for the final 10. I was beginning to feel tired, ran upon the gravel for another 5 miles and then hit the trail for one final circle. Still, nobody else had been out there. Such a nice morning, and no people traffic. I love it!
I felt at peace. I felt like I could take on anything. I felt calm. I felt ready for Troy's birthday party!
I was finished by 1230 and feeling fine. A bit hungry, but that would have to wait. I hopped into the shower, then off to pick up the cake, the Papa Murphys Pizza and items for smores and candy bags. The woman at Target asked me if I was buying candy for a fundraiser. Um, no, I just have a candy addiction and am buying like the kids to do, for a birthday party. Oops. Back home before the first arrival at 300.
Troy's plan is to slide outside, have a bon fire with smores and hotdogs, pizza and cake later and lots of Wii.
I used to cringe when it was birthday party time. I thought about all the boys, all the mess, all the noise, no sleep for me, whine whine whine. Then I realized how quickly time was passing. These parties are once a year, I can certainly put up with that. I decided to have fun! Slide with the boys, enjoy the party. Tyler stopped having friend birthday parties at 12, I suppose this could be Troy's last. I better enjoy it!
If I don't get any sleep tonight, oh well. I have a 20 miler I'd like to get in tomorrow. I can always begin at 3 AM and be finished by 7. I suppose the boys won't make it upstairs for the Belgian waffles (yes, he picked that out for tomorrow too!) until 10:00. I asked the parents to pick up the boys by 12.
Off to catch up with the boys outside. Geeze. Topaz is running like a crazy dog up and down the hill while they are sliding. I may have to bring him in and make him rest :)
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Mile Repeats
I have spring fever. As much as I am trying so very hard not to absolutely hate winter, I still don't like it very much. I run outside everyday, I run upon trails, road, snowshoes, the season doesn't matter. -40F oh well, get out and do it anyway. I try ice fishing now and again, but don't really care for it. I have taken up snowboarding with my boys. This is the first winter than I haven't gained 10 or more pounds and found myself very depressed. With all the upheavel I have had going on this winter, thankfully I am not depressed or fat, as usual. It could have been more of a nightmare had I been fat and depressed because of my weight.
Back to spring fever. Today I decided to run mile repeats. I realized this past weekend that McNaughton 100 is closing in on me so I pulled out last years training and saw that I had begun to run mile repeats in February. Well, February it is.
There is a 3 mile stretch of asphalt near my home, relatively flat and straight. I measured out 1 mile and placed a branch near each end. After work today Topaz and I ran an easy three mile warmup around the neighborhood, as we were practically attacked by the neighborhood dogs and bad dog owners who actually yelled at me when I told them we had a dog ordinance, and then attacked the mile repeats.
1st mile: 734
2nd mile: 731
3rd mile: 729
4th mile: 730
5th mile: 728
Pretty darn consistant. Topaz beat me on every mile! He knew when we were reaching the end of the mile. He would begin to run tight circles around my feet, I don't know, trying to herd me and keep me from turning around and doing it again? I told him he better not take a nip out of my calve! Crazy pup. I love him.
I was exhausted. After a 3 mile jog home I was ready for a hot shower, a hot fireplace and a good book!
Tonight is my one TV night of the week. I'll be chillin' on the couch, watching The Biggest Loser.
Back to spring fever. Today I decided to run mile repeats. I realized this past weekend that McNaughton 100 is closing in on me so I pulled out last years training and saw that I had begun to run mile repeats in February. Well, February it is.
There is a 3 mile stretch of asphalt near my home, relatively flat and straight. I measured out 1 mile and placed a branch near each end. After work today Topaz and I ran an easy three mile warmup around the neighborhood, as we were practically attacked by the neighborhood dogs and bad dog owners who actually yelled at me when I told them we had a dog ordinance, and then attacked the mile repeats.
1st mile: 734
2nd mile: 731
3rd mile: 729
4th mile: 730
5th mile: 728
Pretty darn consistant. Topaz beat me on every mile! He knew when we were reaching the end of the mile. He would begin to run tight circles around my feet, I don't know, trying to herd me and keep me from turning around and doing it again? I told him he better not take a nip out of my calve! Crazy pup. I love him.
I was exhausted. After a 3 mile jog home I was ready for a hot shower, a hot fireplace and a good book!
Tonight is my one TV night of the week. I'll be chillin' on the couch, watching The Biggest Loser.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
New Explorations off My Well-Travelled Trail
Today the *Friends of the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge* hosted Winterfest, in the Refuge. The Sherburne Wildlife Refuge is the 38,000 acre wild woods that I enjoy running through each and every day. Winterfest was held today from 10-2. They offer sled rides, guided walks through the refuge, brats and cake, bald eagles from the Raptor Center. I would have been interested in the video on animal droppings, but I just wouldn't have been able to stand seeing all of the visitors in *my* running area.
Topaz and I left before sunrise so that I wouldn't have to put up with the public. I LOVE running in the refuge, I LOVE that barely a soul every disturbs me out there, I LOVE that the bridges have been out all winter on the Blue Hill Trail so that nobody bothers me. I LOVE running solo, with only my pup to talk with.
Today I decided to run down to the lake, then investigate further down the never travelled fire path, or whatever type of pathway it is. I'm not sure what it is. I looked at my watch and ran along the path, being careful not to turn an ankle in the uneven frozen snow. I figured I'd run 2 hours down the path and turn around and hit Blue Hill on the way back to the car. I wanted to run a slow easy 4 hours. I didn't wear my snowshoes, they are still a crumpled broken mess from the Northwoods Snowshoe Marathon and I am in no great rush to snowshoe anyhow, so haven't sent them off to be fixed.
As the sun rose and the sky became lighter I could tell that it was going to be a cloudy, kind of hazy day. There was no wind, it was quite warm, 25F when I left home with a high today of 30. I could hear animals in the woods. In the darkness, it kind of freaks me out.
I didn't know where the path would lead me to and every once in a while Topaz would bolt off, doing his herding then, then circle back to me. It was still quite dark and I was wondering what it was he was herding. I heard pileated woodpeckers nearby and they were so loud I just knew there was a big group of them in a stand of oak nearby, feeding. I hoped they would still be around on my return.
Daylight arrived and all around me were dense oak stands. I was sure I was still in the Refuge, as I hadn't crossed any roads and I didn't see any sign of homesteads. It was kind of a weird feeling. I knew I wasn't lost, but I didn't know where I was, either.
I have been running in the Refuge for 5 years, but had never been down this pathway before. There were many off-shoot paths that went to the left and the right of the pathway that I was running upon. I will have to investigate further tomorrow. Eventually I came to a Refuge sign "Native Prarie Grass..Seeded 1996". At least I knew I was still in the Refuge! It was so quiet. Not a person or a sign of a human anywhere. No human prints, only animals.
Topaz spotted two coyotes. He began to tear after them but they were too far ahead of him for him to catch up. Eventually he looped back to me. I don't know what he would do if he were to get close to them. His hair was up on his neck, he didn't like the smell of them.
I looked at my watch and almost two hours had passed. As the path went through a big stretch of meadow, I told Topaz we'd go to the end of the meadow and turn around. Well, at the end of the meadow was a big hill that I couldn't see over. I had to explore further. What was over the hill? It looked like a deep ravine.
We ran along and holy moly! A big metal bridge crossing a wide frozen river. I couldn't believe it. There were Refuge signs on the riverbank, it wasn't closed to entry. I gingerly went through the bridgework and over the river. How exciting! It seems silly, but I really was excited to find this bridge and river. I had NO idea it was out there. Topaz and I explored a bit more, then turned around and headed back where we started.
By the time we approached the car the DNR had placed out parking signs labeled "WINTERFEST". I left the lot as quickly as possible!
I'm anxious to get back out tomorrow to investigate the trail and river further.
(My spell check doesn't seem to be working anymore)
Topaz and I left before sunrise so that I wouldn't have to put up with the public. I LOVE running in the refuge, I LOVE that barely a soul every disturbs me out there, I LOVE that the bridges have been out all winter on the Blue Hill Trail so that nobody bothers me. I LOVE running solo, with only my pup to talk with.
Today I decided to run down to the lake, then investigate further down the never travelled fire path, or whatever type of pathway it is. I'm not sure what it is. I looked at my watch and ran along the path, being careful not to turn an ankle in the uneven frozen snow. I figured I'd run 2 hours down the path and turn around and hit Blue Hill on the way back to the car. I wanted to run a slow easy 4 hours. I didn't wear my snowshoes, they are still a crumpled broken mess from the Northwoods Snowshoe Marathon and I am in no great rush to snowshoe anyhow, so haven't sent them off to be fixed.
As the sun rose and the sky became lighter I could tell that it was going to be a cloudy, kind of hazy day. There was no wind, it was quite warm, 25F when I left home with a high today of 30. I could hear animals in the woods. In the darkness, it kind of freaks me out.
I didn't know where the path would lead me to and every once in a while Topaz would bolt off, doing his herding then, then circle back to me. It was still quite dark and I was wondering what it was he was herding. I heard pileated woodpeckers nearby and they were so loud I just knew there was a big group of them in a stand of oak nearby, feeding. I hoped they would still be around on my return.
Daylight arrived and all around me were dense oak stands. I was sure I was still in the Refuge, as I hadn't crossed any roads and I didn't see any sign of homesteads. It was kind of a weird feeling. I knew I wasn't lost, but I didn't know where I was, either.
I have been running in the Refuge for 5 years, but had never been down this pathway before. There were many off-shoot paths that went to the left and the right of the pathway that I was running upon. I will have to investigate further tomorrow. Eventually I came to a Refuge sign "Native Prarie Grass..Seeded 1996". At least I knew I was still in the Refuge! It was so quiet. Not a person or a sign of a human anywhere. No human prints, only animals.
Topaz spotted two coyotes. He began to tear after them but they were too far ahead of him for him to catch up. Eventually he looped back to me. I don't know what he would do if he were to get close to them. His hair was up on his neck, he didn't like the smell of them.
I looked at my watch and almost two hours had passed. As the path went through a big stretch of meadow, I told Topaz we'd go to the end of the meadow and turn around. Well, at the end of the meadow was a big hill that I couldn't see over. I had to explore further. What was over the hill? It looked like a deep ravine.
We ran along and holy moly! A big metal bridge crossing a wide frozen river. I couldn't believe it. There were Refuge signs on the riverbank, it wasn't closed to entry. I gingerly went through the bridgework and over the river. How exciting! It seems silly, but I really was excited to find this bridge and river. I had NO idea it was out there. Topaz and I explored a bit more, then turned around and headed back where we started.
By the time we approached the car the DNR had placed out parking signs labeled "WINTERFEST". I left the lot as quickly as possible!
I'm anxious to get back out tomorrow to investigate the trail and river further.
(My spell check doesn't seem to be working anymore)
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