CROSSFIT: MURPH: Entered!

 Getting My STRONG on!!

The last day to enter the CrossFit Murph event was May 7. I went through a scaled back version in my garage and decided yup, I can do this!

1 Mile Run
100 Pull Ups
200 Push Ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

I'm psyched!  No, not psycho! Psyched!

Sprint. Jump. Pull. Push. Press. Squat. Sprint. RUN.

That's CrossFit. Sprinting, jumping, pulling, pushing, pressing, squatting and more sprinting. I love it. I'm having such a great time!  I began with two sessions a week and then found myself attending three each week and last week I attended 4. Sweet progression.


I am PRing in everything. My strength amazes me. When I compare myself to others in the box, which I try not to do, I am pretty close to the bottom, but when I compare myself to where I began, I am certainly getting better. My disc damaged side is much weaker and I really struggle with that..but I'm doing the best I can. 


I find CrossFit much more fun than lifting for 45 minutes at the gym, by myself, same lifts, same thing. With CrossFit I am still lifting heavy but doing so much more!  The workouts are varied, fast, incredible moves that I have never completed before.


Steve and Troy built me a jump box!  Yes, a box which I jump onto. It's 20 inches tall, wood, portable. I haul it from the garage to the grass. When I first completed box jumps at CF I was afraid, I held Susan's hand because I was sure I was going to kill myself.  It was a 14" box!  I moved to 16" and now am not afraid of a 20". They will be building me a 24" box soon, I am sure!


We are running a competition right now. Last Saturday we completed "FRAN" which consists of thrusters and pull ups. I completed my workout in 13:30. We had our time recorded, our body weight, our weight lifted, measurements. In 4 weeks we'll see how we progressed. I love it!


On Memorial Day there is a "MURPH" workout contest at a box in St. Cloud. MURPH consists of this:


1 Mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run


7 members of our box are entering and I think I'm going to as well. It will be difficult, but if it was easy I wouldn't be interested. I have to register by May 7 so I need to decide. Quickly.


I'm increasing my mileage on road for the next few weeks as I have the Minneapolis Marathon the first week of June.  I enjoyed it very much last year and since I'm out for Kettle 100, Minneapolis Marathon will do :)

Dreams Do Come True!

A few weeks ago I received  a text from Tyler "I am thinking about running the 5K Earthday at SCSU. Do you want to?"  Imagine the huge smile upon my face as I text back one word "YES!" Of course!  Then I became protective of my feelings, and told Troy I didn't want to get too excited just incase Tyler decided he didn't want to do this after all.


When Tyler came home at Easter he told me he had entered and he was still up for it. I was so excited. I let myself become excited all over again. I entered and just waited for the date to arrive.


Last night we ran Tyler's first event. It was so much fun!


Tyler is attending college at SCSU so he picked up our packets after classes at 3. I met him in St. Cloud at about 4. We were upgrading his phone, began that process, which was taking forever, so left the phone and everything there after an hour and half and went to the college for the race start.


It was a beautiful evening.  55F, sunny, perfect. As Tyler showed me around the campus we ran into two of his friends who were also running. These were guys he works with, I hadn't met them before. Very fun.  We walked around campus and then headed to the start line. We lined up way in the back, we were in no rush, just taking our time, going to run Tyler's longest run!


There were 2000 people in front of us, after the race began we jogged up the start line and headed out. I was just beaming!  Here I was, running with my SON. My son who cheered and watched me run MY first race, my FIRST marathon and so many more. I was so emotional, full of happiness.


Tyler was a champ!  He led the pace and gave me a narrative of the campus, of his friends who live in what dorms, what houses, where they hang out. It was just great. We clipped along the campus, dorms, river, lake and back to the start/finish area.  We waved at ourselves on the big screen TV . As we ran along I saw a man wearing a jacket I have: Superior Sawtooth 100!  Hey! Superior Sawtooth 100!!  I screamed. He looked at me and waved, I fist pumped and continued this blessed run onto the SCSU football field. We held hands, put our other arms into the air and celebrated running across the finish line.  Together.


A dream come true.


I had always dreamed that one day I would run with my boys. They have both run for football and baseball but they have never run just to run. I'm so glad that Tyler is now doing just that.  He even said the M word. Marathon.  Crazy hu? Nope, not at all. During our race he said "who is this guy, running a race, Mom?  Who knows, one day I could do a marathon".


After the race we went to pick up his finally upgraded phone and then to CherryBerry for yogurt. I had such a great time. We both did.


Thank you, Tyler.

Zumbro Fat Ass: 2012 Edition

For quite a few years we've had awesome fun Zumbro Fat Ass runs. We would  have a group of 20 or so head down to Zumbro River Bottoms where Larry would mark out a crazy course of running for for us. 2 hours, 8 hours, pick your poison. Lots of fun.


A few years ago Larry created Zumbro 100 upon our Fat Ass course. I have never had the chance to run it as of yet. The race takes place in early April and I was usually running McNaughton 100.


This year I tried a few times to get a group to head down Zumbro way. It was like pulling teeth!  After posting on FB a few times I finally had a bit of interest. I set the date for last Saturday. If no one showed, oh well, I would show.  I wanted to get 40 or so miles to feel ready for the race.


John Storkamp, present RD for Zumbro 100 chimed in and stated that he and Joe would join in.  That sparked interest in a few other guys. Pretty soon we had a group of 8 or so.


I woke up at 2 AM so that I could be in Hastings bright and early, well, not bright...to follow John and Joe to Zumbrota.  I didn't think I'd be able to find it in the dark. That's an understatement!  I'm so glad I followed!


We arrived to FA headquarters a bit before 6. Met up with Edward, Jeremy and Tony, a group I hadn't met before, Jason and I'm forgetting a guy. Damn.  Kelly was going to be out around 10 AM, whom I hadn't met before either. It was really cool meeting these people for a long run.


We started in the dark, using headlamps. I believe Joe forgot one, but he didn't seem to have any difficulty navigating the trails. I brought up the rear, enjoying the conversation around me. I was trying to pay attention to where we were are I was going to run another loop, probably solo, and really didn't want to become lost.


Eventually the sun rose, it was a beautiful day. No bugs, the snow was gone, not muddy, just nice running. Really. We stopped for a refill of water that we had stashed earlier, refilled on gels and ran along.


My god, the hills!  I kind of forgot how hilly it is at Zumbro. Since I've healed from herniated discs, I've been building mileage, I've gone from 0 miles to a 40 mile long run in a few months. Distance is all I've concentrated on. No speed, no hills. I certainly was feeling it!


As we were running along, Jason and I became separated from the rest. I was SO much slower than these guys. Duh. The speedsters and yeah, then me. It was not like the old days, you know, Larry, Don, Bob, Bonnie, Maria and I would chat and run. Walk. Eat. Pee. Run. Walk. Climb a hill. Take a break. This felt like all out running  for me. I couldn't keep up. I think Jason took pity upon me and hung back so I wouldn't become lost. Poor guy!  I felt bad but I felt more relieved that he stayed.


We came upon Tony at one intersection and he told us he broke  his frickin' arch of his foot!  He was limping along, in pain. I couldn't believe he was still out there, moving. He figured it wasn't going to get any worse so he just tolerated it. Wow.


The guys waited at a grassy open area so we all caught up again. I caught my air, had some water and we were off. Dang. I forgot to pee.


We climbed climbed climbed, Tony was in back of me and before I knew it he was no longer there. I swear we climbed a mile or more, straight fucking up. I couldn't see. Sweat was rolling into my eyes with nice sunblock. Yum.


I finally made it to the top and looked out..no Tony. Luckily he seemed to find his way good enough, unlike me, so we weren't too worried about him.


After about 5 hours I couldn't keep up. I walked up a hill and saw the last of the guys. I figured if they took a turn or something from the main trail they would draw an arrow in the dirt or throw a branch over the trail that I shouldn't take.  I ran along for a while, enjoying the views, the birds, just enjoying the run.


I came upon Ant Hill, going down. Edward had stated 'its all downhill from here' a while back, so I figured I should go down. But then I thought I should continue forward because there were no tracks that I could see here and there was nothing that made me think I should go down-marker or otherwise so I continued on and on and on, a mile, two miles..then I decided I better turn back. I kept thinking about Edward and the downhill statement.  Back I went, down down down Ant Hill. I yelled out a few times and sure enough, 30 minutes or so later I came up to them waiting for me. Thank goodness!


We ran along, heading back to the start. I knew I could never run another 5 hour loop with them. I'd have to go on my own.


We came into the start area and there were Lynn and Darrel. Lynn had just returned from running on her own and wasn't going to be going back out. The guys were going to eat and rest a bit before going out again. I refilled my bottles and had John walk me back to the trail. I took a bunch of wrong turns, but decided to run the well marked signed areas.


After 10 more miles or so I was coming down a hill, I tripped over a rock and boom!  Down I went, hard, right on my butt. I could feel my spine jar. Fuck. Double Fuck.


Immediately I felt the nerve pain zing from my spine through my shoulder, down my arm into my hand and fingers. I got up, shook myself off and began to walk back toward the start. I was only a few miles out. I help my arm across my front, just like I had been doing only months prior.


So many thoughts going through my brain. What business do I have running so much when only a few months ago I couldn't run at all. Well, so should I never try...and never know..just because I 'might' get hurt. I could have fallen on a five mile run and hurt myself. I don't back and forth I went.


As I came into Tony's campsite, John, Lynn, Edward, Darryl and Joe were hanging out. "Why are you holding your arm, Julie" "Why are you back, Julie" "what's wrong"  I told the story and just took it easy. My hand went numb again, I popped a few Advil, changed clothes and just enjoyed visiting with my friends for a while.


Kelly finished up her run, I introduced myself. She went off on her own as she arrived at 10 and we didn't get back to the start until 11. She is running the 50 at Zumbro. 


We'll see how this ends. For now, I'm just happy that I'm not in the constant horrendous pain that I was in a few months ago. At least I know now what the pain is from-I'm not going to just continue running through it, wondering what it is, as I did last time. Thankfully I've learned something from that hell.


It was uncomfortable driving home, but not intolerable. I'll take it easy for a while and we'll see where I go from here :)

Troy's 16th Birthday: Leap Year Day!

February 29th!  Troy finally gets to celebrate a birthday on a birthday and what a birthday it is!  Mother Nature did for Troy what I could not: cancel school!


We received 4-6 heavy wet inches of snow last night. You can imagine the happy dance I did when I came down to run on my treadmill this morning before work, I thought. I turned on the news at saw we had a cancellation. Hurray!


Troy came thundering down the stairs a while later ... no school Mom? Really?  Really Troy!  What a smile!  An amazing Happy Birthday for Troy!


We just finished spending a few hours outside having a snowball  making contest. Somehow everything turns into a competition!  His snowballs are huge, as big as me, and much heavier. Mine as smaller, I ended up making a snowball fort. The snow is heavy and wet, perfect for building.


Topaz even ended up with snowballs!  What an awesome day..and it's only mid day.

I baked Troy a  Chocolate Malt birthday cake with Chocolate Malt Buttercream Frosting. It looked rather plain, but will taste incredible.  I had purchased a bakery cookie yesterday for Troy's "Birthday Eve" treat and placed it upon his cake for some added interest.


On the menu is a first. I'm roasting beef ribs. They have been in the oven since  8 AM, at 200 degrees with a rub and salt, wrapped in foil. I just added sweet potato, brussels and squash to roast as well. Delightful.


I may enjoy a piece of cake today as tomorrow I'm again cutting out the sugar. It has crept back into my diet, I've allowed it and it just takes over.  I find sugar for me is much like alcohol is. All or none.  I held it at bay for a few years but it has totally become out of hand once again. I feel as though I am mourning it already and I recall having the same feelings about booze.


I found that I was giving 101 excuses as to why I wasn't ready to stop eating sugar.  Just as I did when I wanted to quit drinking .. but didn't want to go through the withdrawal detox. It's the same frickin' thing. Sugar is a drug to me now as alcohol and tobacco once was. The problem is, it is more accepted that the later. People tend to think  you are even more of a freak when you give up sugar, wheat, corn syrup, etc.


My love for baking isn't surpassed by my love for sugar. The two go hand in hand. I am no longer going to participate in the Daring Bakers, the Tuesday's with Dorie, the Cake Bakers. It would be like belonging to Wine Club or a Home Brewery Club. Yeah, I don't think so.


This blog has been a great tool to hold myself accountable, I may use it as such again. I'm just not sure how  much I am comfortable sharing here. So many people I know in real life read this now, not just my running friends who I shared with before and am comfortable sharing with again, too many others may make me feel too uncomfortable, at first, maybe not.  Time will tell.


OK and this font is crazy. It is either so tiny I can barely read it or huge like this. What's up with this.

Psycho Wyco 50K: Race Report

If a smile is worth a 1000 words, I guess you know what I'm saying here!

With the Ultra Gnarly Bandit series as my 2012 goal and the first 100 in April, I hoped to find a few aided races to take the place of solo long runs on snowy trail.

My friend Maria was heading to Kansas City for the Psycho Wyco 50K so I asked if I could tag along.  Yippee!  She offered me a ride with herself and Doug. Doug was going to run the 10 mile race.

I began to watch the weather forecast. KC was basking in 50-60s. Wow, I couldn’t believe it. Pretty soon the 10 day forecast was showing 20-30, without any snow or ice on the trail. Conditions were looking great.

After dropping Troy off at school on Friday I made my way over to Maria’s. Maria, Doug and son Justin were all aboard and we headed down south.  On the way down Maria told me that the temperatures had really taken a dive. The start temperature was now 6F with a high of 28F.  Brrrr!  I didn’t bring a pair of wind mittens to wear over my gloves  nor did I bring a neck gaiter. Hmm.  Luckily I couldn’t decide between tights or pants so I brought both. I’d be wearing both!  I only packed one thin shirt so I was hoping we were going to get a race shirt at packet pickup so I would have another layer to wear for the cold start.

Our trip to Kansas City was uneventful, thankfully.  Our first stop was packet pickup in Overland Park, KS. We pulled into a running store and collected our wares. Number, nice coffee mug and a technical long sleeve shirt. Yay!  Our number had a timing strip on the back of it. Cool.

I mentioned that I was hoping to find a Godiva nearby. Valentine’s Day was near and I hadn’t made my trip over to Ridgedale. I wasn’t sure we would be home in time on Sunday.  Maria looked up Godiva on her iPhone and before we knew it I was buying chocolate for my Valentine's ! 

Our next stop was the hotel. We were staying only 1 mile from the start!  Awesome.  The Comfort Suites Speedway was very nice. Clean, awesome king bed, very comfy. I was staying by myself and greatly enjoyed the quiet time alone. 

We checked in, got ourselves settled and went to check out the course. It was cold and windy!!  Brrr.  13F with a 40 mph wind and it was 4 PM.  I was worried about being cold.  The trail was frozen solid. There were many horse hoof prints that were very deep. The mud kind of came up in frozen spikes, it would be difficult footing.  Hey, it wasn’t going to be very muddy though.

After looking at the course we headed over to the Legends area. We had a great dinner at Yard House; a sirloin steak salad for me.

Back to the hotel to prepare for the morning run. I was a little bit worried about the cold. I knew my bottle would freeze but could deal with that. My frozen chin and neck I wasn’t so sure about. Maria had a spare pair of mittens that I could put over my gloves. 

With an 800 race start I had plenty of time in the morning to get ready. I brought along my French press,  my coffee grinder and favorite beans. I brewed coffee, ate a sweet potato and a few hard boiled eggs.  I was ready!

We arrived to the race start an hour before start time. The lot was already almost full!  The 50K was a 10 mile loop course so I would be able to come back to the car, hopefully, to remove a second pair of pants. I felt like a frickin’ Michelin man wearing tights and pants.

Someone must have said GO!  We were running across the grass and up onto the trail. The course was made up of many steep hills-some short, some long. Lots of up and downs. I was glad that I hadn’t lifted legs during the week! They were well rested, having only run 15 miles  race week.

The first part of the trail was this spikey bad frozen mud stuff.  Thankfully it was frozen or it would be a shoe sucking mud. It was horrific! There were craters 4-6” deep, it was solid, there was no give,  just perfect for twisting ankles. On the downhill I would stop myself, get control and navigate down slowly. I was here to finish a long training run, this race had nothing to do with racing! 

Even with Maria’s second pair of mittens over my fingers, they were cold. Holding my bottle of now slushy water was not fun.  The nozzle of the bottle was frozen so I would stop and unscrew the top, gulp down the water and spit out the ice.  I couldn’t remember the last time I needed to do this. Probably one of the Northwoods Snowshoe Marathons. It had been a while!

Eventually I came upon a hill to the first aid station. They had an aluminum pan filled with gels, sitting over a 50 gallon drum with a fire inside, trying to thaw out the gels. The poor volunteers, they were SO cold!  At least we were moving and would eventually be warming up. They were just standing around becoming more cold. 

My back and neck were feeling just great. I wasn’t having any pain, no tingling or numbness.  I was keeping a close  eye on it.

The next section was crazy!   I left the aid station, went through the woods, going back and forth every few feet. Lots of sharp corners, steep ups and downs, leaf covered trail. It was beautiful but hard on the knees!  I was surprised when I came up to the same aid station but on the opposite side! I hadn’t realized that AS1 and AS2 were one in the same.

After leaving AS2 there were more steep ups and downs, beautiful deep woods, lots of leaves on the trail and not quite so crater-ish.  The trail seemed to be more sandy with better footing.  I came out onto a grassy area, climbing a dam or something up to a  paved road. There was a train that whizzed by in back of me. I was just so happy.  I was smiling ear to ear, enjoying the pure sunshine, enjoying the warmth on my face. I was looking forward to removing Maria’s mittens and my second pair of pants once I finished this loop. My bottle was still frozen, but I was warming up.

AS3 was on the paved road. The volunteers were having a good time, trying to keep fruit thawed and gels warm. I took a piece of frozen pear, it was good! 

As I ran along I just couldn’t stop smiling. This was fabulous.  I wasn’t in pain, I was enjoying an aided long run, just what I wanted. I had been feeling euphoria since the start but kind of tried to put it on hold, feeling I had much of the race left and I that I had better wait to celebrate this run.

I decided pushing back the euphoria was ridiculous!  I realized it was good to feel euphoric, take it while it is there, breathe it in and enjoy!  The euphoria never left me..it was with me the whole way .

I came into the start/finish at 220 or so. I had hoped to finish each loop in 230 roughly.  Everything was great.  I removed the mittens and a pair of pants. Oh thank goodness!  Nor more Michelin man look. I folded them up and placed them on Jerry’s car for the duration.  I was so darn happy! I didn’t hurt!!

The second loop came and went so quickly. A few people commented to me that they were glad they were only doing the 20 mile race. I thought to myself that I was glad I had another loop to go, I certainly wasn’t ready to be finished yet. I was enjoying each and every step.

My second loop finish was 228, just fine.  Doug was finished with his race and offered me Diet Coke.  YUM!  It tasted great.

As I headed off for my final loop I heard someone jogging near me.  Pretty soon he said “I think I’ll run with you for a while”  “Oh, K” He began to complain about the cold, to complain about the pitted trail, to complain about 101 things. I just didn’t need this. I had been totally loving this run and this guy was totally bugging me.  Pretty soon he began to suck in his snot-constantly. Every few seconds I could hear him suck through his nose, loudly. It was terrible. I mean, come on, blow it out or something. I couldn’t stand it. I was going to gag. I did gag.  Ugh!  Sniff sniff sniff swallow sniff swallow. Ugh.

I began to run a bit faster, I couldn’t take this.  Pretty soon he was out of sight, thank goodness. 

I was having fun again before I knew it. This guy wasn’t going to ruin my day.  My bottle was ice free, I was now able to drink freely without ice chunks. I had no pain. NO PAIN!

I began to run along and think about this run. I thought about all of the times in the past year that I told myself it was OK that I couldn't run, it was OK if I could never run again. It was important for me to live without pain, not to run. I really really believed that, I had to believe that in order to get on to the next day. As I ran along I realized again how much I missed running. It was like losing my best friend, losing a part of me. I am so very glad to have it back. I began to cry, to sob, reliving what I had lost and what is now back. I felt such gratitude to be running again. What a great day, a great race and great volunteers .  I had SO much fun!  I was skipping along the final loop, passing people left and right. What a blast. Really.

I crossed the finish line in 7:30 with a big smile upon my face. I enjoyed each and every minute! I feel like I am back, definitely back to myself ! Life is good !

Triple D Winter Race Report

About a week and a half ago I noticed that my back was healing at a much faster rate than it had been. What had been months of recovery and no running had morphed into pain free running. 0 mile weeks turned into 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 mile weeks. Amazing. I was feeling very very good.


I decided to enter Psycho Wyco 50K and am planning a road trip with Doug and Maria Barton mid February to KS for the event.  I knew to be ready for this training run I at least needed to get in a  20 miler and hoped it wouldn't hurt.


Success! As I stated, last weeks 21.25 was sweet. That success had me thinking I could run marathon distance to be even more ready for the Psycho Wyco 50K.


I thought I'd rather run a race and use it as an aided training run for my next long run.  Trail as opposed to pavement, not to far to drive. I contacted my friend Vicky to see if she was heading to Dubuque Iowa for Triple D. I knew that there was a group of friends that ran this last year.  She told me that she would be there, along with Wayne and Misty. They invited me to come along.  Score!


By perusing the blogspot for Triple D I learned that there was a half marathon, marathon and 50K distance for runners. The main event was a bike ride, they also welcomed skiing. The blog seemed to have information for 2010 and 2011 races and I was rather confused.  I didn't worry too much because I was riding with Misty and they already had room reservations and such. I was just going along for a training run.


I came down with a terrible cold. One which I still have. I was hoping it would go away by Saturday but it did not. I packed cough drops, my inhaler that I haven't used since McNaughton 100 2007 and a ton of kleenex.


On Friday I tried to navigate the site and couldn't find information on aid stations. I contacted Wayne and learned the race was unsupported. Well, there went my aided long run theory.  This worried me as I haven't trained AT ALL with a pack since I herniated my discs. Man, a headlamp hurt just a few weeks ago.


I chilled out and realized I would just take the marathon mile by mile. I promised myself that if I were to feel any tingling or numbness I would stop. Then I amended the promise to if I felt any pain prior to the last 30 minutes I would stop. I mean, come on, if I only had 3 miles to go and the pain began I might as well finish..the damage would be there what more would I do in 3 miles?


So, 26.2 miles on snow, no aid.  I dug out my Superior 100 pack, numerous gels, Heed and 4 24 oz bottles. Ugh.  My back hurt just looking at it.


Misty and I rode to Dubuque, having a great road trip. I have only met Misty once before so we had lots to talk about. What a great sport hu? To be welcomed to ride along, even though we've only met once and for a few minutes. Nice! The drive was about 5.5 hours. We met up with Wayne and Vicky and had a good time.


I learned that we could have finish bags at the end point. I found a bag and jammed it with my favorite warm clothing.  My Ugg boots wouldn't fit. Wayne offered me space in his bag for my boots .  I dropped my bag at the sign "RUN-U" and thought what is the U?  I placed my bag next to Wayne's and didn't think about it anymore.

Don, Julie, Misty, Vicky, Wayne

Misty, Julie, Vicky

We had nice (unheated) busses to bring us to the start. The 4 of us had our own bus!  On the way Wayne told me that the finish bags were for the 50K only. Shit!  My stuff would be 6 miles away from my finish. I thought that once you made it to the marathon, you went out an additional 3 miles, came back 3 miles to the same finish for 50K/marathon. Oops.  This gave me cause for concern. I think I just needed something to worry about.

Julie, Vicky, Misty

The morning was warm. We didn't begin until 10 AM so the sun was high, the wind was stiff. 20-30 MPH winds but it was 20 above already so plenty warm. I lugged my pack onto my back hoping it would be OK. We started late, like 1030 so now I was worried about it being dark when I finished and I hadn't even thought to carry a light. Did not even cross my mind. Am I a newbie or what?? How could I not have a light?  Good grief. Something more to worry about.


Because Dubuque received 7" of snow on Thursday I decided to stop by REI on Saturday on the way to Misty's to pick up some Katoola Spikes. I have never used anything like this but thought of all of the slipping and sliding I did at Tuscobia 50K last year. I figured they couldn't hurt, might as well give them a try even though I normally don't try anything new on race day, but this was training run day.


The Mayor of whatever town we were in had  a few words to say and then GO!  We headed out along a paved path through a park or something. Oh man, don't let this whole marathon be upon a cement paved trail..PLEASE.


After a while the cement went away and we were on a crushed gravel trail with snow in most areas.  It reminded me very much like the trail at Lean Horse 100-that constant downhill grade, limestone gravel. Only this was 80 degrees colder, 30 MPH wind and snow covered.


My spikes were fine, I think they kept me steady upon the snow, I'm not sure. I didn't slip and slide like I did at Tuscobia. After a few hours they did cause my little toes to become smashed. I lost both nails already.


Before I knew it I was last in the pack, just fine with myself. I was taking in the sunshine, smiling, trying to notice if my pack felt too heavy.


I became warm. I removed my neck gaiter, had and mittens. Pretty soon the wind would whip up and I'd replace it all.


My strategy was to drink .5 bottle of Heed every hour. This would give me plenty of drink to get through the race. I had sweet potato in ziploc, gels, banana. Plenty of calories.


I thought the course was picturesque. We ran along different creeks, crossed many wooden bridges, ran past a ski hill with lots of artificial snow and there were many high walls of rock. I was surprised at how pretty the course surroundings were.

My cold was horrible. I couldn't breathe. My head was so congested it gave me a head ache. Eventually the running loosened up all that was in my head and begin to drain. It felt better but was totally disgusting. It was a good thing I was running by myself.  I needed to stop often to get over coughing fits.  The drainage felt better than the congestion.


At one point I was running along and I could hear a dog barking. I looked to my left and saw a black lab puppy refusing to get into a man's truck. The guy could not catch him. The dog spotted me running and tore after me. I began to panic. I noticed it was a pup, so he probably wasn't going to be mean, but still...who knows. I kneeled down and removed my sweet potato from my pocket extending it out to the puppy just in case he wanted to bite me. He just wanted to lick the salt from my face! What a cute puppy. I waited there until the man finally reached us and he could grab puppies collar and get him back to the truck. So cute. So thankful it wasn't a mean dog.


A few miles later I saw three dogs together without a person. Oh boy. I slowed to a walk and kept an eye on them. They all looked my way but didn't care about me one way or another.  I happily walked past and continued on.


As I came upon mile 20 I looked to my left again and noticed little statutes of people into a rock. Here someone had set up a miniature nativity scene right into the rock. It was pretty cool.

I was feeling good, euphoric that I was able to run this distance with this pack and feel no pain.


As I came into mile 22 I knew that  a bar was going to be coming up where I was supposed to check in.  I hadn't seen another runner since the start so was wondering if I would even see anyone at the check in.  I walked into the bar and two women were sitting at a card table. I checked in with them and they told me I could order anything I wanted to eat or drink..the race had a tab set up where for the runners. What? Wow. Nice thought but I didn't want to hang out here..I just wanted to run.  I learned here that they had mistakingly registered me as an ultra runner for the 50K. She said 'you are an ultrarunner' I said 'yea, I am, but I'm running the marathon today.' 'No, you are running the 50K' 'ah, no. I registered for the marathon' I wasn't going to argue with her so I just told her I was going to head back out. She was very nice and I thanked her for helping us out. I just wanted to move on. I began to realize the reason there was a U on the finish bag sign-for the ultra runners running 50K, duh. It all began to click. They had me down as running the 50K. Oh well. As I was about to go out the door I saw Misty turn around from the bar. She had reached the checkpoint before I and decided to head back out with me. I'm so glad that I noticed her.


We ran along for the next three miles going over each other's run. It was nice to run with company for the first time during the race. My cold was so bad I couldn't talk and breathe and run at the same time. I was coughing real hard by this point and my head was draining profusely. I was grossing myself out.


Before we knew it we saw Wayne running toward us, off for the 50K.  Misty decided to finish at the marathon with me. We hugged Wayne and wished him well. He finished in fine form.


Misty and I climbed the final hill and saw our finish at the bar.  We checked in, I ordered a diet coke and we relived our fun day!


By now I couldn't speak without coughing. I took a few puffs of my inhaler and it seemed to help a bit. We visited with Melissa, who finished her first trail run. Melissa offered us a ride back to the hotel. We stopped by the 50K finish where I retrieved my bags and off to the hotel we headed.


Misty and I hauled our things to her car and headed for home.  Driving was icy in some spots and a semi pulled out in front of us. Misty is a cautious driver much like I. I felt very safe! I arrived home last night about midnight.


I feel great today!  My cold is still awful but my back does not hurt AT ALL. I am so glad I decided to try this run. Even thought I anticipated aid, it worked out for the better. Now I know I can carry my pack without pain. Good stuff.


The spikes tore off two of my toenails. I think the bands put pressure on my toes, making the fit inside of my shoes too tight. I wore thick smartwool socks. During the run I tried to move the socks around, trying to alleviate the pain. I couldn't get my running shoes over my painful toes this morning so I headed off to the trail with Topaz in my big sorrel boots.


Now I'm really looking forward to Psycho Wyco 50K next month. I should be able to pull it off.


Thanks to the Triple D RD, the volunteers, runners and bikers. It really was  a fun day!

BETA VI

Wow, another BETA post! I would have never believed that the wonderful BETA weekend would have taken such a hold. 6 years so far, awesome. Thank you Scott Wagner for starting this 6 years ago. You'll have to go back to the other BETA posts for a history of what BETA is.

We were a group of 10 this year, heading up to our BETA house in Tofte, along the North Shore.

Check in is at 4 PM, I wanted to pick up the keys and have the house opened for the first arrivals near 5 PM.

I decided to run from Caribou Highlands on Friday. Some friends of mine were spending a few nights at Caribou Highlands so I was able to visit and borrow a shower! Good planning.

I ran from Caribou Highlands, to Oberg and back, 14.8 miles per the GPS. This route is along the 50K/25K/50M/100M Superior races so I know it like the back of my hand. It didn't disappoint. Such a beautiful trail. I spotted huge mushrooms, blueberries and raspberries. While picking berries I heard a thrashing in the woods and was afraid I'd find myself sharing the bush with Mr. Bear. Nope, Mr. Bear was Mr. Chipmunk! Ha!

The day was very humid and hot, a rarity for the North Shore, even in July. I was dripping wet and was struggling while climbing Moose Mountain and Mystery Mountain. My body is not the same as pre hysterectomy. I'm hot and sweaty all of the time and my heart rate is elevated while climbing. It is what it is, nothing I can do to change it. Just enjoy the surroundings around me and WALK. That's what I did.

I covered nearly 15 miles in 4 hours, took a cold shower and headed to the house. Maria, Doug and Bill arrived after I unpacked my gear and settled in. Nancy, Tom, Alicia and Jeffrey arrived next, then Guy and Jenny later in the evening.

For our run on Saturday, Nancy, Tom, Alicia and Jeffrey were headed to one end of the trail and the rest of us were headed for another. Doug was going to venture for a run on the trail with us instead of crewing which was a first. It was so great to have Doug running with us! When Doug mentioned he was going to run 11 miles instead of the 26 Maria, Bill, Guy and Jenny were going to tackle I quickly stated that I was in for 11 as well. I was feeling the Afton 50K two weeks prior and Friday's 4 hour run in my legs. 11 was perfect, I thought.

We dropped water and cars along the route and then began our run in Silver Bay. I love this section. Well, I guess I love all of the sections! Silver Bay to Tettegouche includes the Bean and Bear Lake overlook. So awesome and so many great memories of past races and past BETA's. We spoke of Pierre and John's crash here during BETA 1. Pierre stating "I'm Bonking!" John wishing for Red Bull! Good stuff.

By the time we reached 7 miles I was totally soaked and huffing and a puffing. My breathing was heavy, my heart rate was high and I was really having a hard time. I was sweating so heavily, as was everyone. It was hot and so so humid. Our bodies couldn't evaporate and cool in this humidity.

Bill lead the group and was quickly out of sight. Maria stopped to allow us to catch up atop a huge rock outcrop. I reached the top and just laid down flat on my back to catch my breath. Ugh. I stated that if we had a car right here I would stop and head back to the house. We were all going to be running out of water, it was so warm we were drinking more than planned.

I followed at the end of our train, winding up the trail. Eventually I told Doug to just keep on, I was going to take a walk break. I had to catch my breath. I couldn't run and breath correctly. I walked through a few shady areas, just taking in all of the beauty of the trail. I wasn't pissed off at all that I couldn't run through this, I was fine with walking along. This is just such a turn around for me. I have always loved running in the heat and humidity. My PR 100 Mile Race was at Lean Horse, at near 100 degrees. I found myself thinking deeply about many many things as I walked along. Eventually I began to zone out and wonder if I was on the correct route. I had better pay attention!

With the State Parks closed due to MN Government Budget disagreement, there weren't many people out on the trails near Tettegouche Park. I knew I was nearing the finish for me as signage posted the state park. Guy's car and water supply was at mile 11. I was so thankful to have made it this far! As I was coming down the end of the trail, Jenny was climbing back up to me, with a bottle of water in hand. Ahhh, I quickly drank the water she offered and called her my trail angel. As I came into the lot Doug poured me another bottle of water. Ah, refreshing! They had been resting 15 minutes before I arrived. Guy and Jenny decided to end the day at 11 miles too so we all took off and headed back to the house for more water and cold showers!

Doug, Guy and Jenny went back to pick up Bill and Maria. I believe Bill ran 18 and Maria 26. Lots of miles on a horrific humid day.

I hung out on the deck, reading, then walked along the rocks at our backyard, Lake Superior. It really was nice to be able to enjoy the house and landscape, not running all day into night. Nancy, Tom, Jeffrey and Alicia arrived with Tom and Alicia running 23 miles. Great work!

We had an incredible dinner, lots of fun conversation and made new friendships. Another BETA weekend, more memories and fun running. Next year: BETA VII!

*More photos posted on Facebook.

Graniteman Clearlake Triathlon

Well, I never imagined that this triathlon would be so much fun! It truly was. I really thought that all of the fussiness would take away from the fun in moving. It didn't.

I completed my first and only 'open swim' up at the cabin over the holiday earlier this week. My sister Laurie and I, along with a cabin neighbor who swims the bay every day, Gabbi, swam the bay together. It was quite nice. Gabbi's husband followed along in the pontoon incase we needed help. This took away any panic I might feel.

No panic was necessary. We glided across Wolf Bay on Lake Vermilion effortlessly. It was great fun.

I've felt a bit dehydrated from the Afton 50K I completed last Saturday. I felt like I was coming around just in time for this race. Good thing.

This morning I loaded up all of my gear-so much stuff: bike, helmet, gels, HEED, iPod, run shoes, flip flops, swim cap, goggles. Man alive. I decided to complete the whole tri in the same clothing: run shorts, run top. Easy peasy. I'd bike in my running shoes and run in them. Double duty.

My first impression was that I was impressed and that I was wrong with the stereotype I have of triathlon races. This was VERY laid back. The race was full so I thought it would be crowded. It wasn't.

I was directed to a perfect parking place under a tree, near the lake and then wandered up to the visitor center to check in. I learned that I was in Heat 1. This couldn't be! Heat 1 was for the Elites, I had read this online. OK, I went to get my shirt, bag, number, visor, towel, cap, all this stuff and to be marked. They marked me in Heat 1.

I went back to my car and looked at my iPhone. Yup, Heat 1 is for the Elite. Not me. Back I went explaining that I am not Elite and that I think I should be in Heat 10. OK, back to marking and please add a ZERO to the ONE you marked upon my leg thank you very much :)

I packed two bags. 1 with bike stuff, 1 with run stuff. I hauled both bags, bike and helmet to the transition area. I saw a bunch of bikes and asked someone if I could just make any place my home. Sure thing. I put my bike upon the rack, laid out a towel to place my bags. Bike bag: run shoes, socks, bottle with 3xHeed, gel, helmet. Run bag: 2xHeed, gel, iPod, sunglasses.

OK, I'm ok with this. Feeling good, not rushed, not the cluster f+ck I imagined a triathlon would be. Yay!

I see my friend Susan! She is uber triathlete. It was cool to see her here. I wander down to the lake area in my flip flops. There is a good .5 mile walk to the beach where we start. I realize I am the only one with my race number pinned to my shorts. I realize I am the only one wearing running shorts. Oh well. I am a runner.

I ask someone near me if we should have numbers on at this point. Nope, it causes drag in the water. OK. I unpin myself and tuck my number into my gel alley of my cleavage in my top. Good storage area.

Continue walking on to the beach area. I removed my flip flops and place in Bin 10, for heat 10. So glad I have the correct heat number upon my engorged calf as I lifted calves and back yesterday.

OK, here is the deal: Heat 1 goes first in the water, they start, then we wait three minutes and Heat 2 goes. AWESOME! Plenty of spacing between us. I'm liking this.

I hear two women in back of me speaking of Brook who is training for IM WI. I have to ask "Brook Wheeler" OMG, yes! So cool. We chat for a while and become friends. They are in my heat 10, too. Heat 10 is women 40-49 I believe.

OK, so the heats are taking off and 10 is up. Into the water I go. It is warm!! GO! We are off swimming. I'm doing my tri, baby! I swim along, just as happy as a damn clam. Nobody is near me, I can clearly see the big pink banner on the other side of the lake .52 miles away that I am aiming for me. Piece of cake. Really.

18 minutes.

Pretty soon I am to the shore. Out of the water, run! To the bike area. Heats 1-9 are already out of here and there are only 11 heats. It's pretty empty. I go to my bike, wipe off my muddy feet, towel off, put on socks and run shoes, chug a LOT of my 3x Heed (3 scoops-super strong), eat a gel, place the helmet upon my head and walk my bike out to the OUT BIKE sign. I'm off to bike! This is really cool. I am just one big smile.

4 minutes.

I pedal along, it's windy. Real windy. I pass a few people, know that I have 15 miles so take it easy. I don't want to tire out. IT's really hilly. It is SUPER windy! Up some hills, an overpass over 94 in St Cloud, buzzing around, me and my bike. So fun. I love it, totally love it.

I chug off my HEED and see I'm at Mile 10 already. Wow. That was fun. A few more miles and it's time to run baby.

15 miles biking.

1 hour, 2 minutes.

I walk my bike back to it's home in the transition area and don't have to do too much. Take off the helmet, chug my HEED, eat a gel, feet are great, grab iPod. I'm outa here! Run baby run!


1 minute, 17 seconds

We run up a huge hill, past a few farms and guess what I see? A TOPAZ in horse form! A pinto with black ears, brown over the eye, white face and yes, merle eyes. I couldn't believe it! I went back to get a photo but Topaz Horsey was gone. Boo. Soo cool.

We run off the pavement and hit some gravel. Water at the turnaround and do it again. So awesome.

Alright, here is the finish line: "Julie Berg from Big Lake and she is smiling" darn right, that was a blast!

29 minutes.

I see the two women I met at the swim, they congratulate me and say they saw me on the course and comment that I was smiling the whole way. Oh yeah, that was great fun.

Final finish: 1:54

Julie Berg 239th/331entrants Group: 22/30 109/147 Swim: 18:07 T1: 4:03
Bike: 1:02:30 T2: 1:17 Run: 29:00 Final Time: 1:54:00

Yup, total blast. Graniteman Big Lake is August 6, then the Olympic distance at Lake Marian Oly Triathlon.

Next up is BETA VI!! It's BETA time again up on the Superior Hiking Trail :)

Afton 50K Race Report: Reroute: BRUTAL

Oh man, what a day!

Because of the State of Minnesota shutdown (government couldn't pass a budget)the non essential areas of government are closed. This includes the State Parks. Afton State Park is the location of the Afton 50K.

John Storkamp, our incredible RD, could have just canceled the race. We would have expected it. Instead he chose to go through more planning and headache and was granted permission to hold the Afton 50K at the Afton Alps, just next door to the Afton State Park. SWEET!

This meant yes, that the race would be held upon the ski hills and mountain bike trails. Would it be more difficult that Afton 50K or easier. I knew it would be more difficult. In the past I have spent many a day getting in ski hill repeats-ouch, but never along with a 50K run. Lordy.

Parking was fabulous. When Bill P guided me into a spot I had to ask "Bill, is this a Team Ortho race?" It was awesome!

Afton Alps gave the race the chalet and all of the fixings for the day. Amazing.

I looked at the beginning of the course and saw the flags going right up the frickin' first ski hill. Really?

Yeah, really.

After mingling a short while we were ready to get this party started. I walked to the back of the line-yup, dead last. I didn't care if I was DFL today (deaf effing last) it was better than a DNF (did not finish) and that was my mantra going into and while running the race.

It was hot. I was already sweating buckets. I reminded myself to take SCaps today at the aid stations, which I normally don't do. My body is different after the hysterectomy a few months back. It sweats more among other things!

I found myself with Les Martisko, a runner in his 60s who I began my ultrarunning with. I always used to run with Les in my early races, then I moved toward the front, now I was enjoying company with him upon the trail again. We had great conversations during the first half of the first loop.

Pretty soon I was running with Tom Andrews and Pat Gorman. We finished out the loop together, I really enjoyed running with them. I was quite worried about the race after finishing this first loop in 156. Climbing the ski hills at the end was crazy bad. It was hot-at 830 in the morning-I was sweating and gasping for air. Shitpie.

Into the start finish to crazy loud cheering "JULIE" it was so awesome! All of my friends, what a great experience! My bottle was filled, I grabbed Scaps and Hammergels and was out of there. I needed to keep this pace. I had heard 9 hours was the cut off so off I went.

Pretty soon Tom caught up to me. He explained we should run the flats and downhills, walk the ups of course and that way we would get in under 9. He was right on. I climbed the switchbacks, ski hills and ran the flats-which were few-as was shade-and ran the downhills. Hot hot hot. Wet wet wet. I don't know if I've ever sweat so much.

2nd loop was 200 again. OK, good deal. I can do this. I was happy to be 1/2 through. Again a chorus of "ICE BERG" "GO JULIE" it was fabulous fun. I took a bow and made everyone laugh. Or was that the 3rd loop? Who knows.

3rd loop I was on my own. I didn't really see anyone but sure was happy to get into the aid stations! Doug Barton was at AS1 and I was so happy to tell him "next time I see you I'll be on my 4th loop"! He filled my bottle and gave me ice and I was off. I was really enjoying this.

During the 3rd loop Duke Rembleski came upon me! I love Duke! I hadn't seen him in forever and was thankful that this was a 4 loop course so that I could walk and talk with him. He was on his 4th loop. It was so great to visit.

At 4.4 miles Helen Lavin and Maria Barton and crew were manning the station. It was great to come in each time and chat with happy smiling people! After a cooling off of ice water and sponges I felt revitalized! Off to get loop 3 finished.

At about 1 mile to the start/finish I heard JULIE! Oh my goodness, Eve Rembleski! Yahhoo I love Eve too! She was running strong in back of me, I waited for her to catch up and pass so I could run after her a yell out a few words! Eve took 1st woman/7th overall. So great to see you!

The 3rd loop came to an end, another loud chorus of HERE COMES JULIE and I could only laugh! I had the worse chaffing ever. My shorts and top were so soaked and rubbing on me, completely rubbed me raw. Cheri brought me over a big canister of Vaseline that really helped. Nancy washed me off with ice water oh, so wonderful. Holly filled my hat with ice, I grabbed watermelon and proceeded to drop it upon Eves toes! Nancy did the bending down for me to pick it up.

3rd lap was 2:11 OK, let's get this party moving.

The 4th lap I was just so darn grateful that I was going to finish this beast! It was truly a beast. I had chafing from hell but that was the only complaint. My legs weren't tired (why??), no blisters-Foot Potion-and I was truly happy to be out on the course.

As the 4th lap came to an end I surprised myself by tearing up. Pretty soon I was sobbing. On one hand I tend to think I should be able to run as fast and as hard as pre hysterectomy and on the other, more sane hand, I am just so grateful to be running again. I was crying because I am so thankful to be able run again. This felt like my McNaughton 100 wins. Really.

I finished the race in 830, in good form. I was able to run my fastest as I ran over the finish line.

Thank you so much to all of the volunteers, Cheri and John, all of you out there. It was an incredible day and I'm just so thankful that I was able to experience it.

Now I must pack up my food and head up to the Lake. Happy 4th of July :)

Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon Photos

Minneapolis Marathon

This past Sunday I ran the Minneapolis Marathon as part of the Team Ortho Monster Series that I entered. Last year I ran a few of the Ortho races and really enjoyed them. I entered the series this past January as an alternative to the Ultra Gnarly Bandit Series incase I had a hysterectomy, which I did, and the series has been a lot of fun.

Minneapolis Marathon was race III out of V.

Summer arrived in the Midwest this past weekend. Most of us from the area haven’t had any heat training yet this summer as the past five weekends have been in the 50s with rain. Friday arrived with summer! 86 Friday, 85 Saturday and Sunday, it is 94 today!

What a way to acclimate, on race day.

I normally love to run in the heat but I have to admit, the heat helped to brutalize the Minneapolis Marathon for me!

I had a few goals for the marathon. One, I wanted to run the first half faster than the Get Lucky Half Marathon in March and two, I wanted to feel good at the half. That would show me any progress I’ve made on endurance these past weeks. If you read the race report for the half you will remember that I felt like death during that half marathon. I couldn’t breathe, I was dizzy, I was a mess. Of course it was only 7 weeks or so post op.

As all Team Ortho races, parking was a treat. $3 parking in a lot less than a block away to the start/finish, hand directed to my spot. So amazing!

This was the second year for the Minneapolis Marathon and I hadn’t run it before. There were 4800 registered for either the relay, half marathon or marathon.

I liked the 7 AM start, for me earlier is better. We were able to use the facilities at The Depot Hotel, using nice clean toilets, hot water..what a treat! I walked over to the start and lined up near the 10 minute mile pacers. It was already 65F and felt nice, no sleeves necessary. I was trying a new sunscreen for racing, Skinceuticals, which my friend Alicia recommended. I am beginning to show sun spots and certainly don’t need anymore sun damage. This sunscreen is a physical block that is also water/sweat proof. I had been wearing the brand under my make up but hadn’t had the opportunity to try out on a sunny hot day.

The start was at the Depot Hotel, running through the Warehouse District, down Plymouth Avenue, to the Stone Arch Bridge. I had never walked down in that area and it was so pretty. Cobblestone roads – which weren’t so great to run on – but didn’t last very long. We ran through beautiful neighborhoods that I hadn’t seen before. It was a 6 mile loop over and back across the river and then we headed back near our starting place before heading out on the out and back marathon run. It really was a pretty loop and most of it was nicely shaded.

There was a relay taking place within the race which was a new event to me. Every 6 miles or so there would be a big RELAY sign with cones directing the participants to their hand off area. It was fun to see new fresh runners with lots of speed burning up the course for a few miles.

The stretch along West River Road was mostly shaded with a few long sunny spots. Whew, those spots warmed me up quickly. I felt like it was 90F already and really it was about 75F at this time.

I have never stood under any of the sprinklers at the summer marathons, but yesterday, I soaked myself under each one. I was that hot! After a cool soaking I felt new life in my body as I continued to run along the course.

Along West River Road was the half marathon turnaround and once the half marathoners left the course, wow, did it thin out! All of a sudden the course was wide and clear with a few runners here and there. Less than 900 finished the marathon.

I was able to reach both of my goals: at the half marathon I felt good, just hot, and I was 12 minutes faster than I was at Lucky 7 half marathon. Good enough!

I continued on and really began to get hot on this exposed section. I was carrying a 24 oz water bottle that I was filling at the aid stations and gulping down a couple little glasses of power aid or whatever the available energy drink was. I was taking a Hammergel every 35 to 40 minutes, I didn’t take any S or ECAPS. I was wondering if I should have brought some along with all of the heat.

We made a u turn and then entered the Fort Snelling State Park. Wow, I didn’t even know this existed. We ran downhill on a shaded path deep in the woods for over a mile, then hit a sandy trail through the park that was still shaded. 6 nice wooded shaded miles through the park. I liked it, although it was quite hilly. This was an out and back so it did get a little crowded in areas. I noticed that many of the runners coming back were looking pretty tough. The heat was taking it’s toll. I finally reached the turn around and headed back out of the park. As we exited the park we took a sharp left and the trail went straight up a huge hill! I could only laugh at it. I began to walk up the hill, sweat falling into my eyes when I realized the sunblock was working very well. It didn’t sting my eyes and it wasn’t wearing off. Good deal. I also noticed that it felt good to walk up this hill, using other muscles after the downhill running earlier.

I was just looking forward to hitting the 20 mile marker. I was hot and tired. I wasn’t sore at all, I wasn’t out of breath or dizzy, I was trying to be happy that I felt pretty good and that I have the endurance back. Speed is another thing.

Eventually mile 20 came and went, I just looked for the next mile. At mile 23 I filled up my water bottle and then noticed the 430 pace group coming up the way. I walked out of the aid station, waiting to run the last three miles with the group.

I came into the finish line at 4:34, I felt nauseous by now and had a bad stitch in my side. I thought about my friends running FANS and Kettle 100 and was just glad that I only had a marathon for today!

I had only a short walk to my car where I had a cooler holding a recovery shake and quinoa salad. I could stomach the shake but ate the salad later in the day when I was famished!

No pain or stiffness today, no bleeding or cramping during the race, all is good. The next race in the Monster Series is the Minneapolis Duathlon. Something new for me! I’m looking forward to it.

The Twin Cities Marathon is in 4 months. I’d like to run another Boston Qualifier. I have the endurance down, now the speed workouts begin.

Today is swimming and biking in preparation for the Graniteman Tri in 8 weeks. Another first!

Triatha what? Triathlon!

The town in which I live, Big Lake, is hosting a triathlon! Finally! It is a great location as the City has built a pathway around the lake that is perfect for running and biking. Except that it is concrete but who needs to complain, right?

In looking up information for this triathlon I learned that it is a part of a series, the Graniteman Series. This will consist of the Graniteman Clearwater Triathlon and Graniteman Half Marathon, Sauk Rapids, in addition to Graniteman Big Lake. Of course I decided to enter the series, what the hell, right?

You may recall that in 2006 I was going to try the sport of triathlon, before I chose to focus on 100 mile ultramarathons. I learned that I didn’t care for the swim portion of the sport. I trained for a while during the winter and then once the trails cleared it was back to ultrarunning!

Graniteman Clearwater is held July 9, Graniteman Big Lake is August 9. Both of these are ‘sprint’ triathlons-the shortest of tri’s, including a .46 mile swim across the lake, a 15 mile bike and finishing off with a 5K run. Woohoo! No prob, right?

After entering these I became excited about trying something new and entered Lake Marian Triathlon, which offered a sprint and Olympic distance. Well, I figured I might as well go for the Olympic as I’d have two sprints under my belt. Weeee!

The Olympic distance is a bit longer including a 1.5 K swim (.93 mile), 40K bike (24.8 mile) and a 10K run (6.2 miles). The swim will intimidate me here but I’ll get her done.

If I love this I’ll progress forward to a ½ Iron and Ironman; why not, right? I am going to volunteer at Ironman Wisconsin in September so that I can secure an entry in 2012. I’m at bike aid station 2. My friend Brook is an entrant so it will be awesome to see her upon the course.

I’m thankful that I entered the Team Ortho Monster Series early this year as a back up plan to the Ultra Gnarly Bandit Series incase of hysterectomy. My surgeon has firmly suggested that I do not run Bighorn 100 Mile Trail Run. The distance between aid stations and the remoteness of the race location were important reasons for his suggestion in addition of course to the rigor of a 100 mile mountain race.

I could just ignore his suggestion but I know that for me to finish a 100 my mind has to be firmly sound in finishing the distance. One bit of indecision at finishing the distance and my mind will convince my body to stop. As much as I love the distance and state how much I enjoy it, at about mile 70-80 I do entertain thoughts of quitting. A strong mind not allowing any of these thoughts to take place it was gets me to the finish line.

The Minneapolis Marathon is part III of the Monster Series. The Marathon is this Sunday and it looks to be a perfect day! High of 83 with a low of 60, oh yeah, summer is arriving. I have no time goal for the marathon, just a morning run in the sun. It will be a good indication as to where my fitness is right now. I’m going to train to run another Boston qualifier at Twin Cities Marathon this October. I’ve created a 4 month training plan which includes the triathlon training and TCM.

So far I’ve swum up to 24 laps and biked up to 35 miles. Plenty of fun ☺

Summer vacation is approaching just in time, I’ll have many many hours to put in toward training. Oh yeah, summer is here… love it!