Chopped!

No, I'm not talking about the TV show on the Food Network.

About a month or so ago, I decided that I wanted a hair cut. I saw a girl with a really cute style at the gym and decided that I would like it. Now, I'm sure there are plenty of talented hair stylists here in the Twin Cities, however I really only trust major hair changes to one person and that's Christine Koch at Spektre Studio in Sioux Falls. Just a little plug. She and her studio mates are awesome. She's always been able to take care of me. That meant I had to wait until I went to Sioux Falls for Easter. Well, last weekend was Easter weekend so it was time for the big day!

TA DA!!!

The picture is a little MySpace-y but it's not a bad self portrait. It's also the end of the day so it's gone a little flat and I had it up in a pony tail until about 15 minutes before taking this picture. 

This photo has little to do with running however I thought I should post about it. I've never had hair this short. I will say that when I do put it in a ponytail to do any sort of physical activity, it looks pretty humorous. The pony tail is tiny and half of the hair doesn't fit in it. It's worth it though because I really dig the new look! 

Outside in Shorts and a Tank

I got back from a run about 35 minutes ago. It was so great that I still haven't changed/taken a shower. Yes I'm sitting on my couch, a little sweatier than I should be for sitting on the furniture, but I'm not ready to get in the shower yet. On my run I was able to wear a shorts and a tank top. A tank top!!! Woot! It was almost 70 degrees out. Booyah!

Now, I have lived in northeast Minneapolis (locally known as Nordeast) for just over a year and a half. I have NEVER ran in my neighborhood. I've been on a few walks and have biked but have never ran. I'm not really sure why. That changed today.

Now, Nordeast is probably one of the more hilly areas in the City. South is fairly flat, especially along the parkways. There are some small hills but they're not too crazy and pretty gradual. Around the U it's also pretty flat. I don't know what North is like because I don't venture over there. Nordeast on the other hand is pretty much the opposite, especially in my neighborhood. 

I set off on my run and boom, right away, big hills. For those of you in Sioux Falls, think about the steepness of Tut Hill but about half the size. I knew these exist because of my walks and bike rides, but didn't really think about them before hitting the pavement for a run. The strange about the hills is that there will be huge steep hills on one street, then gradual hills 3 blocks over. I suppose it's pretty good for some variety. 

The first half of the run was the hilly part. It was actually kind of brutal because I went into work an hour early today so I was quite tired. Once I got into the second half of the run the hills were gradual and not too noticeable. At that point I started feeling much better and surprisingly less tired.  In total I only ran 3 miles but the hills were more of a workout than normal. Now I'm home and am not tired at all. For the future I will remember Fillmore Street = big hills, Lincoln Street = not so hilly. 

Goldy's Run

I thought that running in a real race merited a post...finally. I've been seriously lacking in the posting and working out areas of my life lately. Since I haven't been working out much, I also haven't posted much. I've been pretty busy in the evenings and I'm not really into running in the morning. I'm not a morning person, though I did have to get up at 6:30 today (A SATURDAY!) in order to make it to the race on time. In the end we finished with a time of 28:21. Not great but after 2 weeks of not running, I'll take it!

The weather was a little cold and windy but it was fairly comfortable to run in. This is what we looked like to start:

Notice my Run to Stop MS gear? Oh and if you're wondering, that's my friend Joe. He's also running the marathon, though not for the MS Society. Erich and Joe's twin brother, Mike, were spectators/photographers. 

The starting line was a mad house. There were over 2000 people registered between the 10-mile and 5K race. We had a really slow start so if we'd been able to start at a normal pace, we probably would have had a time that was at least 30 seconds faster. Here's what that looked like:

The race wound the the University of Minnesota campus. I have no pictures of that. Erich took a picture of us just after crossing the finish line on the 50-yard line of TCF Bank Stadium. We were on the jumbotron and that's what this picture is of:

You can see Joe in blue. My right arm and my hat are to Joe's left and almost off the screen. Their camera wasn't set up in the best way. People tend to cross the finish line, then just stop, creating a mad traffic jam. The guy in the front looks super gassed.

Here's what the finish line looked like:

See the mad mess I'm talking about? We finished the race with some snacks. Bananas and my favorite, Salted Nut Rolls! This is what we looked like at the end. Joe looks pretty much the same but I always get super red-faced anytime I exercise. 

Thank you for following through today's picture blog of Goldy's Run. 

Tomorrow we'll be heading to Splash MS. It's a fundraising event at the Water Park of America. I'm pretty stoked. Family raft ride, here we come!