Racing Plans

Well, it's March, which means racing season is pretty much here. In Minneapolis we've been having outdoor road races since January so I guess it's been here for a while. Yah, we're pretty hardy here dontcha know.


So far I've done a 5K. I ran the 100% Irish for a Day 5K the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day. I've been itching to do another race but I really feel like I shouldn't be spending money on entrance fees right now. Taxes are due on April 15. YAY! :( Last year when we had to pay in and this year when we found out we have to pay in again, I at least found the silver lining and thought, "Well hey, at least I didn't give the government an interest free loan for the past 12 months." That's about all I've got for positive thinking and taxes. Back to running...


Since I don't think I'll be doing any more races this spring, It's been difficult to consistently get out and train. Apparently I'm the type that needs a goal. I think this is especially true since I've been prepping for the GMAT lately. That is where my spare time has been going. But despite the nice weather, I've been a little inconsistent in training. But, soon that will all have to change because I have some big race plans on the agenda. BIG!


First, I've decided that I'd really like to do the Twin Cities 10-mile. It's in conjunction with the Twin Cities Marathon, which I ran last year. In fact they run some of the same route, at the same time. The 10-milers just get to skip 60% of the marathon route. The unfortunate thing is that they share the most difficult leg of the route. The part that's all uphill. The part that practically killed me at the end last October. Joy. But, I figure that portion will be much easier with only 3 miles behind me instead of 19. Another unfortunate thing is that since there is such a high demand for entries into this race, you only get in by lottery. So, the lottery opens in July and I plan to enter. 


The race itself is on October 7. My birthday! This means that I'll actually start training just before I know whether or not I'm actually in. Why would I start training so early just for a 10-mile you ask? Well, because I have plans for a second race in late October. I am planning to run the Monster Dash Half Marathon. Halloween+Road Race must = Good time right? I think so. I'm just trying to garner some support in the form of a running partner or two. A friend from Chicago might join me, though I'm afraid she'll probably kick my butt. However, I know that if she comes up I'll really push myself and we'll have a great time! She'll get to see more of the Twin Cities than just the airport, unlike last time she was up. Did I mention this friend works for the National MS Society Greater Illinois Chapter and is a huge crusader in ending MS? No? Well now I did. She's pretty awesome! I love her gusto!


In addition to the Monster Dash Half, I think we'll be running yet another race together. This one won't be until January however. "January?" you ask. Yes, my friends. January. I will not be running in Minneapolis, or anywhere near the upper Midwest for that matter. We're doing a race in FLORIDA!!! Not just any race, a huge, crazy endurance, test-your-mental-not just-physical-stamina race. We're running...drum roll please...brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...RAGNAR! 


What is Ragnar you ask? Well, taken directly from the website, "Ragnar is the overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. A team is made up of 6 or 12 individuals; each individual runs 3 legs. The legs of the race vary in difficulty and distance from 308 miles, allowing elite and novice runners to run together. Over 2 days and 1 night, teams run across 200 miles of the country's most scenic terrain. Pair that with crazy costumes, inside jokes, a great finish line party and unforgettable stories. Some call it a slumber party with out sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it Ragnar."

Yes, you read that right. 200 miles! Not only do we run that far, but we do it over the course of two days and one night! An overnight run! Are we crazy? Probably. But, it seems that there are a lot of crazy people out there since these relays happen all over the country, even near the Twin Cities. We aren't doing the Twin Cities one because I have a wedding to attend that weekend. Florida in January seemed like the next best option. 

Now, another reason we might be a little crazy is because of this:

You see that part just after exchange 12 and Florida City? That part where it's shaded a different color? Well, that's the Everglades. Hot, swampy and full of alligators. The route goes right through that. You know what the best part is? That leg is AT NIGHT on a rocky, gravel trail. I'm thinking if you trip and fall (which is likely since your route is illuminated only by a headlamp and occasional headlights from support vans), you're instantly alligator dinner, or midnight/middle of the night snack. But, you know, sounds like a good challenge right? I did a quick Google search today and didn't find anything about anyone getting attacked by an alligator yet during this race, so I think we're good. Either that or statistics are not on our side and our time is due. Hopefully it's the former. The other good news regarding the gators is that only two legs go through the Everglades. So as long as I'm not runner 2 or 3, I should be ok. 

As you can also see, once you exit the Everglades, you also exit mainland Florida and start running on US Highway 1, or the Intercoastal Highway.

Photo Courtesy of Bing

That's right, running on huge-ass bridges that connect all of the Florida Keys. Don't mind me, I'll just take a jog over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. No biggie. Now, I know this would make a lot of people's heads swim but it sounds like the coolest thing ever for me. That is aside from the lack of shade and high potential for blistering heat but seriously. Awesome. I've always wanted to simply drive over this highway. Running sounds even better. 

The race finishes in Key West and wraps up with a giant party. Don't mind if I do! Since the race is Friday through Saturday, I imagine we'll come home on Sunday. Perfect for soaking up a few rays while enjoying a Key West beach before heading back to what will surely be the frozen tundra of Minnesota in January.

Can you tell I'm excited for this? Erin already has 8 people recruited. We only need 4 more. What do you say, are you in?

Running in the West

Well, now that Memorial Day weekend has passed, we have entered into the summer season. No, not the official start to summer which doesn't happen until June 21, but the start of the time of year when we have bonfires in the backyard, go to baseball games (OUTSIDE!), and go fishing in one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. I for one could not be happier. Memorial day weekend included visiting family, gambling in Deadwood (Erich won $50 in blackjack, I lost 29 cents in slot machines) and eating good food, all wrapped up with a couple of good runs. 

Erich and I drove to Sioux Falls on Thursday night and stayed with my sister and her husband. I got up early on Friday morning to go for a quick 3-mile run since I didn't get one in on Thursday as my schedule said I should. That day we drove west to my Grandparent's 3,000 acre cattle ranch in western South Dakota. It looks like this:

It's quite gorgeous at the ranch and even better when the sun is shining. Unfortunately it's been raining a lot there lately. About 6 inches in the last 20 days. That's much more than the area is used to. 

On Saturday morning I went for a run among all of this beauty. Unfortunately, part of what makes this ranch so lovely is it's natural hills and the large canyon that runs through it. I knew I needed to get in a 6 mile run and heard my grandparents' mailbox is about 1.5 miles from their house. I figured out and back twice would be sufficient. Well, it turns out that the mail box is only 1.25 miles from the house so out and back twice only makes up 5 miles. I thought I'd feel badly about skimping on the miles until I started running these hills:

Yep, it was intense. Since I went out and back twice and there are two big hills along the route to the mailbox, I had to go up four of these bad boys. Erich went with me as well and he runs a lot faster than me so I probably held him back but all in all it was a good run. The best part was the gravel. It's so soft and nice on the joints. No pain whatsoever. And on top of it, it was actually sunny. don't let the pictures fool you. We actually had good weather for the run. 

Luckily for me Sunday is supposed to be a cross training day. My cross training didn't really happen unless you count my elevated heart rate when we had to drive up and down hills steeper than those above, while it was raining, with gravel that had turned to mud as slippery as ice. We fishtailed a lot and may have been going sideways on the road a couple of times. All this in a 4 wheel drive Jeep. We made it back in and out of the ranch safely and headed home Monday morning. While traveling, we made a quick stop in Chamberlain, on the banks of the Missouri River. 

Look at that view! It might be a little different in a couple of days because they're expecting some pretty brutal flooding. But for now it looks like this.

Oh so pretty!

Just be careful of the rattlesnakes!

All in all, it was a very good trip and I had a great couple of runs. It's always fun to run in new places. I should think about that for the future.

Today I dropped back down to 3 miles. 3 is so easy now! Nothing too big to report. My joints were a little less sore so that was nice. I was also significantly faster. Can't wait for 7 on Saturday. Hip hip! 

Happy Memorial Day! Welcome summer!

When all else fails, go with food

I don't really have much to write about today. Had a short little 3-mile run. I ran at a pretty good clip. About .5 to 1 mph faster than usual. Not too exciting though. Back on the treadmill. I guess the most exciting thing about the run is that I had no knee pain despite the increase in speed. That's a plus!

I usually don't blog about food because, well, that's not the topic of this blog and if I blogged about every good meal I made, I'd feel like a big fat fatty because I kind of pride myself in what I believe to be above average cooking skills. Plus, people would get sick of seeing what I make because I never really cook with a recipe and thus could not share how I make things. But, behold my masterpiece for dinner last night!

Yep, that's right. It's a Chicago-style deep dish pizza. I made the sauce from scratch as well as the dough. The sauce was pretty standard with crushed tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Don't ask me how much of each. I know I put in one 29 oz can of tomatoes and 1 clove of garlic. That's it. The dough was the real accomplishment. As you may know, I don't really like to bake. It's tedious and messy. But, making this dough was different. 1. It was easy. 2. Dough needs to be kneaded so that was fun. 3. I actually followed a recipe. Winging a dough didn't seem like a good idea. I will be making dough from scratch again. Next time I have to remember to save my scraps to make into breadsticks. I threw away the scraps before I realized that would be a good idea.

For the stuffing I chose Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives along with both provolone and mozzarella cheese. There are so many other things that would taste so good in here that I can't wait to make it again. I realize I probably should though because it can't be too healthy.

To top it off, I made Rice Krispie bars. I don't consider that to be baking at all. Melting and mixing and pressing, yes. I don't have a picture of those because really, who hasn't seen a Rice Krispie bar?

Feel free to be jealous of my pizza. I know I am and there's leftover in my fridge! I think this is very good fuel for running don't you think?