Flat and Fast

The course, not me. I'm referring to the TC 1 Mile that I ran tonight, thru Downtown Minneapolis. It was awesome.

I arrived at the starting line about 6:00 p.m. and picked up my race number, Champion Chip, and T-shirt. Not having anyone to hold the shirt while I raced, I jogged to where I parked the car and dropped it off. Then I jogged back. That was my warm-up.

Big M and MMMDI, from my old running club, were running in the first wave and we hugged and chatted while they waited for the start. MMMDI's husband and her friend N were also running the first wave. Big M and I trained for the Twin Cities Marathon together and she taught me how to swear at hills. She finished the marathon, her first, in under 5:30.

We listened respectfully as the Medtronic choir sang the national anthem. I never heard the Star Spangled Banner sung by a choir before and it was quite beautiful. Stepping out of the chute, I watched my friends cross the starting line and then got back in the chute for my wave -- the 50 and over group. I chatted with a few fellow runners and then we were off.


My goal was to run this mile in 10 minutes. I thought it was a stretch, but possibly do-able. Then I set my goal to 9:55, so that if I fell short I could still make it in 10 minutes, instead of, say, 10:04. As keyed up as I was, I started out too fast and was quickly out of breath. I tried to slow down and take deep breaths to get my heart rate down, which felt like it was hovering at about 300 bpm. I really wanted to walk so that I could catch my breath, but didn't want to kiss my goal goodbye. So I sucked it up.

The race began at Loring Park, and we ran for about 1/4 mile before turning onto the Nicollet Mall at 14th street, a pedestrian mall through the heart of downtown flanked by restaurants and shops. Although I was too focused on my race to appreciate how cool it was to be running there, I did enjoy the cheering from the al fresco diners. And my friends from the first wave were cheering for me. Somebody yelled out my name, and I waved but didn't turn around to see who it was.

The corner of 8th and Nicollet is significant. That's where Dayton's, now Marshall Fields, has been for years. And on the other side of Nicollet is the IDS Tower, the first skyscraper in Minneapolis. In my mind, that's where the finish should have been. But it was not. As I approached 8th Street, I kept repeating "Just Keep Running" like I did at the end of the TC Marathon. The finish line was another block away and when I saw it, I repeated "Finish Strong".

And I did; I did not have another block left in me. Unofficial time: 9:31, which for me is amazing. The Garmin said .81 miles, but the race is USTF certified so the Garmin is wrong. The results are now online. My official time: 9:25!!! O.M.G. Division place 17/23. I don't even remember passing anybody.

OK, here's the really sick part. As happy as I was with 9:31, there was a little part of me that was thinking 9:30 would have been better because then I could say I ran nine and a half minutes. Just because of that measly one second. But 9:25--no disappointments. :-)

Afterward, I hooked up with my friends and we headed to the marathon sign up tent. MMMDI is turning 50 this year and she's running the TCM to celebrate. Some of her other friends signed up to run with her. Today was the marathon kick-off, and anyone who signed up was guaranteed an entry. The on-line registration doesn't begin until midnight tonight.

The only thing that could make this night sweeter is if I win a guaranteed entry to the TC10.

An American Girl

...won the London Marathon, in 2:19:35. Go Deanna Kastor!

I'm running the TC 1 Mile tomorrow, in Downtown Minneapolis. It's part of the America's Downtown Mile race series and modeled after the Pearl Street Mile in Boulder, CO. Some of the women from my old running club are participating and I'm looking forward to seeing them. I won't be running with them, though, because I'm in the "50 and over" group. I hope I'm not the last one in. I'm going to try to run it in 10 minutes. Don't laugh; that's fast for me.

Sweet Sixteen

Minneapolis calls itself the "City of Lakes" and for the long run Saturday we ran around three of them--Isles, Calhoun, and Harriet. That's my old training ground and part of the route for the Twin Cities Marathon, so I felt quite comfortable running there. My running club was meeting at 8 a.m., and I ran 3.4 miles before hooking up with them. The reason I started early was that there was a potluck at Coach Jan's house and I wanted to be finished running at the same time as everyone else. No sense in showing up with my food after everyone's left. :-)

The problem with the city lakes is that they're a popular destination. On a nice day, which Saturday was, bikers, runners, roller-bladers, dog walkers, and suburbanites all descend on the scene like papparazzi to Brad and Angelina. There are three lakes, each about 3 miles around with separate paved bike and walking paths, and they're interconnected, so you can run as few or as many as you want. Plus, now that winter's gone, the water fountains are turned on and the bathrooms(!) are open. Yay, running water.

We were supposed to cut back on the miles today, but since I'm going to be out of town next week, I wanted to cut back next weekend instead. So my goal was to run 16 miles. I was kind of mad that I didn't make it to 16 last week, so I had something to prove. Although my legs started to fatigue at around mile 12, I did manage to go the full 16 and I was able to finish strong. We had candied orange slices along with the Powerade at the water stops. The candies kept the hunger pangs at bay, but messed up my gel schedule, which I think contributed to the fatigue.

I ran in my Adidas. I've only run in my new Asics once since I bought them, and that was a 5K on the treadmill Friday. They didn't feel as cushy as I expected, but I'll keep them anyway. I wanted to test them indoors first to keep from getting them dirty in case I needed to return them. I'll run in them next week.

I Can Resist Anything But Temptation

Before I became a runner, I used to save up my money for jewelry. Now I save up for running shoes.

I've been lusting after the new Asics Gel Kinsei for the past month. Not because I needed new shoes, having purchased some Adidas Supernova Cushion 83 miles ago, but because they sounded so good. I have flat feet, which usually indicates a need for stability, but tend to supinate on my left foot, which is only aggravated by stability shoes. So I go for cushioning, the more the better. I figure, at my age, I need all the help I can get.

I just happened to be in the neighborhood of Monica's, my favorite running store, and thought I'd just go in and browse. It works at Nordstrom's. Of course, someone came right over and engaged me in conversation. I told her I was "just looking" but then asked her about the Kinsei's. Are they as good as they say? Why are they the price of a barrel of oil? She said they're not for everybody, and would I like to try on a pair. When a jeweler asks if I'd like to try on a ring or a pair of earrings, or a ring, I invariably end up buying the item. So I knew I'd be hooked if I tried on these shoes.

As I was lacing them up, Tim came over and expained the technical aspects of the shoe. How many shoes do you know come with an "Impact Guidance System"? Another woman who works there was actually wearing them, and was happy with their performance on her last 10 mile run. I ran on the treadmill while the two women looked at my feet. They gave a thumbs-up and the local running club discount, which amounted to $25.

I have just the right pair of earrings to go with them.

Get Off the Road

Yesterday's long run was on a variety of surfaces: asphalt, woodchips, dirt, and grass. It was through the Hyland Lake Park Reserve along the same route as next weeks race--the Trail Mix. I'm not running that race but I've heard of it and now I know how it got its name.

The park contains over 1,000 acres of to run, and a nice selection of bathrooms. Two miles into the run, we ran up a hill to the base of the ski jump. Actually, I'm not sure how many people ran. I brought up the rear and walked it. It was pretty steep and I got plenty winded just from walking. There we had a pep talk from the national running director, Dan Finanger.

My running partner and I weren't too familiar with the park and as we continued on our way, we had to look at our maps and guess which route to take. I think we may have taken a few wrong turns, but we eventually caught up with the group, and more importantly, the water and cookie station. Dan was doing double duty, hauling the water and refreshments, as well as running with the group.

I've read that it's a good idea to run on soft surfaces, but until Saturday the only alternate surface I ever ran on was the track. I really enjoyed the different trails, being out in nature and not hammering my legs. I never minded asphalt, but I really noticed a difference after running on dirt. I may have to go back to that park.

I was planning to run 16 miles but when we got near the end of the run I was still a few miles short. So I ran around a two-mile lake--twice--to bring up the mileage. By the time I was finished I had only run 15 miles, but I didn't have another mile in me. Fifteen was the longest I've run in my training so far, so it was good enough.

See the Sea

A few weeks ago, I was in the San Luis Obispo area (in soggy California) and needed to find a place where I could run 14 miles. I went to a local sports store and explained what I needed: flat, no cars, paved or dirt, but not "off-road". Oh, and bathrooms would be nice. The young woman had just the place--the Bob Jones City to Sea trail. A paved multi-use trail that winds along San Luis Obispo Creek before ending at Avila Beach. I could run north along the coast to Port San Luis to extend the run, then return. So that's what I did. Unfortunately, when I finished the loop, I had only run 11 miles, so I had to run back to Avila Beach to get in my fourteen. It took all my willpower to do that, but I was glad at the end. Here are the pictures I took with the CrapCam.

Maximum speed 5 MPH? No Problem!

Ah, the Sea! The low tide left a nice running surface.

Avila Beach, as seen from the pier.

San Luis Bay.

Wildflowers in bloom.

Trails End.

The Early Bird

...needs more sleep!

So I thought as I began my long run this morning. We were scheduled to run at 8 a.m., and do a hill workout, but I was afraid I wouldn't put in enough miles, so planned to run 10 miles before joining the group at the hill. That meant leaving an hour earlier than everyone else, and for some reason the night before I have to get up early is usually the night I can't sleep. And then the alarm always goes off just as I fall into a deep slumber.

By the time I left, I was already 15 minutes behind my schedule. I ran along the Mississippi River road for about 5 miles. I had used that route before, so knew just where the bathroom was--unfortunately it was at the end of those 5 miles. I was afraid to hydrate on my walking breaks, for fear I wouldn't make it in time. I have to admit to eyeing the brush along the way, but with the leaves still missing, there just wasn't enough privacy. I don't know why the park board doesn't place port-a-potty's along there.

After the bathroom break, I ran to the other side of the river and headed down to the lock and dam. There's a good sized hill there and my old running club calls it the Dam Hill workout. My new club calls it the Lock Hill Monster. When I arrived, I had put in 10 miles.

This was an all-clubs run, so running groups from other LTF locations congregated at my club and everyone left from there. As an added incentive, athletes from Team USA Minnesota were going to run with us. This is the Olympic training team and I was looking forward to seeing some of the women athletes. But by the time I arrived at the hill, they were already gone. They were at the club before the run and were introduced there. I was disappointed to have missed them, but it was important to me to put in the miles.

The Lock Hill Monster consists of hill repeats and then assorted calisthenics. When I arrived, they had already done 3 hill repeats, but we did 3 more before I left. The first 2 were killer, but the last one seemed easy. Marcia, from my old running group, was there. She works with a woman who belongs to LTF in another location, and invited Marcia to run with us. It was so great to see her and to run with her again. The three of us went out for breakfast afterwards. Although I had the CrapCam with me, I totally forgot to take her picture. :-/