Grandma's Preview

Grandma's Marathon is not a race in which only grandmothers participate. It was originally sponsored by the Grandma's restaurant chain. They are no longer the primary sponsor, but the name remains. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Grandma's Marathon.

Marathon Headquarters, where it all comes together.

The lift bridge, behind the finish line, can be seen for miles.

I can picture myself running across this finish line!

Fears and Tears

Minneapolis and St. Paul are know as Twin Cities, with downtown centers about 10 miles apart. But they're more fraternal twins than identical. People who live in Minneapolis don't usually venture across the river to St. Paul; there's no need to. I supposed the people east of the river feel the same way about their town. I've lived in Minneapolis for about 15 years and I may have been to St. Paul more than some of my neighbors who've grown up here.

My running group is in St. Paul. It's exposed me to different places to run and I like that. For Saturday's long run we went to historic Fort Snelling, an area I pass on the way to the airport, but never visit.

Since I'm the slowest in the group, the coach had me leave before the others. Problem was, she was briefing everyone on where we were going to run. I got quick instructions on how to get to the water stop, where we would re-group.

As I ran south along the River Road, I realized I had no clue what our running route would be after the water stop. As the fast people started to pass me, I called out to the coach that I didn't know where I was going! She said they'd wait for me. Okay, fine.

I managed to make it to the water stop, saved by some runners who arrived and turned right just as I was about to turn left. At the water stop, we were told to go out, run two loops and come back, then leave the park and we'd be less than two miles from the club. I started out, behind the others.

The two loops were supposed to be two loops around the island. But I missed that part. I thought the road was shaped kind of like the letter "P" with the water stop at the base of the letter; that we'd run out, run some loop a couple of times, then head back to the water stop and the club.

The area was beautiful! Wooded, along the Mississippi River, and with a nice dirt path to run on. I was soon alone, but just as there was a choice between going left or veering right, my coach and another woman were coming towards me from the right. As she passed I asked if the loop was going to be obvious and she assured me it would be. When I came to another path that offered a choice between left or right, I again kept to the right. When I got to the end, I followed the path as it curved to the left.

We're in the middle of a heat wave, so it was hot and humid! When we started out, the temperature was about 70 degrees with 76% humidity, and climbed to 85 by the end of the run. But I had my water bottle and plenty of gels. And the water stop wasn't too far away.

As I continued, I saw the path to the left. Not sure what to do, but remembering that the loop would be "obvious", I turned left, figuring it would lead back to the path that I started on, which it did. At one point there was a huge thing in the middle of the path. It turned out to be a wild tom turkey and a hen. I took their picture, then approached gingerly. They mosied over into the woods. I'm glad they weren't aggressive--I've had Canada geese hiss and chase me and it's not fun. Unfortunately they're just two black blobs in the picture, so I didn't upload it.

I saw the second slowest runner in our group, M., shortly after. She was also running alone and had turned around at some point and changed direction just to ease the boredom. She told me that we were running on Pike Island. That was good to know.

Again, I got to the end and followed the path as it curved to the left. This time I continued past the first trail where I had turned left. I was enjoying the scenery and listening to my iPod. When I got to the next fork, I turned left, and when it took me to the other side, I turned right to head back to the water stop. That's when I got lost.

I love the country. I just don't have inherent survival skills. I need to know where I am and where I'm going, with a plan on how to get there.

Remember, I was in the woods. My running group was long gone by this time. It was unseasonably hot and I had run about 10 miles by this point. I was hot, tired, and in no mood to be exploring. I came to a bridge, but I didn't remember crossing a bridge, so I continued past it. I couldn't figure out where the water stop was! After going in circles a few times, I was getting very frustrated. There was a sign with a map, showing Pike Island. I'd look at the map and try to figure out where I was standing, but there was no "You are here" to help me get my bearings. The sun was over my right shoulder, so I figured I was facing north, and the interpretive center that I was trying to find was also north.

Desperate, I started praying. "God, please send me an angel to show me the way out of here." There's nothing like fear to give you religion. After more searching in vain, I broke down and cried tears of frustration. Stoopid running club! I should have joined Team Salubrious. I should have stayed with my old club. I was out of water by this time, and mad that my training run was full of stops. I had my cell phone, but I didn't know how to tell my husband where to find me. Finally, I saw a couple of women hikers coming across the bridge and I asked them the way out. It involved going across the bridge, then veering to the right. Hmmm. I didn't remember crossing a bridge, but they assured me it was the only way and I figured I'd get my bearings once I got on the road. They even shared some of their water with me. I think they were the angels I prayed for. :-)

As I followed their directions, then headed up a hill, the area looked familiar. Looking back, I saw the water stop! There was no one there, but the water and gatorade bottles were there and inside the plastic bag were cut-up oranges. Oh, boy! Maybe this running club wasn't so bad after all.

At the interpretive center, I used the bathroom and washed the grit off my face. Refreshed, I ran to where I thought the bridge was supposed to be. Argggh! there was only a freeway frontage road. Screw it; I headed back to the club the same way I came. It was longer but at least I knew where I was.

My knee started hurting at around mile 12, probably because of dehydration. It was 11:30 by this point; 3.5 hours to go only 12 miles! I wanted to run 16, in order to feel confident for the marathon. I tried to run strong, but it was pathetic. When I got to the turnoff for the club, I kept going because my mileage was only at around 14. I ran until I got to 15, then turned around. As soon as I hit 16, I turned off the watch and walked the rest of the way.

After stretching and showering, I went to get some food. As I was sittng at the table, I looked at the map I had picked up at the interpretive center. It was so obvious! Pike Island only had one entrance, which was that little bridge that I didn't remember crossing. I thought the water stop was on the island, but it wasn't. The interpetive center that was north of me when I was looking at the signpost was north, but I had to go south to cross the bridge first.

It wasn't the best workout, but that was my last long run until the marathon. I'm so glad.

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By the Shores of Gitche Gumee

By the shining big sea water

The rain that was predicted for Saturday didn't materialize. There was some light drizzling but that only lasted a few minutes. The temperature was supposed to be low 40s, and cloudy, instead it was sunny and warm. I planned to wear a long sleeved top and tights, but fortunately I had a pair of shorts and short-sleeved top as a backup, because that's what I ran in, along with a new vest that I bought on Friday for half-price at the Running Room.

This running retreat included all the LTF clubs, so there was a lot of diversity among the runners. And yet, I still ran alone because EVERYBODY was faster than me. And younger. Where are all the 50+ female maratoners? Oh well. The good thing about running alone is that I focus on my running, which is good practice for the race. The bad part, besides the loneliness, is that I don't push myself. Well, this was long, slow, distance and I ran/walked for 9/1.

We were shuttled from our hotel to the starting line, 22 miles north of the inn. Some people were running 22 miles, but those of us running 20 were dropped off at the two mile mark. The course runs along the old Highway 61, of Bob Dylan fame. It's heavily canted, so we were cautioned to run on the right side of the road for about a half-mile every so often, to give our left legs a break. The road wasn't heavily traveled, so that was easy to do.

The highway hugs the shore of Lake Superior and the view was spectacular. Very rustic and wooded. The bad part is that there aren't a lot of businesses open at that hour, which means of course, no bathrooms. Not even any satellites. I certainly couldn't hold it for five hours, so I did what the animals do--I peed in the woods. That was a first for me. My mother would be so proud--not!

Peeing in the woods is kind of interesting. As I squatted on pine needles, I noticed the scent of the pine trees. The second time, I could hear the soothing sound of the lake lapping against the shore. As I wandered into the trees I worried about poison oak because I don't have a clue what it looks like. Fortunately, I didn't encounter any. But my headphones got tangled in the tree branches.

The group had a water stop every three miles, which was nice. I carried my own water bottle, but it only holds 20 ounces, so I was able to refill at the stops. And I brought Ultima packets, so that I could mix my own sport drink. This run was a dress rehearsal for the marathon, so I wanted to emulate the race as much as possible.

Normally, I don't listen to my iPod when I'm on the road, but five hours of running alone is too much. I made a playlist of high-energy songs that would stimulate me to run, and it was a pretty eclectic list. There was 60s rock, some Motown, and 70s pop. I never expected to be running to the Pointer Sisters, but you can really move to the "Neutron Dance." I'll have to burn some Oingo Boingo--I think "Sweat" would be a great song to run to.

Occasionally a running coach from the club would drive by and check on me. The final water stop was at a park just off the highway. It seemed like forever between the time the coach told me to look for it to when I actually got there. I was afraid the water stop person would get tired of waiting and leave, but as I turned in, there she was. I was so grateful! And there was an honest-to-goodness port-a-potty! Yay! No more squatting in the trees.

The Grandma's course is pretty flat, but at mile 22 (the last mile for my Saturday run) is Lemon Drop Hill, named for the defunct Lemon Drop motel that used to be there. I was pretty spent as I was approaching it. In fact, the alarm signalling the end of my walking break went off and I couldn't bring myself to start running. Right then Springsteen's "Born to Run" started to play. What else could I do? I ran up the hill and "through it" to the flat part. It wasn't even that hard. Final mileage: 20.79. So close to 21, but I didn't care. I was ready to stop. Final time was 4:57:41, average pace 14:19 per mile. Not fast enough to finish in 6 hours. Hopefully, I'll be faster come race day.

The Things We Do To Run

Congratulations to Liam, who just finished the Prague Marathon. That Irishman gets around! He wrote a great race report.

I'm off to Duluth to run 20 miles along the Grandma's course. It's supposed to rain for the first 4 hours. :-(

I'd Rather Be Doing LSD

Rain was predicted for last Saturday, so I dressed to run long in wet weather. The group was supposed to run 14 miles, to recover from last week's 18 mile run. Since I raced a half-marathon instead, I thought I should do 16 miles this time.

I ran two miles before the group went out, then went back to meet them to find out where they were running and where the water stops would be. Good thing I did, because A., a woman I've run with before, was there so we started out together. She's not training for Grandma's so only planned to run 8-10 miles. It was nice to have company and she doesn't push the pace. For long runs I believe in Long Slow Distance and run even slower than my usual snail's pace.

At 6 miles was a rec center, (read bathroom) so we stopped there, then A. headed back to the club and I continued to Lake Harriet, which got me to 7 miles. The rain never materialized, but it was windy at the lake. For most of the run I was on a parkway, and the trees sheltered me from the wind. At around mile 9, I passed two guys running the other direction. One of them looked familiar, and I'm pretty sure it was Chris Carr from our local paper. He's training for Grandma's, his first marathon, and keeps a blog on his employer's website. I've never met him, but his picture is on the site. I didn't introduce myself for various reasons, but I read on his blog that he ran 16 miles that day too.

After my brush with celebrity, I continued on and tried not to think about how far I had left to go. I got to the water stop and topped off my water bottle with sport drink and chowed down some Lifesaver fruit candies. Heh, I took the red ones.


The sun came out at some point and I kept marvelling at the beautiful Spring landscape. Minnehaha Creek was running beside me and there were ducks and flowers. The battery on the CrapCam was low or I would have taken more pictures. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty that at one point I asked myself, "What are you, on drugs?" (Come on, I know you talk to yourself when you're alone. ...Er, don't you?) Like Itchycoo Park, it was all too beautiful. A runner's high.

There are many clubs out training for Grandma's and I passed the MDRA water stop. That's the Minnesota Distance Runners Assoc. and they offer marathon training classes. They had a bumper sticker on their water jugs that said, "I'd rather be Fartleking." That's when I came up with the title for this post.

My legs were still sore the next morning when I had to meet my friends for the Race for the Cure. The name's a misnomer, because with 52,000 people you don't race. There's a 5K run at 8 a.m. and then a 5K walk a 9. I always do the walk, because I do it with non-running friends. When I first did the Race for the Cure, I signed up for the 1 mile family walk, and I wasn't too sure that I could walk that far without stopping. That was around 1997 or '98. It was actually easy, so I signed up for the 5K the following year, and I've been doing them ever since. They hold it here every Mother's Day and it's very emotional. The women in pink are survivors and everywhere you see signs in support of, or in memory of, somebody's wife, aunt, mother, grandmother, friend. For myself, I know three woman close to me that died of breast cancer and two survivors. One of the reasons I run is so that I can hopefully stay healthy enough to not become another statistic.

This weekend we're scheduled for 20 miles! We'll be running on the Grandma's course, so that we can become familiar with it.

Friday Funny Falls Flat

OK, so my husband told me that he didn't get the previous post. And judging from the deafening silence, none of you did either. See, a palindrome is a word, number, or sentence that reads the same forwards and backwards. An example is the name Eve. I thought it would be funny to have a phony interview with elite athletes, and all their responses would be a palindrome. Apparently, I'm the only one who finds that funny.

Sigh. It reminds me of the guy who was sent to prison. On his first day, someone yelled out, "72" and all the other prisoners laughed. Then another inmate yelled out, "12" and again all the other prisoners laughed. The new guy asked his cellmate what that was all about. The cellmate explained that everyone's been in prison for so long, they've all heard the jokes so to save time they would just yell out the number corresponding to the joke. The next day at dinner, someone yells out, "25" and everyone laughs. Then the new guy yells out, "32". The mess hall is silent. The new guy asked his cell mate why nobody laughed when he called out the number. His cellmate shrugged and said, "Well, some people just can't tell a joke."

Meet the Elites

National Network News correspondent Anna Level interviews top athletes following the Palindrome 10K.

NNN: Hello! What is your name?
Hannah
NNN: And your last name?
Renner

NNN: I notice you’re wearing shoes by Nike, Hannah. Did you get a sponsorship from them?
HR: Did I? I did.

NNN: You appear to be very fit. How much do you weigh?
HR: 101

NNN: Skinny-Minny. What person most inspires you?
HR: Mom

NNN: That’s sweet. Who is your coach?
HR: Levin Snivel

NNN: How do you and your coach see things?
HR: Eye 2 eye.

NNN: Who could ask for anything more. I noticed that one of your competitors stumbled. What happened?
HR: Dee saw a seed.

NNN: Oh. You’re very focused when you run. What were you thinking as you approached the finish line?
HR: Nail Lillian

NNN: And nail her you did. What was your average pace?
HR: 5:05

NNN: Not bad. How did your teammates do?
HR: Nina Ricci ran in.

NNN: Good for her! What is your favorite post-race food?
HR: I prefer pi.

NNN: I make a mean Lemon Meringue my own self. What advice do you have for other runners?
HR: Live not on evil.

NNN: Well said. May I take your picture?
HR: Oh, cameras are macho.

NNN: Very well. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, Hannah. Let’s move on now to this young man. What is your name, sir?
Madam, I’m Adam.

NNN: How old are you, Adam?
A: 22

NNN: I saw you say something to the runner who was drafting behind you. What was it?
A: Evade me, Dave.

NNN: That’s telling him. What were you hoping to achieve in this race?
A: Top spot.

NNN: Hmmm. Tell us how you feel about placing second?
A: Dammit I’m mad.

NNN: Yes, I can see that. What was your finish time?
A: 30:03

NNN: Your team mate failed to finish. To what do you attribute this?
A: Poor Dan is in a droop.

NNN: Let’s hope he snaps out of it soon. You yourself seem awfully quiet. What’s wrong?
A: Too hot to hoot.

NNN: Who is your coach?
A: Sydney Yendys

NNN: I’ve heard of him. Well-respected. What do you do to cross-train?
A: Kayak

NNN: And how did you carbo-load before the race?
A: Stressed I desserts.

NNN: Prefer I chocolate my own self. Do you have any advice for other runners?
A: Step on no pets.

NNN: Words to live by. May I offer you a Cohiba to celebrate your finish?
A: Cigar? Toss it in a can. It is so tragic.

NNN: Not as tragic as this interview. Thank you for your time, Hannah and Adam. And congratulations on your race.

This is Anna Level at the Palindrome 10K for National Network News.

Strong to the Finish

We couldn't have asked for a better day: blue skies, light wind, no bugs. With temperatures in the low 50s, it was perfect race weather. Today was the Wells Fargo Lake Minnetonka Half-Marathon, which starts at the Wells Fargo Bank in Wayzata and ends at the Wells Fargo Bank in neighboring Excelsior. Two towns on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, one of the largest lakes in the metro area. Minnetonka is an Indian name; Minne means water and Tonka means effing big. It's a beautiful lake and a beautiful course.

AmyBee ran with me, although she was nervous about it since she hadn't been training. Gun-time was 8 a.m. and we arrived twenty minutes prior to pick up our race number and go to the bathroom. Long lines drove AmyBee to the woods, but I couldn't bring myself to do that. I was still in the queue by the time she returned, but we managed to get to the starting line on time.

This was the first time I ran in this race, but AmyBee had run it before. She told me it was a fast field and that in the past she was quickly left behind. Since she's faster than me, that really worried me. The time limit was 2:45, so there was no room for straggling. If we could run a 12 mm pace, we'd be able to finish on time. AmyBee parked her car at the finish line and I drove her to the start so that we would have a ride back to Wayzata in case we missed the bus. The gun went off and we were behind in no time. I could hear the familiar sound of an engine, which I assumed was the pace bus. Crap. I was tempted to run faster to get away from it, but kept to my plan. No sense in tiring out within the first mile. Fortunately, we turned off onto a narrow road and the "pace bus", which was actually a fire truck staffed with 5 firefighters, stayed on the main road. They caught up with us later.

Someone had told me that this race was hilly, which had me baffled because Highway's 15 and 19, which hug the lakeshore, are flat. But we didn't run on Hwy. 15, we ran in a neighborhood on a road parallel to 15 and it was hilly. As if running 13.1 miles at 5 miles an hour isn't challenging enough; we have to throw in some hills. The walking breaks helped--we'd run 9 minutes and walk 1.

Still, the miles went fast. I know AmyBee from my old running club and I've always liked her but we never really got to talk much to each other. So we self-disclosed along the way and discovered that we have much in common.

At mile 6, eagle-eye AmyBee spotted a couple of port-a-potty's and we dashed over to them. How do you spell relief? B-I-F-F-Y. Good thing we stopped, because the next one wasn't for another 4 miles, and I wouldn't have been able to "hold it" until then.

Although I had the CrapCam with me, I didn't want to stop to take pictures because of the time limit. But at one point we ran on a road that was flanked by marshland. Someone had made a sign to protect the wildlife and I took a picture of it with AmyBee posing alongside. Can you read the sign? It says "Caution. Slow Turtles."



By mile 8 my legs were starting to fatigue, which had me baffled until I remembered that I was running about two minutes per mile faster than I normally do on a long run. Plus, yesterday when my running group was running 18 miles, I was told to run 3 miles, since I would be racing today. Three did not sound like enough, since I had skipped a run this week, so I cleverly ran 5 instead, with the second and third mile at 12 mm to get an idea of what that pace would feel like. Then I did three sets of squats because I was feeling so good, which made for soreness this morning.

We came to a water stop and I refilled my water bottle and poured a packet of Ultima into it. Ultima is the sport drink they're using at Grandma's, so I want to start getting used to it. I lost a little time doing that, and AmyBee kept on going, but I was able to catch up to her when she took a walking break.

After a while AmyBee needed to walk and told me to go on. Since she wasn't in pain and there were other runners around, I did. I know if I'm tired and people insist on staying near I feel pressured to run faster and I didn't want to stress her out. But if she had been hurt I wouldn't have left.

There's not much to report on the balance of the race. There was a hill to climb and I swore at it as I approached but I made it up with ease. I ate a gel at 1 hour, then 50 minutes later, which helped. I didn't experience any muscle cramps and I think that was because of the sport drink.

The final stretch was on a crushed limestone trail, which my legs appreciated. Although I know Excelsior, I wasn't really sure where I was, but I kept my eye on the big, blue water tower. Then I could see the finish line, and while I didn't sprint, I did finish strong. Stopping the Garmin the moment I crossed the finish line (there was no ChampionChip for this race), I looked at my time--2:40:48. Holey Moley! Then I remembered that my Garmin is set for autopause, so I checked and it showed a rest time of 2:40. That would be the bathroom break and water bottle fill. But 2:43:18 is still the fastest I've ever run a half-M. Last August I ran one in 2:47:53 and the year before that my time was 2:48:22. My training appears to be paying off.

I waited at the finish line for AmyBee and she came in shortly behind me. I took her picture as she crossed the finish line, but unfortunately I forgot to save it. I was pretty tired and not thinking clearly, but I'm disappointed that I didn't get the pix. I was going to send it to her so she could have it for her race report.

My splits ranged from 11:41 to 12:32, with mile 10 recording 13:03, but I think that's where I filled my water bottle. Average pace was 12:09, so pretty much right on plan. I couldn't do that pace for a full marathon, but hopefully I can do a consistent 13 mm. Six more Saturday's until Grandma's!

A series of coincidences

A funny thing happened at the TC 1 Mile last week. While I was at the starting area, searching for my friends, someone called my name. It turned out to be Elle, a young woman I met one Saturday back in March when I met the Team Salubrious people. I was running alone, because everyone in my running group was faster than me, when Elle and her group came by and let me tag along. I was surprised that she recognized me, and shocked that she remembered my name. Ah, the memory of youth. We chatted a little and wished each other well. She was running in the 30-39 age group wave.

When I was done with my race, the 40-49 wave ran, followed by the 30-39 (that pattern continued until it was the elite's turn to race). So as I was walking down the Nicollet Mall towards Peavey Plaza to get the free post-race pizza, I saw Elle running and cheered her on. Later I saw her in the pizza line as I was eating my slice. Then I did a double-take. She was wearing a shirt with the name of the company that my husband works at. I walked up to her and asked why she was wearing that shirt and she said she works there! She's only been there since last November, but she knows who my husband is. It's a small company.

Not only does she work there, but she works for my former teacher, S., who taught "Writing and Designing for the Web". S. had told her about me and now that I think of it, at the company holiday party back in early February S. pointed out Elle to me and told me that she runs marathons. My middle-aged, too-much-fun-in-the-sixties memory leaves much to be desired. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to Elle at the party, but I can't believe what a small world it is. I guess we were destined to meet.