We Did the Monster Dash

"This one's for Stephano," I proclaimed as I crossed the starting line. I was running the 10 mile Monster Dash in Minneapolis and I dedicated the race to the Black Knight, who will be undergoing another surgery on October 31st. He is an avid runner and the recovery will have him sidelined for a while. But hopefully he'll be running faster than ever when this ordeal is done.

I was visiting the City of Lakes for the weekend. A friend was having a 60th birthday party and since SD had to be in town for work, I tagged along. I had always wanted to run the Monster Dash, because they have a cool t-shirt--a running skeleton! Yes, I will run for a shirt. :-) I was disappointed with the color, though; I was expecting a black technical shirt, but this year's was grey. The Monster Dash started a few years ago as a 5K, then they added a half-marathon. This year was the first 10 mile distance, so I got to run an inaugural race!


Some members from my old running club group ran the half: AmyBee, Mary, and Marcia. Coach Gary was a course marshal. I had contacted Marcia a week ago to let her know I'd be in town and that maybe we could all go for a run together. That's when she told me about the race. Since I have a half marathon coming up in two weeks, I didn't want to run that distance. The 5K wasn't far enough, so the 10 miler was just right. Of course, when I realized that I wouldn't be getting in to town until midnight Friday and I'd have to get up at 6:30 the next morning to race, I had my doubts.

The sky that morning was overcast and the temperature was chilly. The Central Coast was having unseasonably warm weather, so I went from running in tanks and shorts to tights and long-sleeves. Smartwool socks, jacket, gloves, and ear warmers completed the ensemble. I kept all my cold-weather gear, and I'm glad I did! I picked up my race packet and as SD was taking my picture, Marcia and the others came up. So we took a group shot, and as we did, a guy dressed as the Grim Reaper walked by. He was wearing a mask and everything, but Amy yelled out, "Hi Steve." It was triathlete Steve-In-A-Speedo, and it was pretty funny that Amy immediately knew who he was.



The race started at 9 and the starting line was at the Rose Garden, near Lake Harriet. That was a different starting line than the half, and a lot of people got confused. I jogged over to the start and did a couple of strides to warm up. There didn't seem to be more than a handful of people as the race started. The first thing I noticed was there was no chip mat, which worried me since it was supposed to be chip timed. I had my Garmin, so I wasn't too worried, but I did want this to be "official."

My strategy was to run 11:30 minutes per mile for the first half, then kick it up to 11 for the final five. Well, I never seem to manage to stick to my plan. As we went out, I realized this was a fast field and if I slowed down to 11:30 I'd be running by myself. I forced myself to slow down, but ran faster than I planned. I felt OK, though. The other thing I did differently was I didn't take any walking breaks, although I did walk through the two water stops.

We ran along Lake Harriet, and then down Minneahaha Parkway. There were stll fall colors and I was really happy to be running there. I have a lot of memories of running the lakes and the parkway--it's part of the Twin Cities marathon course. As I ran east, I saw a familiar person--Coach Gary! I haven't seen him in almost a year and he wasn't sure it was me, either. I high-fived him and kept on running.

A few people were in costume and one runner was wearing a red suit. I had to ask her who she was--she was also carrying a baby and a (toy) gun. Her answer: Sarah Palin! She ran the Twin Cities 10 miler a few weeks ago and hadn't run since. I saw her a few times on the course and would give her encouragement. When I saw her cross the finish line, I asked if I could take her picture.


Anyway, I was feeling strong on this run. I hooked up with a guy named Kevin for a while; he was a veteran of many marathons but can't run that far any more. We chatted as we ran, and he was a good rabbit, then I peeled off to use the portapotty. That was around mile 6 and I decided to pick up the pace. I passed a lot of people that had passed me and then I finally caught up and passed Kevin. He gave me some encouragement as I went by. There were a couple of small hills at that point, but I thought about the hills I've climbed on my training runs and took them in stride.

At around mile 8, I said, "OK, Stephano, let's go!" and pushed myself. I was breathing so hard, I sounded like a charging rhino, and people would give me encouragement as I ran past. My heart rate peaked to 177, so you know I was hurting, but I thought about Stephano's courage and kept on. Then in the last mile, the back of the 5K pack was on the course. They were walking their dogs and strollers but I wasn't about to sacrifice my PR. "On your left," I shouted, trying not to be obnoxious about it. People got out of my way and I thanked them. The Black Knight's spirit was with me and I crossed the finish line in 1:50--an 11:01 minute per mile pace!

When I looked up the results, I saw that there were only 3 of us females in the 55-59 age group. I was number 2--I placed in my age group! Did I win anything? Uh, no. The awards category was age 50-99. :-(

No matter. I hooked up with Coach Gary and we waited for the half-marathoner's to come in. Amy came by first, and I tried, unsuccessfully, to run ahead to take her picture. I did better when I saw Marcia coming in.



Here's a picture of the proud finisher's and running club friends Cheryl and Gary.



Afterwards, we carbo-loaded at AmyBee's house. Her hubby kindly made pancakes for all of us and Coach Gary brought real maple syrup. Now that's what I call "Minnesota Nice". :-)

A funny thing happened at the airport. I was in L.A., waiting in the lounge during my 3 hour layover to SLO, when a guy wearing running shoes and a Boston Athletics jacket walked in. Uh, oh, you know what that means. I had the decency to let him put his luggage down and get a bite to eat before I pounced on him. He ran Boston in 2007 and we talked running and marathons. I recommended Twin Cities to him, saying it was a pretty course and told him what a great city Chicago is. It turns out he went to high school in the same town I did, although he attended a private school. He mentioned that he'll be running the California Int'l Marathon and I asked his name, saying I'll look him up in the results. He looked surprised, but he told me and I introduced myself. We talked about Runner's World magazine and just before he left to sit down, mentioned he was in the "Green Issue." Hmmm. I looked it up this morning and it turns out I was talking to California State Assemblyman, Lloyd Levine! I imagine he thought I was talking to him because I knew who he was. You can read about him on page 76 in the November issue. It's a good thing I wasn't able to work up the nerve to ask if I could take his picture for my blog; he probably would have thought I was harassing him. :-)