Get in Gear 10K

 Day(s) before: 

Expo: Expo is too strong a word, but there was a packet pick up at Minnehaha Falls the day before the race. It was kind of weird actually.  The bibs were in one place and the shirts were in another far away place and I did not get a gear check bag.  The volunteer thought they'd have them the next day.
 Transportation to/from expo: I liked that parking in the lots was included for packet pick up.
 Expo SWAG: Technical t-shirt, and a fleece hat.  My Minnesota peeps will understand why this is so cool.

Race Day
 Start time: Race starts at 9am.
 Weather: Absolute crap.  Wind and rain.
 Wardrobe:  I had throw away clothes over running shorts, running shirt, and arm sleeves. I also pulled out an old race belt that I thought would do better in the rain with my car key and phone.
 Transportation to start line: Did we talk about the rain?  Because I drove to the race.  I aimed to leave my house around 7am, get parked close by about 7:30am, and then sit in my car until 8:30am.  That's about what I did.  When I entered the rain storm, I went to the bathroom, hung out in the super cramped enclosed pavilion with everyone else, and did tai chi but no walking or running to warm up.  Turned out better than expected. 

Route: Get in Gear follows roughly the Ford/Lake loop.  North in Minneapolis, over the Lake Street bridge, South in St Paul and then back over the Ford bridge.
Plan/Goals: I had a few ideas in my head.  Maybe run and don't blow up.  Maybe run/walk.  Mostly don't blow up.
Execution: I started running and I felt good, so I decided to go with a strongly controlled "don't die at the end please" pace and just kept it even.  It was fast for me in my current fitness level.
 Nutrition: I woke up and had half a salted avocdao smashed on a small bagel.  I didn't want much.
 Results: The most surprising stat on the race page was the participation.  It's waaay up from last year but super way down from where it normally is. 
 From today, I learned: The "do not blow up" plan worked well.  The race is surprisingly difficult at the end.  It's just one little stupid hill after another.  So I was worn out at the finish, but I had the energy to get there.
 Remember for next time: 7:30am arrival time worked well.  I got super great parking.
 Bonus: I also counted this as my virtual Flying Pig 10K which I feel is legit.

Heartbroken during the drought

 This made things real for me like no other.

How the Mississippi River should look at Coon Rapids Dam (this is normal flow, not flood stage) 

How the Mississippi River looks today, in the worst drought since 1988, and the worst drought in the modern history of how droughts are recorded.

Ft Snelling State Park

Well, we needed one that was super close today.  That or the activity at the state park had to be swimming.  Those were my conditions.  We picked close so that we could go early.  Why did we need to go early?  And how is that a thing either one of us would've picked?  Because the high today was projected to be around 100* and that was just not our thing.

We parked near the swimming beach.  This was not necessarily the WRONG place to park, but it meant that most of our walk was not on Pike Island.  But, I got to see a part of the park I'd never seen before, so I thought that was legit.

 

We hiked past the swimming beach to Pike Island and tooled around there for a bit before turning around and heading back to the car.  We got there around 9am and needed to be gone by 10:30am for Dungeon Master's later plans that day. 

This turned out to be much more fun than I expected.  I was like "we'll just go so we can get to 8 parks, right?"  I wound up enjoying myself and was glad to get out before the heat.  When I came home I ran my mile and watered my garden.  Then I hid inside in the a/c the rest of the day. This heat is no joke.

Frontenac State Park

This summer we are engaging in L and L's excellent adventure.

Dungeon Master's work is doing a wellness challenge.  If you visit a certain number of state parks, you are entered in a drawing for lots of goodies at the end of the summer.  So she's doing the thing with state parks and I get to come along for the fun.

We picked Frontenac to start because it's one that does not require overnight planning.  I'd been here once before (with my favorite nun in tow, that's a story all it's own) but I didn't remember much.  Dungeon Master talked to the rangers and identified a route for us.  All in all we walked about three miles, up and down hills, through prairies and forests, and saw all kinds of overlooks.  I identified half the plants in the park (not) and re-learned that blood root is bad for you.  (I learned this via google.) 

After the park we headed in to Red Wing to see the big boot and grab some food.  The boot was fun, as always.  The food was meh but the server was super sweet, so it was ultimately a nice time. We also went up to Memorial Park (the big look out) in Red Wing.

In a surprise move, when I got home, I went out and got all of the plants.  I went big on perennials this year, with only one small flat of begonias.  I also went big on herbs, and re-potted my shishito peppers.

COVID Diaries - October 1

 

COVID Diaries - May 26

Take care of my body: I ran (ran/walked) 4.7 miles and did the Deck of Cards workout.
Take care of my heart/mind: I made Spaghetti Carbonara.  'Nuff said?
Take care of my living space: In addition to the Carbonara, I emptied the dishwasher, which means it's highly likely the thing will get loaded again before bed.
Take care of work or economic security: I did work.  I did not shop.
A clipping or link from the news: Once again, I'm going with the daily update.  A jump in ICU patients?  Not good.  But currently it's taking 16 days for our cases to double.  Apparently we always want that number to be more than 7 days.
Things I tried to buy that are out of stock, or things that are now being advertised or sold that are new: Kettlebells are still out of stock y'all.
Picture from the day:

Taken along the river during one of the 'walking' parts of my run.
I am thankful for: I'm going to talk more about the Deck of Cards workout.  It's such an example of how little efforts over and over equal something big.
I found myself wanting something where I could do a few reps here, a little bit there, lift a weight while I'm waiting on hold, etc.  Because I was kind of doing that anyways with my bands.  And (keeping it real) if I exercise this way, I don't get so sweaty and gross that I have to take a second shower and change clothes again at the end of the day.
Basics:  Every suit = an exercise.  The card I draw is the number of reps I do.  There's several variations on face cards and jokers.  Currently I've pulled all the face cards and jokers.
My 'exercises' vary by day, but the themes are the same.
Spaces: Legs, mostly squats or a variation thereof.
Clubs: Arm press.  Overhead press, paloff press, whatever.  Weights, banded, whatever.
Hearts: Arms pull.  I've done face pulls and rows so far.
Diamonds: Hip hinge.  Have I told you how much I love dead lifts?
So today, I'd just do a few cards here and there, throughout the day.  After my run I did several to finish off the deck.  I'm looking forward to doing this every day, or most days of the week, depending on how sore I get.  If I make it most days of the week, I may start adding face cards in, one by one, to up the reps.

COVID Diaries - April 27

Furlough is complete.  I capped it off by actually calling in to safety huddle, but I have not yet checked my email.

Today was actually an awesome day.

I woke up and cooked myself an actual breakfast (minus coffee because of some other plans) and then lounged around for a bit.

I did the longest bike ride I've maybe ever done in life. With a friend from work.  It was super fun.  I tried some things I wouldn't have done without her.  She also helped me fix my bike when I popped the chain on a steep hill. Sites included Victory Memorial, Wirth Park, Cedar Lake, Sculpture Garden, Mississippi River, a coffee shop, the heron rookery, and Webber Parkway.  It was quite a ride!

I ran as soon as I racked my bike.  This just needs to get done right?.  It was hot out, and sunny.  But a nice day to be outside in the end.

Next up, obviously, was food.  I hit up Chipotle.  Apparently I've thrown social distancing caution to the wind here.  I even went in without a mask.  (I didn't realize there'd be other customers in there.)


I ended the evening with a social distance happy hour with Captain Smiley and Dungeon Master.  Captain Smiley put out his Blessed Ramadan sign.  Our neighbors across the street stopped and thanked him.  They said it means a lot.

Tomorrow it's going to rain and I'm surprisingly excited for not sunshine.  I told my co-worker, I've never had such a legitimate tan so early in the year.  She agreed.  But it's okay to take a break for a day, right?

COVID Diaries - April 24

Today was my day of distance socialization. 

I woke up around 5am, and was all "well, the sun is coming up, I can go run, I'm sure I'll nap later". I saw the sun rise over the river while I was out.  I also spent some time finding a new path to the river because of the effing train in my way.  When I got home I did "weights" which is a band workout right now.

I tried very hard to log onto a webinar.  It didn't work.  I thought it was because I was on a mac, which has been an issue in the past.  I got an email later it was an issue with their server.

Instead, I talked to Baby Pooky who can now wave, and sometimes say hi, but I think she needs to know me better to talk on FaceTime.

And then I napped.  Hard.

Afterwards I sent a retirement card to one friend, birthday cards to Baby Pooky and Captain Smiley.  The birthday card design is clutch I think.

Next up was actually eating food.  I got carry out at Peppers and Fries and took it to Olive's back yard.  I stayed outside and we ate at least six feet away from each other. And her dog.  We sat outside and talked half the afternoon.  We could hear baby eagles, saw woodpeckers, etc.  It was awesome.

Since I was already on that side of town, I went to Riverview Theater and got some To Go Popcorn.  I wound up with a bonus visit to a friend (more a friend of Qat Lady's) and her kids.  Her kids knew Fiona and had a book about her.

When I got home, Captain Smiley and I had a physical distance happy hour on my patio.

Now, I'm catching up on the news. Someone who I will not name suggested we inject ourselves with bleach or lysol to treat the virus.  Like, really?  Maybe we should put some people on that?  So now Lysol and all of the other places literally had to do PSAs saying "please, do not main line bleach". 

In news that I think is beautiful, Calls to Prayer are broadcast to the Cedar Riverside neighborhood during Ramadan so that everyone can safely honor the holiday.

COVID Diaries - Tuesday April 21

Today was the day that everything fell apart, and then sort of put itself back together quite nicely.

I thought about heading up to Sherburne Wildlife Refuge, and was looking to see if Wildlife Drive is open for the season.  That's about when I learned that while yes, the drive is open, all the bathrooms are closed.  This had a significant impact on my trail running plans.. This led to me checking Elm Creek and Baker which are in similar predicaments. Sigh.

So, I lay on the couch, and dried the clothes I forgot to take out of the washer last night and considered all my options.

I wound up doing a 3-ish mile run.

Then I talked to some of my favorite people in Kentucky.  One is reading The Order of the Phoenix, the other is reading Enders Game.  Neither one will go back to school in person this year.

Obviously I had my afternoon nap.

While dealing with the "what the heck am I going to do now?" of it all, because I'd been looking forward to some further away parks, I decided to head back to the Heron Rookery. Did I mention while I was sulking, I found my binoculars.  So, I tried to take lots of pics through the bincolulars.  That was a learning process all it's own.

Next up was Zumba on Zoom.  They are finally working out the nitty gritty on this one.  Sounds is getting better and better.  Mom does the Zumba too.

Finally, Chipotle was delivery to my door.  At no extra charge.  So that's a nice way to wrap things up.

Bonus that is unexpected (and not in my post-its) is I did a very rough sketch of the rookery as well.

COVID Diaries - April 19

Today is furlough day 2 of 10.
Plans for Monday include a happy hour with Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear.
Plans for Tuesday include talking to some of my favorite people in Kentucky about the books they are reading.

Today was productive and then it fell off a cliff.  I'm cool with that.

Running: Done first thing.
Weights (goal was 15 mins).  I did a 10 minute warm up for running, of leg exercises.  When I got back I did the same 10 minutes of drills, but this time with a resistance band.
For "first meal" I had lox, capers, cream cheese on crackers, and then a "my Pooky Bear sandwich" (which is modeled of a prosciutto sandwich she had somewhere in England or Ireland and adored).

Heron Rookery: A suggestion from Olive was that I get myself to checkout the Rookery before the leaves are on the trees.  I'd looked at biking there, but it was just all too much, emotionally, right now so I drove.  Totally worth my time.  FYI, Blue Herons are my favorite bird.

Lowes: I got plants.  I tried to find something for Dungeon Master but they didn't have it.  I'm currently trying to teach her about Sugru.

Costco: They are out of eggs.  This just makes it certain I have to hit the co-op.  There was no line to get in, so I'm not really sure what I saw the other day in Coon Rapids.

And then, y'all, I hit the wall.  I came home, put my plants in the window with the sunshine and watered them, unpacked my groceries, and sat my butt down on the couch. I've just had second meal (eggs, bacon, toast), and not planning on moving much the rest of the day.

Originally I'd planned to hit Sherburne Wildlife Refuge tomorrow.  The forecast calls for sun, which is good, but 25mph winds which are not my thing. So, I think I will relocate that trip to another day.

Quality Miles Wednesday: Hitting a workout outside!

Plan: Warm Up, 5 mins hard, 2 mins easy, 4 mins hard, 2 mins easy, etc.  Cool down
Actual Mileage: 3.97 miles

Route: I tried Rush Creek trail but it was a hot mess (so different from last year) so I ran on the trail next to the river and then finished up along the dam.  I don't know why I thought this workout would be easier on the road than it is on a treadmill. 

Weather: 30* and some wind.  The biggest news is I got to wear my sunglasses!
Wardrobe: I am in love with this outfit!
Top: Running t-shirt, InkNBurn top, buff on my head
Bottom: Nike running shorts under the pink pants, wool compression socks, Altras
Execution:
Warm up: Roughly 1.3 miles and I did not fall on any ice, so that was good.
5:00 at 10:17/mile pace, 2 mins easy
4:00 at 10:01/mile pace, 2 mins easy
3:00 at 9:49/mile pace, 2 mins easy
2:00 at 9:52/mile pace, 2 mins easy Messed up my descending splits!
1:00 at 8:59/mile pace.  Wowsers!
Cool down

High Points of the workout: I mean, that last split right?
Struggles of the workout:The real 'struggle' today is knowing how to pace myself.  Which I'm not that great out outside.  It's why I do all my workouts like this on a treadmill.
From today I learned: What worked best for pacing was running 'from my hips' if that makes any sense.  Keeping my form tight, small steps, high cadence.
Next steps: I can't believe I did this workout outside at these temperatures.

Bonus: Also picked this route so I could take pictures!

Saturday Long Run: Taper Time

Plan: Run 12 miles easy.  Test the wardrobe including shoes, socks, and vest to make sure all are comfortable.
Actual Mileage: 12.13 miles.

Route: Same as this day.  Starting at Lock and Dam, north along the river to Number 9 bridge, then south along the other side of the river to Ford Parkway.

Weather: OMG.  Finally.  Started in the high 40s and ended near 60. 

Wardrobe: Yesterday, I run in a pair of black spandex shorts.  In the sun.  And I was all "these are really hot in the sun"  So I realized I probably needed a not black pair of shorts for race day.  Today was all about dress rehearsal, testing the wardrobe, etc.
Top: InkNBurn Singlet
Bottoms: Grey Nike running shorts.  This is a pair of guys shorts with a good inseam and decent pockets.  If it's good enough for Courtney Dauwalter, it's good enough for me.
Shoes: I work the Brooks Launch.  I love the shoe, but I think it may be Altras on race day for me.  These will probably make the trip though  I wore smart wool running socks with them.
Other: I had a visor on, and my Nathan running vest.  I wore arm sleeves for about the first half of the run.
Results: No chaffing from the shorts, singlet, or vest.  No issues with the shoes and socks, but I think the shoes are just a touch too narrow for race day. 

Execution: I felt like garbage on this run.  I woke up with a raging headache.  One of those "let's see if I can outrun this headache" kinds of things.  I knew it was going to be better to move than to sit still for this one.
Nutrition: This probably didn't help the 'I feel like garbage' feelings.  I had 1/4 of an avocado before I left.  I carried one thing of water and one of water/juice.  I had sips every couple of miles, and I had chews around miles 3, 6, and 9, and salt tabs at miles 5 and 10.

From today, I learned: Heat management and hydration management will be important factors on race day. Because I've trained in blizzards and polar vortexes, my body is all confused by the 50 degree temps and thinks it's too hot. Runner problems much? So, I'll have to keep an eye on that for race day.  One thing I don't want to do is drink too much water early on in the course because I'll feel like garbage towards the end. I remember the pain well.  I can take water and dump it on myself whenever I want; I just have to be careful about not drinking too much and upsetting my stomach.
Bonus: Thank you to all of the Earth Day volunteers who were out helping our parks stay clean and beautiful!

Marshmallow Training - 3 Weeks To Go

Sunday Planned: Long run, 20 miles
Sunday actual: 20.95 miles in the books, bonus abs.
From today, I learned: It really helped to know Olive was at the end waiting for me with a fizzy water.  Also, my first attempt at run/walk intervals, so I get to learn how my watch handles those.

Monday Planned: "Recovery run" of 8 miles.  This doesn't sound like recovering to me.
Monday actual: True story: My coach emailed me Sunday night and said 'I changed your Monday mileage, 8 was way too much'  So I ran 4.6 miles around Lake Nokomis instead and did bonus abs this evening.  I had a super slow cool down because I was taking pictures.  (It was such a pretty day.)  This is one of my favorites.
From today, I learned: It was a gorgeous day for a run.  I'm glad I got up and got it done so I could enjoy Boston.

Tuesday Planned: Run 1 miles
Tuesday actual: 1.21 miles, bonus abs
From today, I learned: Running was a 'get up and get it done' thing.  Good as always.  Abs were a 'you can't go to bed until this happens' thing.

Wednesday Planned: Tempo workout; Wednesday weights
Wednesday actual: No weights; I haven't been doing those since my excellent week of mental health last week. And for the taper my coach wanted me to back off anyway.
Tempo workout: done
Bonus abs: also done
From today, I learned: This workout is hard, but it's harder in my head than it is to run it.

Thursday Planned: Run 1 miles
Thursday actual: 1.2 miles in the morning, bonus abs
From today, I learned: This was a loooong day for other reasons so I'm glad I got this day

Friday Planned: Run 1 miles, Friday weights
Friday actual: Run 5.3 miles instead of doing it tomorrow, bonus abs
From today, I learned: Black shorts in the sun are very hot; maybe that's something to think about for race day?

Saturday Planned: Run 6 miles (Maybe this gets swapped with Monday?)
Saturday actual: 12.13 miles, long run.  This is for tomorrow when apparently it may rain. Bonus abs at the end of the run, outside, because I just wanted everything done.
From today, I learned: Think of a strategy for managing heat on race day.  Because I'll probably need it!

Long Run Sunday: 20 miles

Plan: Run 20 miles; attempt the 'run/walk' feature on the Garmin.
Actual Mileage: 20.95 miles. 

Route: I used the "big 20 mile loop around Minneapolis" that you may be familiar with if you've ever trained for a marathon here. The last time I personally have done this route was way back in 2013 the last time I trained for a marathon.

Weather: Started at 28* and cloudy with very little wind. Wind kicked up around the lakes, and it got warmer during the run, probably finished around 40*.

Wardrobe:  This was such a debate for me last night!
Bottoms: Pink running pants.
Tops: Long sleeve running shirt, grey sweat shirt
Feet: Wool compression socks (I feel like they should let me be one of their athletes with how much I talk about these socks), and Altra Trail shoes.
Other: Buff on my head, sunglasses, Nathan running vest

Execution: First attempt at a true run/walk.  I used a 4:00 running, 1:00 walking interval. Run/walk made me think I could push harder on race day if I need to.  I should have some control in the beginning (this is a negative split race).  And built in rests on that climb in the first half of the race.  Mostly, I just wanted to play with the watch itself to see how the intervals control works, the vibration alarms, etc.  Outcome: The watch alerts for run/walk, and gives me a run/walk timing screen, but still laps normally each mile.  (I honestly wasn't sure what it would do.)

Nutrition: I ate a whole avocado with salt before I left. During the run, I had some chews and part of a cashew larabar.  I had one flask of water and one of juice/water mix.  Later in the run I was all "I hate anything going into my stomach" which I remember from past marathons.  The trick with this particular race I think will be to remember to pass through certain water stops without taking anything. There are a lot of water stops in this race.  I had salt tabs every 5 miles and those are working like gangbusters.

From today, I learned: The most important thing for today was to try the run/walk interval.
I also spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about my shoe choice for race day. I've run so many long runs in my Altra trail shoes (thanks winter) that I may just wear these on race day.  The hang up has been 'it's a road race and these are trail shoes'.  But, hey, nothing new on race day right? 

Bonus: Did I tell you about Olive meeting me at the end and doing my cool down walk with me?  She brought me a fizzy water.

Saturday Long Run: Here I am at the River. Again.

Plan: 17 miles, don't look at the watch.
Actual Mileage: 17.01 miles. 

Route: I actually started at home for this one.  The sidewalks have cleared enough for me not to have to worry about ice.
By Lake Hiawatha
Along the creek
Run the Ford/Franklin loop along the river
Run just a little extra distance on the St Paul side to make the mileage work. 
Run back along the creek
See Lake Hiawatha again
Go home.

Weather: The weather sucked.  Actually, it truly blew.
It was around 30* and 20mph winds out of the north, west, really they felt like they were coming from every direction.  I told my coach that I thought the wind was trying to knock me down.  I embraced my inner Des Linden trying to get through this.

Wardrobe:
Shoes: I wore my Prios.  Though I love them I've come to the conclusion they should not be my race day shoes.  Sigh.
Pants: Nike sweat pants
Top: Short sleeve shirt, jacket
Other: Nathan running vest, ball cap.
I was hot when running on the St Paul side of the river heading south.  Any time I was heading north or west, I was cold and wished I'd had long sleeves on under the jacket.

Execution: I mean, it's done?  I listened to Becoming again on this run.  I'm now to where the family has moved to DC and President Obama is being inaugurated.  It was good I had this book to distract me.
Dungeon Master called me at the end of the run as I was cooling down and agreed to come fetch me and take me to food.  Thank you!

Nutrition: Apparently, there's work still to do here.  I think I need to carry salt tabs, and you know, take them.  I had half a salted avocado before I left, and one gummy chew every few miles.  I drank water whenever I wanted.
From today, I learned: These shoes are not made for the marathon.  Sigh.
Bonus: Well, I'm starting to freak out and have bad thoughts about how slow I run and how race day will go. That's not really a bonus but I want to be honest that it's happening.