Anyway - pictures are so much more fun then words soooooo
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mud Run 2008
Tracy and I did the Mud Run again this year (it has been 3 years since we last completed the race)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Nike Women's Marathon
I know it has been awhile since my last post...but w/summer in MN, 2 boys in school, an obsession with facebook, and training for another marathon - time has just gotten away from me.
I did the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco this past weekend w/fellow teammate Shelli. Here is the low down on the race....
Friday - we took an early flight headed to the West coast - it is always better to do the expo on friday rather then saturday. However, in my opinion, this was a very lame expo. I did get my ipod engraved for free...but standing in line for a free mani, pedi, or massage just didn't really appeal to me. Also, you had to go to NikeTown or Macy's to BUY anything...weird. They did have free Jamba juice...so all was not lost.
Saturday - Shelli and I made the most of the city and took a 3.5 hour city tour. I had never been to San Francisco and really enjoyed the tour. We zipped through it all. We were even stopped for close to 15 minutes so that Joe Biden himself could fly down the street with his caravan. We ended up at a little restaurant near Pier 1 for dinner. We sat right by the window looking out onto the bay and the beautiful bay bridge.
Sunday - We were up at 4:30 - so we could be downstairs walking to the bus stop by 5:15. We got ourselves together and headed to the bust stop. Please keep in mind that we come from a city with OUT public transporatation and we watched the bus cruise right on past us because we were sitting in the covered bus stop...rather then standing in the right place around the corner...we had time on our side...so we started walking. We made it to the start by 5:45. We found a nice little place to sit and rest our legs while we waiting to make our way to the start. At 7 we were off. We headed out of downtown and straight for the water. The miles in the beginning just seem to fly by. We ran along a similar route that the bus took us the day before so it was cool seeing the city again...from a different perspective. Mile 6-7 was straight up a huge hill - I think we were down the hill in less then 1/2 a mile. My knee then started screaming. By mile 10 I was convinced I was done and would be walking the rest of the race. Then all of a sudden we were at mile 12 and the pain was gone. We continued cooking until mile 18...then Shelli hit the wall and I crashed with her. We realized that we were tired, our legs hurt, and we were going to finish...just not in the time we wanted. We were both completely OK with this! I announced my retirement from running marathons at about mile 21. The last part of the race was run on a road that was in major need of repair. With each step your foot seemed to be pulled and pushed in several different directions. The only flat part of the road was a narrow shoulder that would come and go. And then, just as quickly as the miles pasted in the beginning...we were done. We got our little blue boxes, some food, then collapsed on the ground. We were tired and hurt...but we had done it....again.
There is a huge amount of hype surrounding this race. Most of the money goes to charity and you can tell where their priorities are...with that being said...in my opinion there are better fall races...I guess it all depends what you are after. The course was very tough...not a lot of city support and spectators and kinda a lame after party. If you didn't belong to TNT or RunSF...you had granola, a banana, and a jamba juice...you couldn't even BUY a BEER!!! What kind of horrible crap is that????? You also had to take a bus back to the start (for $10) I will say that I really like the finishers t-shirt AND the Tiffany Necklace is pretty cool (kinda nice having a medal you can wear all of the time)
To sum it up - it was a good one time race if you want to see San Francisco...but NOT my favorite.
I did the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco this past weekend w/fellow teammate Shelli. Here is the low down on the race....
Friday - we took an early flight headed to the West coast - it is always better to do the expo on friday rather then saturday. However, in my opinion, this was a very lame expo. I did get my ipod engraved for free...but standing in line for a free mani, pedi, or massage just didn't really appeal to me. Also, you had to go to NikeTown or Macy's to BUY anything...weird. They did have free Jamba juice...so all was not lost.
Saturday - Shelli and I made the most of the city and took a 3.5 hour city tour. I had never been to San Francisco and really enjoyed the tour. We zipped through it all. We were even stopped for close to 15 minutes so that Joe Biden himself could fly down the street with his caravan. We ended up at a little restaurant near Pier 1 for dinner. We sat right by the window looking out onto the bay and the beautiful bay bridge.
Sunday - We were up at 4:30 - so we could be downstairs walking to the bus stop by 5:15. We got ourselves together and headed to the bust stop. Please keep in mind that we come from a city with OUT public transporatation and we watched the bus cruise right on past us because we were sitting in the covered bus stop...rather then standing in the right place around the corner...we had time on our side...so we started walking. We made it to the start by 5:45. We found a nice little place to sit and rest our legs while we waiting to make our way to the start. At 7 we were off. We headed out of downtown and straight for the water. The miles in the beginning just seem to fly by. We ran along a similar route that the bus took us the day before so it was cool seeing the city again...from a different perspective. Mile 6-7 was straight up a huge hill - I think we were down the hill in less then 1/2 a mile. My knee then started screaming. By mile 10 I was convinced I was done and would be walking the rest of the race. Then all of a sudden we were at mile 12 and the pain was gone. We continued cooking until mile 18...then Shelli hit the wall and I crashed with her. We realized that we were tired, our legs hurt, and we were going to finish...just not in the time we wanted. We were both completely OK with this! I announced my retirement from running marathons at about mile 21. The last part of the race was run on a road that was in major need of repair. With each step your foot seemed to be pulled and pushed in several different directions. The only flat part of the road was a narrow shoulder that would come and go. And then, just as quickly as the miles pasted in the beginning...we were done. We got our little blue boxes, some food, then collapsed on the ground. We were tired and hurt...but we had done it....again.
There is a huge amount of hype surrounding this race. Most of the money goes to charity and you can tell where their priorities are...with that being said...in my opinion there are better fall races...I guess it all depends what you are after. The course was very tough...not a lot of city support and spectators and kinda a lame after party. If you didn't belong to TNT or RunSF...you had granola, a banana, and a jamba juice...you couldn't even BUY a BEER!!! What kind of horrible crap is that????? You also had to take a bus back to the start (for $10) I will say that I really like the finishers t-shirt AND the Tiffany Necklace is pretty cool (kinda nice having a medal you can wear all of the time)
To sum it up - it was a good one time race if you want to see San Francisco...but NOT my favorite.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Grandma's
I really should have done this right when I finished...oh well...better late then never.
T.O, Pam, Brad, & Michelle
The 4 of us all belong to the same running club in Texas. The guy in the yellow...this was his like 65th marathon. We had a nice long bus ride to the start. The weather was nice. Not too hot not too cold. Perfect day to run. We had a fly over by 2 Navy planes...that was pretty cool. We also had a moment of silence for a runner from Kenya that recently died and had won Grandma's in the past. The next thing we knew...we were off.
My sister and I in the REALLY cold Lake Superior
I did something a little bit different at the start of this race...had an energy drink. Not the no calorie kind that I usually drink...but the full sugar/calorie kind. One of my favorite parts of doing races is the people that you meet. There were 4 of us from my local running club that all met up that morning to ride up to the start together. One of them is a marathon maniac - and wouldn't you know it...we met other maniacs. The funny thing about these guys...they introduce themselves by their number. Kinda weird...but I'm not really gonna dis anyone that runs as much as these guys do.
T.O, Pam, Brad, & MichelleThe 4 of us all belong to the same running club in Texas. The guy in the yellow...this was his like 65th marathon. We had a nice long bus ride to the start. The weather was nice. Not too hot not too cold. Perfect day to run. We had a fly over by 2 Navy planes...that was pretty cool. We also had a moment of silence for a runner from Kenya that recently died and had won Grandma's in the past. The next thing we knew...we were off.
I got myself into a nice groove. Laughing as I read the street sign "No Passing Zone". The next thing I know a nice girl ran up next to me. "You seem to be running pretty steady...what is your goal time" - I answered "hopefully will do a 4:15" - she said "do you KNOW how fast you are going?" So, we started talking...she kept my mind off the fact that we were hitting each mile marker at about 8:25 pace per mile. She wanted to come in at about 3:45 so around mile 13 I let her go...I was getting tired...she wasn't. I cruised at about a 9 minute pace until mile 20. It was at this point when I knew that 4 hours was in my grasp. All I had to do was average a 10 minute mile. So.....I did one at 9...another at 11...another one at 9...another one at 10...2 miles to go...not only will I hit 4 hours...I knew as long as I didn't stop I would break 4 hours. As I'm running down the last 100 yards the announcer is getting the spectators to cheer for the runners trying to break 4 hours. They actually did a count down of the last 10 seconds until 4 hours...but since this wasn't my first rodeo...I knew that was gun time...not chip time...so there I cruised into a 3.58.45 - I was excitied. I hurt. but then I found ice cream. Life was good once again.
My sister and I in the REALLY cold Lake Superior
Grandma's Marathon - is a great race. This is a town that really knows how to put on a race and still care about all that marathon weekend should be. We did the pasta dinner on friday night and partied all night in Duluth on Saturday. I am actually planning on going back next year. My sister wants to do the 1/2 and I have a cousin that MAY do the full.
The gang after some good pizza and beer!
T.O., Brad, Michelle, 7 Pam
Sunday, June 1, 2008
20 down...bring on Grandma!
Finished my last long run this morning. Did 20 miles - pretty much all alone. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. Finished in 3 hours and 8 minutes...pretty good click...if only I can hang on to that for the real deal in Duluth.
I started around 5:40 and did 8 all alone...hardly saw a sole out there. Then I was a the clubhouse for some water and to see who was going out again. Once again I found my home...right behind the fast ones and ahead of the next group back. So there went my next 8...saw more people on the road...but it was still just me and the ipod. 16 down...easy 2 out and back to bring the grand total to 20. Once I made the turn around...I knew I was fine. The hardest part was that with every mile...my Nike+ was more and more off. You have 2 miles to go...no I don't...I have about 2.5 miles to go...oh well - gotta get that thing calibrated again this week.
It's been a great training season. A few issues recently w/the toes (got new shoes...only half sized up rather then the full) - but other then that...I feel really good.
Turns out there is a small group from the running club that will be running Grandma's...it will be nice to have some people to hang with...I'm hoping that Tara will be good staying for awhile...then it is a long drive back to Brainard...gonna hurt when I get out of the car...I can feel it.
4:19 or better gets me a new tattoo - let me hear the cheers!
I started around 5:40 and did 8 all alone...hardly saw a sole out there. Then I was a the clubhouse for some water and to see who was going out again. Once again I found my home...right behind the fast ones and ahead of the next group back. So there went my next 8...saw more people on the road...but it was still just me and the ipod. 16 down...easy 2 out and back to bring the grand total to 20. Once I made the turn around...I knew I was fine. The hardest part was that with every mile...my Nike+ was more and more off. You have 2 miles to go...no I don't...I have about 2.5 miles to go...oh well - gotta get that thing calibrated again this week.
It's been a great training season. A few issues recently w/the toes (got new shoes...only half sized up rather then the full) - but other then that...I feel really good.
Turns out there is a small group from the running club that will be running Grandma's...it will be nice to have some people to hang with...I'm hoping that Tara will be good staying for awhile...then it is a long drive back to Brainard...gonna hurt when I get out of the car...I can feel it.
4:19 or better gets me a new tattoo - let me hear the cheers!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
18 down - 20 left
I hit 18 this past sunday. Didn't really have a plan when I woke up. The puppy had me up at about 5:15...after catching up with my Tivo, I deceided it was time to head out about 6:40. I took off at the park a little before 7. I did the 4 miles filled with hills first - then on a whim I stopped by the car to see if anyone called wanting to join me. Yippee Kristine had left me a voice mail. I quickly called her back. She told me to do 2 more miles...then she'll meet me there. Score 1 for Pam! Those 2 miles flew by as I was pumped with the needed energy that I wouldn't have to tackle so many miles on my own.
Kristine and I took off on the streets. A really nice 8 mile loop. She asked me how the pace was..."fast...way too fast, just kidding, not really" - anyway, it was a real joy to have her. We had just a few miles to go on our 8 and I said that it was really good of her to come out and that the 4 miles that I needed to make it to 18 would be a great cool down through the park. She then said "don't worry, I'm not leaving you, I'm bringing you all the way home!" - Crap, you weren't supposed to say that...but with that the next miles just flew by. Our last mile was clocked @ 9.06 - not too shabby.
It was a great run and I am still very grateful that I showed up at Bold in the Cold on that horrible weather day for a 15K run in January of 07...I met a great friend and runny buddy that day.
Kristine and I took off on the streets. A really nice 8 mile loop. She asked me how the pace was..."fast...way too fast, just kidding, not really" - anyway, it was a real joy to have her. We had just a few miles to go on our 8 and I said that it was really good of her to come out and that the 4 miles that I needed to make it to 18 would be a great cool down through the park. She then said "don't worry, I'm not leaving you, I'm bringing you all the way home!" - Crap, you weren't supposed to say that...but with that the next miles just flew by. Our last mile was clocked @ 9.06 - not too shabby.
It was a great run and I am still very grateful that I showed up at Bold in the Cold on that horrible weather day for a 15K run in January of 07...I met a great friend and runny buddy that day.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
18 this weekend
With 2 16's under my belt - I deceided to push for an 18 this weekend. I just put a post on the running club forum trying to drum up some friends...sometime you got running buddies...sometimes you dont'...18 miles...right when you need them...but that is when most run away...
I'm missing a 5K race on saturday. Theo has his last baseball game bright an early @ 8:15 - if only that was early...I would have been awake for at least 3 hours - darn new puppy.
School is almost out and the boys and I are really looking forward to heading up to the lake house for the first summer in MN. I'm hoping to find some great running trails...hum, perhaps I'll take up trail running....more on that later hopefully.
I've made the decision to get a new tatoo after Grandma's if I can PR - gotta finish under 4:20 to earn the baby. My sister is working on the design. I'll post it here when she is done.
pamcakes out.
I'm missing a 5K race on saturday. Theo has his last baseball game bright an early @ 8:15 - if only that was early...I would have been awake for at least 3 hours - darn new puppy.
School is almost out and the boys and I are really looking forward to heading up to the lake house for the first summer in MN. I'm hoping to find some great running trails...hum, perhaps I'll take up trail running....more on that later hopefully.
I've made the decision to get a new tatoo after Grandma's if I can PR - gotta finish under 4:20 to earn the baby. My sister is working on the design. I'll post it here when she is done.
pamcakes out.
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