Road Rash Rocked Ragnar!

The day after the Great River Ragnar, Jeff and I went scuba diving in Wazee Lake, and then it was back to work on Monday. It's actually been a really busy week, but I still wish I had taken the time to write this recap earlier.

Our team after 34h8m of running....

Let me start at the beginning...

I saw an old friend from jr/sr high school post something random about running Ragnar Great River this year on her facebook page. I'd only recently heard of this relay race and had looked over the website and was very interested in joining a team. Naturally, I zipped her a message asking for more details and if they had any more spots open.

They did! I was super excited. :-)

My confidence in my preparation waxed and waned throughout the following weeks. Two weekends before the race, I run a half marathon. I thought, if I can run a half, certainly I can survive Ragnar. Then I looked at the Ragnar suggested training schedule. I wasn't prepared.

Still....I CAN DO THIS! became my motto.

We spent the beginning of the week up at Big Lake Wilderness Lodge north of Ely on a family vacation. I had all Thurs morning to pack, but I was lazy, so only after Jeff took off for his scuba class did I realize that we hadn't taken all the bags out of the car. The bag that remained had so much of my running gear - hat, belt, shot bloks, bug spray, sunscreen, etc.

I had to get that bag! Thankfully, Bryce and Mike from my team were nice enough to pick me up and drive me to South Minneapolis to retrieve it. Jeff had stuffed it under the car - luckily it was still there!

We headed back to St Paul to meet up with the van and begin the journey down to Winona, MN. Since we had a 6:00am start time and a 5:00am safety briefing, we decided to get a couple hotel rooms for the night. Despite that, 4:00am came super early!

I was filled with growing excitement as we checked in and picked up our swag and, yes, even during the safety briefing. ;)

I wanted to RUN.

Of course, being the last runner in my van, I had hours to go before my feet would hit the pavement runnning.

Starting line

It was a cool, beautiful morning!

It certainly did heat up by the afternoon, though! Andrea and I got the worst of it during our first legs (okay, well, not nearly as bad as van 2. sorry guys!) plus the hills just about killed me!

Just after a beastly hill with another off in the distance

 I ended up walking a LOT more than I'd wanted to during my first leg, but its completion meant a break for van 1. While van 2 ran their first legs, we found a park in Pepin, WI, where we ate lunch.

We also found a public beach which was actually closed, but we pretended not to notice the small handwritten sign on Lake Pepin (i.e. the Mississippi River) where we swam lounged in the water to cool off and to rinse of the cake of dried sweat we were all sporting.

Lake Pepin - DONE with legs 1-6!

After a nice nap back at the park, we took off to Exchange 12 to meet van 2 to begin our second legs. It was still relatively light out for runner 1, and runner 2 started out without needing her headlamp, but it was dark by the end of her leg. Someone kindly gave her an extra headlamp to use. :-)

My second leg started at roughly 11pm. I'd never really run in the dark before and never with a reflective vest and headlamp. It was a weird experience! I'd totally do it again, though.

I ran with my own water bottle, so I didn't particularly need van support during this leg. I kind of thought my team was just going to meet me at the finish. I was listening to my music and concentrating on not tripping in the darkness, when I heard someone yell out "I love this song!" I refused to use headphones and just blared my music right from my running belt! Several steps later, it clicked that it wasn't just some random person yelling that out...it was my team. Unfortunately, they didn't recognize me. What?! All runners with the reflective vests and headlamps look the same?! :-) I kept looking at all the passing vans to see the one that said Road Rash.

When I saw the One Mile To Go sign, I still hadn't seen them pass me by, so I figured I should try giving Andrea a call. No answer. Sent a text that said something like You at exchange? I've got less than 1 mile to go.

They weren't.

Good thing I was passing off to the next van! This exchange was the most complicated for me. This could be due to the dark, but I had a difficult time figuring out which way to go and where to go. Thank goodness for a couple of teens randomly sitting on a busstop bench that corrected my wrong turn!

After the exchange, I texted Andrea again to say I would meet them where the vans entered this particular exchange. I found them with no problems whatsoever.

And we were off to Exchange 24 where there was promise of indoor showers and sleeping. It was a junior high school. So, yeah, the showers sucked just as much as you could imagine. Apparently, I had no problem sleeping on the gym floor, though. I slept soundly from about 1:30 to 3:30 when I got so cold I had to actually get inside my sleeping bag. I quickly fell back asleep until 5:07 when I heard my teammates rustling to pack up their stuff.

Runner 1 would be starting us off again soon.

It was another beautiful, cool morning. While it did heat up quite a bit before it was time for my 3rd leg, it was much more bearable. :-)

My tummy wasn't too pleased with me as my leg was approaching, and I did not really feel up to running another leg, but I did it. I was actually able to stick to my 10/1 intervals, too for the most part! The running got easier as I went along, and I actually did end up enjoying this leg. Towards the end, but before the 1 Mile To Go sign, another runner came up behind me and asked if I wanted to run with her for a bit. I declined. She was just a tad too fast for me, plus I was set to do a walk break right when she asked.

The end of my third leg came with mixed emotions for me. I was glad to be finished running but not so much looking forward to waiting the 5 hours for van 2 to finish. We headed straight to the finish to wait for our teammates. The after-party was in full swing - and the beer and pizza consumption began. If I drank beer, this might have been fun - and certainly would have made the time go faster.

Finally, we saw our last runner coming down the path along the river. We all ran to meet him, so we could cross the finish together. GO TEAM ROAD RASH!

We pretty much finished right on target!

Would I do this again? Absolutely!

Definitely it was physically challenging but also so much fun! I was surprisingly able to finish each of my legs really strong - which is, ultimately, always my goal of any race.

It was fun to run and make some new friends, but it was also really fun to see the creativity of all the other teams - from the team names to the costumes to the van decorating. There was just a lot of fun energy surrounding this race!

I think most, if not all, of Road Rash hopes to do this again next year. Sadly, I won't be able to join them because I'll just be settling into life in St Thomas.

Perhaps Ragnar Florida Keys in Jan 2013... Who's in??

Urban Wildland Half Marathon

What's that they say about good intentions? :)

Finally, I'm getting around to blogging about last weekend's half marathon. I'll use the excuse that it was my birthday this past week.

I had such fun running this race!

It was great to meet a couple friends from DailyMile before the start.

Ray, Treva, Me, Courtenay

I even somehow convinced my sister to join in the fun.

Me, Treva

A lot of runners had some difficulty with the weather, but I thought it was a perfect morning for a run. Guess I'm a bit more of a hot weather runner than most. I did notice a distinctive drop in humidity as the race progressed because I didn't seem to be quite as sweaty.

I was planning on just running and then walking through the water stops, but after looking more closely at the map, I decided to stick to doing 10/1 interval splits. I figured it would help give my legs a brief rest and keep me going strong through the entire race.

I also figured I'd be ok just getting water at the water stops, so I left my handheld in the car.

This turned out to be a bad idea. I was pretty thirsty by the time I got to the first water station and didn't quite get satiated during my 30-sec water walk. I think between WS1 and WS2 there were some kids handing out hard candy. I grabbed a piece just because I wanted to generate some saliva flow in my mouth (TMI??)

Other than being thirsty, I was feeling really pretty good when I met Jeff at the halfway point.

Of course, I grabbed my handheld to take with me for the rest of the race! I also ate some Clif Shot Bloks. Yum!

Hydrating!

Overall, I think this course was really pretty. It was mostly roads, but there was also some trail running mixed in through some parks in Richfield. I liked the change of scenery. :)

I had tasked Jeff with meeting a few times on the course, so he could get some pictures of me running. I hate how most of them look like I'm walking, when I totally wasn't. Alas.

The second time I met Jeff was between mile 9 and 10. During the picture taking, my new DM friend, Ray, caught up with me. She started the race further back in the crowd than Treva and me. After the race, when I was looking through the photos Jeff took, I absolutely busted out laughing at how this series turned out. I had to put it into a slideshow.

I wish I knew how to make a slideshow not automatically start playing, because it's funnier if you watch it from slide 1. In the pictures, it looked like we were running together, but in reality, I had no clue she was so close to me.

"Clueless"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

I think it was around this time when I really felt like my pace had super slowed down. Technically I was still in motion like a runner, but I'd bet there were a few walkers that could have passed me.

Ray only ran with me for perhaps a minute or two before we separated.

Around mile 11, I had to stop to use a portapotty. I figured I could have probably made it the last two miles, but then I thought why put up with that discomfort, so I stopped.

It was SO worth it.

Probably around mile 12, the tummy queasiness set up, but I still managed to keep my pace fairly steady - from what I could tell without any kind of pacing device (gps, garmin, etc).

When I came to that mile 13 sign, I decided, hell yeah, I'm going to push it to the end. I increased my pace. A LOT. I ran and I ran hard. So hard that I didn't even see Jeff taking my pictures just steps before crossing the finish line.

To the Finish!

I definitely needed a few minutes after I'd finished to catch my breath! I couldn't even consider going through the food line right away; I was way too queasy. I walked around the park - sipping water and powerade until I started to feel hungry.

Eventually, Jeff and I headed back to the spot where he was when I finished, so we could wait for my sister to cross the finish line. Tony joined us just a few minutes later.

I started to get a little antsy after about 20 or so minutes, so I said I was going to walk back along the course to go cheer her on. I met up with her just before mile 13. She was walking, so I said we were going to start running once we got to the mile 13 marker. She agreed.

Racing with my sis

 It was fun to help encourage her to finish nice and strong!

So close!

I'm so proud of the two of us! We both met our goals and, look, we're both smiling at the end.

2011 Urban Wildland Half Marathon Finishers! Whoo hoo!

I would absolutely do this race again and recommend it to anyone looking for a good half marathon. Everyone was very helpful. During one of my 1 min intervals, a medical aid person even asked if I was ok. It made me feel good that he was doing his job and paying good attention to the runners on the course.

I managed to pull off about an 11 min/mile pace, which I'm very pleased with.

My time - 2:24:35

Treva's time - 2:57:29

Oh, and I almost forgot how great is was that several people had turned on their sprinklers for runners to run though. I definitely took advantage of every.single.one.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!

via

I'm 34 today. :)

It's going to be a crazy busy day, but just so.much.fun!

Here's a quick rundown:

Bubble bath to start the day out right. lol.

Work.

Birthday lunch.

I chose a summery menu - sloppy joes, watermelon, pasta salad, frozen strawberry dessert (not sure what it's called, but it should be yum-o)

Back to Work.

Free yoga class.

CorePowerYoga gave me a coupon for a free class on my birthday.

Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe with Jeff and Dan and Chelsea.

Hard Rock also gave me $10 off my purchase.

Plus, my birthday is already off to a rocking start with all kinds of fun birthday wishes and memories over on Facebook!

If you know me, please share a memory in the comments.

If you don't, please share a favorite post of mine that you've read. :)

Reading, reading, reading

I registered for an online, independent study course a week or so ago. There are 9 required books. NINE! Thank goodness all but three are available at the library. :)

I certainly hope they get better than this first one, though. I've been reading it for several days and have barely made it past the introduction. Everytime I go to read it on my shuttle ride home, my eyes lose their focus.

And yeah, I totally do that embarrassing head nod thing.

On another note, I submitted my application for clinical practice (aka student teaching) tonight. I'm excited and scared and nervous and excited.

I'll find out my placement in early December.

Until then, I have to finish this course and another two, take the Praxis II AND finish my e-portfolio.

Yikes!

Inner Dialogue

Last night I went for nearly a 10 mile run. Here is a brief dialogue I had with myself while running.

Wow! This is probably ones of my best runs!
You've only gone halfway. It's way too early to make that conclusion.
Yeah, that's probably true.

A couple more miles down the road...

Seriously this has been such a great run!
You've still got a few miles to go. Again, it's still too early to say that.
What am I saying? That's not very positive encouragement. I should be saying, "Way to go! Keep up the good work! This run really is going great so far, isn't it?"
Okay, okay. You're right. That's probably better. "Keep it up!"

Several more times throughout the run I had to remind myself of this dialogue. Even though it was a pretty great run, I had I hard time accepting that, I guess. :)

Anyone else have weird, fun, interesting dialogues with themselves when they run?

5FF - Food

It's been awhile since I've done a Five Favorites for Friday.

1. Smell? Subway in the morning. It's a little piece of heaven in the morning when I walk by. I always end up slowing my pace just a bit and taking in a deep breath. I might even close my eyes. I hope no one notices. That would just be embarrassing.
2. Comfort food? Grilled cheese with tomato soup. Nothing too spectacular. Sometimes, I'll go all crazy and throw in some goldfish crackers. Yum.
3. Delivery? Jimmy John's. Hands down. They are so fast and so yummy. We have been ordering them way.too.often lately.
4. Grill? Several times throughout the summer, my family will have grilled pizzas for dinner. Once we even did this is February for Jeff's birthday. I love this because everyone can make their own and get the exact toppings they want.
5. Candy? M&Ms. Just about any variety. Today, I'm snacking on pretzel, but I also really love peanut. Plain are probably my least favorite, but I'd probably not turn them down. Of course there's not much candy I would ever turn down, so this favorite is in constant flux.

I have never, ever

gone running in just a sports bra.
Let alone taken my shirt off mid-run.

But it was really HOT today and so.much.sweat was dripping into my eyes.

I finally broke down just after mile 3 to take off my shirt, roll it just so, and wrap it around my head.

I know. Super sexy.

But it really helped with keeping the sweat out of my eyes.
And even the slightest breeze, like when crossing over the Lake street bridge, felt just heavenly over my already sweaty skin.

Overall, my run today was 5 miles. I probably walked a good half of the distance.

A couple of notes:

• Never run in the super heat without a hat or bandanna or something to help with the sweaty forehead syndrome. This can only result in a repeat of this evening's run.
• I'm pretty sure I prefer energy chews over energy gels. They were much easier to eat and a lot less messy.
• My new socks were super comfy!
• Sweating profusely does not guarantee I won't feel the urge to pee.
• Even with doing a LOT of walking, I was able to maintain a sub-12:00 min/mi pace. Yay me!

My next run is a 5K Wednesday evening. I imagine it will be pretty near to the same conditions as tonight's run.

Wish me luck!

Gotta Wear Shades

I walked across the street today to grab something for lunch. It was super bright and sunny out, and I, naturally, had left my sunglasses at my desk.

Ultimate bummer.

Many people are complaining about the weather right now.

It's hot.
It's humid.

I actually love this weather.
The sun.
The heat.
The sweat dripping from every pore.

Oh, wait! Scratch that last one.

BUT I'm willing to pay the price of sweat and humidity in order to enjoy the sunshine and the heat.

If I'd had my sunglasses, I'd have totally sat outside to enjoy my turkey wrap.
Instead I returned to my desk and put on my sweater. Damn A/C.

Saturday's run

Ok, so I just looked at the calendar and realized that my half marathon is in just 3 weeks from yesterday. Yikes! Will I be ready??

Yesterday, I donned my ifitness running belt, grabbed my water bottle, and hit the trails for an easy 6.5 miler. I brought my phone with me and even set it to record my run, but I made the decision to not worry about time or distance (I'd already mapped out my distance, so I had a general idea of where to go for my 6.5 miles). I just wanted to enjoy the run.

I walked to my starting point and stopped to stretch. I've been pretty terrible about stretching and my shins have really been protesting, so I decided I really need to be better about stretching after my warm-up and then again after the workout.

I started out a little on the slow side but was feeling pretty good.

Not too long after crossing the first bridge and heading back north along the river, I started to feel pretty tired. I needed a pick-me-up. I brought a couple gel packs with me, but my tummy always tends to feel a little nauseous and the thought of having any kind of gel really turns my stomach. I tried to just keep pushing through but eventually decided I should just give it a try.

I figured I'd walk a little ways before the next trash can, so I could open the packet, eat it, and get to the trash can just in time to start running again.

Not so.

My hands had gotten so super sweaty that I couldn't get my Hammer Gel packet to open. I even tried ripping it with my teeth. I still hadn't opened it by the time I reached the trash can and had to stand there for what seemed like a very long time still struggling with it. I finally got it opened and ate it. I tried the Apple Cinnamon, and it was actually pretty tasty. Didn't upset my stomach at all. Yay!

This all happened at just under 4 miles, and it gave me the perfect boost to finish out my run. Double yay!

I did have a couple physical problems during the race. The normal shin pain that kind of comes and goes. A little numbing in my right arm. A few pebbles in my shoes.  Shoes rubbing my ankles raw.

Maybe I should run with headphones just to distract me from dwelling on all these minor problems. I also think I should probably incorporate some running on the treadmill because that tends to help with the shin pain.

After my run, I got in a longer-than-usual cool down. It felt great to just walk several blocks after running. After getting home and stretching and showering, I spent some time icing my shins. I think this was really smart, because today, they are not really bothering me so much. Sweet.

All in all, this was a great run for me. I'm not sure I could have gone on for another 1.5 miles (next week's long distance), but I felt pretty good at the end of this one.

******
Later in the afternoon, we made a run to the Scuba Center in Edina, which happened to be across the street from Marathon Sports, so while Jeff paid at the Scuba Center I stopped into the running store. I got a new (my first) handheld water bottle.

amphipod Hydraform Handheld Thermal-Lite

I'm pretty excited to try it out. I think it will be so much better than just running with my water bottle in my hand.

I also got some new non-cotton running socks.

asics intensity™ low cut

I really hope that these will help a lot with the problems I've been having with the shoes rubbing my ankles raw. It's happened to me on several runs now, and it's getting very annoying.

I also picked up some Clif Shot Bloks (orange) and some Gu Chomps (blueberry pomegranate) to try out. I think that I might be more mentally able to stomach these than the gel packs. I'll let you know!

Tomorrow, I'm scheduled for a 5 mile run. I plan on bringing my running gear to work with me and just running home after work. It's about 5.4 miles, so that should be perfect for a nice warm-up and cool-down! I'm very excited!

Whiz Bang Days 10K

Stats:

PLACE		CLASS PLACE		FINISHER		TIME		PACE
42		20 W30		1026 (that's me)		1:04:54		10:27

Highlights:
Lots of family and friends ran the race, too!
Very strong finish!
My new iFitness race belt worked great!
No rain!
Small t-shirt fits again!
I only walked for about 30 seconds at mile 5!

Detailed recap:
Yesterday, I joined my family and a few friends for the 27th Annual Whiz Bang Days race in Robbinsdale. No, we haven't been doing it for that long; it was our first year ever. We all signed up for the 10K. It had been years since I have run that far. Well, years I think that any of us had run that far.

I thought I was mentally and physically prepared for this race, but in reality, I really wasn't so much. The week leading up to it, I logged more than 65 miles of biking and running. The previous week I'd only done 45. I think I may have pushed myself a little too much. It also didn't help that I did this workout on Thursday, and my glutes were pretty much killing me. Note to self: do NOT try incorporating a new weight training routine in my workout schedule just two days before a race!

My last race I biked 8 miles to the race, ran the 5K, and then biked back home. I had every intention of making this race a duathlon as well, but the weather was forecasted for thunderstorms all morning. I didn't want to ride and run and ride again in a downpour, so I reserved the HourCar and got to leave an hour later.

It only ended up sprinkling. A. Very. Little. What a waste of $45. Lame.

Here's me and my family right before the race started. Don't we look all happy and ready to go?

Marna, Dad, Treva, Selena, Me

I mentioned running with some friends, too.

Dave and his nephew Spencer

When we were lining up to go, my family started very near to the end of the pack. We all knew we wanted to start off slow, but I think this was a huge mistake for me. Next time, I'm definitely starting more in the middle or even the front. That way I won't feel quite so defeated right from the get go.

My first mile was 11:30. Yikes! I tried to increase my pace a bit at each mile marker, but I don't think I increased as much as I wanted. This is where the mental preparation wasn't quite with me. When I thought about picking it up a tad, I would say to myself, "No, just wait until the next mile marker. Keep it steady right now." OR "No way will you be able to keep that faster pace for another X miles. Better keep it a bit more gradual." Not sure if it would have made a difference.

Selena, Dad and I started off together. Selena is 15, and while naturally pretty athletic, she hadn't really done any running to prepare for the race. She made it with us just over a mile before she had to stop and walk. My dad stopped at the same time to do a little stretching. I kept on trekking along.

My dad did catch up to me just after the first turn around and ran with me for a short while until he needed to stop and stretch his hammies. Again. Poor guy.

Needless to say, I ran most of this race by myself, which is actually great for me. That's mostly how I train, and when I'm running side-by-side with someone, I'm generally too tempted to talk, and that just takes too much energy. :)

Despite my slow pace (or perhaps because of it), I didn't stop to walk at all until mile 5. I walked briskly for maybe 30 seconds. I probably didn't really need to physically. It was more of a mental breather, I think. Shortly after that, I knew the end was in sight, and I really picked up my pace. The last bend was probably the only time in the race that I was actually running closer to my normal pace.

This is where it became fun!

I started passing runners ahead of me.

I passed the two ladies pushing jogging strollers.
I passed the woman finishing the 5K with her young (my guess was 4yo) daughter.
I passed a woman with hot pink shorts on.

I could feel those jogging strollers catching up with me again, and I just couldn't allow that, so I kicked it up again.

I was running STRONG!

And there was my dailymile friend (who'd finished well before me) near the end encouraging me to run hard and give it my all.

I pushed it and I pushed it.

There was a woman in a neon green top ahead of me. I tried my damnedest to pull ahead of her, but the finishing corral beat me to it. As we were walking to get our tags pulled, I thanked her for setting a pace and helping me to finish hard. I think she thought I was a little nuts.

Even though, I think my overall performance for this race was a little dismal (missing my goal time by nearly 3 min), I love how I was able to really kick it out in the end and finish as strong as I did. That felt incredible.

*****
My dad had to walk the last little bit. Something happened to his calf around mile 5.

Treva passed Selena along the way somewhere near the end, but as the finish line approached, Selena was not about to let her mom win.

The orange speck in the foreground was the finish line. The little weasel, Selena, totally budged in front of her mom just steps before entering the corral.

*****
A couple things I really loved about this race.

The route (see below).
With two turn around points, and everyone I knew running at such different paces, it was fun to see other runners I knew running in the opposite direction. All in all, there were 8 other runners that I could high five and exchange encouraging words with as I ran the race. It was a great boost to me to be able to see such support out on the race.


View Whiz Bang Days 10K in a larger map

My new iFitness Ultimate Race Belt.
This worked just great. (Full review is forthcoming, I promise). It was nice to have my phone with me. It's what provided the above map. I also love the race toggles. No need to worry about getting my race number pinned just right.

A couple things I really did not love about this race.

There was only ONE water stop, and it was somewhat early on in the race. There was nothing in the 2nd half. The half with all the hills.

The gnats. I didn't really notice them much while I was running, but they must have noticed me. Their bites drew blood, as I finished with blood streaking down one arm. They wouldn't stop biting me as I ate my banana and bread and drank my bottle of water. I finally had to go to the restroom and wash off my salty sweat. That seemed to help quite a bit.

Next race: Wednesday, July 20th - Torchlight 5K in downtown Mpls

Hola Arepa Food Truck

I didn't have time this morning to make grab anything for lunch. Plus I was feeling a little adventurous, so I decided to try out this foodtruck phenomenon. My boss and I walked over to Marquette Ave and the first one we came to was Hola Arepa.

The Chicken-Avocado Salad Arepa caught my eye, so we decided it would be a good place to stop. Plus, they accept credit cards, which was good for me since I had no cash.

Anyway, you may be wondering what an arepa is. Well, at least we were. From their menu: It's a cornmeal patty cooked on a griddle, split & filled with deliciousness.

They weren't lying! The chicken-avocado salad arepa really hit the spot and was oh, so tasty! And filling.

My only recommendation would be to try and find a place to cop a squat (do not look this up on urban dictionary. gross. I mean it in the Pretty Woman sense of simply taking a seat) nearby and eat outside. The salsa I added to the arepa and the mayo in the chicken salad made it a little bit messy by the time I'd walked the 4 1/2 blocks back to work to eat at my desk.

chicken-avocado salad arepa with cucumber lavendar lemonade

Like I mentioned, I was feeling a bit adventurous, so I also ordered the cucumber-lavendar lemonade. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's definitely different. Not sure I'm too crazy about the flavor combination. Oddly, though, as the ice all melted and I've been nursing it for the past two hours, it's actually kind of grown on me. Still not sure I'd order it again, though.

All in all, it was a great experience. The guy taking our orders was very personable and answered all our questions with a smile. When you order, he gives you a playing card as your order number (I was 9 of Hearts), which I thought was a very clever idea.

Great job, Hola Arepa! I'll definitely come back. :)

Phew! It's O-V-E-R!

Well, I'm shocked. Awed. Amazed.

Proud.

I did it. I completed my SCUBA training and am now a certified PADI Open Water Diver.

We did two dives on Saturday and two dives today. All four dives were in Square Lake near Stillwater. Visibility was only so-so. Maybe 6-8 feet. Apparently it's normally much better. Oh well.

Dive 1 was simply an orientation dive. There a little diamond-shaped course that we were supposed to follow. I had some buoyancy issues (getting to the bottom and staying down). And then my fins came off a couple times. I was totally able to keep calm and put them back on and adjust them without a hitch. I did get to see some fish, though. That was pretty neat. And all the plant life that's so annoying when swimming? It's kinda pretty when diving.

Dive 2 was mostly done out at a platform. We did a couple exercises to get out there. Tired diver tows. Snorkel/regulator exchanges. Once we got to the platform and descended, panic started to set in. I felt claustrophobic. I knew I was getting air, but I didn't feel like I was. It's an adjustment switching from nose breathing to mouth breathing with something in my mouth. I just wanted to get that thing out of my mouth. I did manage to remain calm, though. When the instructor came by, I signaled that I needed to go up. One of the other instructors ascended with me and talked me down out of my panic. I descended again and completed all the exercises. Fin pivot. Regulator recovery and clearing. Flooding and clearing my mask. Alternate air exchange and ascent.

I was so proud of myself for working through my anxiety and having a successful first two dives. I was really excited to go back today. I familiarized myself with the remaining exercises and discussed with Jeff the best way to accomplish them.

Dive 3 was back out at the platform. Before getting in the water, though, we reviewed the basics of using a compass. This time our descent had to be without holding onto the line, but using it as a visual reference. The panic/claustrophobia did begin to set in a little once at the platform, but I successfully worked through it. We had to do another flood/clear of my mask. This time was not as successful as the day before. I ended up taking in water and had to cough my way through it before I could clear my mask. In the end, I was successful though. We did another fin pivot exercise while on the platform and then a controlled emergency ascent. I had to repeat this exercise, because I forgot to do some basic preparation before heading to the surface. My second attempt was flawless. We returned to shore with a surface swim using compass navigation.

Dive 4 was the final dive for the certification. This time our descent was supposed to be without a visual reference. I wasn't quite able to descend perfectly straight down. Good thing everything is done in the buddy system, so Jeff stayed near me, and we made it to the platform A-OK. We were supposed to do a complete mask removal and replacement. I was unable to psych myself into doing this exercise. Fail. We did a hovering exercise and practiced a safety stop (hovering at about 15 ft for 3 min) before getting to the surface. I really was apprehensive that I would be successful at these exercises, but I did surprising well. We surface swam back to shore and then did a little more navigation work. Many of the others in the class swam out to find a sunken boat; I had to work with the instructor on mask removal and replacement.

Check out my super cute SCUBA hair
as I work on disassembling my scuba unit.

I'm still not 100% comfortable being underwater, and there are a few skills that I definitely need to improve on, but I'm certified and can now practice whenever we feel like renting tanks of air.

We already have most of the gear (yeah, that's now confident Jeff was that I would pass. Best. Husband. Ever). Including full face masks with communication units. I got the one in emerald (lower right) and Jeff got the white. These will be great because I won't actually have a regulator in my mouth and will be able to breathe more naturally through both my nose and mouth. The extra bonus is that Jeff and I will be able to actually talk with each other. I'm kind of excited to get in the water with this baby.

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My next dive will probably be at SeaLife Minnesota (an aquarium at the Mall of America). Jeff scheduled us to go on July 17th, but I want a little more time to work on buoyancy and simply get more comfortable being submerged in water first. He'll do this first dive with a different buddy while I observe from the top of the tank. Luckily, we have access to a deep, 14' pool across the street on campus for me to practice in, so I can feel more comfortable and prepare for Scuba with the Sharks.

I'm excited!

I MADE IT!

Today marks the end of my 30-day challenge. I'm kind of surprised I was able to stick to it and post something every day. Well, there were two very minor bumps in the road. Here's a few things I learned from this challenge.

I actually had something to say.
Sometimes even more than once a day.
It's really difficult to find the time.
Sometimes it made for very late nights, throwing off my sleep schedule.
It was fun!

Would I do it again?
Not right away.
But, I do hope to continue blogging regularly.

For now, I'm exhausted!
With a long weekend ahead of me.

Good-night!

And so it goes...

On my walk to the shuttle this morning, the clouds in the sky over campus were gorgeous! I simply had to pause, pull out my cell phone and snap a picture.

Then, I don't know why, but I turned around to look at the sky behind me. The clouds looked to have such an amazing texture to them.

Breathtaking.

But pausing to take the pictures caused me to run late.
And need to walk faster than my shoes were prepared to take me.

They fought back by taking a bite out of my foot. I'll spare you a picture of that.

OUCH!

I slipped back into my flipflops but without much relief.

I hobbled my way to the nearest Walgreens to get some bandages for my owie.

I wasn't even hungry, but I couldn't resist
...the bag of animal crackers,
...the package of molasses cookies,
...the box of raisins.

And that's how beautiful clouds led to me skipping lunch and snacking. all. day. long at work.
Booooo!!!

Don't worry.
I punished myself by doing a hill repeat workout tonight.
Nearly 3 miles.

I Want...

Here are just a few items currently on my Wish List.

iFitness Ultimate Race Belt

Nathan Quickdraw Plus handheld water bottle

Road ID The Wrist ID Sport

Moving Comfort Endurance Tank

Moving Comfort Sprint Skort

Hi-Tec Sabi Mid

My birthday is in 42 days. Just saying.

Very first delivery

Farmers, at least in Minnesota, have really been having a tough time this season. Cool temperatures and lots of rain have not produced very good conditions. Many CSAs (community supported agriculture) in the area have postponed the start of their deliveries because of this.

Fortunately for us, the folks at Treasured Haven Farms have decided to stay on schedule. We only purchased an every other week package, and our first delivery was scheduled for today.

After work, we rode our bikes to our pick-up location to pick up this week's yumminess.

Baby Leaf Lettuce Blend, Green Onions, fresh green Shallots (scallions), assorted Radishes

Looks to me like the makings to a very delicious salad.

With a few cherry tomatoes and chopped walnuts, topped with a Mediterranean vinaigrette.

Our box was lacking in quality and variety, but I'm sure that as the season progresses, both will improve greatly! Right now, I'm just very grateful for what we did receive. :)

It totally still counts, right?

I woke up about 3:30 this morning, 'cuz, well, I needed to use the potty.

And then it hit me....I DIDN'T POST ANYTHING HERE YESTERDAY!! I was frustrated with myself, considering I had been so good - making it 25 straight days blogging.

I did post a cookie recipe yesterday on my recipe blog, however, so I'm totally still going to count it. It should still count, right? Right? ☺

This will not count as today's post, since it is more like a make-up post.

Run for the Roses 5K

This morning was my first 5K of the year! So fun!
I wanted to be sure not to miss the beginning, so I set my alarm for 5:30 am. I wanted to be on my bike by 6:30. Well, Sallie had other ideas. She wanted her breakfast at 5:00am, and told me so by nicely jumping. right. on. my. chest.

OUCH!

I fed her and crawled back into bed for just a few more minutes. I finally rolled out of bed shortly before 6am. Ate a quick breakfast. Consulted Google maps for my bike route. Got dressed. Woke Jeff up to say good-bye.

And I'm off...

My commute to Roseville went remarkably well. It only took me 45 minutes (I'd planned for 1 hour)! I got a little turned around in Como Park, so I was really pretty surprised when pulled into the parking lot at City Hall at 7:20.

It was a really nice way to start the morning! Getting there so early was perfect, too. It gave me lots of time to stretch and relax and prepare for the race.

At 7:55am, the horn blew and the skaters were off. I immediately regretted already putting my phone away in my pocket and missing out on an opportunity to take a picture. Oh well.

Then all the runners toed up to the start line. Well, I wasn't exactly right in front.

My goal was to take it slower in the beginning and not get too caught up in the excitement at the start. I wanted to pace myself, so I'd be able to increase my speed later on during the race.

For the most part, my plan worked!

Average pace for mile 1 - 9:53 min/mile

Shortly after the first mile, I picked up my pace a little and wished the guy running next to me good luck on the rest of the race. The distance between me and the other runners in front of me was lessening, and it felt great! I even ran through the water stop, taking only small sips from the cup they handed me (spilling most of it down the front of my shirt).

Average pace for mile 2 - 8:20 min/mile

The hills on the course hadn't been too bad up to this point. Unfortunately, just after picking up my pace again, I was faced with the first big hill of the race. It nearly took it out of me, but I was able to persist!

There was a group of fire fighters that ran the entire 5K in full uniform. They were behind me for most of the race, but after the first big hill two of them passed me by.

I thought, I can't lose to a someone running in full fire fighting garb! I mean I'm just wearing a tank top and shorts.

So, I pushed myself and passed one of them. The other had gained way too much distance on me. I was only able to stay ahead of the one I passed for a couple paces, actually.

It wasn't too long after this that I felt simply like I was going to vomit. I tried to keep pushing myself through it. I mostly continued to run through the second water stop, but I did pause for a moment to take a bigger, better swig.

The remainder of the race seemed to be uphill!

The worst was right before mile marker 3. It was a real doozy!! I had to walk a bit after getting to the top. Luckily the course turned to a slight decline. The end was near! I was feeling sick. Again. I tried to pick it up and push myself, but I just couldn't. I somehow did manage to maintain my pace. Sweet! :)

Average pace for mile 3 - 9:15 min/mile.

According to my GPS, I actually ran 3.3 miles.

After the race, I ate a banana and a piece of raisin bread. Enjoyed a couple cups of water. Waited for my friend to finish the 10K.

All finishers were given a rose.

I headed back home around 9am. I didn't want to push it on the ride. I figured I earned a nice, slow, easy ride after already cycling 8 miles and running a 5K.

Again, around Como Park, I got totally turned around and ended up needing to stop to consult my map a few times. All in all, I biked an extra 1.3 miles. Boooo!!

Despite the extra mileage, it was a great ride and good way to cool down after my race.

I was definitely excited when I got home and had to fill Jeff in on all the details. The runner's high  didn't last too long before I curled up for a nice afternoon nap. Ahhh.

What a perfect day and great start to my summer race schedule!

UPDATE: The final results are in for this race. I'm so pleased with them, so I thought I should definitely update this post.

Time: 30:19
#83 out of 164 runners
#10 out of 31 in my division
Average pace: 9:45

C'mon Weekend...You're going to be such fun!

I have got a jam-packed weekend, and I. Am. So. Excited!

Here's the rundown.

Friday
5:06am Roll out of bed. Feed the dog. Eat a couple homemade (just last night) cookies for fuel.
5:43am Warm-up. Run 2 miles (sub 10:00pace. whoo!). Cool-down.
6:30am Shower. Get ready for the day. Leave to catch shuttle.
7:10am Shuttle to downtown. Walk to work.
8:00am Work, work, work. Booooo.
9:47am Make everyone's day by sharing my delicious homemade cookies (peanut butter, oatmeal, choc chip. Yum!)
4:30pm Walk to shuttle. Shuttle home.
5:45pm Get ready for dinner!
7:15pm Dinner with friends. Whoo hoo!!!

Saturday
6:00am Wake up.
6:30am Bike 9 miles to get to 5K in Roseville.
8:00am Run for the Roses 5K. Whoo hoo!!!
10:00am Probably rest and relax. I'll be honest. I'll probably take a nap.
3:00pm Head to Whole Foods and then to a park for a picnic with friends. Whoo hoo!!!

Sunday
Sleep in as late as I feel like!
Possibly bake bread and/or a cake for my niece's birthday celebration on Sunday.
2:30pm Bike to my parent's house (weather permitting)
4:00pm Dinner/birthday fun. Whoo hoo!!!

I'm exhausted after just writing all that out.
But I'm also really excited!

Dinner tonight is with some rather new friends.
Tomorrow's picnic is with some college friends. We haven't gotten together in close to 1 1/2 years! Since then, one has had baby #2 and another is apparently "very pregnant" with baby #3. It should be lots of fun to see them all again.

What are your weekend plans?

Beware of Cooler Temps

It wasn't raining this morning, so I figured I'd go ahead and ride my bike into work -- even though there is a 40% chance of rain when it will be time to go home.

With temps in the 50s, I figured I'd wear jeans and a long-sleeve, button-up shirt to work. Yes, I could wear jeans every single day to work, if I chose. Since it was so cool, I threw on my rain jacket as well.


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Perhaps I ought to have dressed more like this...

Big mistake!

I. Got. So. Freaking. HOT!!

After about 4 miles, I had to stop and take off my jacket. Only to discover that my shirt was pretty much drenched. Ew.

Thankfully, I always keep a sweater at my desk, so I dried off with some paper towels and switched into my sweater. Sure, my yellow bra is slightly visible through the white knit, but at least I'm not sitting in my cold. wet. shirt.

Note to self. Temps in the 50s does not necessarily mean it's time to bundle up. Also, it's a good idea to bring extra clothes.

On a slightly unrelated note, I was looking over the information for my 5K on Saturday.

Courses: Challenging rolling hills courses in scenic Roseville.

Yikes! Not only hills, but challenging hills? Why did I not notice that beforehand? Will receiving a t-shirt and rose really be worth it? OF COURSE! :)