Easter Weekend Underway...

Well, spring has finally arrived in Minnesota - we are hoping to see 60 degrees today - let me tell you it. is. gorgeous. out there today!

Yesterday was Good Friday so the Holmeses and Jenn and Laura came over with all the kids. We made homemade pizzas and then watched The Passion of the Christ. Not an easy movie to watch, and not all the kids took part. But Bobby did and a couple of Trimama's and Taconite's watched as well. It is so powerful and difficult and sad and wonderful and probably a much more accurate depiction of Jesus' final hours than the pared down version from Sunday school. I am amazed everyday by the sacrifice He made for me. Something I could never, ever earn. He is indeed the one true "shepherd of my heart" and my life. Forever.

Which are the words from a song from Guy's running playlist. Which song, you'll have to ask Guy. ;-) He and I got up early this morning for a three-loop run of 7 miles + 7 more + 5 more = a total of 19. First let me tell you the weather was great. We started shortly after the full moon set, watched and listened as the early morning sun woke up the birds, and we just talked for the first 7 miles. I love running with Guy. We would have been best friends if we knew each other in 4th or 5th grade. I KNOW that. ;-) Then for the second 7, Laura and Zurich joined us and the three of us listened to our coordinated playlists - this is my new favorite way to run: to share our lists with each other in advance, then press play at the same time so we could rock out to the same tunes.

We dropped Laura and Zurich and picked up Susan (and Alice her dog) and Margo for the final five. Alice is a bit out of shape from the winter, so we slowed it down a bit for the last loop. But I was happy with that - never have to twist my arm to slow down. ;-) We dropped them off and then Guy and I ran back home for a total of 19 miles. 

1- 9:14

2- 9:18

3- 9:13

4- 9:04

5- 9:10

6- 9:21

7- 9:29

8- 9:34

9- 9:50

10- 9:32

11- 9:25

12- 9:14

13- 9:06

14- 9:02

15- 9:40

16- 10:20

17- 10:14

18- 10:10

19- 10:11

TOTAL - 3:01:24

A perfect morning... but it gets even better from here! Laura took a shower at my house, and called IronGreg while Guy and I were finishing up, so he came over with fresh eggs and orange juice and made all of us omelettes! They were awesome! I love Greg. He is the BEST. Mine had three eggs, sausage and cheese and mushrooms and red bell peppers... mmmm - it was GREAT.

So Guy left shortly afterward to bring the jPod over to play with Bobby. Our boys are building a fort in the woods behind my house. Apparently jPod thinks they should insulate it for winter ;-) ... how can you not love and be grateful for the chance to just be around the imaginations of your kids?! They are so precious to me.

So I'm doing housework for a couple hours now; then Ally and I are going to fly a kite while the boys work on their fort. (They won't let her help with the fort because it's for boys only and she isn't even allowed to know exactly where it is. Neither am I.) 

Have a blessed Easter weekend everybody. 

Hallelujah. He is Risen. 

In case you ever wondered what a bunch of Jesus freaks look like, here are a few of us from last night!

xoxoxo

Dream Date last night

Last night Bobby accompanied me for the Club Run. We ran 5.8 miles in 1:03:00. I was so proud of him! He stayed with me the whole time and didn't run ahead -- just paced himself from the git-go. He's only 10 years old, and I know I never ran that far until I was 39 years old and had recently accepted my now-infamous [drunken] double-dog-dare to run a marathon.

It has been a dream of mine since I became a mom that I would someday run with my children, and now I am doing that with my son. I was so happy running next to Bobby that I felt like crying. (Yeah, I know - I am a total crybaby - but I really did!)

The jPod and Guy ran, too. The boys are tallying up their milage prior to the Deadwood Marathon in June. All the kids who tally up 25 miles before race day, get to run the last 1.2 miles of the marathon, and then receive finisher medals for the Kids' Marathon. Isn't that a cool idea?

So Bobby and jPod and working toward that goal.

How totally cool is that. Life is good.

xoxoxo

April 5, 2009

Work update
I had another great week at Coke, working with one of our Lead Account Managers. Don't know how he feels about being on my blog, so we'll leave him nameless for now. ;-) We've got a big Trade Tour this week with the UPPER upper echelon visiting our market so in addition to maintaining our current business, (I have 600 stores in my district) we are dressing up the stores that are featured on the tour with crisp displays. Friday was an office day, so I was lucky to have a couple of hours to sit with my notes, laptop and reports, and got to sort out all I've been learning, as well as try out the 10,000 tools I have at my disposal. I am a visual person, and visual learner, so I really needed that time to matrix in my head these tools and details that are pertinent to me being able to do this job. 

I will love it. That much I know is true.

Long Run

This weekend I had a taper week, so at Beth's suggestion, UltraGuy and I signed up for a 25K (15.5 miles) in and around Hopkins. It was really hilly but very nice. We all ran together for much of it, but Guy and I gradually pulled away from Beth who was chatting, I mean running with a guy named Noah or Nowell, only to learn that she later ditched him and had to run alone - I'm sorry, friend!!! Beth ran a bit over 5 miles before the race so she could get in a 20 miler - good job!!!

Here we are at the start.

Guy and I ended up averaging 9:38's which I think is great considering the hills and the number of them we had to walk up. ;-)

Saturday night

Laura and Greg hosted a barbecue at their new place, which is adorable. It's bright and sunny (just like them ;-)), and is on Gray's Bay on Lake Minnetonka. So the kids were out on the dock with long sticks, trying to reeeeeeeeach and pull in the last thin slabs of lake ice so they could break them on the sidewalk. (Don't you just still kind of wish you were 8 and 10?) I was so certain somebody was going to go in the water and I'd have to retrieve them. It's shallow enough not to be scary, but I wouldn't want to jump in it and have to drive home freezing and muddy. It was great seeing everybody - Tim and Karen, TriNick, and Jenn Weeks. Jenn made a homemade squash soup that was amazing. She's like our group's resident gourmet chef. Between her and Bob, we should all be fed and happy in no time.

This morning. 

I slept in this morning and here's why - the fresh snow makes the world so peaceful. So this is the view from my bedroom window this spring morning in Minnesota. It's pretty, but enough's enough, ya know??

I will be heading off to church in a bit with the kids. Bob's going to hit the early service so he can try to catch up with us later. He's working with some buyers on the final design of their house plan (they're putting an awesome sport court in the house, which is very cool and fairly common nowadays around here, but requires some specialty construction codes and it has to be right, obviously, without compromising the style and flow of the rest of the house) and hopefully he will wrap that up without having to work all day... because the Pettises are coming over! 

We are planning a multi-family vacation in June, not too dissimilar to the vacation we took last year with the Grays and Holmeses :

....to Washington State last summer (after Ironman Coeur D'Alene):

Guy's been busy finding links and attractions and we're going to sort through and try to get a cabin reserved. Their son Jeremy is the kid who runs 5Ks with Bobby. It will be a couple days on either side of the Deadwood Marathon in South Dakota. So we are plotting Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills later today. 

Have a great day everybody.

xoxoxoxo

Perfect Weekend

I'm a couple days late, but I just have to post that I had the best weekend ever.

Friday after work, (those of you who haven't read lately, I did get the job at Coke and finished my second [great] week there, so when I say after work that's because I have a job now...) I met Susan, Lori, and Carla at Medina Country Club for a quick drink. We all used to run together a couple times a week, we've taken the winter off, and now I can only hope I ever get to run with my girls again! But we had a nice toast and it was great to see them! 

Yes, what you see in the picture is correct -- Susan has pulled out prescription drugs to be washed down with a dirty martini. 

Please don't try this at home. 

Anyway, after a while, Bob dropped off Ally at the club so we could have a little mother-daughter dinner. Amazing how when you only have one kid at a time, there is no fighting, and just lots of talking and bonding. I love her.

Then on Saturday I got up early early and ran just under 21 miles with my good friend UltraGuy. We began in chilly darkness under the stars, then listened as the first birds woke up, and kept running as the sun rose and our world come alive. It was awesome! The miles wore on, as we knew they would, but we were prepared with our iPods. I'd loaded his favorite running playlist, and he'd loaded mine, so we listened song-by-song to each other's faves for the last couple of hours. We went nice and slow and took stretching breaks, and a gas station break and wound up averaging 10:20's. I played with the kids a while, then at night headed over to my good friend Jill's house for a runner/triathlete party. I love you guys! Thanks Jill!

Here I am with IronLaura...

... and Renee and Russ and Dana and Paul... all of us "Puke-and-Rally" teammates from the Colorado Relay...

Then on Sunday morning, Bob and the kids and I met Laura and Greg at church (and you all know how much I LOVE Pastor Dan - feel free to download this week's sermon - just click on the MEDIA tab, then the AUDIO tab, then the date March 29).

And that night Laura, Greg, Bobby, Ally and I headed down to the Excel Center to see Chris Tomlin  -- it was a great concert! Honestly, there is no greater joy in my life than watching my children rock out to great Christian music, praising their God.

The one thing I didn't do this weekend was laundry. Better get on that...

 xoxo

Today..

IronNick, UltraGuy and I did a nice 17 miler this morning - resting up for next weekend's 20 miler. It was beautiful out today - just a touch of frost on the ground when we started at 7:00, and definitely over 35 degrees by the time we finished. Here are our splits:

1- 9:58

2 - 9:38

3 - 9:33

4 - 9:32

5 - 9:19

6 - 9:17

7 - 9:20

8 - 9:53

9 - 10:21

10 - 9:43

11 - 10:15

12 - 9:50

13 - 9:46

14 - 9:37

15 - 10:20

16 - 12:01

17 - 10:34

Our splits were very steady, but we did take a couple of breaks to stretch UltraGuy's ache-y butt. Well, he calls it his paraformis (or pair-of-aces?) but it still just means ache-y butt to me. I think he was just trying to impress Nick and me with his knowledge of Latin in the early, early hours of dawn. ;-) But anyway, he's got lots of ultra stuff on his race calendar and there is no gain in inflaming that nerve or muscle early in the season. I hope you feel better buddy - Holly and I are counting on you getting us up Moose Mountain for our own first ultras later this season, so take care of your butt!

The kids and Bob and I are now heading over to Dia and Jen's house for a tri club party - I'll bring my camera. I will post some pics, and hopefully get some cookies made to send to Robert along with another group card. We all miss you so much, friend! Thirty six days down, only 329 to go. I hope you know we are thinking of you everyday.

Week in review

Well, I started at Coke this week - and I love it! They gave me a sweet office with windows and even said I can decorate it -- I wonder if they know what I do for a hobby?!?! In a week there will be custom draperies, wainscoting, a lovely floor lamp and reading chair, a hand-knotted persian rug, maybe a tapestry for the wall behind my desk... ;-)

Everyone is really nice - from the drivers to the manager of the whole bottling facility. Who, by the way, told me yesterday that Dasani is the hydration sponsor for the Stillwater Marathon on May 24th. He said he was running it and asked me to run it with with him, so of course I said sure. ;-) So now I have seven marathons between May and November... and one of those is a 50-mile ultra and another is in an Ironman -- my running legs will be is top shape!

Tomorrow I run 17 or 18 with the LTF Running Club - and maybe Trimama will join us at some point. It got cold again, so I either have to start spinning again, or bundle up. 

I'll try to remember to bring my Garmin tomorrow so I can post splits. Hope you are all enjoying the change of season - hopefully it will change here, too, soon.

Training update

Today Nick, Terri, Erin and I did our long run. I ended up going a bit extra and did 20 miles at about 9:40's. I'm glad to have that first long run under my belt as I've got all long races left for the year. I felt great the whole run, but my calves are screaming because....

On Thursday night I did Johnnie Jensen's spin workout - it's inSANE. It was two hours long, a wattage based class with steady holding drills at 250 watts, high gear sprints from a dead stop (like large chain ring in front - I ride a 55 tooth - and 12 in back) - get to 250 watts and then hold the wattage for 10 seconds, then brake to stop and do it again... for eight minute sets. The sweat was dripping off my EVERYTHING -- ping, ping, ping, ping. Every half hour we'd dismount and take a race-transition speed "break" by running the stairs - two flights per lap, 20 laps... not just running, but HOPPING on two feet all the way up two flights, running down; then two laps lunge-walking every-other-step, then running back down. Twenty. Laps. Then back to the bikes for more wattage work. We did 60 stair laps, then  for our last "break" we did lunges up and down the hallway. I'm guessing it was at least 72 lunges. And then back on the bikes. It was CRAZY. 

Which is why I can't wait to go back next week.

;-)

But the hopping of the stairwell left my calves really tight, so after running 20 today, I think my legs are screaming for a break.

But it's going to be 60 degrees tomorrow so Terri and I (and maybe Erin) are going to get at least an hour on our bikes outside. Nick -- I'll call you in the morning -- Vamanos!!

On a sad note, Amanda the lamb died at the age of one week. Apparently her mom abandoned her because something was indeed wrong with her. On the 6th day, she stopped eating, and the vet put her to sleep on the 7th. What a short life for such a sweet girl. But she got a lot of love and attention from all her people friends, and she sure gave a lot of love to us. Rest in peace, sweet Amanda.

Bobby had his final game today for basketball. They ended up in fourth place overall, and they lost to Heritage's team (Bobby plays for our church, not for his school, Heritage). So he played against a bunch of 5th graders in his class. It was a close game that we lost by only two points. Bobby said that while it would have been awesome to win, it was better to lose to a bunch of friends than to lose to a bunch of jerks. 

He's right. And it was fun cheering for both teams at the game!

Amanda and Coke

Meet Amanda - she's three days old! She's a little lamb that Jenn rescued after her mother rejected her. She'll be going to live on Jenn's parents' farm tomorrow. She's adorable! The kids got to bottle feed her and it was so cool! She's so sweet. (So is the lamb.) 

She's wearing a diaper. (the lamb.) ;-)

Nick, you are such a natural with that bottle - te-he-he.

IronLaura, Ally, Bobby and Amanda-the-Lamb. Isn't she adorable?

... of course what night would be complete without a little RockBand? Here are Bobby, Ally, and Tony trying not to get boo'ed off the stage...

And finally - finally! -- Yes, I did get the position at Coke! It is official as soon as I pass the drug test and the background check, which are next week. But Dan (my boss's boss) called today to let me know so that I didn't have to go through the weekend without having heard from him. Good thing I don't have any felonies on my record.

xoxoxo

7:00 a.m. running the downtown lakes - starting at Calhoun Executive Center - be there!!

Dad's 80th Birthday

Last weekend the kids and I went to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate my dad's 80th birthday. All four of us kids were there, along with 4 of their grandkids and one grandkid-in-law and one significant other. It was nice to see everyone since we rarely get together all at once.

This is my mom, brother Rick, Dad, sister Katie in the back row, and in front is my brother Dave, and Bobby and Ally and Chubs the boxer.

This is at the restaurant - Bobby and Ally are being tempted and spoiled with [virgin] hurricanes. My parents are both from New Orleans.

This is my brother Rick, my mom, me, my dad (notice he is standing up - he had a stroke three years ago but he can get out of his wheelchair now and took a few steps for us), and Bobby, Ally, and my little brother Dave.

This is my mom - after chowing at dinner the night before, we also had brunch at my niece's house on Sunday.

Dave, me and Bobby.

Back in Minneapolis, I burned off some of those calories with a kitchen spin. Here are me, Nick, Dia, Laura and Erik rocking out to the hip tunes of Coach Troy. (not! don't you wish we could plug our own music onto his DVD's -- it's horrible, horrible music!)

... and then everybody left. If you're not spinning all winter long in Minnesota, you will rue those first spring rides. This is a great way to keep your "bike legs," AND stay in touch with your buddies. I love my training group. You guys make it fun and make it all worthwhile! xoxoxox

On a final note, I did my 17 miler this week (averaged 9:25's), followed by about 8 miles (recovery) the next day, so my running legs are getting in shape too. T-minus 64 days to Fargo Marathon!

Motivation

What motivates you? Sometimes it's a friendly challenge. Not that anybody could ever accuse me of smack-talkin' my teammates, but Darren Olsen there's no way, no WAY you can beat me on the swim contest. Better luck tomorrow catching up, dude. I put in 3100 yards today of quality... and I mean QUALITY strokes. My face was read for at least two hours afterward. See you at the spin tonight. That'll be me in the front row. As in, just ahead of you. ;-)

Sometimes we are motivated by music. Below is my latest Running Music Playlist. It is about an hour long. Feel free to download all or part of it - but if you load up the whole list, I promise these tunes will have you rocking your cadence and posting splits that are spot on. Plus, I personally guarantee that you will feel like a million bucks afterward. 

Enjoy.

1 - Since U Been Gone -- Kelly Clarkson

2 - Something Beautiful -- Newsboys

3 -  In Wonder -- Newsboys

4 - The Mission -- Newsboys

5 - I am Free -- Newsboys (THE best running song ever recorded, BTW)

6 - Give you Glory -- Jeremy Camp

7 - Made to Love -- tobyMac

8 - I'm for You -- tobyMac

9 - Ignition -- tobyMac (place this song where you need to really be jump-started)

10 - Gone -- Kelly Clarkson

11 - Coming up to Breathe -- Mercy Me

12 - Behind these hazel eyes -- Kelly Clarkson

13 - Your Love is Better than Life -- Newsboys

14 - Testify to Love -- Avalon

15 - Keep on Shinin' - Third Day

16 -- Lose My Soul -- tobyMac

That pesky virtue, Patience...

Well, I heard from Coke this afternoon... telling me that I need to wait another week. Dang!  I was SO... hoping it was an "offer call!"

But I suppose I could look at this waiting period as an opportunity to hone my patience skills while the paperwork gets properly shuffled. But I would be lyin' if I said I wasn't even a teeny bit worried that I won't get an offer. Because you never know - on Monday somebody up top may say "okay fellas, there's gonna be a hiring freeze" or "the president's nephew is moving to Minneapolis and wants a job"... or anything, really. 

Breathe.

Patience.

I can do this.

Breathe again. 

This job would be a blast and I really, really want it. The people I met are GREAT - I'd hang out with these people in real life, they are a TEAM, they're funny, they love what they do, they sell Coca Cola everyday, ya know? what's not to love?

So anyway, the kids and I are heading to Chicago tomorrow for my dad's 80th birthday party. We'll have dinner Saturday night at a restaurant, brunch Sunday morning at my niece's, then come home. In and out.  

Fortunately, I did my long run on Tuesday:

1- 9:28

2- 9:26

3- 9:24

4- 9:24

5- 9:26

6- 9:32

7- 9:33

8- 9:20

9- 9:10

10- 8:59

11- 9:11

12- 9:10

13- 9:33

14- 9:21

I will likely spin tomorrow morning with the FCA Endurance Team at Brickyard Bikes in Chaska.

xoxo

Swim challenge

Like me, my spin training buddy Darren, has also been struggling to get his butt in the pool lately, so we have challenged each other to 15 swims between now and the end of March. It works out to be 2 or more per week. 

So today after lifting with Beth, Brenda and Chris, I got in and swam a few yards. The water was really warm, making me feel so sluggish - but at least I got in there. I think I get lazy about the swim because I already know how to swim, and I am "fast enough", and even on an oceanic Ironman it's only an hour or so of the whole day... so even if I work really hard, I may only slice 5 minutes off my day, so what's the point? In an Olympic race I may shave off a mere 60 seconds - so big deal! 

Whereas, when you look at the run portion of this multisport, I have no fewer than 6 marathons on the calendar (and one's an ultra - a 50 mile trail race called Moose Mountain - lots of craggy, rocky, single-track - AWESOME!!! bring it!!!), so I feel like there's more purpose to getting my speed work, hills and long runs in.

Arghhh - but I can't let Darren win the swim challenge, so I'll be up bright and early tomorrow counting strokes and flip turns. Game on!

Robert updated his FB page yesterday, so here he is (center) in Fort Lewis, WA with a couple buddies. They will be there a few more weeks before mobilizing back to the Middle East.

Ally's been baking him treats and they've been txt-ing. It's so cute. He's like a favorite uncle to them, and a little brother to me, so we miss him a lot. 

On the Coca Cola front (yeah - that's who I've been interviewing with), I had another great day with them yesterday. I can talk openly about it now because as of today I officially pulled my hat out of the ring with the other company(s) I had been talking to. I just didn't have a passion for them, and felt it was wrong not to come clean with that. 

I should hear something one way or the other tomorrow from Coke. I totally believe in their products, I USE their products,  share their philosophy, and embrace their declared "culture". I have a lot to offer them, and I want to be on this team. Even if I am not selected, I still think I did the right thing pulling my name from my back-ups. But I don't have an offer yet, so keep those vibes, karma, and prayers coming!

We are having ANOTHER blizzard right now (what the ???), so I am going to get the kids from school early now - have a great day everybody. 

Anybody want to ski tomorrow? Helen? Denny? You guys back in town??

xoxo

What a difference a day makes.

We had quite a swing in temperature - a 43 degree swing to be precise - and so today I ran 14 or so miles  outside, wearing in a running skirt. Average was a steady 9:22's. It was 38 degrees and beautiful - sunny, breezy - perfect. I don't often run alone, so I cranked up the iTunes and did a two loop course near my house. Anyone who wants my running playlist, email me at ironjenny@mac.com, and I'll send it right over.

Ten weeks and counting to my first marathon of the summer - Fargo Marathon! I've already posted why I love this race, but I really do. After Fargo I have (the inaugural) Minneapolis Marathon, and then June 7th I've got Deadwood in South Dakota. Another favorite. 

Last time I did Deadwood, Holly and I stayed in the haunted Bullock Hotel Annex. I hope this time I get to  hear and see strange things. Holly heard stuff last visit there, but but didn't bother waking me up, which is why she only a second-ring best friend now. 

Darren's coming over for a kitchen spin tonight, so I better get cracking at the kids' homework.

Don't forget to send me all your best vibes, karma, or prayers for my four hour "meeting" with "andasmile" tomorrow. 

Enjoy the warm weather today!!

Speed workout

It was -5 degrees this morning, so Beth and I did speed work at the Dome. I forgot how much I like speed work - it really makes the time go by so fast.

We did these laps - a dome lap is 1/5 mile:

3 - warm up (10:00 ish)

1 - marathon pace (9:30 ish)

1 - fast (8:30)

1 - 9:30

2 - 8:20 ish

1 - 9:30

3 - 8:15 ish

1 - 9:30

1 - 8:15

1 - 9:30

2 - 8:15

1 - 9:30

3 - 7:55

1 - 9:30

I really was haulin' for the last fast 3-lapper and it felt great. The dome is about 50 degrees and it's on ground rubber pellets, so it feels awesome to run in there.

Afterward, I had to rush still sweating, out the door to get to Bible study with my neighbors. I love this one - it's a Beth Moore and we are studying the book of Daniel. It really hits home and I love her courses.

This afternoon I am hitting some stores and talking to the [plural nouns] so I can have all my ducks in a row for my [number]th [noun] with ["and a smile"]. I [adverb] [adverb] [verb] this [noun]! 

;-)

xoxoxo

Jenny

Let it snow!

Last night we got another 4 inches of fresh snow - now I wish I had registered for the American Birkebeiner (34 mile cross country ski race) this year because the race is tomorrow and the conditions are perfect!!!

But I did get up early to meet Guy at 6:30 this morning to run a few extra miles before meeting the rest of the group at 7:30. Here is a pic just before the sun rose and made everything all shiny and bright.

Nothing had been plowed except the road between the park entrance and the beach, so we just ran back and forth to the lake. Sounds horribly boring, but it wasn't! - it's a winding road with beautiful forest and ski trails on either side, and everything was covered with snow and we got to watch the sunrise through the trees...  so it worked. We had aimed for 15 or so miles, but only managed 11 because it was just so darn ICY... and the wind -whew. It's a hilly road down to the water and we were all just slipping and sliding all over the place - My Garmin said I burned 968 calories, but I'm fairly certain I get extra credit for the core workout of just holding myself upright. ;-)

After the run the 8 of us went to The Original Pancake House in Maple Grove. (Susan L - where are the pics??) It was my first time there and I can't say I loved it. But man, people line up outside just to get in. It's the Swedish kind of paannenkukens (I'm sure I misspelled that), which are really egg-y griddle baked cakes slathered in sugar and apples and probably cream and butter. It tasted okay, but was probably thousands of calories. Maybe I'll get on the trainer tonight. Nah - that's a lie. ;-)

Bobby's friend Jeremy, (Guy and Susan's son -- I've posted pics of them running 5k's together - they're in 5th and 6th grade) is the goalie for his hockey team, and today he got a shut-out in the tournament! Way to go Jeremy! It was his first one this season and you should have seen his teammates pounce on him after the final buzzer. They were thrilled; it was awesome. He played a really great game and they won 3-0. They play again tomorrow so maybe we'll bring our good luck and cheer him on. Gotta see what else is on the calendar, but it was a really exciting game.

Have a good night everybody!

xoxoxo

p.s. - if you are running with Gear West tomorrow at 8:00 - call me.

Training update, etc.

Yesterday Beth and I ran 13 from her house - it was windy and freezing but we figured it was supposed to snow today, so we toughed it out and as it turns out it was gorgeous today! Oh well - made us tough. ;-) She's the best running hostess - even packed us each a little cooler with gatorade and gel with a little note on top so no one would steal them. 

Tomorrow the long run (gearing up to the May marathons) will end with breakfast at the pancake house with the team. [Yeessssssss]. Holly and I will likely start early to get in a few extra miles, so anyone wanting to join us should call by 6:00a.m. If you are coming for breakfast, speak up now so we have the reservation number right!

Marty

Has ANYONE seen Marty Slater? We last saw him after the finish at Whistlestop in Ashland Wisconsin last October, and haven't heard from him since. Holly and Guy have called and called and he hasn't returned them, so I am getting worried. In the last 6 years he's never just dropped off the face of the planet... except that time he went to Ireland for work for a few weeks... so I'm sending out an APB on him.

IronRobert's been gone a week and we really miss him. Even Bob was weepy when he cleaned his room and changed the sheets. Robert's been like a family member and we really miss having him around. Nobody is as good as he is at Rock Band so I don't even go down there anymore - we suck!!

HAve a great day everyone - xoxo

Godspeed to Maj. Robert V. Younger

Friday the 13th. Lucky or unlucky? I'm banking that it's just another day... so I'll take what the day brings me and then make what I can of it. 

It was still dark when the kids and I left to take IronRobert to the armory this morning. He and his fellow troops left today for (re)deployment to Iraq. They'll remain stateside for a couple months before they mobilize, but we won't be able to see him or visit. Seeing the soldiers all in their uniforms; their families up before the crack of dawn to say goodbye... was moving. 

Actually, "moving" doesn't adequately describe it. But which words would? It's not easy to describe. You want to be cheerful and controlled, but all you really feel is scared and sad and ungrounded. And also enormously proud and thankful and angry and honored and impressed... and then you circle back to scared and sad and then your heart feels like it's being squashed and there's not quite enough oxygen in the room. We miss you already, friend. Please know we will be thinking of you always - everyday - and praying for your safety.

These are the two guys that will be working closely with Robert. I asked them to take care of him. If you pray, please add these two guys. I don't know their names, but if you just pray for "the two guys working with Robert," God will know who you mean. It sounds like a really interesting job, but it's dangerous and they need your thoughts and prayers. All the service men and women do.

We said goodbye and then the kids and I cried all the way to school.

On a brighter note, I pulled myself together and had a great meeting [when] at [where] with two [individuals] from ["and a smile"] about the [noun] . Hopefully I will have details to share in the next couple of weeks. One of the [adjective] [plural noun]s I dined with said this is like a marathon and I'm at mile 24. To those awesome friends who provided [prose] at a moment's notice, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. There is no one in the universe who has greater friends than I do, and I love you all so much!

Below is a group shot of dinner last night with IronRobert. 

Have a Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

xoxoxo

January thaw arrives Jan 31; Lego League State Championship

OK, you may not believe this, but it's true..... Snow is actually melting outside right now as I type. Seriously! Today it is 34 degrees -- we were just half a day shy of not seeing above freezing temps for the entire month. It's been bad and it wreaks havoc on your training and your mood.

BUT.... today Holly, Chae, Diane and I ran around Medicine Lake (7.75 miles). It was perfect out. We even heard real. live. birds. chirping. 

Below is a picture we took this morning of a suburb of ice houses - if you don't know about ice fishing, it's like the state sport in MN. These houses are often beautiful inside with wall paper, flat screen tv's, sleep up to 4 comfortably, etc. It's so toasty in there that you don't even wear a coat. When you get bored, you go snowmobiling for a while (or drive your car to your real home) to get more food or (gasp) more beverages. 

Ice fishing is basically a way for a guy's guy to get out of the house, hang out drinking with their buddies watching the game, and still manage to bring home fresh fish for dinner. 

Here's how it works: You drop a line into a hole you auger'ed through about 20 inches of lake ice, and when a fish is on the line, the bell rings. If you have an extra hole outside your ice house and you can't hear that bell, a flag will go up if you have a fish. Isn't it ingenious? THe fish sort of catch themselves for ya.

We know guys who spend all day out in these houses on weekends.

Here are Holly, Diane and Chae - part of the lake loop is across a boardwalk through the wetlands. It's really pretty.

Last weekend was the State Tournament for Lego League. The first picture I took is of the scrolling leader-board when the Steel Claws were in first place after the first round. Their robot eventually moved down to 4th overall, but considering there were 34 teams from all over MN, (that first had to win at their respective regions), it was pretty awesome and we are so proud of them! They did win 1st place in one category, though - yea!!

Bobby's in the front holding the trophy (made of legos of course) that they won for 1st Place in Presentation. The had to invent something useful that was good for the environment and they created a Zamboni-like truck which heats and sprays a brine solution onto the MN roadways to melt ice, but not damage the foliage or pollute the nearby rivers and lakes. So their winning presentation was basically a sales pitch of their invention to the judges. 

They pitched it like a newscast - Bobby was the anchorman, Josh was the field reporter who was on the scene with car crash victim Tanner, Isaac was the weatherman, and Daniel and Spencer were the featured scientists/ inventors of the Boni Ice Thawing machine.

Daniel, Spencer, Isaac, Josh, Tanner, and Bobby in front with their trophy.

Fargo Training Update

FARGO MARATHON (May 9, 2009) TRAINING

OK, it was minus 27 on the way to the kids' school this morning; and minus 44 with the windchill - who can train in this [censored adjective] weather?? Luckily it was a little warmer last weekend and I did get a solid 10 miler under my belt. But with Fargo Marathon 16 weeks away, I would prefer to be running outside three times a week. 

Fargo Marathon is one of my favorites because:

1). it's the perfect "Ironman's marathon"  --  very early in the season, so you are prepared for the run portion of your summer Ironman and can concentrate on those 100 mile bike rides on Sundays.

2). It is flat and fast. We are talking maybe 17 feet of climbing.

3). The course is well supported and fun - you go through all kinds of neighborhoods, parks, college campuses.

4). The spectators are really friendly.

5). You do your longest training runs in the spring, so you[r training buddies] aren't sweltering and whining for 22 miles. ;-)

6). It's a small-town urban marathon, so nice, clean and inexpensive hotels with pools are right across the street from the start line. (Seriously - you walk to the start line).

7). You get a nice long sleeved performance fabric race shirt.

If you have not done this race and would like to try something up north, I LOVE this race. Come up and do it with us!!!

There are four of us doing Fargo together: Terri, Erin, Liz and me. Terri's broken elbow is getting much better, and she back in the pool - yea! No dumbbell curls yet, but she IS able to run. She's headed off to San Diego for 8 days of training, so let's try not to feel TOO sorry for her. Liz is working through her hip flexor [chronic] injury, but she's still hoping for a Boston qualifying run in Fargo. Erin has properly nursed her plantar faciitis and will start running again this week. As for me, I'm healthy, just fat. Not really REALLY fat, but fat enough that I'll have to work hard to get under 4 hours. I would like to lose ten pounds so it's easier on my old body. I haven't had any dairy for a few days, so if I stick with that I should cut some calories.

Cross training - I got back in the pool Tuesday for 3350 yards. I actually felt pretty strong considering I have only been in the pool once in the last two months. Today a gas pipe was leaking at Lifetime, so they closed the whole club before we could swim, so I will have to do something else - maybe a spinerval - instead. Speaking of which, has anybody tried Troy Jacobsen's "Suffer-O-Rama" DVD? We did it Tuesday night and it was AWESOME. It's only 50 minutes long, but great - I definitely was pushed beyond my limit and was unable to maintain the required effort until the end of the sets. Gotta get back in the saddle and try again... it's nice to find a workout that you can't quite complete.

Otherwise, I've been skiing when it's warm enough. Helen and I skated once and classic'ed once in the last week.

Here are Steve, Denny, Diane and me near Helen's house on Sunday. Classic x/c skiing is the best light cardio and you can't beat the scenery and having your friends with you. Maybe if the temps climb to zero or even warmer, I can get back out.

 

Happy New Year! Score: 26 to 1

Like so many others, I was delighted to welcome in a new year and say goodbye to 2008 because as the money stopped flowing in, (Bob's in real estate), we lived sometimes on money transferred from our savings account/retirement funds. Worrying about money can put a damper on everything if you let it. 

But I would be remiss if I allowed the money situation to overshadow the great blessings that 2008 brought in. Writing the good things down is a good exercise in keeping things in perspective.

Here are just a few, in no particular order:

1). Racing with Pamela in the beautiful wine country where I went on my honeymoon 13 years ago.

2). Watching and cheering at IM CDA with many blogger friends.

3). Going on vacation out west with the TriGreyhounds and the TaconiteBoy/Trimama families.

4). Visiting our dear friends in Iowa just riding our bikes and swimming in their pool.

5). Qualifying for Boston after 29 attempts (3:59:52)

6). Bobby's LegoLeague team qualifying for the State Championship and winning first place for programming their robot.

7). We are all healthy (enough).

8). Laura and Greg got married.

9). Tim and Karen got married.

10). Erin did her first Ironman.

11). The kids love love love their new school.

12). My children love the Lord.

13). I joined in a Bible study with a great group of girlfriends.

14). Bobby got to go to camp again.

15). Jeremy opened a new bike shop.

16). I PR'd in the half Iron distance (5:18)

17). I got a Mac.

18). My kids did well in school - only one B between the two of them.

19). Bob got to get away for a week of fishing with the guys in Canada.

20). My dad who had a stroke, took 60 steps in a row after having been in his wheelchair for two years.

21). My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

22). Bobby got under 30 minutes in the 5K distance.

23). I am blessed with countless friends who love me and I love back.

24). [So far] we still live in this beautiful house in Wild Meadows where we walk on the private wooded trails where we can watch the deer, wild turkeys, pheasants and even a great grey owl.

25). The kids are old enough to stay home without a babysitter for short jaunts.

26). I can still swim 100 yards in under 1:10, with just a push off from the wall if I try hard.

Well, that was easy just to come up with 26 without having to think hard at all. So the score is "Life Is Good" 26 to "2008 Sucked" 1.

Are you grateful or grumpy? It's a choice, you know. 

My goal for 2009 is "Practice Contentedness".

POLAR DASH

On New Year's Day we had to choose between jumping in frozen Lake Minnetonka or running the 5K. Since Bobby's friend Jeremy (son of my friend Guy) wanted to run, we ran.

Here is the start. As you can see I am not crazy for getting outside in Minnesota in the winter. I have LOTS of company:

... and here are the four of us before the start:

And here we are with about a mile to go:

We came in at 30:18, which isn't bad considering we had to run on icy snow the whole way.

Afterward, Santi hosted a make-your-own breakfast at her house where Jeremy cooked up some fabulous scrambled eggs with veggies-and-ham for me, and Bobby made pancakes for everybody.

... then Jeremy came over to play video games with Bobby. We later took a long walk in the woods:

...and the kids got so tired out that they had to lie down and eat snow:

It was a wonderful day to decide to WELCOME 2009. Please join me in PRACTICING CONTENTEDNESS in 2009!

On another topic, did I ever show you guys the mural that my girlfriend Stephany painted in my upstairs laundry room? She just asked me for a photo of it, so I thought I'd show it to you, too. It's of a beach in the Galapogos Islands where I went for my 4oth birthday a few years back. When you touch it, the lava rocks actually feel gritty - it's like it's 3-dimensional. Very cool. I pre-designed the layout of the floor tiles just for someone to paint a future mural for me and I think it turned out great.