TJ's Turf

Emily Vigil: Why I Run [#NGWSD]

2012-02-01T00:53:00.000-06:00

When I first began distance running (after bouts of sprinting in high school and middle distance in college) I remember coming home from one of my longest runs at the time to a ringing phone. One of my college journalism buddies wanted to get together. I said I had to shower first, because I'd just run eight miles. There was a pause, then his smart-aleck comment, "Wouldn't it have been faster to drive?"

As runners, we've probably all had to endure a certain number of odd looks, rude comments or strange questions. But I wonder how many of us could answer those critics as eloquently as my guest blogger today.

Sixteen year old Emily Vigil is a sophomore at Academy of Holy Angels in the Twin Cities. She's been running competitively since middle school. Emily began competing at the high school level when she was in 8th grade at Annunciation school.

Her progress was quick and notable –
Personal bests (so far!):
4K (cross country)   15:23
2-mile                        12:45
1-mile                          5:58
800m                           2:39
400m                          1:09

Emily enjoys the camaraderie of running for a team (favorite memories include having fun with friends on rainy practice days and once running when it was completely dark outside.)

But it's also clear she enjoys the competitive side – qualifying for the MN state cross country meet as a 9th grader and breaking 2:40 in the 800 are just a few of her highlights.

Emily hopes to race on a college team and has long-term goals of winning an Olympic gold medal in the 5,000 or 10,000. And she might try a marathon one day.

Lofty goals, indeed... and you'd be crazy to count her out. As a special treat for National Girls and Women in Sports Day, here's Emily's story, in her own words:

Everyone Asks Why I Run: Here's my Answer

None of my friends understand why I like to run. They don't get why I look forward to running five miles every day, no matter what Mother Nature has to throw at me. They don't understand how I enjoy hard cross country practices, consisting of repeat 800's, sprints or eight-mile long runs. They don't know why I keep wanting to race despite how nervous I get beforehand.

My best friend has told me countless times that I'm crazy to want to keep running after back-to-back ankle injuries. And I have to admit, sometimes I find myself questioning my sanity as I'm lacing up my shoes to run five miles when it's below freezing or 90 degrees and humid. But running is so much more than the rarely ideal weather and the unending long runs. It's more than sucking wind during hard workouts, more than coming back from injuries, more than the indescribable pre-race nerves.

Running is something to look forward to at the end of every day. It's something constant; no matter how bad my day was, I can look forward to letting off steam with a run. Running is an excuse to get away, to work out my problems or forget about them altogether.

Those endless long runs and grueling hard workouts become worth it when you pass someone in a race with 400 meters to go, knowing that you worked that much harder than them the week before. It's the satisfaction of finishing a long run or hard workout and being better off for it. It's your teammates cheering for you at the finish line, telling you that you have less than a quarter-mile until you qualify for the state meet. It's something to be proud of; you get definite bragging rights for running eight miles in the rain.

Running definitely has it's pros and cons. I'm not going to saw that hard workouts and long runs are fun all the time; sometimes, they just suck. I'm not going to say that coming back from injuries is easy, because it isn't. And I'm definitely not saying that to be a runner, you don't have to be a certain level of insane.

But I will say that the good things outnumber the bad. That satisfaction of finishing a race with your best time makes up for the bad weather ten times over. The freedom you feel when you're running, the relief from stress, worries, and other problems makes the hard workouts worth it.

And for those of you who still think that I'm crazy for being a runner, think again; you might be even crazier for not being a runner.

– Emily Vigil

A Runner's Hoop Dreams

2011-05-04T00:30:00.005-05:00

I have a confession to make.

I couldn't hula hoop as a child. I don't think I could keep a child-sized hoop aloft for even one revolution. I always thought it had something to do with the fact that I was built much like a pogo stick (another nemesis from my childhood). My center of gravity was just... wrong. At least that's what I tell myself. My cousins and neighborhood friends might tell you a different story. Perhaps I was just uncoordinated?

I grew up, learned what I was good at (throwing a softball, shooting a jump shot, running...) and thus was able to leave the hula hoop horrors of my childhood behind. Or so I thought...

Fast forward a number of decades and now, at the risk of losing whatever bit of street cred I may have as a runner (or would that be "road" cred?) I'm officially declaring my latest fitness "obsession."

The weighted sports hula hoop.

How's that for a surprising twist?

Many of us are familiar with the type of runner who just, well, runs. They often don't even lift weights. Or cross-train. Or possibly even stretch. They just run.

I can appreciate that commitment, but, although I identify myself primarily as a runner, I've rarely been "just a runner."

I guess I'm one of those gym rat types who has fallen in love over and over again at the gym - with the equipment. I've had my phases with stair climbers and recumbent bikes, rowing machines, nordic ski machines, and even a stint with 1980s aerobics classes. Perhaps ironically, I've never been a fan of the treadmill. Running on a treadmill makes me dizzy.

Then take me outside and, again, my first choice would be running. But I also enjoy inline skating, bicycling, hiking, you name it.

However, when hula hoops began to be re-introduced as an adult fitness aparatus, I was, to say the least, skeptical. One instructor I met (who was also selling a version of the product) told me "It's so easy!" "But I don't know how to hula hoop," I said. She replied enthusiastically, "You don't have to know how to hula-hoop!" Riiiiigggghhhttt...

Because I had been having a love-hate relationship with my own running for a few years now–I still love it, but sometimes it really, really doesn't seem to like me–my elliptical trainer has become my best friend, at least for the time being.

But I wanted to add something else to my routine of elliptical workouts, running and light weights. So I finally gave in and bought a weighted sports hoop.

It sat in the box for a few months. Finally, I assembled it.

It stood against a wall for another few months. Finally, I watched the short intructional video on the manufacturer's web site. No problem!

The first time I picked it up, I couldn't get it to do 1/2 revolution. And it had the added bonus of feeling like someone was smacking me with a sock full of rocks. When I finally got it around 2.5 revolutions (2.5!!) I thought I'd won the equivalent of a hula-hooping marathon.

Yet it still didn't feel like something I could do long enough to work up a sweat or increase my heart rate or ... well, anything helpful in the fitness area. I found myself laughing at the warnings all over the box:"Don't do for more than 20 minutes per day." Seriously? 20 minutes? In a row???

Turns out I wasn't doing it properly. (And this might explain my childhood embarrassment as well.)

I had to make an ever-so-slight adjustment to my stance - putting one foot slighty in front of the other. I immediately hit 50 revolutions, and smugly thought I'd figured it out. But what was this about 20 minutes?

I kept plugging along, making incremental increases, until one day when it just clicked for me. I did 20 minutes in a row!! And now I routinely do 30 minutes at one time, almost daily. (My "world record" is 3,210 revolutions in 30 minutes, for those of you keeping score at home. Yes, I count.)

I've also been pleasantly suprised by a bonus benefit. My regular hooping (5-7 days/week for more than 4 months now) has improved my running.

For the last few years I'd been having more and more aches and pains with running. Mostly aches: in my hips, glutes and pelvic bones. It started out a few years ago and had gradually worsened to the point where just about every run (even the short ones) left me overly stiff for the rest of the day and often into the next day.

However, since I've been hooping regularly, even my longest runs feel great. I don't stiffen up afterwards and I feel great the day after. It's been my little miracle in a bright, multi-colored circle.

I bought the Sports Hoop on a lark, hoping it would just be a fun distraction. But I seriously love it. I actually miss it when I don't do it one day. I've now purchased a lighter, though slightly larger hoop which came with an instructional video by Marisa Tomei.

I assembled that hoop. It's sitting against a wall, waiting for me.

Now that I've confessed, I'd love to hear your hula hooping stories. Pictures would be better. Videos would be great! Have you, your daughter or your grandmother caught the hooping bug? Send me a video! I'd love to see it!

Next I'll need to look into these adult-sized fitness Pogo sticks I've read about. Who's with me?

Paying it Forward–Rally for Girls’ Sports Day

2010-12-08T15:45:00.001-06:00

I've always believed sports can be an integral part of any young girl's development. That belief stems from my own introduction to athletics as a young girl.

For me, sports were first and foremost a bonding experience with my dad. He made sure, early on, that I knew how to throw a baseball properly and shoot a perfect jump shot.

As I began to participate in organized sports, it was my dad who bought me my first softball glove and first pair of basketball shoes. Early on, we bonded over the pain and nuisance of wearing eyeglasses while participating in sports - so he bought me my first ulgy, black athletic eyeglass holder - thankfully, he then allowed me to begin wearing contacts by sixth grade.

But it was once I discovered running - specifically high school track - that I really began to embrace athletic participation. And, you guessed it, it was my dad who bought me my first running tights, racing spikes and even my first sports bra.

My participation in high school track led me to college at the University of Minnesota where I competed on the track team. Later I volunteered for years as a track official with the team. But even I have been surprised by what athletics did for me longer term.

Today I still run, albeit longer distances at much slower paces than my high school sprinting days; I even competed for a couple of USATF-MN teams post-collegiately. I've coached high school athletes, and worked at countless road races, track meets and cross country races. And I make a living as a freelance writer by telling the stories of other people's athletic endeavors.

What did I win by playing sports? A lifelong passion for health & fitness; the ability to compete, win and lose with grace and dignity; the understanding of how to set and achieve goals; the knowledge of what it means to contribute to a team; self-confidence, self-respect & self-esteem; and, perhaps most importantly, the zeal to encourage, influence and support the next generation (as well as newcomers of any age.)

When the National Women's Law Center asked bloggers to write a post today, December 8th, about the importance of girls in sports and the benefits of athletics participation, I gladly signed up. In trying to come up with my angle on this broad topic I decided to seek out some of today's experts: girls who are just now moving up the ranks through athletic pursuits of their own.

Thankfully, opportunities for young women today abound, so I had many "subjects" from which to choose. I ended up asking the daughters of two friends to write just a glimpse into their athletic lives. Their stories follow.

Nine-year-old Grace Byers is in fouth grade at Burroughs Community School in Minneapolis, Minn. She started figure skating in December 2008. When she's not skating, Grace practices yoga in mother and daughter yoga classes led by her certified intructor mom, Faith McGown. She also participates in the yoga classes Faith teaches to her figure skating club. An extremely active girl, Grace is learning to enjoy running with her mom, who has run Twin Cities Marathon and many other races.

This weekend I competed in a figure skating competition in White Bear Lake. I took first place in my event. Since I started skating three years ago I have won 10 medals and trophies.

Ever since I started figure skating I have been more focused in school and I am getting better grades. It’s made me a better student and a stronger person. Every year our school does a family fun run. In 4th grade you have to run 40 minutes. It used to be hard for me. Since I started skating, I run the whole thing. I even run some 5ks with my mom.

Even though I compete on my own, I am still part of a team. I am good friends with many of my teammates. We help and cheer for each other even when we compete against each other. I think all kids should have a sport. [Photo caption: Grace with her first-place trophy–Saturday, December 4, 2010. Photo courtesy: Faith McGown.]

Maddie Peterson, 15, is a sophomore at Saint Louis Park Senior High School in Minnesota. This spring she will play Ado Annie in her school's production of "Oklahoma!"

In the fall I run Cross Country for Saint Louis Park. I’m the fifth fastest varsity runner on the team. Our girl’s team doesn’t think of running as a sport that you do after school. We think of it, as a way to make new friends every year and create sister-like bonds that will last all throughout your whole life even if you stop running. Since our girl’s team is so small we have more of a chance to get to know each other better. I’m glad I don’t go to a huge school with a giant team because you don’t get the same kind of relationships with every runner. This year I learned something from every girl on the team.

Over the summer when I train for the season my parents sometimes have us do family runs. Our family is very close but usually I prefer running alone. When I run with my family I’m distracted and it feels like they’re going extremely fast, but really I’m going too fast. When I’m running alone I can think and clear my head. My parents always say, “How come you can run with your team but you hate running with us?” and I tell them its because with my team I don’t feel any pressure from them. You can go as fast as you want at practice and everyone will be ok with it.

I want to be an opera singer when I’m older. I’ve often thought that my abilities to project my voice like I can come from my lung capacity from running and the endurance I’ve built up. I asked my opera teacher one day if it was a good idea to exercise and sing at the same time. He told me yes it is and he would sometimes hum his song while running. At practice I tried singing some songs while running. It wasn’t perfect but it’s a start! [Photo courtesy: Susan Peterson.]

NYC high school sprinting star in desperate need of bone marrow donor

2010-12-06T15:30:00.020-06:00

I started my running "career" as a sprinter, way back in the day. (Actually, my first running was from the batter's box to first base, but that's a story for another day.)

Today, when I write feature articles about runners, one of the questions I often ask is what their favorite "discipline" is within the sport: cross county, roads, track or trail. My very unscientific study has found that often the first discipline introduced is the favorite. For example, I have many friends who love cross country. When I ask why that is, they'll often recount how it was the first sport they tried out for in high school.

For me that sport was track and it's what I always answer as my first love (followed closely by road racing.) And within track, although I went on to run middle distance in college and dabbled in distance racing post-collegiately, I always think first of my sprinting days.

My decades-long interest in sprinting (and sprinters) is why this NYDailyNews.com story about a young New York City woman first caught my eye. Reading her story touched my heart. Ahtyana Johnson is a senior at Cardozo High School. She's a highly-recruited sprinting star who was recently diagnosed with an often-fatal, rare blood disorder. She's currently in need of a bone marrow donor.

From the NYDailyNews.com article "If you are healthy, young and have a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant, the odds in your favor are in the 97-plus percent range," said Sandra Walter of the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation. [photo courtesy: NYDailyNews.com]

Fundraiser for MN Trail Running leaders

2010-11-24T16:15:00.011-06:00

If you're in Minnesota this weekend, please consider attending the Larry & Colleen Pederson Benefit Run on Saturday (November 27, 2010). Runners will gather at Afton State Park for a run, potluck and silent auction. The event is open to all and will begin at 7:00 a.m. at the park’s visitor center.

The following is directly from the event website:

"The Pederson Benefit Run was created to support our friends Colleen & Larry Pederson, who sustained a tremendous amount of damage to their home during the recent flood in Zumbro Falls, Minnesota. After the flood, many people who were able to do so, volunteered to help Colleen & Larry with cleaning up the mess & the damage left behind after the water receded. The work has seemed endless, with many hours spent cleaning, tearing down walls, ceilings, pulling out the floor and the fireplace, before rebuilding could begin. Still many, especially those who were not able to be there in person, have asked what more can we do? As trail runners we thought let’s do what we do best…Run! And the idea for the benefit run was born.

"Over the years Larry and Colleen have become familiar faces in the Trail Running Community, dedicating countless hours of their time so that runners may enjoy the sport they love so much. Each year some of the fun that we get to experience on the trails because of them are The Fall Superior Races, Zumbro 100 & In Yan Teopa. Larry also founded the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Association, visit the website for further information about UMTR and the races they direct."

Gabriele Anderson joins WomenTalkSports (plus Twitter & Facebook)

2010-11-22T17:35:00.002-06:00

Last week the WomenTalkSports blog network added Gabriele Anderson to their Professional Athlete Directory. For those of you who don't know, Anderson runs for the elite, post-collegiate Team USA Minnesota. She was also a standout during her tenure as a University of Minnesota Golden Gopher distance runner.

Anderson had a busy week last week, as she also set up this Facebook page and joined Twitter with the very apt username: GabeRunsHappy. I've never met Anderson, but from everything I've ever heard and/or read about her, "GabeRunsHappy" seems to describe her perfectly.

She's an outstanding athlete, as evidenced by a second-place finish in the 1,500m at last spring's NCAA outdoor track meet and a 7th-place finish in the same event at the USA Outdoor Championships meet. She also is a two-time cancer survivor. You can read (and hear) about her accomplishments through the following links.

–Gabe's U of M bio

–Anderson's Team USA MN bio

–May 27, 2010 Minneapolis Star Tribune article about her racing highlights [and cancer battle] to date

–June 23, 2010 article on Runner's World Racing News page

–September 27, 2010 article on the Universal Sports website.

–Sunday, October 31, 2010, Anderson was featured on the Women Talk Sports Weekly Radio Show.

I'm looking forward to reading more and more about Gabe and her running endeavors in the coming years. [photos courtesy of the University of Minnesota.]

About WomenTalkSports: "With the goal of promoting and empowering female athleticism, WomenTalkSports.com is an online network that connects the best blogs relating to women's sports. The site aims to raise the level of awareness of women in sport by providing comprehensive sport coverage, spotlighting outstanding achievements, and working with sporting associations on advocacy issues and empowering programs."

September Events in the MN Running Community

2010-09-06T22:20:00.000-05:00

There are a number of special events–besides road, trail and cross country races–going on this September in the Minnesota running community.

On Sunday, September 12, Kevin Brochman and Cary Kangas are hosting a speedgolf tournament to benefit the Cynthia Schroeder Brochman Memorial Scholarship fund at Saint Olaf College. Brochman was an active member of the Minnesota running, snowshoe racing and cross country skiing communities. She also enjoyed golf and volleyball. The Bob-n-Broc' Speedgolf Tournament is an especially appropriate honor because it combines two of the activities Brochman was passionate about: running and golf.

Later in the evening (6:30 p.m.) on Sunday, September 12, USATF-MN will host its annual meeting at Broadway Pizza in Minneapolis. All USATF Minnesota members 18 years of age or older are encouraged to attend and participate. The Annual Meeting will feature the election of officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) for the upcoming year. There will be a free pizza buffet for all USATF Minnesota members in attendance.

On Saturday, September 25 there will be a fundraiser for Colin Farbotko. He is a Minnesota triathlete, runner, skier and web designer. Farbotko, a former board member for MDRA, is battling ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.) "A benefit thingy for Colin & Marney" is a fundraiser to help remodel the home of Farbotko and his wife, Marney, to make it wheelchair accessible. The event will be a walk starting at the Lake Harriet bandshell with a BBQ to follow. Additional donations are encouraged.

Speedgolf tournament to benefit Cindy Brochman scholarship

2010-08-06T16:20:00.007-05:00

Cindy Brochman will be honored Sunday, September 12, 2010 at the 13th annual Bob-n-Broc' Speedgolf Tournament. Brochman, a former speedgolf champion, passed away in December 2009 after a year-long battle with stomach cancer.[Photo: Cindy flies down the 18th fairway at the 2005 Minnesota speedgolf tournament. Photo courtesy: Cary Kangas.]

This year's Bob-n-Broc' will take place at Rich Valley Golf Course in Rosemount, Minn. Immediately following the speedgolf tournament, there will be a 9-hole, shotgun-start, (slow) golf tournament. The tournament proceeds with benefit the Cynthia Schroeder Brochman Memorial scholarship at Saint Olaf College.

Kevin Brochman (kjbskier@msn.com or 651-231-0779) is looking for participants for both tournaments as well as volunteers to help facilitate the event. Please contact him if you would like to participate. Bob-n-Broc' founder Cary Kangas says, "The whole event is a blast. You've got to see it to believe it!"

In December 2009, shortly after Brochman's death, her family established a scholarship in her honor at her alma mater, Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. The endowment for Brochman is now at $13,730–just over half-way to the goal of $25,000. [Photo: Cindy at the 2005 Chicago speedgolf tournament. Photo courtesy: Cary Kangas.]

Additional donations to the scholarship fund will be accepted at the tournament. Donations may also be made online at the Saint Olaf College website. Be sure to check "Other" under "Designation" and write "Cynthia Schroeder Brochman Memorial Scholarship" under "Comments and Special Instructions."

Cindy golfing in Hawaii, April 2009.
[Photo courtesy: Kevin Brochman.]

It will surprise absolutely no one who knew Brochman to learn she was very successful at speedgolf immediately upon taking up the sport. Here are some of her results over the years, as shared by Cary Kangas.

Year	Tournament	Bracket	Place
2005	Hit & Run*	Under 44	1st
2005	Chicago#	Women	1st
2006	Hit & Run*	Under 42	2nd
2006	Chicago#	Women	1st
2007	Hit & Run*	Under 45	2nd
2008	Hit & Run*	30-45	2nd

*Bob & Broc'
#Chicago Speedgolf Classic

History of the Bob-n-Broc'

The Bob-n-Broc' was formerly called The Hit & Run. It was renamed this year in memory of two pioneers of speedgolf in Minnesota, Bob Feldman and Cindy Brochman. According to tournament founder Cary Kangas, "The Bob-n-Broc' is the country's oldest speedgolf tournament."

Kangas explains the history of the Bob-n-Broc' as follows:

"Bob Feldman was a dear friend of mine. He died a couple years ago from a type of leukemia linked to exposure to agent orange from when he was in Vietnam.

"Bob was a golfing buddy of mine. In 1988, we both took up running and ran races together. In the early 1990's, Bob found an article in Runner's World magazine about miler Steve Scott who had just set a record for the fastest round of golf. We were immediately interested in the idea and gave it a try. I consider Bob the founder of speedgolf in this area.

"After trying speedgolfing on our own a bit, in 1998 I decided to host a tournament to get others to try it. I got about 10-12 friends and co-workers (including Bob) to participate.

"I have continued to hold the tournament every year since then. The average number of participants is in the 10-12 range each year. It is mostly locals, but we have had people from Oregon and Virginia here as well. Roscoe Shaw, our speedgolf friend–and an F.O.C.–from Virginia says, 'Speedgolf is the slowest growing sport in America.'

"A few years ago (2005), I wanted to bolster participation. I routinely run the Trail Mix in Bloomington. So I printed some business cards with information on speedgolf, plus my contact information, and left them on the picnic tables by the Trail Mix finish line that year.

"A week later I got an email from Cindy asking about speedgolf. She and Kevin first participated in 2005 and then every year through 2008." [Photo: Cindy, in a familiar position: accepting awards, at the 2005 Minnesota speedgolf tournament. Photo courtesy: Cary Kangas.]

A few years ago Brochman and Kangas were interviewed by KSTP-TV photojournalist John Gross. The result was this fun report on speedgolf. Kangas recalls of that day, "She almost got a hole in one while he was filming the story."

About Speedgolf

The rules of speedgolf are simple. Participants play a round of golf, but they must run between strokes. Golfers do not have to run fast. At the end of 18 holes, the player's time (in minutes) is added to their golf score to determine their speedgolf score. The player with the lowest combined score wins. [Example: player shoots 93 in 61:40, your score is 154:40.]

A good golfer who runs slow will typically beat a marginal golfer who runs fast.

For more detailed information about the rules of speedgolf check out the web site for Speedgolf International.

5 FREE Clinics for Minnesota Runners

2010-07-27T11:17:00.064-05:00

Anyone who doubts that supporting your local running stores and local event management companies is a good thing, need look no further than this list of upcoming events and clinics at local running stores or put on by local event management companies in the Twin Cities. Shopping local does bring benefits back to the local running community. And the best part? These are all FREE clinics.

First, TONIGHT, July 27, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Marathon Sports
2312 W. 50th St
Minneapolis, MN, 55410
612-920-2606

Dr. Paul Langer, podiatrist with Minnesota Orthopaedic Specialists, and Movement Specialist Chris Leisz, M.D. will be in the store to answer questions and give advice. This event is first come, first served so get there early.

Next up will be a nutrition clinic in Saint Paul this coming Saturday.

Nutrition Clinic
Saturday, July 31, 2010
9:00 AM
Run N Fun - St. Paul
868 Randolph Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-290-2747

University of Minnesota graduates Reed Steele (masters, psychology) and Rebekah Yetzer (nutrition) will talk about nutrition tips for pre-exercise, during races and runs, and post-exercise. They will discuss what types of things to eat before you exercise, during your run so you don’t run out of glycogen, and what fuels you need for optimum recovery.

Clinic attendees will receive 25% off all nutrition products.

Then, next Thursday evening, August 5, 2010 there will be events on both ends of the metro.

Introduction to ChiRunning and ChiWalking
Thursday, August 5, 2010
6:30-7:30 p.m.
The North Face
799 Grand Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105

This workshop will be led by Chris Fuller, president of The Sporting Life and the only certified ChiRunning and ChiWalking instructor in Minnesota.

Good Form Running clinic
Thursday, August 5, 2010
6:00 p.m.
Marathon Sports
2312 W. 50th St
Minneapolis, MN, 55410
612-920-2606

Led by NCAA champion and US Olympian Grant Robison, this clinic will teach the benefits and techniques of Good Form Running.

Event is limited to 15 people in order to ensure a more in-depth, personal experience for the attendees. You need to RSVP for this event: RSVP@marathonrunwalk.com (please put GFR in your subject line.)

Finally, on Saturday, August 14, 2010
Institute for Athletic Medicine Foot Analysis and Shoe Screen
10:30-11:30 a.m.
STARTLINE Running Store
12979 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305
952-593-1116

Registered physical therapists from the Institute for Athletic Medicine's Running Program evaluate your foot structure and current running shoe, making shoe recommendations that work to reduce your injury risk and improve foot comfort. Use their expertise and the STARTLINE staff's knowledge and customer service to pick out your next great running, trail or walking shoe.

Roy Griak named to yet another Athletic Hall of Fame

2010-07-23T19:00:00.002-05:00

The awards and honors keep coming for Roy Griak, the retired long-time head coach of the University of Minnesota Men's Track & Field and Cross Country teams and former Saint Louis Park High School coach. [photo courtesy: gophersports.com/U of MN]

Griak, who has served as an administrative assistant to the men's track & field and cross country teams for the last 13 years, was, in 1994, inducted into the prestigious Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame.

Two years later, Griak joined the impressive ranks of the University of Minnesota "M" Club Hall of Fame. His induction was a bit unusual because he was honored both as a University athlete (letter-winner in cross country and track & field) and decades-long head coach for both sports.

Griak was also inducted into the Minnesota Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1996, part of the first class for this creation of USATF-MN.

That same year, upon his retirement from full-time coaching at the U, the University honored Griak by naming the nation's largest cross country meet after him. The Roy Griak Invitational, boasting no fewer than 10 races in different categories, annually attracts thousands of high school and cross country runners from throughout the U.S.

In 2001, Griak was honored as part of that year's induction class for USTFCCCA [U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.]

In 2005, Griak, honored as a long-time coach, was part of the first induction class of the newly-established Saint Louis Park Athletic Hall of Fame.

More recently, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak declared Saturday, July 19, 2008 "Roy Griak Day in the city of Minneapolis."

It was, coincidentally, two years and 1 day later when Grandma's Marathon announced Griak would be a member of the 2010 class of the DECC [Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center] Hall of Fame through the following news release. [photo courtesy: Kirk Elias.]

A U.S. Olympic ski jumper from Duluth, a long-time collegiate track and cross country coach from Duluth, a legendary high school hockey coach from International Falls and a major league baseball pitcher from Hermantown make up the 2010 Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center Hall of Fame class.

Jim Denney, Roy Griak, the late Larry Ross and Jerry Ujdur will be inducted in a ceremony beginning at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 15 at the Harbor Side Convention Center at the DECC.

Tickets for the induction ceremony and dinner are $25 and can be purchased at the DECC ticket office at 350 Harbor Drive, the Duluth News Tribune at 424 West First Street and Grandma’s Marathon at 351 Canal Park Drive. Tickets can be ordered by mail, send to: Kevin Pates, Duluth News Tribune, 424 West First Street, Duluth, Minn. 55802 or by phone at (218) 727-0947. Tickets will not be available at the door.

Denney, 53, was a two-time U.S. Olympian in 1976 and 1980, finishing as the top American ski jumper both years. He placed eighth in the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., the second-best finish by an American since 1960, and was 21st in 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria. He was U.S. champion in 1976 and 1977.

Griak, 86, grew up in Duluth, and was a middle distance runner at the University of Minnesota. He coached cross country and track at Minnesota for 33 years, leading the Gophers to Big Ten cross country titles in 1964 and 1969, and a Big Ten outdoor track and field title in 1968. He coached 47 cross country and track All-Americans. He retired from coaching 1996 but continues as a University of Minnesota administrative assistant.

Ross, a Duluth native, was an All-American goalie at the University of Minnesota before coaching 31 seasons at International Falls High School. He had a 566-169-21 record and won six state championships, and had an undefeated streak of 59 games. He was inducted into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and died in 1995 at age 73.

Ujdur, 53, pitched at Hermantown High School, the University of Minnesota and in the Major Leagues for Detroit and Cleveland, from 1980 through 1984. In five major-league seasons he was 12-16 with a 4.78 ERA in 261 innings, including a 10-10 mark in 1982 with Detroit with a 3.69 earned-run-average in 178 innings. He was taken in the fourth round of the 1978 baseball draft by Detroit.

I'm sure I'm missing many other honors and awards but will gladly continue to add to this list as I discover more. However, with all the honors, awards and accolades Griak has accumulated throughout his years as an athlete and career as a coach, perhaps no honor will surpass the one he will achieve this coming fall. At the 25th Anniversary of the Roy Griak Invitiational, each of the top 20 finishers in all 10 of the various races, plus all team coaches, will receive a commemorative Roy Griak Bobblehead.

You know you've made it when they create a bobblehead in your likeness!

Note from TJ: This spring I wrote about Griak's appearance on The Mary Hanson show in this TJ's Turf post.

Hennepin-Lake Classic coupon code

2010-07-23T08:00:00.006-05:00

Have you registered for this summer's Hennepin-Lake Classic yet? 2010 marks the 33rd running of this Minneapolis late summer tradition. This year's event is Sunday, August 1.

This is one of my favorite races all year. (And, no, my favorites are not only events put on by The Sporting Life.) I love races with tradition and history in the Twin Cities and, because this race has been contested every year since 1978, it definitely qualifies as historical.

I love the fact that you can choose between a 10K (two laps around Lake Calhoun) or 5K (one lap), of if you're really ambitious, register for the double-header and run both races.

Over the years, I've run all the races at HLC, including the double header (which is even more fun than it might sound.) It really is a can't miss event. Or, at the very least, a "shouldn't miss" event.

Lake Calhoun, in the heart of Minneapolis, is a great location for running and walking events. There's always a fun, festive atmosphere at this race, even years where it's been so hot and sticky you'd think you'd been magically transported to the tropics overnight.

With race day just over one week away, on the off-chance you haven't registered yet, it's not too late. I'm even offering you use of my super-secret coupon code!

You can register here for the Hennepin-Lake Classic brought to you by The Sporting Life. If you use the super-secret coupon code: TJcodeHLC, you'll get $3 off your registration fees.

Duluth to Host 2012 and 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships

2010-05-04T15:54:00.013-05:00

The 2012 and 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships have been awarded to Duluth, Minn., USA Track & Field and Grandma's Marathon-Duluth, Inc., announced today.

"We are excited to have Duluth play host to our USA Half Marathon Championships in 2012 and 2013," said USATF CEO Doug Logan. "We look forward to working with Grandma's Marathon to deliver what promises to be two great events in the city that will highlight the talents of our best runners."

The men's and women's national half-marathon title races will be run in conjunction with the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon on June 16, 2012 and June 22, 2013.

"We could not be more elated to receive the bid for these events. Our proposal was an aggressive one, as our staff and board members believe this is an opportune time to invest the resources necessary to attract these premier running races to northeastern Minnesota," said Scott Keenan, executive director of Grandma's Marathon. "We are excited to showcase the city of Duluth and its unparalleled hospitality to the country's best half-marathon runners."

The bid includes a per year prize purse of $82,000, including first-place awards of $12,000 for the men's and women's champions.

Duluth has a strong history of hosting national championship events, including the 2003 and 2004 USA Women's Half Marathon Championships. The 2003 race was won by Colleen De Reuck in a course record one hour, ten minutes — a mark that remains the fastest women's time on the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon course. The race celebrates its 20th anniversary next month.

The city also hosted the 1987, 1990 and 1994 USA Women' Marathon Championships as part of Grandma's Marathon, currently the country's 13th largest marathon.

Mary Hanson interviews Roy Griak

2010-03-29T13:24:00.001-05:00

In many ways, it seems inevitable that Mary Hanson would one day interview Roy Griak.

As host of The Mary Hanson Show, the longest-running program on cable in the United States (it's been on the air regularly since 1980), Hanson has tackled health and social issues for three decades. [photo courtesy The Mary Hanson Show.]

And as a long-time Minnesota track & field and cross country coach, fan and participant, Griak is the very definition of longevity. [photo courtesy gophersports.com/U of MN.]

It's no exaggeration to say Roy Griak and Mary Hanson are two of my favorite people. I first met Roy in 1986 when I was a freshman on the U of M women's track & field team. I loved how all the members of the women's track & field and cross country teams called this lovely man 'coach' as a wonderful term of endearment.

Mary Hanson and I became acquainted a few years later in the early 1990s when her daughter, Jennifer, was a member of the U of M women's track & field and cross country teams. By then I was volunteering at meets and met Mary, Jennifer and Mary's husband at the time, Ron Daws.

My personal and professional lives would intersect with both Hanson and Griak for years to come.

Because I was just finishing up a broadcast journalism degree from the U of M's Journalism School at the time, Hanson allowed me to tag along while she hosted a closed-circuit show for sick children at a local hospital.

Around the same time, Roy was generous enough to invite me to be his co-race director for a new event coming to town. It was a little event known as Race for the Cure. He and I worked together on that event–one of the biggest walk/run events in Minnesota–for 9+ years.

Griak has the perfect temperment and personality to work with the group of strong, determined women who brought this wonderful event to the Twin Cities in 1993. He remains the race director to this day. Jan Guenther, owner of Gear West, is now his very capable co-director.

And tonight those world's intersect again when Roy appears on The Mary Hanson Show.

"An interview I recently did with Roy Griak is going to be broadcast Monday night, March 29, at 9:00 p.m. on MCN, the Metro Cable Network, channel 6," says Hanson. "This channel reaches the entire seven county area."

The interview will be seen on cable multiple times and then on public television for the Twin Cities Public Television Minnesota Leaders with Mary Hanson series in a few months.

I will post information about additional cable broadcasts and the TPT showing when the dates are set.

Onward Cindy!

2010-02-04T12:03:00.033-06:00

When people are asked to describe Cindy Brochman there are invariably a number of responses: a laugh, a quizzical ‘Hmm…. how do you describe Cindy?’ Then, inevitably, people will begin to share their memories of Brochman.

Often the stories are about the experience of knowing Brochman – laughing with her at a road race start line or seeing her cheering somewhere along the course – rather than stories of Brochman’s many athletic achievements. Although there are many such success stories, people who knew Brochman know she was as much about the experience of being an athlete as she was a competitor.

Brochman, 44, of Maplewood, Minn., died December 27, 2009 after a year-long battle with cancer. She wrote on a CaringBridge website throughout her last year, sharing her struggles and determination but almost always ending with some sort of edict for readers to get out there and enjoy the day. Because that’s what she did, even throughout most of the past year.

Brochman was a lifelong athlete, pursuing with gusto each of the many sports she participated in. To hear her brother, Tim Schroeder, tell it, she was genetically predisposed to do so.

“It’s just her tenacity, I guess. I don’t know where that came from. All of my family members have it. We all believed, ‘Why bother doing something half-assed?’ laughs Schroeder. “If you’re going to do it, do it well. Don’t just play at it, do it seriously and be the best at it. It doesn’t surprise me that Cindy was like that. It doesn’t surprise me at all that she improved her entire [athletic] career.”

As the only daughter in a family with three younger brothers, Brochman spent her younger years trying to stay one step ahead of the boys, both athletically and academically. As Schroeder recalled recently, “As siblings we would always push each other around. It’s life. But my father finally said to her one day, ‘You’d better be careful, they’re going to be bigger than you.’ And we were, eventually.”

But even then Brochman did manage to stay competitive with her brothers, leading the way by excelling at school through her 1987 graduation from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. and athletically throughout her entire life.

In retrospect, it’s hard to believe that Brochman only competed for two track seasons (1986 and 1987) and one cross country season (1986) at St. Olaf. She transferred to St. Olaf from UW-Platteville after her sophomore year. Her one and only collegiate cross country season, her senior year, was the year the St. Olaf women’s team took fifth place at the NCAA Division III championships. That one cross country season was enough to cement Cindy’s love affair with the sport and solidified a lifetime commitment to the program and to its long-time coach, Chris Daymont.

“I’ve coached way more talented kids than [Brochman]. But to this day I’ve never coached anyone as gutsy or quirky,” recalls Daymont. “She would do anything. She was so honest and so up front and so in your face. Honestly I loved it. If she had something to say, she said it. She was a difference maker.

“We did things that were amazing that year. [And Brochman] was the intangible glue that could put things together,” says Daymont. “She worked hard. What made her special was that she was always so in the moment; ready to take on any challenge.”

That team spirit led her to post-collegiate teams. She was a long-time member of the Run n Fun women’s racing team (a USATF-MN team sponsored by a locally-owned running store), a 12-year member of Baba Yaga, an all-women’s team competing (and winning or finishing second) at the grueling Hood to Coast relay race in Oregon, and a member of two USSSA (United States Snowshoe Association) national teams (2005 and 2006).

“Cindy was as much about wanting others to enjoy the team camaraderie as she was about individual accomplishments,” says Schroeder. “Not to say she wasn’t competitive – our whole family is. But she definitely wanted to make sure others were having fun. It was not just about her and her accomplishments.”

Brochman worked hard, played harder, and in her free-time she volunteered for the sports she loved. She served on the USATF-MN Board of Directors as Women’s Longest Distance Running chair for two years. She was USSSA’s Membership Chairperson for three years and had previously served for two years as its International Snowshoe Liaison.

Perhaps one of her biggest contributions was when she bid for, won and directed the 2007 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships in Minnesota. For that feat, as well as her own accomplishments as a racer, she was named the first-ever "Snowshoe Magazine Person of the Year" in 2007. Immediately following her death, the award was renamed “Snowshoe Magazine’s Cindy Brochman Memorial Person of the Year Award.”

“It would only be fitting to rename this award in Cindy’s honor because she not only meant a lot to Snowshoe Magazine but she meant a lot to the snowshoe racing community worldwide,” says Snowshoe Magazine Publisher Ryan Alford. “The snowshoe racing community owes a lot to Cindy for how much she’s given back. She’s certainly made her mark. She will be remembered well.”

And there have already been other remembrances for Brochman. This past fall Daymont unveiled the “Cindy Schroeder Brochman Alumni Cross Country Award” at the annual alumni meet. She says she began planning to name an award for Brochman five years ago, long before she was sick. Cindy was presented the first plaque at the meet. “I can guarantee you I will never forget that day,” says Daymont. “It was an amazing day in the history of St. Olaf cross country.”

Although Brochman’s time as part of the team at St. Olaf was relatively short, Daymont says her legacy has been great. Brochman has attended every alumni cross country meet since 1987. “Nobody else has done this. Nobody else came back every year,” says Daymont. “I’ve never seen her do anything halfway.” This past fall’s event was the one and only time she was unable to run the event, but she was still there to cheer the others on.

“She shows current St. Olaf students what they can be doing 22 years later – how well you can still be running – how this is a life-long sport,” says Daymont. “She also shows that once you’re part of this team, you’re part of it forever.” Daymont says Brochman is the embodiment of the depth, rich history and tradition of the St. Olaf cross country program and that is why she named an award for her.

Perhaps as a nod to how important Brochman’s two short years at St. Olaf were, Brochman’s parents, Bernie & Mary Anne Schroeder, are setting up a scholarship in Brochman’s name at the school.

The enormity of these gestures caught Brochman’s brother off-guard. “I’m kind of overwhelmed as her brother. I was unaware that she had that kind of impact,” says Schroeder. “It’s just now that I’m seeing these things. I would be surprised if she was aware of the impact she had.

“To her it was just a lifestyle. Just her lifestyle. It was not a question for her; it was a way of life,” continues Schroeder. “She never recognized the totality of what she was doing. I believe the totality of her athletic career was unique. She did a lot of stuff and was good at all of it.”

Fellow snowshoe racer and Minnesotan Brad Canham knew Brochman through racing but also because of work they did together for USSSA. Shortly after her death Canham wrote the following on a social networking website. It sums up Brochman well.

“Cindy was a tremendous competitor and a gracious and giving person. ... ‘Rest’ in peace may not be the right sentiment for an endurance athlete like Cindy, but perhaps a simple ‘Onward!’ is. So Onward Cindy, we'll miss you.”

Photo credits:
1. Cindy at Hood to Coast. Photo courtesy: Robin Balder-Lanoue & Team Baba Yaga
2. Cindy at 1987 Conference Track Meet; 5,000 meter. Photo courtesy: Chris Daymont
3. 1987 Saint Olaf women's track senior class. Photo courtesy: Chris Daymont
4. Cindy at 2008 Earth Day Half Marathon. Photo courtesy: Craig Yotter
5. Photo courtesy: Brochman family
6. Cindy at Rocky's Run 5K, 2004. Photo courtesy: Chris Fuller, The Sporting Life
7. Photo courtesy: Robin Balder-Lanoue & Team Baba Yaga

A small representation of Brochman’s many accomplishments and contributions:

–Member of an NCAA Division III-ranked volleyball team during her freshman year at UW-Platteville (1983).
–Consistently a top three runner for the fifth place NCAA Division III Cross Country Champion Saint Olaf women’s team in 1986
–Outdoor Track All Conference (1987) in 1500 and 5000 meter
–USSSA National Team in 2005 and 2006.
–Competed in Italy’s La Ciaspolada, the world’s largest competitive snowshoe race, in 2004 (16th), 2006 (18th), 2007 (14th) and 2008 (12th) making her the only U.S. snowshoe racer ever to compete four times. Her 2007 and 2008 races put her on the prestigious awards podium.
–Twelve-year member of Baba Yaga, an all-women’s team competing in the grueling Hood to Coast relay race in Oregon. Finished first: 1999, 2001-2007. Finished second: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2008.

Melpomene to merge with Pillsbury United Communities

2010-02-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday marked the 24th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This event has been a true showcase and celebration of how far female athletes of all ages have come in the past 2.5 decades.

But there was quieter news in Minnesota last week regarding women and girls in sport. In a newsletter dated January 29, 2010, Melpomene announced a partnership with Pillsbury United Communites.

I've been unable to locate the news directly on Melpomene's website, nor have I found mention of it yet on Pillsbury United Community's website. Therefore, without a hotlink to post, I offer the following, pulled directly from the electronic newsletter I received from Melpomene last Friday.

The Board of Directors of Melpomene has made a decision to perpetuate our mission through merger with a far larger organization, Pillsbury United Communities. The official announcement will come on February 1.

The merger gives Melpomene the chance to apply its 27 years of research in women's health for the benefit of thousands of underserved women. Our new name will be "Melpomene, a program of Pillsbury United Communities".

Melpomene's legacy will be preserved by donating issues of the Melpomene Journal, books, and other publications to nationally respected libraries. Sets of the Melpomene Journal, published from 1982 - 2002, have already been acquired by the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard and by St. Catherine University School of Health.

Founded in 1906 by the Pillsbury family, Pillsbury United Communities is a descendent of the Settlement House Movement. Today, Pillsbury United Communities (PUC) reaches more than 35,000 people each year through multiple locations in the inner city neighborhoods of Minneapolis. With an annual budget of over $8 million, PUC offers programs in housing, employment readiness, early childhood development, immigrant services, and wellness. Please visit the website at www.puc-mn.org

We will thrive as a program of Pillsbury United Communities. Our emerging community model to build basic health habits with underserved women will grow in our new environment. Student interns studying in health fields will remain the backbone of the program. PUC has such a wide range that several of our projects will continue in the same location.

This is a very important and very positive change for Melpomene. We hope you will join us in celebrating the future!

Cynthia Brochman memorial details

2009-12-29T14:59:00.006-06:00

Kevin Brochman has posted details about Cindy's memorial service on her caringbridge site.

It will be at Eagle Brook Church in White Bear Lake, on Sunday, January 10, 2010. The visitation will be from 2-3:00 p.m. with the service to follow at 3:00 p.m.

Eagle Brook Church is located at 2401 E. Buffalo Street, just off Hwy 61.

Cindy was diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer just over one year ago. She died on Sunday, December 27, 2009, the sixth wedding anniversary of Cindy and Kevin.

NYT's "The Roving Runner" x5

2009-10-20T18:11:00.009-05:00

I'm a little behind on re-posting "The Roving Runner" column by The New York Times writer Brian Fidelman.

So here are the most recent links.

In his September 11, 2009 column, Fidelman is sidelined by a pinched nerve in his neck which manifested itself as the result of a sneeze. He asks readers not to laugh when he reveals his injury but I wasn't laughing. As a life-long allergy sufferer I can relate to sneezing so mightily that you injure yourself. For me it usually affects my lower back.

By September 18, 2009, he's able to run again and files his first non-NYC-based report for The Running Rover. He travels to Chicago, for the first time ever, and writes about his runs along Lake Michigan.

On September 25, 2009, he's back in NYC and explores Staten Island.

This next one is great and very timely. One October 5, 2009, Fidelman invites Christopher McDougall, author of the best-selling book "Born to Run," to join him on a run. Fidelman somewhat reluctantly agrees to try barefoot running on this run. You'll laugh when you read about the 'special equipment' McDougall uses to watch out for things like rocks and broken glass.

And finally, in his latest column on October 16, 2009, Fidelman explores Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

Marathon legends to speak in NYC Oct. 29

2009-10-19T15:30:00.004-05:00

A women's marathon dream team will be assembling in New York City later this month.

Marathon greats Grete Waitz, Joan Benoit-Samuelson & Deena Kastor will be the featured speakers at a "Legends of the Marathon" discussion moderated by NYT's columnist and runner Tara Parker-Pope. (The event is at TheTimesCenter in NYC. Tickets are $30.)

What an amazing opportunity for Parker-Pope, who is training to run her first marathon later this year.

Here is the announcement from The New York Times and here is a link to the TimesTalks web page. (Note they mention Waitz, Benoit-Samuelson, Parker-Pope and "special guests." They must not have had Kastor confirmed when they added this to their TimesTalks web site.)

If only I could travel to NYC for this amazing event!

Are you an F.O.C.?

2009-09-03T17:22:00.017-05:00

Last month, I was interviewing local Minnesota running community standout Staci Bennett about her Run n Fun racing team teammate, Cindy Brochman, who is battling stomach cancer.

It was for an article called Rock for Broc, the latest installment of my 'Minnesota Running' column in Silent Sports magazine's September issue.

[FYI: 'Rock for Broc' is a phrase rumored to have been coined by Perry Bach of Run n Fun, that has taken on a life of its own for Cindy's fight.]

Bennett and I were discussing the Minnesota running community's reaction to Brochman's diagnosis. Neither of us were surprised at the vast outpouring of support people have shown Brochman since her diagnosis. We attributed it to at least two (of many possible) things: her longevity as a member of this running community and also the fact that everyone who meets Cindy quickly begins to feel they know her. (She loves to tell stories about her life!)

Bennett mentioned that some members of the running community had dubbed these people 'F.O.C.s.'

Excuse me? F.O.C.s? What, may I ask, is an F.O.C.?

Of course an F.O.C. is a ... Friend Of Cindy.

F.O.C.
Run n Fun teammates Mercy Ray (left), Brochman & Kristi Larson (right) at Challenge Cancer 5K on June 6, 2009 - Brochman's 44th birthday. [Photo courtesy Gary Westlund, Charities Challenge.]

"We'd be on runs and Cindy would always be telling stories about a friend of hers. Or if someone else was telling a story, Cindy would know the person being mentioned and would note they were a friend of hers," laughed Bennett. "She just knows everybody. We joked about all the people that are 'Friends of Cindy.' 'F.O.C.' was shorter."

I was lucky enough to get the chance to talk to a number of F.O.C.s for the Rock for Broc article in Silent Sports. Everyone has stories to tell about Cindy. Hope you enjoy reading the ones in this article!

Rock for Broc
A Run n Fun team member debuting the 2009 team uniform with the "Rock for Broc" tagline as she climbs up to the Ford Parkway bridge in Saint Paul during the Get in Gear 10K in April 2009. [Photo courtesy Chris Fuller, The Sporting Life.]

Barefoot running?

2009-08-31T10:08:00.003-05:00

The only times I've run barefoot (since childhood) have been a couple of sessions of strides on grass after hard workouts (in shoes).

But I've definitely seen people running, even road races (ouch!), sans footwear.

This article in The New York Times explores the increasingly heated debate between shoe manufacturers, physicians and barefoot or minimalist enthusiasts.

Chris has jumped on the minimalist bandwagon, purchasing Vibram FiveFingers and Nike Free shoes, at least as additions to his extensive running shoe collection. [see photo, courtesy of Chris Fuller of The Sporting Life, at left.]

Me? I tend to over cushion my runs, but I'm slowly learning I can step down to less cushion with no adverse reaction to my workouts, recoveries or lower limbs. However, I don't think I'd ever go all the way to bare feet for running on roads.

What do you think?

75 Marathons in 75 Days

2009-08-28T18:04:00.011-05:00

In 1996, Terry Hitchcock ran from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. to Atlanta, Ga. to raise awareness about the struggles of single parents.

Before he started his journey, he had never run a day in his life.

That journey is now chronicled in a book, "A Father's Odyssey" and a documentary, "My Run."

This article: "Good in the long run" in the Minneapolis Star Tribune gives more information about Hitchcock, his life and his struggles.

Hitchcock's story is a fascinating one. I'm looking forward to reading the book and seeing the documentary.

You can become a fan of the documentary on facebook and/or follow updates on twitter.

Minnesota readers, note there is a book signing in Uptown Minneapolis at locally-owned, independent book retailer Magers & Quinn on Wednesday, September 2.

I'll be there, will you?

More of NYT's "Roving Runner"

2009-08-28T17:24:00.004-05:00

Who wants to go to NYC with me to recreate the Roving Runner's running tours?

This first column is fun for me because writer Brian Fidelman's introduction reminds me of the stories my dad would tell me, when I was young, of how he would ride the bus to County Stadium (Milwaukee, WI) when he was young to watch the Milwaukee Braves.

The Roving Runner: Baseball Nostalgia in the Bronx
I like this second one because it illustrates what I have heard from many people who have lived in NYC. No matter how long you've lived there, there are always many places you've never been. It seems running may be a great way to explore New York City.

The Roving Runner: Roosevelt Island

And this one on running around the U.S. Open (tennis)complex. Fun!

The Roving Runner: A Tennis Tour on Foot

Kristin Armstrong on body image

2009-08-28T16:29:00.002-05:00

This is a great article from Runner's World, written by Kristin Armstrong, about young girls, body image and self-esteem.

Read the article here: Runner's World "Mile Markers" column.

This is such an important subject and it was interesting to read the fun activities she led the girls through.

Armstrong was right on point when she contacted Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run for help planning this talk because building self-esteem and self-respect is the mission of Barker's organization.

Fastest 8 year old in Minnesota?

2009-08-28T16:28:00.002-05:00

I love this story about J'ianna Cager, an eight-year-old girl from North Saint Paul, who is tearing up the track at local and Junior Olympics meets.

twincities.com/Pioneer Press

Interesting that people are so shocked that a girl from MN can run so fast! Huh?

And the best part is she's doing it because she loves to run (and win!) not because anyone is pushing her.

She'll be fun to watch in the coming years!

RIP Diane Goulett

2009-08-12T22:58:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry to say I didn't even know Diane Goulett was not well until I read this obituary.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

I remember her from some of the earliest Race for the Cure (Twin Cities) races. When I did a quick search of race results for her, I saw that she ran that race in 2003.

The obituary says she stopped running in 2003. RFTC could have been one of her final races.

RIP Diane.

Heather Van Norman takes asst. coaching job with Tennessee

2009-08-08T15:08:00.005-05:00

Former Windom, MN high school sprinting standout Heather Van Norman, who won the Class A 100, 200 and 400m every year from 1985 through 1988, is moving her family to Tennessee. [photo courtesy of University of Tennessee.]

Van Norman, an LSU graduate who was a six-time All-American, ran for the Minnesota Gophers her freshman year before transferring to LSU.

She just announced she will be leaving her position as head men's and women's track and cross country coach at Tulane in New Orleans to become the assistant coach for women's sprints and hurdles at the University of Tennessee. (Read the announcement at nola.com.)

Van Norman was the first staff hire for J.J. Clark, Tennessee's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.

Van Norman had been at Tulane since 2002. Previously she had coached at Georgia Tech and Rice University in Houston.

Track & Field World Championships Preview (plus TV schedule)

2009-08-05T22:18:00.002-05:00

USATF released the following preview of the U.S. Team for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin August 15-23, 2009.

The release includes a detailed team roster. Minnesota will be represented by Matt Gabrielson (men's marathon) and Katie McGregor (women's 10,000m), both of Team USA Minnesota; as well as former University of Minnesota standout and 2008 Olympian Shani Marks (women's triple jump).

The TV broadcast schedule is included. Remember the times listed are Eastern time.

MDRA Cross Country Relays begin tonight with notable absences

2009-08-05T16:56:00.007-05:00

When race director John Cramer's starter's gun goes off tonight signifying the start of the 36th season of the MDRA Cross Country Relays at Como Park in Saint Paul, there will be two runners notably absent.

As many of you know, Cindy Brochman is currently in Arizona at An Oasis of Healing seeking treatment for her stomach cancer, diagnosed in December 2008. Brochman has been a staple at the Relays for years and will be missed this year. But members of the running community will be thinking of her and will continue to send her their best positive thoughts for healing!

Also missing will be age-group leader Marien Bradsher who recently moved to North Carolina, where she's from orginally. Marien was at the Relays every year since moving here - running or volunteering - or usually both!

I recently interviewed Marien for A Few Words With... Marien Bradsher on the website of The Sporting Life. [Note the TSL editor's use of a winter running photo to remind Marien what she'll be missing!]

The MDRA Cross Country Relays run every Wednesday night throughout August. There is a youth run at 6:30 p.m. and the open race starts at 6:45 p.m. Two-person relays - bring a partner or find one there. Progressive increase in distances over four weeks. No pre-registration is necessary.

"The Roving Runner" from The NYT

2009-08-01T22:53:00.004-05:00

I promised I would be watching for this feature and I have!

Below are links to the second and third installments of Brian Fidelman's feature "The Roving Runner" from The New York Times.

His descriptions are great. They make me want to travel to NYC and explore the places he's described. Anyone up for a little running trip?

The Roving Runner: Red Hook

The Roving Runner: A Trip to the Cloisters

Goucher has big plans for her marathon career

2009-08-01T22:43:00.005-05:00

Not surprisingly, former Duluth high school running standout Kara Goucher has big hopes and dreams for where she wants her early marathon success to lead her.

One hint: she'd like to claim the American record in the half marathon (1:07:34 set by Deena Kastor in 2006.)

She talked about some of those goals with a reporter from the Chicago Tribune before competing in the inaugural Rock & Roll Chicago Half Marathon on Sunday (August 2.)

What to do with all those old shoes?

2009-07-30T23:50:00.007-05:00

Funny timing on this one.

I spent last weekend going through a couple of items I had had in storage for awhile. One bag (my high school-branded duffel bag, by the way) contained some interesting items: old running shoes.

To be more specific, it contained my high school spikes and waffle racing flats and my college training flats and spikes.

You should cue Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" here while I explain how much the high school spikes mean to me. I had a lot of great victories in those shoes including state championship races. So I imagine I will keep them forever.

The college shoes are a different story. I was injured throughout my college 'career' and don't hold many fond running-related memories (although I had a blast helping officiate at U of MN meets!)

Perhaps more indicative of my college athletic days were the other items in that bag: the molds made from my feet when the team had orthotics made for me, along with a couple of different types of orthotics. Why the doctor gave me the molds escapes me. Why I kept them is perhaps the greater mystery.

So why do I keep these things? I don't know. But it seems as though I'm not the only one. In fact, I might be unusual in that I've only kept a few pairs of shoes.

Read this article from today's edition of The New York Times to hear about another runner's shoe collection. (It's a short written introduction and then audio - click on "Nicole Hunt, 39.")

I promise I'll post photos of my shoe collection ASAP. How many old pairs of shoes have you kept strictly for nostalgia purposes?

Northland Runner website

2009-07-30T23:42:00.003-05:00

I just received a link to the Northland Runner website. Although it's been up since 2005, I had never heard of it before. (Thanks to Chris Fuller at The Sporting Life for letting me know about it.)

The site's developers are compiling information about running and racing in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

There are some interesting blogs, detailed race information, results, photos and even a Runner of the Month feature.

It's definitely worth clicking on the link and checking out the website.

Healing injured tendons with your own blood or plasma?

2009-07-30T23:14:00.005-05:00

Gina Kolata, a columnist for The New York Times, was torn (pun intended) between her dual roles as medical reporter and avid runner when she injured her hamstring on a run last March.

The medical reporter had doubts about a controversial new treatment for injured tendons in which doctors inject either your own blood, or a concentrated version of your own blood called protein-rich plasma (PRP), into your injured tendon to speed healing. (She had read about professional athletes' use of PRP in this article in The New York Times last February.)

However, when push came to shove, the runner in her won out and, earlier this month, she had blood from her arm injected into her hamstring. Read about her experience and her recovery thus far in her NYT column, Personal Best.

Women will appreciate the fact that Kolata describes the procedure as feeling "like menstrual cramps, but in a different place."

Hey, whatever works to get you back out the door running, right?

Coolest running-related statue ever

2009-07-24T17:51:00.003-05:00

This past March I took a 'spring training' and work-related trip to Savannah, GA, one of my favorite travel destinations.

In my 10 days there I had a couple of great long runs along the ocean at Tybee Island, ran a fun 5K in historic downtown Savannah (March of Dimes Shamrock Run) and I also tracked down a small lake (Lake Mayer) right in Savannah with a great pedestrian path all around it.

The evening after my race, I drove to Lake Mayer, ran four loops around the lake and was doing a short walking cool down when I first noticed a sign along the path. (Yes, I had run past it on each of my laps and no, I hadn't noticed it before. This keen attention to detail also might explain why I never pursued a career as a roving reporter.)

The sign said "Julie Backus Smith Trail." I made a mental note to try to find out who Julie is/was when I returned to my hotel room and my trusty laptop.

But it was just then I saw the other thing I had missed every lap around the lake.

The coolest running-related statue I have ever seen.

It was a sculpture of Julie, who, as I later ascertained, had died in December 2003. She is described as a community activist and marathoner.

Apparently Lake Mayer was one of her favorite training grounds.

What really struck me about this bronze statue is how life-like it is. The details in things like facial expression, muscles and clothing are just amazing. Plus it was placed on a ramp and it is meant to be approached from both sides by children and adults, according to the this article at SavannahNow.com.

My mind immediately raced to how we should have this type of memorial in Minnesota. There's a long list of possible honorees, but my first thought was, Ron Daws. How cool would it be to have a great statue of the late 1968 Olympic Marathoner along a popular running path in Minnesota?

New 10K this Saturday in Wabasha

2009-07-23T00:29:00.005-05:00

The Riverboat Days festival in Wabasha (Saturday, July 25, 2009) has added a 10K race to their schedule. The schedule already included a 5K run and a 5K fitness walk.

Part of the race course takes participants along the Mississippi River. Race day registration starts at 6:45 a.m.

For more information about Riverboat Days click on the calendar link on the home page of the Wabasha Chamber of Commerce website.

Nine Team USA MN athletes competing this weekend

2009-07-22T17:10:00.007-05:00

Team USA MN athletes will be competing at various events from here to London this weekend. Details on who will run where are available in this news release from Team USA Minnesota.

Two Gopher track & field athletes to be inducted into "M" Club Hall of Fame

2009-07-21T13:49:00.006-05:00

This September two former Golden Gopher track & field standouts will be among a class of eight athletes inducted into the University of Minnesota Athletics Department "M" Club Hall of Fame. The following was excerpted from the U of M news release:

Lori (Townsend) Monaghan–Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
A four-time track NCAA All-American, Lori (Townsend) Monaghan remains one of the best distance runners in Golden Gopher history.

Monaghan captured national acclaim three times in the 5,000 meters, twice at the NCAA Indoor Championships (1994, 1996) and once at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (1995). She added one All-America citation in the indoor 3,000 meters in 1995.

Monaghan finished her Gopher career with school records in all three events and still ranks third in each of those events today. She also competed in cross country, where she collected All-NCAA Region accolades four times.

Not only was Monaghan a star runner, she was also a star in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors four times. Finishing her career at Minnesota, Monaghan was named Minnesota Senior Athlete of the Year in 1995-96.

After college she went on to work for a design firm for 13 years. She now lives in New Jersey with her husband, Bruce, and two daughters, Grace & Elizabeth.

Jack DeField–Men’s Track & Field
During the early 1940s no Golden Gopher pole vaulter was more dominant than Jack DeField.

Twice he captured NCAA titles for the pole vault, doing so in 1942 and 1943, making him one of two Gopher trackmen who have won two or more track and field NCAA titles. In fact, he and Bob Finch were the first Gopher track athletes to ever earn All-America honors, doing so in 1942. DeField was a three-time Big Ten outdoor champion in the pole vault and won the Big Ten indoor title in 1942.

With all his success, DeField became Minnesota’s captain in 1942, leading the team to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

After leaving Minnesota, DeField won the pole vault with a mark of 14-0 at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. In 2002, DeField was inducted into the Minnesota USATF Hall of Fame.

Japanese marathon pioneer retires at age 81

2009-07-19T21:50:00.010-05:00

I really love this story from the BBC.

Eighty-one-year-old Keizo Yamada of Japan, after completing three marathons already this year, has decided to retire from competive running.

Besides running the Tokyo marathon this year, he ran Boston for the 19th time. (He won that race in 1953.) Yamada competed in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

But this just might be the best part. Although he's retiring from competition, he's going to continue to jog more than 12 miles per day "for fun to stay in shape."

Did I mention he's 81?

Go Yamada!!

New running blog series in NYT

2009-07-17T22:23:00.003-05:00

First in a new series in The New York Times, "The Roving Runner" blog is an interesting concept. There's nice description in this article; I almost felt as though I was running with the author. I'm looking forward to subsequent offerings.

Rock for Broc II benefit

2009-07-17T12:33:00.018-05:00

Cindy Brochman, a lifelong athlete and member of the Minnesota running (and cross country skiing, triathlon, snowshoe racing & volleyball) community for the past two decades, was diagnosed with stomach cancer 7 months ago. (I took the photo at left of Brochman at last month's Rock for Broc One Mile Fundraising Challenge.)

Brochman's co-workers at Best Buy and Accenture are hosting a fundraiser to help defray some of the cost for her treatment at An Oasis of Healing in Mesa, AZ. This treatment center combines alternative healing with some traditional treatments. Cindy arrived in Mesa on Wednesday, July 15 and plans to be there for six weeks.

The benefit will be Monday, July 27, 2009 from 6-10:00 p.m. at The View restaurant in the Calhoun Beach Club on the northwest side of Lake Calhoun in south Minneapolis.

There will be a $30 charge at the door. Raffle tickets will be available for sale with great prizes including:
– a guitar
– Sony Playstation
– massage gift certificate
– jewelry
– & much more!

Rock for Broc merchandise (pictured above) will be available for purchase:
–T-shirts for $15
–Wrist bands for $5
–Buttons for $3
–Key chains for $5

There will be live music by Eddy and Gnu plus drink and appetizer specials.

The event organizers are still looking for donations of prizes for the raffle drawings. If you can help, or know of someone who can, please contact Kelly Kosin at Best Buy: Kelley.Kosin@bestbuy.com.

To receive the latest updates from Cindy as she continues her fight, sign up to receive updates at her caringbridge site.

Increased protein intake = better training, recovery & energy

2009-07-16T22:48:00.007-05:00

I've had a good week so far.

The New York Times has published two different articles this week supporting theories I've had regarding different aspects of my running and training. I'll have more on the second article in a later post but this one was a first-person account from NYT's food writer Mark Bittman.

He's training for the New York City Marathon and, as he increased his weekly mileage, he started experiencing lower energy during runs and general fatigue after. He consulted with a doctor, started keeping a food log and quickly saw great results by simply adding more protein to his diet.

I wrote about this same positive effect in my own running in a May 2007 TJ's Turf column. Again, just as Bittman says, individual results may vary. Only you can determine where your threshold is but for me, I probably doubled the amount of protein I had been getting and felt much better in very short order.

I'd love to hear your stories about protein and running. Comment here or email me: tjdwyer4@earthlink.net.

Duluth-area couple injured in two different bicycling accidents

2009-07-16T00:36:00.005-05:00

I seem to be out of the loop on news. I just read this story in the Duluth News-Tribune tonight (thanks to a link in the MiniSkinny newsletter) about Proctor residents and endurance athletes Jeanne & Greg Fleck.

I don't believe I've ever met Greg but Jeanne and I ran some races together for the now-defunct Runners' Edge team a few years ago. I had not heard about their bike accidents.

Yes, I said accidents. Sounds like they either have the worst luck or the best luck, depending on whether you're a glass half-empty or half-full kind of person.

I think many could understand Jeanne's first instinct not to want to get on her bike again after her accident. But good for her (and the encouragement of her husband) for getting back out there.

It seems they're both doing well now and, in fact, Jeanne has some big goals for the coming year.

Here's wishing them both the best of luck in their pursuits and, most importantly, smooth biking.

2007 Carleton grad is true cross-country runner

2009-07-15T15:47:00.006-05:00

Quick - what were you doing when you were 24 years old?

If you can't remember, it may be that you weren't doing anything memorable. Or it may be that you were having too much fun and those brain cells are forever gone.

Either way, I'm betting you weren't doing what 2007 Carleton College grad Katie Visco is doing right now.

This young woman is attempting to become the youngest female ever to run across the U.S. (3,200 miles!) Although I just heard about Visco's journey today, she actually started in Boston on March 29 and, by running 18-20 miles per day for 6 days/week, hopes to finish in San Diego in December. Good grief.

Along the way she's trying to raise $32,000 for Girls on the Run, a nationwide program founded by Molly Barker to encourage young women to run and to build self-respect through the sport.

Her journey thus far is captured in today's Chicago Tribune.

Follow Visco's journey on her web site PaveYourLane.com.

MDRA unveils updated website

2009-07-13T10:03:00.011-05:00

The Minnesota Distance Running Association unveiled a newly-updated website last week filled with tons of information about the Minnesota running community.

USATF-MN summer track meets

2009-07-13T09:56:00.011-05:00

USATF-MN has posted the schedule for a series of four track meets to be held throughout the metro this summer. Each meet includes a variety of events (both track and field) and is open to all. Entry forms, dates and locations are available on the USATF-MN website.

Strength in numbers

2009-07-10T15:36:00.004-05:00

I had the privilege of taking part in an amazing event last week, the Rock for Broc One Mile Fundraising Challenge. The event was a series of one-mile races on the track at Macalester College. It was organized by Mercy Ray & Pam Weier, Run n Fun women's racing team teammates of the event's honoroee, Cindy Brochman.

Ray & Weier did an amazing job, start to finish. They recruited an astonishing number of volunteers, secured a timing crew and announcing crew, solicited countless items for raffles and drawings and were genial hosts throughout the evening.

But the most remarkable part of the event last week was not the incredible show of community support through volunteers, donations, participants and spectators (although those were all out of this world.)

The most remarkable thing was Brochman herself.

The event was a fundraiser for local standout athlete Brochman (runner, cross country skier, triathlete, volleyball player, snowshoe racer - I know I always forget something).

Since December 2008 she has been locked in a fierce battle against stomach cancer. While conventional medicine has deemed Brochman 'terminal,' no one, especially not Brochman and her family, are taking that lying down.

She has been seeking guidance in her fight from a number of sources - beyond even the loving support of untold numbers of family, friends and even some strangers! She's very eloquently sharing her journey and all the ups and downs of this awful disease through her caringbridge journal.

In some of her dealings with alternative medicine practitioners she has mentioned that they told her she had a very strong body. Many of us know of people who have overcome incredible odds in life based on three factors: positive attitude, fighting spirit and the fact that they are athletes. (Lance Armstrong anyone?)

I had a couple of different people come up to me (I was the bossy woman down on the track) to ask me to point out Brochman to them. At least two people said, are you sure? She doesn't look sick. Look at her legs!

And yes, she did look amazing. Her legs are the strong legs of a lifelong athlete. She just looked great. But it wasn't until the last participant had crossed the finish line, we had cleaned up our finish chute and many of the people had gone home, that I finally had a chance to talk to Brochman.

She had mentioned a few times in her journal over the months that she wanted and needed hugs. I was eager to comply but had to patiently wait my turn all evening as there were always groups of people around Brochman. Ray & Weier should have sold tickets for hugs. Now that would have been a huge fundraiser!

After we hugged she grabbed onto my wrist while we talked. I was struck by the strength of that simple gesture. She didn't let go and I was just thinking, 'This woman is sick? She feels stronger than I do!'

It's that strength that is going to get her through this awful fight. She'll also continue to be cheered on with the strength of her amazing family, friends and entire support network. We're all sending her positive vibes and healing thoughts.

The strengh at the track last week was palpable. And, thankfully, the biggest part of it was coming from Brochman herself.

Where you at Rock for Broc? Did you feel the strength?

Tri for Life

2009-07-10T13:51:00.004-05:00

There was a bittersweet story in the Minneapolis StarTribune today. Three surviving brothers of a 20-year-old heart donor are going to be competing with three of the children of the 50-year-old heart transplant recipient in tomorrow's Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in Minnesota.

The description of the first meeting between the two families was poignant. The visual of the donor's mother coming up to the recipient, hugging him and then putting her head to his chest to feel and hear her son's heart beating, brought me to tears. Amazing story.

Gopher runner candidate for prestigious national award

2009-07-09T18:47:00.005-05:00

Ladia Albertson-Junkans, a University of Minnesota cross country and track athlete, is the Big Ten Conference’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

According to a University of Minnesota Athletics Department news release, "Each Big Ten institution names a nominee for the award to the Big Ten, which then determines the student-athlete who is the most deserving candidate for the Conference to support as the Award moves to the national level to compete against the nominees from the various divisions of the NCAA."

Read all the details in this gophersports.com release.

Epilepsy, lobectomy = elite world ultra-runner?

2009-07-09T16:49:00.003-05:00

Diane Van Deren's story is nothing short of amazing. In this well-written article in The New York Times, Van Deren tells her story of overcoming epilepsy by having a small part of her brain removed. The epilepsy is gone, but many side effects of the surgery have left her with new challenges she is learning to overcome.

Elite athlete without a coach

2009-07-09T16:11:00.002-05:00

Interesting Q&A from The New York Times about elite marathoner Hendrick Ramaala of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Grandma's Marathon 2010 registration

2009-07-09T15:51:00.003-05:00

Although it feels like the 2009 Grandma's just happened - wait, it did - registration opens for 2010 on July 13. For the first time ever the event is offering an early-bird discount ($10 off if you register by Sept. 7). The race is Saturday, June 19, 2010.

More information is available on the Grandma's Marathon website.

My guess is that this is in response to the fact that Grandma's did not fill this year. We'll see if getting a super-early start on registration helps their 2010 numbers.

Rock for Broc

2009-06-16T21:30:00.015-05:00

I'm very excited about this coming Tuesday evening (June 30). Mercy Ray and some other members of the Minnesota running community are hosting the Rock for Broc Fundraising Challenge. It's a series of one-mile track races (plus some shorter distances for the kids).

I'd love to run a race, but I've decided I'm in better shape to volunteer. It should be great fun for all participants, spectators and volunteers!

Proceeds from the race entries, raffle tickets (with some great prizes!), bracelets and buttons will go towards supporting local runner (and snowshoe racer/cross-country skiier/triathlete/volleyball player...what else am I forgetting?) Cindy Brochman as she battles cancer.

Details about the mile events are available in a printable pdf here: Rock for Broc entry form & schedule. More details about some of the other actvities are here: A Few Words With... Mercy Ray.

Be sure to bring extra money to buy raffle tickets, bracelets and buttons. See you out there!

Sidewalk sprinkling season in Saint Paul

2009-06-04T20:59:00.002-05:00

Ahh.. spring in Minnesota. The lilacs have come and (almost) gone, I wake up to lovely chirping songbirds every morning, there are more puppies and bunnies running around than I can count on a run, and.... it's time to start tripping, dodging and generally avoiding the lawn sprinklers.

I don't mind them quite as much in the heat of July and August. But starting mid-May - when the weather still swings widely between late winter and early summer temps and conditons - I really am in no mood to get doused.

I'll say it again: when you live in a city you don't own the sidewalk in front of your house. Even if you really whine. And there are now really fancy sprinklers that are directional. You don't have to water your entire front lawn at once.

But the absolute worst offenders are the ones who put the sprinkler right smack dab in the middle of the aforementioned sidewalk. It's even better when it's a house on a corner lot and you turn the corner as a poor, unsuspecting pedestrian and run right into not only an unwelcome stream of water but a deliberate impediment to your progression. One of these days I'm going to break an ankle.

Please be aware of the world around you. Be kind when you water your lawns, knowing that people still want and need to use the sidewalk while you're watering.

How did I get this far?

2009-05-22T09:09:00.004-05:00

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would have not only completed 6 half marathons by now but that I would actually look forward to runs over 10 miles, I probably would have told you you were crazy.

A decade ago, I considered 10 miles a really, really long run. The longest race I had run was a 4 mile race, but that was only once. Mostly I considered myself a 5K runner (and that was a stretch in 1992 when I ran my first one, but that's a story for another day.)

However, once I actually started to train for longer distances I was shocked by how quickly my body adapted. (I ran my first half marathon in January 2001. I didn't run my first 10K until that April.)

I knew something had changed in me the day I was on a long run, completed 1 hour of the run and thought, "Great! Only one hour to go!" Whaaaaat?

And again today, as I was updating my status on facebook (again, a sequence of words I didn't think I'd ever type) I wrote two phrases "Looking forward to my long run." "Only 10 miles."

How times change. All for the better.

Weather or not...

2009-05-20T15:28:00.003-05:00

I'm generally fascinated by people's obsession with weather. On a positive note, as long as you have changes in weather, you've always got something to talk about with strangers. However, over my many decades living in the midwest I've often been annoyed by people complaining about the weather. If you hate snow and cold - why do you live in the midwest? However, this spring I've found myself obsessing about the weather more than usual.

First the wind. Strange thing to complain about - but it's been really windy! And given that I've had a mysterious case of overly dry eyes for almost a year now, running, walking, inline skating or biking out in the wind is even less fun than usual because if the slightest particle gets in my eye, it's seriously painful. But it's been really windy - not just breezy. Running across our many great bridges I've often felt as though I might be blown right into the river. Or into traffic.

Then there have been the weather fluctuations. Thunderstorms one day, unseasonably cold the next. This past Saturday I was alternating between freezing and overheating on my long run. I usually dress fairly appropriately and don't complain about being too cold or too hot. But for this spring weather, it's been difficult to get it right. But then wait two days - literally - and it's 80 degrees. It's just a little difficult to keep up.

But I'll adjust. We all will.

Hey, hot enough for you?