Minneapolis Marathon – Race Report

It was going to be a gorgeous day and I was happy for that!! Rain wasn’t planned to come until late in the evening, and the morning hours were supposed to go from 55 degrees at 7:00, race start, to 71 by 11:00, when I had hoped to be done with the marathon.

My race prep hadn’t been as diligent as it should have been so I was a bit worried going into this marathon. I had a goal of finishing at 4:00, if everything was ‘perfect’, and why I had that goal was only because of some friends of mine who had finished the Stockholm Marathon a few years ago and did it just under 4:00. It wasn’t set at that because that was how I had trained…no, that would have made more sense! It really doesn’t matter how quickly I finish a race such as this, does it? It’s all a personal goal anyway….and the real purpose of competing in this is more or less a training run for the MN Border to Border Race Paul and I are doing at the end of July anyway; I just wanted to have a better time this time than the last marathon I did – that was 4 hrs and 32 minutes.

6:00 AM Thom drives me to the race site and has our little pooch in tow. I love the way he supports me in all of these crazy things that I decide to do. Hanging out right at the race start, it’s a chilly one at 55 degrees, so I go with the Capri pants and a tank top. About 1 mile into it, I was warm. Oops. I had been planting plants on our patio most of the afternoon the day before in a bent over position so I had a feeling my lower back and hamstrings were going to be screaming…and I was right. Within 5 miles, I told Paul that my hamstring was tight…did I stop to stretch it like he had suggested? Of course not; again, that would be the smart thing to do. Paul and I were cruising along, dodging slow people in front of us and keeping about a 9:15 minute/mile pace. I had originally set out to hit the first 8 miles at a 10:00 pace, but whatever…if Paul can keep this pace, I’ll just keep going. I realize now, looking back, those first 10 miles or so, I was keeping a longer stride than I have been training with, causing me to pound my heels and causing more strain on my hamstrings; if only I would compete as I train…I could have been just fine.

The course was awesome! I never really ran 26.2 miles in Minneapolis quite like that, and I’m really glad that I signed up to do this if only for the fact of seeing more of Minneapolis. We went through my old neighborhood where I lived and used to run when I first moved to Minneapolis and rented an apartment downtown. That wasn’t much of a surprise, but it was fun to go over the old turf. Along the river side, we went through some ups and downs on the road and along the riverside, past the dog park of Minnehaha, and over to Fort Snelling. I never realized just how hilly it is. I’ve ridden my bike that way before, but it’s totally different when you are running through Fort Snelling at a pace that allows you to see different things. I loved the dirt path we were running on…even if it was an up and down run. We had a few miles where we clocked them at 10:00’s or so, perhaps due to walking through the water stops, then when we hit mile 16, we apparently decided we would pick it up and we managed an 8:00 min/mile! That took us both by surprise, and my hamstrings were shouting at me at this point, but I kept running along. We emerged from Fort Snelling back along to the area near Minnehaha and then back along the riverside from where we came. I remember the theory “What goes down, must come up!” and it sure was true of this route too. As if my hamstrings weren’t already screaming enough at me, they were REALLY not happy with me at this point. I was fearful of my typical uncontrollable muscle twitches in my lower legs which cause my toes to curl, and sure enough, they appeared about mile 21. Just before that, around mile 19 or 20, Paul was dodging past some people on the path and I just didn’t have it in me to lengthen my stride and snap my hammies, so I stayed where I was and watched him run off ahead of me. I managed to keep 10:00’s or so the rest of the race and still enjoyed the course I was running.

So many friends were out there to cheer me on, I truly appreciate it. It’s amazing how it can give you a spring in your step to hear someone cheering for YOU out there. Thanks to everyone who was out there cheering for me!

The end came and I crossed the finish line at 4:19. That was of course, after the longest and hardest climb that the course took us over within the last mile of the race. My hamstrings just couldn’t do their normal thing of letting me fly up that hill, even though I have done that many times in my past. Oh well…I crossed the finish line with a little extra energy but screaming muscles. I managed to shave off more than 10 minutes from the first marathon I did, and perhaps I lit a spark within me to run another marathon some day and beat my time of 4:19. I don’t foresee that next year as I know my body needs a bit of a break from the long training days, and I’m guessing Thom would actually like me to spend some time with him. Perhaps I’ll get to do this course partially next year and do the ½ marathon like I did last year. I don’t think I’ll end up doing the Grandma’s marathon, even though one of my friends who did this race said that this one makes Grandma’s look like a cake walk! (*for those of you not from Minnesota – “Grandma’s” is a marathon in Northern Minnesota – Duluth. It’s a beautiful setting and a great little college town. The race brings in about 9,000 runners from all over). Since I most likely won’t do Grandma’s - Stockholm marathon anyone?? I’d love to do that one.

Next up is the Minnesota Border to Border. I’ve been going with Paul to do some canoe classes, learning how to paddle more competitively and efficiently. We’ve also taken some time to do some bike rides and obviously running. We’ll continue the training for the running, and we’ll pick up more cycling time and I definitely need to start working on my upper body strength if I am going to expect my body to paddle a canoe for 50 miles. I do love being active and setting goals…maybe next year I’ll have the goal of getting quicker on the shorter distances…but right now, I am setting my sites in the near future and focusing on what I need to do for B2B (check out http://www.mnb2b.org/).

Thanks for reading.
I’ll keep on runnin’

I apparently tired my man and pooch out - this was them post race while I was planting more flowers on the patio.

Marathon count down - 2 days!

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Minneapolis...finally! We've had some cool days lately, and that has been great for my marathon training...I love running in the cooler air. However, Marathon day is Sunday and it's supposed to be up in the 80's from what I last heard. There are so many bits of the "cotton seed" blowing in the air, I don't like that...I can just see it now, taking a big inhale and 'cough cough'. ick! Currently, the hourly forecast for Sunday morning looks favorable - mid 50's from 7:00 AM until about 10 when it gets to 60...and I should be within an hour of finishing my marathon then if I cross the starting line right at 7:00! Yep, my goal is a 4 hour finish. I've been training pretty hard for that, but each day brings different challenges. I just hope that Sunday is challenge free and all of my training has paid off.

To get ready for the race, last weekend was Memorial day weekend. Thom, Reese, and I headed to Paul's cabin in Brainerd and enjoyed some relaxing times, mixed with some training. Saturday, Paul and I did an 8 mile run at a 9:00 min/mile pace. Not bad...all on hills! Sunday, we did a 52 mile bike ride, and afterwards, paddled the canoe for an hour or so. Great training weekend, with a bit of campfire time sprinkled in. This week, I proceeded with the taper runs 3 miles Tuesday, 3 miles Wednesday, and tonight, I'm going for a nice long walk with Thom and Reese to watch Kiah play in his soccer game. That should be fun! Pasta dinner is tonight, and then I'll do my protein filled meal on Saturday night. I think each runner has their own meal that they like before the race...mine happens to be steak and potatoes. Many "experts" might think "holy crap - eating that piece of meat before a race!?" So far, that's what seems to get me through and feeling fine at the finish line...so, that's what I'll do!

I hope to post some favorable results in my next blog...for now, it's time to enjoy the sunshine MN has to offer!

KP

Craziness!

I tell ya, my schedule has not slowed down one bit! If anything it's picking up some major speed and not stopping for anyone or anything! whew.
Last weekend was busy busy busy! I spent all day Saturday with my friend Christie doing wedding dress shopping - we had a great time giggling at some of them as well as some good "oohs" and "aaahs" :) We were, however, disappointed with the way one of the most popular wedding shops here (coincidentally named "The Wedding Shoppe") treated us. Perhaps our standards were set a bit high from the first shop we went to, "Grace Bridal" in Excelsior where they had very beautiful dresses and the owners were so very attentive to my needs, listening to what I wanted/didn't want, etc. We found some awesome dresses let me say...but...they come with a "not so awesome" price tag! Seriously! I tried on a dress that was $7500!!! (I can send you pics if you wish, I just will not post them here as I cannot let my man see them ;) ). When we got to St. Paul to the Wedding Shoppe...the woman there basically took one look at Christie who had our lunch in her hand (and we scoped the place for "Do not eat" signs but none were seen!), and the lady says "With a samwhich?" We promptly asked if it was OK and she busts out into a hideous laugh, so we decide "it's ok". She leads us to this room up some stairs and says "Ok, I'll show you some dresses and you can pick out what you want to try on." She then takes us to some other room, Christie finds some really good dresses (she's REALLY good at this!), and we head back to the "fitting room". Our "attendant" --- let's call her Mimi because she looked like the character from Drew Carey --- Mimi takes us back to the room and says "you have enough here now", so we wait for the next step in the process...Mimi to help me put them on. Nope, Mimi leaves the room. Christie and I are like...um, ok...so we start putting them on and come to one with a corset top (one where you tie it in the back). Mimi comes back in and literally yanks on these laces to the point where I think I'm going to be as blue as Mimi's eye shadow from lack of oxygen and Christie is wondering if she's going to have to pick me up from out side of the window since I'm being thrown around like a rag doll. Whew...we get through the corset tops and I'm praying we don't find anymore that are like that. Mimi lectured me on how I'm looking for a dress way too late in the ball game, blah blah blah. Whatever. She can bite me. We did find a couple of dresses we liked...so, if we go back through that store, we'll be sure to request we don't get "Mimi" - speaking of her, she never gave us her real name --- wonder why????

Sunday, Christie and I get to go do a walk to benefit Breast Cancer patients, survivors, research, etc. Such an emotional and moving event for me...seeing one of my best friends and how she does this for her mom every Mother's day moved me to tears. Then I put myself in her shoes, and I did the same for my mom...it was emotional to say the least.

After the walk, which I have to add was more like a herd of cattle moving at a snails pace because there were over 55,000 people walking in a 5k course, Christie and I were going to meet Nadine for some mimosas and brunch! YUM! We had a bit to eat and drink, then we were off to do our own things for a bit...mine included a 10 mile run to train for the marathon. Finished that and felt pretty good.

The week was uber busy as well - my BFF from high school, Jill, was in town for a couple of days for work, so I got to hang out with her and get a work out in at the hotel :) LOVED that! After we burned the calories, we headed out to the 5-8 Club for a Juicy Lucy burger (if you haven't had one - next time you are in town, we will!), and then to Pepitos for a margarita or beer for dessert! mmmm!

Wednesday - oh boy was this super fun - I went to a canoeing class with my buddy Paul! Seriously! I "learned" how to canoe. The only way I've ever canoed before was with a cooler of beer and no real intentions to get anywhere fast. With the Border to Border race looming over our heads, we decided we needed to get some lessons on competitive paddling as well as some time for our muscles to get used to the motion. Man that was fun! 2 hours of riding through canals and channels that connect the lakes in the city of Minneapolis together....it was by far one of the coolest things I've ever done in Minneapolis to date! I loved it!

Thursday was ANTM night with the gals - man did we have a blast! I was in charge of nibbling food while Nadine did the beverages and Christie was in charge of bringing Bruno and the good times --- let's just say we all executed perfectly and it was a fabulous night!

Friday Thom and I went to the Home Show...wow was that a bust!?! Free tickets made it worth while, and perhaps we "could win $10,000 towards some windows!" We'll see if they disclose the winner...ha! We did get a good lead on some good windows anyway. Now I just need to get them to give me a good quote - one I can afford!

Saturday was a Marriage Retreat for a few hours - that was a lot of fun to see some more information about ourselves and our relationship...nothing really new uncovered, but good and healthy none the less.

Sunday I woke up early and headed north to Circle Pines to meet my friend Becka for some good training. We loaded our bikes onto her roof rack of her car, then drove down to Savage to meet Paul for a good HILLY, 36 mile ride. I enjoyed every minute of it, and that was the first ride of the season. After we finished the ride I might title "Idenify the Road Kill" (I could identify skunk, deer, coon (x2), and there was one mystery meat I didn't know...), we headed back north to her house to do a 12 mile run! LOVED the trail she took me on and enjoyed the nature we ran through...the lilacs are in full bloom and the smell was SO beautiful....ahhhh. I hope the marathon is as beautiful ;)

My family vacation and a farewell to my first "nephew"

A few weeks and I’ve been bad about writing – my apologies.
Things are going in a whirlwind right now with everything I have piled on my plate. I’m not complaining, just rationalizing the reason for not keeping the blog updated.

Two weeks after Thom and I arrived back in the States, we were off to Mexico on a family vacation with my parents, my brother, his wife, and their little girl, Lucy.

The flights were pretty uneventful on the way there – just the way I like them! We had worked out an arrangement with our friend Nadine to have her drop us off at the airport so she could use Thom’s truck for the week while she did job hunting (unfortunately, the lay-off has hit close to home with some of my friends). An early flight puts us at the airport around 6:15 AM and we arrive in Puerto Vallarta around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. Upon getting to the airport, we walk through the “Shark Tank” where all of these people are trying to get us to use their car service while others want us to go on their tours and perhaps people wanted us to buy a time share at their resort. Luckily, Todd (my brother) had provided us with information about the shark tanks that we knew to walk through and politely decline their offers. Into the car we go which was arranged for us through our time share we were going to visit…through some parts of town we thought were pretty run down and all of a sudden, we are at the hotel/resort. I’m amazed that we are there within 30 minutes and haven’t even really left the area that seemed to be run down, but our hotel…wow. What an entrance! The bell boy immediately grabs our suitcases, tells us to check in, and then he will help us along. We do all of that, get our room keys and we’re off to our week in the sun. We walk through part of the resort to room 3611…we open the door and see that there is wine and a fruit basket on the table with someone’s name typed there. Odd…but interesting. I continue on to see where I’m going to be staying for the week and walk to one of the bedrooms…I see a suit case with a name matching that on the table and a light goes on – “we aren’t in the right room!” We tell the bell boy who straightens it all out and on our way to room 4611 this time. The rest of the group is waiting for us on the balcony, already enjoying the cervezas from the stocked fridge in the room. That was interesting, and thankfully, the only flub that was made for the week.

Setting our stuff down in our room, taking a look around, and greeting everyone….it was time to grab a bite to eat. This resort was beautiful! 3 pools – one with a swim up bar, one with a water fall, and one for little kids. Too cool! The resort was right on the beach too, so we were bound to be relaxing by water all week long, and that’s just what we did. We did take one day to go to the town to see what it’s all about, see where we are, etc. So we hopped on public transportation (a bus) to find this place called “Old Town”. Well, we never did find it, but we did get off at the city part where the Boardwalk was. It was neat with lots of people doing sand sculptures and people milling about, but it wasn’t anything like Playa del Carmen – quaint with boutiques. No, this was more of a city where people live and work! Todd, Emily, and Lucy go their separate way back to the hotel while mom, dad, Thom, and I go on to see what else we can find in this city. The bus ride was not comfortable I’ll admit. On the way to the city, I was sitting in the back of the bus next to mom on one side, and a rotund little guy on the other side. This little guy was sleeping on the seat and this bus had no suspension, so whenever we went over a bump, you felt it…I felt him falling onto me too! Oh well… We didn’t stay in the city for very long – just long enough to buy a souvenir, let the boys try some tequila, then head out on the bus again…which took us to some parts of town where no one could really tell us how to get to a little part of town we were searching for, so we kept on riding the bus. Eventually, we made it back to the resort where we said we wouldn’t leave unless we had to. Trying every fruit flavor of daiquiri was accomplished and we enjoyed the food that was non-stop! We took one day to go "swim with the dolphins" which was a cash sucker upper for tourists. Luckily, this was included with our all inclusive, so it ended up being totally worth the experience! I got to dance with the dolphin, kiss him, make him do tricks, and learned about the dolphins and the trainers. We all walked past the $25 pictures that we could have purchased, so unfortunately, not too many to share on that! Throughtout the week, I did take in some yoga classes, a massage, and a pedicure as well. That was SO relaxing.

During our stay in Mexico, the “Swine Flu” – aka “H1N1” – was getting tons of coverage and we were getting tons of emails and phone calls from work, family, and friends. Needless to say, the hype around it blew it way out of proportion and we were all ok – especially since we did stay on the property of the resort. We did notice a decline in the number of people that were staying at the resort over the course of the week. We aren’t sure if it was the flu scare or if our timing was just that good that we picked a week when people weren’t on vacation. We are thinking it’s the latter. The week after Easter and the week before Cinco De Mayo --- the US travelers are probably done with travel and those from Mexico weren’t on vacation yet…and we were right…their Labor Day (May 1st) actually showed some activity at the resort and you could see that more people were coming to stay for the next week. Our timing was perfect!

The resort --- it was beautiful. Lots of great plants and animals, including resort cats, iguanas, and peacocks! Lucy was interested in all of them and had lots of questions to ask about them. Lucy, my 2 year old niece, is just amazing! I couldn’t believe all that she already knows including her alphabet, letters, colors, songs, animal sounds, etc. She educated me on a few things over the course of the week and I’m anxious to see how much she develops between now and the next time I get to see her! I loved the time I got to spend with her. Emily and Todd told us their plans for baby #2 that is in Emily’s tummy right now…due in September. I won’t reveal any of that…that is for them to do! I’ll just say that I’m happy to buy more pink stuff!

This family vacation was unlike any my family has ever taken together before. Growing up, we always did the hockey camps as our “vacation”. This was awesome! This time, we stayed put, spent time together, and just relaxed together. I loved it so much!!! Saying good-bye at the end of the week was really hard to do because I just enjoyed it so much with all 7 of us together. I am not too big on Puerto Vallarta as a vacation destination unless you are doing an all inclusive like we did. I can compare it to Playa del Carmen and Tullum and recommend those 2 places for vacation over PV. Don’t get me wrong, PV has a lot of neat aspects including “mountains” and a different feel to the beach, but if you want super fine, white sand, a spot to snorkel, cute shops…head to Playa. Even that said, I still think this was the best family vacation ever!

Reese was in good hands when we went on vacation at the Pampered Pooch Playground. This was her first time spending a week without us and without a family member, so this was a test for her. We received an email from the owners of the kennel that she was not eating and therefore, they were going to take her home with them that night to see if they could get her to eat and see if she would sleep well. Wow – they let her sleep in their bed, just as if she was at home! They even made her a celebrity at one of their events that they were attending where she was giving out autographs! Reese was exhausted for the next week after we got home – I think she got a lot of love and attention, but was still glad to have us back!

Up next? I’m training for my marathon on May 31st . Thom and I are going through our Marriage prep stuff with the church, and I’m also training for the Minnesota Border to Border race with my buddy Paul. Life has not slowed down for us since getting back. If anything, I feel like I have a ton more to get accomplished in the next few months and I am constantly on the go. I will keep writing more here…although it may be sporadic, I’ll do my best to keep everyone updated.

On a sad note, upon our return from Puerto Vallarta, my brother and sister in law lost their dog. Rufus was a great Basset hound and my first nephew. He will be missed dearly. Grab a tissue if you wish to read on the memorial my brother wrote about his fantastic dog and buddy – Rufus J. Powell.

I’ll miss him dearly!
XO,
KP

"Rufus is a very sweet boy who gets along with everyone."

That was the description on the Guardian Angel web site in the summer of 2000, when we were considering adopting a dog. We looked at his (pathetic) picture on the web site and fell in love.

We adopted Rufus on September 3, 2000, and he quickly became the center of our lives. "Mr. Man," "RJP" (yes, he had a middle initial, "J"), "Ruf," or whatever you called him, he was a hit wherever we took him. His distinct Mickey Mouse marking on top of his head and sweet disposition, his Hush Puppy good looks, and his trot/waddle drew people in. He loved the belly rubs that he received from any man, woman or child willing to give one. His loving personality even managed to win over our mothers, neither of whom were particularly fond of dogs.

Rufus was a stray in Peoria County, then became a big city dog in Chicago. He quickly adjusted to his leash and absolutely LOVED walks in the city, with the variety of scents and aromas that the city environment provided, despite the broken glass that would get stuck in his paws from time-to-time, and in the winter, putting up with the salt and snow. He would disappear beneath snow drifts as he bounded through a winter landscape, and emerge on the other side, tail wagging and nose pointing forward. "Charge ahead!" he seemed to say.

After we moved to Indiana, it took him a while to get used to the concept of a "backyard" with all the room he wanted to roam and sniff. Somehow, it wasn't the same without the leash. So, despite the custom cedar fence we put in for our doggy, we still took long walks to the park and through the neighborhood. Perhaps it was the attention he got on the walks that was the driving force - because he loved to lounge in his "sun spots" in the yard as much as anything.

We often wondered if Rufus was feline, not canine, because he seemed to have 9 lives. Maybe 10. He survived an attack by a pit bull (thanks to the wonderfully baggy skin around his neck), his ear was mauled by a black lab (and restored to near perfect condition by a terrific vet in Indianapolis), he survived innumerable terrifying thunderstorms, and he was tolerant of a new baby who has grown into an energetic toddler. Sadly, he was not able to survive the dreaded bloat. He survived surgery and seemed to be on the rebound, and we figured that his typical Rufus-style tenacity would bear him through yet another trauma. Unfortunately, it was too much for our little guy.

Rufus J. Powell left our lives today. He leaves us enriched by his love, soaked by his slobber, and saddened by his loss.

The last line on the discharge report from his vet, before he was readmitted for complications from surgery, were "Rufus is a very sweet boy."

Indeed.

We'll miss you little buddy.