Superior 50K

Well, I did it again. Went into a race completely under-trained. Oh well...I had a blast!

I hadn't run a race on the Superior Hiking Trail for a few years! We camped it the last few years so I have run upon its gnarly beauty-ness but haven't entered anything.

After feeling terrible at Louisville I put Superior away, I wasn't going to do it. I just wasn't feeling it. Waaa waaa waaa  cry about it, right. Well, then lo and behold, my friend Misty set her wedding day celebration right after the race, lakeside. I certainly wasn't going to miss her wedding and I couldn't go up to Lusten for the wedding without running the race...so I decided I'd run..two weeks out.

I quickly booked a room at Caribou..I couldn't believe that I was able to get a room on such short notice. Normally it sells out quickly. I love staying at Caribou for the 50K. We start and finish on their property.

The matter of training..guess I better run a quick 20..that's just what I did. Egads. With snow all over the trails I ran road-flat road. Whatev...

I was excited about the race. I hadn't run the race since John Storkamp took over as RD. It's been a while.

Checking in on Friday I visited with the gang, caught up on all the racing news. So much fun.

Early to bed and able to sleep in..with no driving to the start line I woke up without an alarm and mozied out to the start line.

I just totally enjoyed myself the whole way. I took it nice and easy, took photos, visited when i was around others, reflected on memories as I came upon landscape which jogged my memory of past time that I've spent upon the trail. It was fabulous!

I loved that the race course now takes us up up up Carlton Peak to the very top-before turning around back to the start. In the past we would turn  around before we reached the peak. It was foggy, thick and wet. It was so awesome. Just awesome.

Such a blast..the water was high, the river crashing upon the banks, an incredible trail and adventure.

After I finished I soaked in the hot tub to get the chill out. Legs felt great, no problems. No tummy distress. I stuck to gels and water, perfect.

This race got the mojo flowing again. I don't know why I let a bad run in KY change my plans but hey, it happens. I feel like training again, I feel like making progress, I feel like pushing again. 

I feel like running Superior Sawtooth 100 again. That's a good thing!

Louisville Lovin' The Hills

Since my mother's passing in November I notice every once in a while that I am in a pretty dark place. Not all of the time, but there are moments that I notice this.

During one of these dark moments I reached out to my friend, Maria, to talk of winter races. As I posted previously, she was headed to Kentucky for Louisville Lovin' The Hills 50K and invited me to tag along. I was so grateful to have something to train for, to do something that I love, to lift myself from this depression..I began to cry and then responded with a big YES.

I had a few weeks to train (gasp)! Good thing I am not my own client, I'd have to fire myself. I ran a 28 and a 22. That would have to do it. I know. Don't do this at home. It's just not enough!  

After dropping Troy off at school on Thursday I headed for Apple Valley. Maria and I would pick up Misty and Joel and then head off for Kentucky. Road Trip!

The weather was horrible. Maria drove all of the way to our first stop, somewhere in Indiana where we spent the night. My gosh, it was raining, snowing, blowing, I'm not sure what else. I would have never been able to drive through it. No way!

We did stop at Legacy Chocolates in Wisconsin. Valentines Day was approaching so I spent a bundle on nummy confections.

Rick, Wayne, Samantha, Marcus and Andrea were also members of our MN party. They reached the motel shortly after we did.

Friday morning we headed for Kentucky. I had never been there and was looking forward to checking out a trail in a 'new to me state'. The weather was much better on day 2 of traveling and it was so awesome to see GRASS instead of SNOW! Yippee!!

Saturday morning approached quickly. Sweet potato, protein shake..off we go to race start. 

It was chilly. I was glad I decided to wear a long sleeve top. Later on in the race I tied my jacket around my waist, warming up a bit.  

Man, I had a tough time. Under trained and lots of hills-more than the Superior Races, I think-had me hurting. I had moments of 'wow, this is just great to be running trail again..' but the moments of 'good lord woman, get a move-on' were frequent!  I just wasn't moving very quickly!  I was making many potty stops in the woods-I don't know what the problem was. Probably that I got behind on calories and then was trying to make them up. Not a good idea. I know better.

I had a grand time, it was so much fun to see my friends out on the trail, enjoying what we do. I will never grow tired of running trail with friends. I was able to enjoy 8:30 on dirt trail, in the woods, off of the snow, with great people.

As I came into the finish I was kind of shocked to see that I wasn't last and that others were still hanging around. I came into the building and there was my group of friends, having a good meal and conversation.  I feel blessed. This road trip is just what I needed!

Next up is Superior 50K.  With a bit of training, I am hoping I feel better at the finish line.

Building Momentum

I had been planning to head south to the Zumbro River Bottoms to run today but with ice forecast for late morning in Rochester and early afternoon in Big Lake, I would have been driving in less that stellar conditions. I'm glad I stayed  near home. The forecasters were right on.  It rained for a while here and is now snowing. 

There hasn't been any snow fall in the past few weeks so I thought I'd head out to Lake Maria State Park to see if the trails were still designated as ski only. I headed over yesterday morning and was SO happy to see that there hadn't been any ski tracks for a very long time. Yay!!  It was cold, -6F and a good stiff wind, very icy. Topaz had his booties and I wore my Inov-8 Roclite 312's with an additional 15 screws I put through each sole. They worked beautifully!  No slipping, power running up each and every icy hill. Loved it!  Topaz and I ran 20 miles yesterday and then headed back out today.

Topaz has renewed youth in the winter months. He rolls around in the snow to cool down-yes-even at -6F and chows down on snow. He refuses to drink from my bottle or his bowl while running in the winter. I don't know why. I can't ask him. Well, I've tried..he hasn't given me any indication as to why it is this way. Oh yeah. He just isn't thirsty.  

Today was a balmy 16F when we went out. Still, not a soul to be seen on the trail. My plan was 6 hours, starting to run long back to back. Yippee!!  

No booties for Topaz but I still wore my screw shoes. Worked like a charm. We ran all of the main trails, quite a few deer trails and then spotted a trail with a blue hand made sign "winter bike trail". Nifty!  We ran through a section full of rolling hills, frozen ponds, a few new trails to us that we hadn't yet discovered. I've been running out here a few years so it's always exciting to discover new trail!

I brought along a mixture I've been trying lately while running. Quinoa, banana, almond butter mixed with a bit of lower fat coconut milk. It sits in my stomach nicely, doesn't cause me any inflammation and gives me plenty of energy. Because I was circling back to my car I didn't have to supplement with gels and I had plenty of energy without any  stomach upset.

Why the quinoa? During my physical a few weeks ago I learned I have high cholesterol. I shouldn't be surprised. I had been eating meat like a cavewoman along with yolks, quite a bit of fat, too, and not all good fats. When battling the herniated discs I was having problems with grains causing inflammation, which was causing me more pain. I went off the grains for a while and compensated those lost calories with meats. My discs are now feeling good, grains are no longer causing me pain. Because heart disease runs in my family (what doesn't run in my family) and Mom was using Lipitor, Dad is using Lipitor,  I am tweaking my diet.  Still whole foods, nothing processed, tweaking those whole foods.

I have a few ultra friends who were using statins and began to experience ligament and tendon breakdown. They've since lowered their cholesterol and are statin free. Certainly can be done with diet. 

I know, I know, there are those who say high cholesterol is just fine..not an indicator of heart disease, that BMI, blood pressure, etc.  are better indicators. Believe me, I've read my fill of information.. 310 is too high for me. My ratios are pretty poor. Dang. 

My doc asked me to come back in 8 weeks for another fasting blood test. This little experiment will show a new improved result. Remember in 2009 the 6 month vegan experiment? My cholesterol went from 230 to 165. Big difference. 

So, back to my run! My Garmin told me we covered 28 miles. Sweet!

On the trail today we saw 0 human, 2 eagle, 8 deer and 21 turkey. I hope the snow falling now doesn't bring the trails back into ski condition!!

My first back to back long runs in a long frickin' time. Sure feels good!  I hate to get too excited because man, about last year at this time I was feeling the same way. Ran Psycho Wyco 50K in February, feeling great, training for Zumbro 100 and Bam! A training run in March with one fall and it was back to disc pain and starting over again. Ah, scratch that negative thought.

Onto Louisville Lovin' The Hills 50 in two weeks! I got this!

Feeling Fine. No, Feeling Fabulous!

Thankfully I can feel myself awakening and coming out of a depression. I guess I'd call it depression.  As I come out on the other side it is easier to look back and call it what it was/is.

Without training for an ultra, with my Mom's sickness and death, I suppose depression isn't surprising.  

After Mom's passing I found myself looking to others' passions. A family members church, my Dad's passion for Mozart and classical music. Running more. Running away, running to..who cares as long as it makes me feel better and just deal..right? Running long give that openness to myself, to dig deep, to figure it out. I am.

A few weeks ago I reached out to a long time running friend of mine. I don't often reach out to anyone. I prefer to cover myself in my blanket of privacy and isolation. Especially when I'm feeling depressed. I reached out and was asked if I'd like to road trip to the Louisville Lovin' The Hills 50K February 9, in KY. As tears began to drop from my cheeks I new there was only one answer: yes.

I checked in with the family and there was nothing on the calendar. Reaching out like that, stepping from my comfort zone, was the spark to lift the depression. That spark is growing.

Two weeks ago I met a group at Lebanon Hills for an awesome 14 mile run, last week I increased my weekly mileage for the first time since JULY to 45 miles and this past Saturday I ran 22 miles at the Lebanon. It's not *only* the act of running long that has me seeing the light again. It's all that comes with that. Seeing my friends again. You see, when I'm running 5 miles with Topaz each day, I hibernate myself. I love that 5 miles to begin my day, but when I don't get out to socialize at all..it's not good. Pushing my body further. It feels wonderful. It's so good for me to push past comfort, to see what I can do. That 14 miles two weeks ago on hilly trail had me sore for 4 days!  This past 22 miles..same trail..I wasn't sore at all and was able to run another 10 yesterday. That just puts a smile on my face.  It's drinking water, eating healthy, taking time for me, being happy, taking care of me, adequate rest, smiling, scheduling my runs, enjoying the excitement of a race..the road trip planning. I've really missed it.

As Maria and I ran our final 7 miles yesterday I was thinking about how fast and strong she has become!  She was running all the hills-waiting for me at the top-as I trudged up. I used to run  hills! I just am not in that shape anymore!  It's so inspiring to see how Maria has turned it on this past year. I can do it again, too.  

Today it is -14F/-40WC outside. I almost ran on my treadmill until I looked at Topazs' excitement to get out and run.  We ran 8 miles and it was just fine.

I'm getting there. Slowly but Surely! I'm getting there.

What Is Up?

Well let's see..what am I up to?  

Last weekend I finally ventured south for a run with friends. I live a good 90 minutes from the trails my ultrarunner friends go out on. If I drive to Afton it's 90 + minutes and driving to Lebanon Hills is a good 90 minutes. The 3 hour drive cuts into my day for sure.  Not to mention how sad Topaz is if I should leave him behind.

Sunday I met up with friends to run Lebanon Hills for 14 miles. I was surprised at the condition of the trails-they were perfect!  Snow covered but smooth-heated bathrooms with running water along the way. What a treat!

We ran 1 - 7 mile loop, stopped to refill frozen bottles and drop gel packets, I changed into a dry pair of mittens. It was cold but not windy. I went out for another loop and was pleased that it wasn't until half way through that I was becoming tired. Lucky for me, Maria had run 27 miles the day before so she was a bit slower than her norm and I could almost keep up. 

I really had a great time catching up with friends. It's been too long. I'm going to head to Kentucky  for a 50K in a few weeks. I didn't realize how happy it would make me to have a race to train for. Instead of running 5 miles with Topaz each day I have purpose to my run and it feels great. Yes, the months of relaxed running have been awesome..but I really enjoy having a race out there. When I first began to run 14 years ago, it was a scheduled 5K or 10K that propelled me out the door each morning. 

Today I was planning on heading back to Lebanon but something came up later this morning. Instead I woke early, ran with Topaz on the trail for an hour and just slipped and slid all over the place. The trails here are glare ice, it's 0F and 15 mph wind and my mind was worried about falling, causing my gait to go off. Pretty soon my stabilizing muscles were screaming. We ended up coming home, me to the treadmill, Topaz right beside it. I ran another 20 miles at 9:30 pace. I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't had a race out there. 

I listened to Ultrarunner Podcast-an interview with Jen Sheldon and another with Scott Jurek. I then watched a documentary "Running with Demon's" - gotta love modern technology!  The miles went by quickly and I felt good.

So..2013..no Gnarly Bandit for me this year. We are holding Mom's ceremony on June 1, the date for Kettle Moraine 100 this year. I may run the 50 mile at Zumbro. I'm not sure if I want to run 6 loops for the 100 miler. I am going to run Black Hills 100 at the end of June and I want to run Superior 100 again. Just can't get enough of that one.

For now, I'm just happy to be running :)

Happy New Year!!

Here we are, 2013!  

I hope you are all enjoying 2013 so far: reaching goals, living life fully and happily, doing what it is that you want to do!

2012 ended on a very sad note for me. My dear mom passed away the day after Thanksgiving.  I'm thankful that I was able to be with her at that point, but boy, it sure was/is difficult. 

Ovarian cancer took her life. She fought against it for 9 years and was very successful at times. In the end, the cancer took her.  

I'm thankful that she showed me that I needed to have a full hysterectomy so that I wouldn't have to live to fight the fight she fought. Next week it will have been two years since my hysterectomy.

I have much to be thankful for.

Cheers to 2013!!

Twin Cities Marathon 2012

No pain, all gain!  That's the race in a nutshell for me.   It is everything. It is positive. It is splendid.

Last year I entered the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon but unfortunately with my herniated discs there was no way I was going to be able to run, much less volunteer or cheer anyone on. I could barely get through the day without Advil, traction and PT.

What a difference a year can make!

I've run races since I've recovered from my hysterectomy and herniated discs. I've run races longer than marathon distance but running Twin Cities Marathon really brought back the feelings I had last year at this time. 

As I ran along the course, taking in the beautiful sunshine, the awesome crowds of cheering spectators, the vibrant colored leaves, sparkling blue lakes...yes, it was that beautiful, I felt myself choking up. I was only a few miles into the race and I had this hyperventilating feeling, sobs caught in my throat. 

I was thinking about last year, about this year, about all that has happened to me. I thought about how I really felt during that dark time. I really believed that not running was ok. I truly felt that all I wanted was to be able to get through a day without pain. I had to believe that, to keep my mind. What other choice did I have? I remember telling the ER doctor at the Princeton Hospital that I didn't need to run, I just wanted to be pain free as he told me to take Aleve  and Oxycodone so that I could run, oh, and here is a Percocet to get through the hour. No thanks.

Last November I began to string days together without pain, I even began to run a bit. I realized how running had become a part of me. How 14 years of running had somehow created a runner out of me.

While running Twin Cities Marathon yesterday I realized how not being able to run broke my heart and tormented my soul. My heart and soul is now healed. My discs are healed. It's been a long haul, but I'm on the other side of it now. 

The race was fabulous.

I lined up in Corral 2 with two incredible women from my beginning running class. I"ve been coaching them since June.

Their goal was to 

1) finished the marathon 

2) finish in sub 5 hours

3) finish in 430

I always suggest a few goals, you just don't know how the day is going to turn out and a finish is always a good thing!

We began by lining up with the 430 pacer. There was a group of 20 or so of us. Our leader told us that as long as we could see her balloons at the finish we would be over the line prior to 430. She told us she would cross the finish line at 426 and everyone in her vicinity would finish sub 430.  She spoke the truth!

The course didn't seem crowded to me at any point. Maybe I'm just in a different place, holding a different perspective. I wasn't irritated by the spectators, by the 10000 runners and I normally am! I was just so damn thankful to be out there.

The sun was shining brightly, there was   a stiff wind, it was cold. I decided to wear, after much thought, my skirt sports pants with skirt. The extra layer of skirt would keep my butt warm. I had on gloves they were giving away at the expo and an ear band that was in our packet bag. I wore my Patagonia wind jacket and a long sleeved Psycho Wyco 50K finish shirt.  I hoped I wouldn't get too warm. That would really suck, but I didn't want to be cold either.

I knew that Bonnie would be at mile 10, Maria at mile 24 and Tom and Nancy at Summit and Victoria. I wanted to make sure to see my friends at these points. 

The day! It was so beautiful. The leaves in full color, the grand homes around Lake Calhoun, Harriet and Lake of the Isles. Fabulous!  The families out in their yards, cheering us on. The zillions of people lining the road with signs and encouragement. It really is amazing and I just soaked it all in.

I saw Bonnie at Cedar and 51st and gave her a huge hug and jumped up and down!  I love her so. We began this crazy running endeavor in 2002 when we first met and are still going strong. She was Course Marshall.  Filled with renewed happiness I continued along the route, about to hit Lake Nokomis. Sweet. FANS 24 Hour Home. I thought about my 116 mile race here, the couple 104s, a few 80s. Sweetness. 

I trotted along and soaked in the humanity. The positive vibes. What a great day. So thankful to be out running Twin Cities Marathon. My 10th TCM, my 45th marathon.

I didn't speak with anyone but Todd Rowe along the course. He noticed my Psycho Wyco shirt and gained my attention. He hadn't been looking forward to the race until the day before. He talked of his Superior 100 finish and I think he was just tired from all of the summer running. I know that feeling-Superior 100 in early September and TCM the following month. I remember.  I told him my perspective had changed. I was so grateful to be out on the course, running. I probably preached too much about my happiness but it was how I was feeling. He told me later that my positiveness reached him. That's awesome!

Running into St. Paul feels good. I was tired, but not in any pain, I knew that mile 20 was here and the next 6 are always tiring. Just knowing that I am near the end makes the feeling of being tired compound itself. Running along Summit is a blast. 

I caught Maria out of the corner of my eye as I was passing, but couldn't get her attention. I looked for Tom and Nancy at Victoria but didn't find them. Past the colleges, the Governor's Mansion, the beautiful trees, the awesome church and the incredible finish line. There it was!  I made it to the end..pain free. No Advil, no blisters, no chafing. Just right.

Blessed. Joyful. Gratitude. 

4:26:56.

My clients came it at 4:45! Woop woop!

I believe Wild Duluth Ultramarathon is up next...October 20th.

Voyageur Trail Marathon

I'm second row in pink/black skirt with ponytail. Hard to find!

With the recent floods in Duluth nobody really thought that the Voyageur Trail Marathon would take place this summer. Much of the course no longer exists as raging water took it away. It's horrifying and amazing at the same time.


Last week we learned that the 1/2 Voyageur (Marathon) and Voyageur 50 Mile Ultramarathon would in fact take place. Our RD's, the City and many volunteers created a reroute. We are still unsure of the whole course route for the 50 Miler taking place in two weeks but we know that it will be taking place. This is nothing short of amazing!  Andy and Kris could have slated trail work days instead of races on these dates and we would have been understood and been ready to lend a hand. Instead they saved the race for the runners. Amazing.


I didn't decide to run the Trail Marathon until after I ran 25K at Afton the week before. I really wasn't sure how my herniated discs would hold up. They were fine after 3.5 hours of trail running so I wanted to see how they would do in the 6 hour range.  I mailed in my entry and was set to go.


2 AM came quite quickly on race day. I wanted to be at Troy's Friday night baseball game so decided to leave dark and early from home by 3 AM.  I prepped a chicken breast to eat on the drive to Duluth the night before along with a post race fruit salad with another chicken breast.  I've found that grains really send the inflammation sky high and have been able to run without the usual oats, breads and pasta carbo load of the past.  Fruits and veggies, good clean  proteins are working just fine. Today I complete cycle 2 of TheWhole 30. It works for me.


I arrived to the Duluth Zoo, start and finish, by 515 so had plenty of time to check in and visit. I wasn't too apprehensive about this distance, I was more apprehensive as to making a decision about the 50 miler two weeks later on relatively the same course.  Today I'd have my answer.


We began running at 6, 100 some of us, I believe. I saw many old friends who I hadn't seen in quite some time. I hadn't run this race since 2003!  I was looking forward to it.


About a mile into the race we climbed Spirit Mountain-the ski area in Duluth. Straight up that sucker! It reminded me of all the days I've spent climbing the ski hills in preparation for Superior Sawtooth 100 miler. I will be having more of those days in the future. Up Up Up. I was looking forward to the way back, we'd be running right on down, into the finish!


After the ski hill we crossed an area that reminded me of the Superior Hiking Trail-which we actually followed once or twice. I did spy the telltale blue blazes here and there. Lots of roots, rocks - beautiful trail through pines. I stopped and hugged a huge white pine. It smelled SO wonderful and I was just SO happy to be out there.


We ran through Jarrows Beach which is a jumble of boulders. Well, more like walked and hopped through, rather than run!  I kept thinking I was so glad we weren't doing this in the rain or in the dark. It would have been so much more difficult. I didn't know if we were doing this section on the way back or not.


Here is a photo from Lisa Messerer of the section. You can see the pink flagging depicting the trail. Yeah, that's pretty rocky!

I was glad to get out of this section on onto a more level piece of trail!


The course took us along Skyline, I was able to recognize much of that area, past the Beck's Road aid station of the 50 Miler, into the grassy, rolling ski trails of Magney. When I hit the bike path, which is was washed away near Carlton, I knew I was approaching the Power Lines-the trademark of the Voyageur Races.  They were in great shape this race!  A little tacky for good grip, not muddy or dusty. Really seemed strange that they weren't the toughest section of the race. We didn't do all of them, maybe 3 or 4 is all. We didn't even go through them on the way back - we made a left turn and came back through Mission-bypassing all of them. Wow. Shocker.


The way back was much easier. I seemed to be running downhill most of the time. I wasn't tired, I felt in good shape. The aid stations were sparse on food. I needed to remember this was  a marathon, not an ultra, so ultra food (lots of fruit, potato, etc) wouldn't be around. I was able to find grapes and they were serving Ultima. I remembered that Ultima was not an energy supplement, it is an electrolyte. I used only one SCAP and ate bananas and grapes for fuel.


I just enjoyed the day. I looked at my watch at approximately 13 miles and was at 315 or so. I figured 630 would get me to the finish. With the earlier start time of the 50 miler, 6 vrs 7 am, I would have 7 hours to get to Mile 25. This was doable in my current state.

As I returned back toward the start, now the finish, I took time to ask how I was feeling. I felt good, had energy, feet were in good shape. I asked myself if I wanted to try 50 miles in two weeks. Am I ready? What if my discs hurt? Am I willing to DNF if they cause pain? Can my fragile egg shell brain take a DNF? I won't know if I can run 50 miles unless I try it. Am I willing NOT to try it because I'm afraid of a DNF?  Round and round my brain went, asking these questions.

As I neared the last few miles I began to have emotional outbursts. I KNEW I wanted to run 50 miles again. I KNEW I wanted to press down the fear and try it anyway. I KNEW I could do it. I began to sob. Yes, I'll try the 50 miler. It's been a long time. It will be uncomfortable, it will be difficult, but being able to complete it..will be worth it. I may not have any disc pain at all. If I do, I'll have to stop. I won't know unless I try.


At the next aid station I asked about Jarrow's Beach. I was told I wasn't going to be running through it again. Yay!  Happy day!  I was ready to run onto the finish.


Down the ski hill this time, letting the gravity take me down. I was enjoying the view of the lake and the feel of the finish coming before me.

I ran into the finish and heard a lot of clapping and one voice above all the rest. ICE BERG!  Yup, John Storkamp, cheering me on.  I finished in 607, felt strong and happy.


I couldn't pull myself away. I visited for a few hours with so many friends that I haven't seen in too long. It really was a great day. Thank you to the RDs for saving the race, all of the volunteers and my friends. To Lisa, who took these photos. What a fun time I had. I'm looking forward to the 50 in two weeks. Scared as hell, but looking forward to it.

Rum River 5K

Coach Ryan at CrossFit Beyond Sport challenged us to run the Rum River 5K. Many of our members hadn't yet run a race, some had run a 10K in the WOD a few weeks ago for the first time, others had only begun to run days prior.  Everyone was up for the challenge!  


Ryan volunteered to help out with the race and before he knew it he was setting up, tearing down, registration, timer, oh, and running the race, too!


I ran this one a few years ago with the women I coached in Big Lake. We picked this one out as their first race. I was excited to go back and run.


Troy had a baseball tournament at 1000 so I would be running.. and running off to the game. No time to chit chat afterward and I wouldn't be able to take part in the CrossFit for Hope workout. Maybe next time.


It was a warm morning, so nice to only drive 15 miles to the start!  We took photos, registered and tried to calm nerves. It was so much fun to see so many first timers ready to take their first race steps!!


I wore my watch as I find that when I don't my mind gives me trouble. I am running hard, breathing hard, and thinking I'm not running hard enough? Then I think I am running too hard. It's ridiculous. I began my watch as I crossed the start and paid attention. I didn't want to over run, I was going to run fast (for me) but not so fast that I bonked early.


As I looked down I saw 734 pace. Too fast, back off. Let's aim for 8s. I passed a large group of people and just ran steady. The route was an out and back, so I could see CBS members as they came back. Ryan was out front. As I came back I cheered on the runners that were in back of me. Everyone was giving it all they had.


Across the finish line and there was a PR for me!  The watch paid off, I kept it steady and was able to maintain my pace. I cheered in our runners and then had to head off to the game for Troy.


When I reached the field I saw that Susan had posted to FB a photo of Ryan with my 2nd Place Age Group winner medal!  Sweet!!  I didn't realize I had placed. The age group was 35-49. Cool.


Three of us placed from the gym. Here are some photos and details:

17 Beyond Sport CrossFitters ran the Rum River 5k on Saturday. Not only did we show up in force but as it turns out, CrossFit helps you become better than average at running without doing it all the time! (Despite what Trish might say about us). Our team took home 3 silver medals out of 8 divisions. We were also joined by our friends from CrossFit St. Cloud who turned out several athletes and threw down a workout after the race.

Rob Gutkaes 2nd, Men’s 50+ Division

Julie Berg 2nd, Women’s 35-49 Division

Coach Avery 2nd, Men’s 18-34 Division

Zoned

I see that I have posted the last few blog posts to DRAFTS. I'll bring them back up and post into blog.


As you know, I began CrossFit March 1. After a few weeks of learning the ropes, our Coach offered up a challenge.  The challenge was to complete the workout 'FRAN' on Day 1. Fran consists of thrusters and pullups, in sequence of 21, 15, 9 for time. (21 thrusters-21 pull ups, 15 thrusters-15 pull ups, 9 thrusters-9 pull ups)  Here is the workout


We would then follow a Zone nutrition program for 28 days. on Day 28 we would again complete the Fran workout. The goal was to improve time and strength, improve body composition, record daily nutrition and workouts.


After completing TheWhole 30 and feeling excellent I was a bit apprehensive about changing the nutrition up a bit, but I was willing to try it. I had never tried zoning before and as long as I'm not eating sugar, splenda or processed crap I'm willing to try and learn.


I added back in .5 cup of oats each morning and learned immediately that it caused inflammation. I could feel the swelling immediately. After a few weeks I dropped the oats again as I could feel my discs  began to squeek. Not cool. The one thing that did puzzle me was that oats were on the preferred carb list but sweet potato on the non preferred carb list. Interesting. I don't have any inflammation from sweet potatoes. 


I did see some members 'bastardize' the zone. You know, zoning a snickers with a preferred carb, etc. "It's still zoned". Meh.  I just kept my opinions to myself.  


My workouts rocked, running was great, no problems. Except I was hungry. Coach had me add in a few blocks of fat near the end of the challenge and that helped immensely. I should have added in more fats much earlier!


Below is the synopsis from Coach Ryan, posted to his website.






"Performance Improvement Champion: Julie Berg 40% FASTER
Julie is an Ultra Marathoner but has only been doing CrossFit for a few months. While endurance is no problem for her, a high power output workout like Fran was a daunting task early on. Julie performed the workout with 55# for the thrusters and using our black (medium) band for the pullups at the start and end of the competition to compare time improvement. She took her time on this workout from 13:30 down to just 8:29 in just 28 Days. Julie was the runner-up in the points division with just 1 point shy of perfect on the logging, total blocks, balanced meals, and favorable carbs part of the contest. She might have lost just a few points for not following through on some of the recovery days but did an overall excellent job. All these numbers mean Julie finished the same amount of work in 60% of the time with just 28 days of high performance fuel and training. Wow."



Yah, so I took over 5 minutes off my time and lost 2.6 pounds of fat. I logged every bit of food for 28 days but I didn't take off the 4th day as a rest day. I'm OK with that. I imagine a zoned paleo challenge would work well for me, too.


I do prefer the squeaky clean of Whole30, however, so that is where I will stay. I am really looking forward to the release of It Starts With Food, by the authors of TheWhole 30, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. I think I can talk Coach into a Whole30 challenge for the CrossFitters!