Run Minnesota

2011 One Mile Road Race Championship

2011-05-13T11:48:00.002-05:00

RunMinnesota Writer Patrick O'Regan filed this report from the One Mile Championship race on Thursday, May 12, 2011

The USA 1 Mile Road Championship races were again run this year on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. For a fan of running, it was a thrilling evening of entertainment. Wave after wave of runners – friends and family, corporate, team circuit, masters – thundered down the Mall past cheering hordes from starting line to finish. The last races were the highlights – the women’s and men’s USA 1 Mile Road Championships.

With $4,000 going to the men’s and women’s winners and the chance of a $10,000 bonus to the first male breaking 4:00 and the first female breaking 4:32, the championship races, in money, as well as prestige, attracted some of the best milers in the country. David Torrence had won the race the past two years, setting the course record (3:59.3) in 2009. He ran 4:04 last year.

As an added attraction, Ryan Hall, one of the best marathoners in the world, stepped way down to the mile for the first time in five years for this race.

* * * * * *

I attended the pre-race press conference in the Millennium Hotel on the Mall. (I might note that I happened to sit next to Ryan and Sara Hall during the preliminary lunch. Sara Hall is one of the best women milers in the country. Ryan Hall is coming off the fastest marathon ever run by an American – 2:04:58 at Boston. He also holds the American record in the half marathon. He is taller than I would have thought and very thin. He agreed with my assessment that Americans are coming close to winning major marathons. Desiree Devila was 2^nd at Boston by two seconds. As Ryan Hall had said in the paper, “We are knocking at the door.” I asked him if he had changed his training for this race. He said he had – more track work. But, he added, he does a lot of interval training for marathons. “Do you run repeat 200’s in training for a marathon?” I asked. “Yes,” he said, “more volume, though.”)

Virginia Brophy Achman graciously hosted the press conference, ably handling the introductions of the panels of men and women runners. The women’s panel included:

Sara Hall

4:31.50 mile

4:08.99 1500

Amy Mortimer

4:32.90 mile

4:06.55 1500

Gabriele Anderson

4:31.05 mile

4:12.06 1500

Gabriele Anderson, a member of Team USA Minnesota, is a University of Minnesota alumnus and a graduate of Perham High School in Perham, Minnesota, some 60 miles east of Fargo-Moorhead.

The men’s panel included:

David Torrence

3:54.47 mile

3:34.25 1500

Aaron Braun

1:52 800 m

7:50.11 3000 m

Ryan Hall

4:05.50 mile

3:42.70 1500

All the speakers are wonderfully friendly and engaging. These people love to run.

* * * * * *

After the press conference, I interviewed one of the women runners – Lindsey Allen. Lindsey is a 24-year-old graduate of Stanford (Biology degree). She has been a professional runner for three years, having turned pro right after graduation. She runs for Team USA Arizona, under Coach Greg McMillan. Lindsey’s 5000 m time is an outstanding 15:48.97, but her specialty is the 3000 m steeplechase. Her PR of 9:40.83 in that race ranks her as the 10^th fastest American steeplechaser ever.

When did you start running?

I started running in 5th grade, but I only began running seriously when I got to high school.

Did you run the mile in high school?

Yes. I ran 4:48. That’s still my PR. My specialty is the steeplechase. I’ve run 9:40.

(This is by far the best steeplechase PR among the women in the field.)

Did you run the mile at Stanford?

Sometimes, indoors. But the high school PR is still my PR.

Did you make the NCAA finals in the steeplechase?

Yes. I ran in the finals twice. As a senior, I was 4^th in the steeplechase.

Describe a typical day of hard training.

We (Team USA Arizona) show up at the track at 8:30 in the morning. We’ll do a lot of fast tempo runs and repeats. If we do repeat 400’s, we’ll run 8 to 20 of them at 65 to 80 seconds. Once a week we do a long run of 12 to 18 miles.

Do you have a favorite track workout?

I like the repeat 400’s.

How do you see the mile as a race? Is more about speed? Or stamina? Or conserving energy?

The mile is a speed race, not so much stamina. On the road it changes, though, and stamina is more of a factor. Then you can go out hard and hold on.

In the Olympic 1500 finals in Barcelona (’92), the men basically jogged the first two laps…

They were all thinking they had great speed, so they were not going to push the pace.

Yes. How would you handle that kind of race?

If the pace was real slow, I might push the pace… If it was my race (the steeplechase)… I’d go to the front and try to stay there. I wouldn’t be afraid to set a fast tempo… In the US, though – not at Worlds…

What are your running plans?

Well, this summer is the World Championships. The (Olympic) Trials are in 2012.

* * * * * *

David Torrence won the men’s race for the third consecutive time. Finishing in 3:58.4, he picked up the $10,000 bonus for going under 4:00. Craig Miller was second in 4:01.1 and Aaron Braun third in 4:01.9.

In the women’s race, Sara Hall won in 4:31.5, also taking home the $10,000 bonus. Heather Kampf was second in 4:35.9 and Gabriele Anderson third in 4:37.5.

Goals

2011-04-26T08:52:00.001-05:00

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures. ~Charles C. Noble

Year of the 27s: 2011 Ron Daws 25 Km

2011-04-03T11:07:00.012-05:00

With another new layout from the wily mind of founder and race director, Jeff Winter — this time not from Shady Oak Road construction, but rather plowed snow covering its sidewalks — the 32^nd version of this unique spring distance tune-up produced history with two 27-year-old athletes leading the way. of the 27s: 2011 Ron Daws 25 Km

With another new layout from the wily mind of founder and race director, Jeff Winter — this time not from Shady Oak Road construction, but rather plowed snow covering its sidewalks — the 32nd version of this unique spring distance tune-up produced history with two 27-year-old athletes leading the way.

For the first time in records and the mental recall of all, Jennifer Houck with her elite feet stepped high for the first female finisher ever to nail a top overall spot in the Ron Daws 25 Km. She commanded second with a 1:32:57, and also placed with the one percent of finishers since 1984 to complete the distance in less than six-minute miles, too. Her abilities on hills came in handy as this new layout, one that Winter may just continue to use, is full of them.

Aaron Beaber snuck to the front — leading some to ask, “Who’s that?” — leading the entire distance with a commanding overall win in 1:30:14. Determination showed in his face as he steadfastly focused on each step, out by himself while pushing to the tape, this year on the Shady Oak Road sidewalk in front of the race’s headquarters, Cross of Glory church. A member of the Collegeville USATF Team, Beaber was joined by teammates Caleb Buecksler, Mike Mack and Steve Christopher in the event.

Beaber has a long history of racing in the region, and is a perennial competitor in fall’s City of Lakes 25 Km, finishing in the top ten three of the last four years, winning his group and capturing two seconds in those years. When not on the roads, Beaber co-authors U of M engineering papers with subjects like A new multiscale computational method that is capable of predicting solute strengthening of alloys without adjustable parameters . . . under NASA grants.

Plenty of rolling flat lands and only the first leg of the legendary “Puke’s Peak” comprised this year’s version, but as Winter said post-event, “It may be the variety of hills and climbs may make this the better test.”

The course follows its traditional Pioneer Rd route from the church start, cutting through the quiet Carleton residential twists to land on Baker and, further, the traditional left onto Rowland. Passing the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church, Rowland cuts off to the right at Bren (formerly part of the course, the last two humps of the towering toss-ups of the Bren climb now deleted). Running over the Crosstown (“That highway wasn’t here when we ran back here in the ‘60s,” Winter said talking about the group including Daws who trained here) and snakes to the circle back with a new twist: a sharp left up the steep residential Cherokee Trail W, right on Old Shady Oak, connecting with aid station No. 1 right at the corner on Rowland.

Backtracking all of those downhills, now up, one does have the fun of two big runs down Rowland, exactly the half-marathon distance at its bottom on the second loop. A bit further, runners zip right on Jorissen, the quietest and most secluded section of the layout, then connects with its traditional route on Dominick. A left leads in one mile to the big split: to the left, start the second loop; to the right, one half-mile to the finish line. Both are covered by aid station No. 2 manned by Heidi Keller Miler, her children crew offering plenty of encouragement especially as Houck zoomed by.

A St. Scholastica grad, Houck gave all a peek of her 2011 Boston form (third American woman, 2010) and plans for the 2012 Houston Olympic Marathon Trials while racing the hills and roads of Hopkins — Minnesota, that is, not Boston. Perhaps it is only fitting she competed this day as a Houston prelude, working to earn one of those top slots out of more than 100 qualified, leading to the Olympics just as Ron Daws did in the qualifying requirement’s first year, 1968.

With her smiling, pleasant demeanor, high stepping with perfect form to this day’s history, she has an opportunity to use her skill and some Dawsion strategy to capture a berth in that tiny three-person field.

Buecksler, 28, racing out of Columbia Heights, captured third overall with his 1:35 double-0 clock, followed by Brian Davenport, 36, at 1:36:12. Nick Engster, 36, finished 1:36:12. First master was tenth overall, Paul Brown, 53 in 1:42 on the dot. Second woman, Iron Man finisher, Thea Fleming, 27, crossed the line at 1:47:01.

A record number of entrants pushed the stated maximum of the field; Winter said, “The roads can only accommodate no more than 200.” Yet the beautiful day pushed some to miss the race much like rain might, but they missed much, much more: A throwback, this event celebrates running without theatrics except for those on the roads, today starring Aaron Beaber and Jennifer Houck.

Courtesy of Snowshoe Magazine. Senior Editor, Phillip Gary Smith also writes for Midwest Events and a different kind of racing: Radioactive DragRacing News. He recently released his second book, HARMONIZING: Keys to Living in the Song of Life, at www.ultrasuperior.com

Thanksaron Beaber snuck to the front — leading some to ask, “Who’s that?” —leading the entire distance with a commanding overall win in 1:30:14. Determination showed in his face as he steadfastly focused on each step, out by himself while pushing to the tape, this year on the Shady Oak Road sidewalk in front of the race’s headquarters, Cross of Glory church. A member of the Collegeville USATF Team, Beaber was joined by teammates Caleb Buecksler, Mike Mack and Steve Christopher in the event.

Thanks to Phillip Gary Smith for reporting on and running this race! racing in the region, and is a perennial competitor in fall’s City of Lakes 25 Km, finishing in the top ten three of the last four years, winning his group and capturing two seconds in those years. When not on the roads, Beaber co-authors U of M engineering papers with subjects like A new multiscale computational method that is capable of predicting solute strengthening of alloys without adjustable parameters . . . under NASA grants.ling flat lands and only the first leg of the legendary “Puke’s Peak” comprised this year’s version, but as Winter said post-event, “It may be the variety of hills and climbs may make this the better test.”h start, cutting through the quiet Carleton residential twists to land on Baker and, further, the traditional left onto Rowland. Passing the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church, Rowland cuts off to the right at Bren (formerly part of the course, the last two humps of the towering toss-ups of the Bren climb now deleted). Running over the Crosstown (“That highway wasn’t here when we ran back here in the ‘60s,” Winter said talking about the group including Daws who trained here) and snakes to the circle back with a new twist: a sharp left up the steep residential Cherokee Trail W, right on Old Shady Oak, connecting with aid station No. 1 right at the corner on Rowland.all of those downhills, now up, one does have the fun of two big runs down Rowland, exactly the half-marathon distance at its bottom on the second loop. A bit further, runners zip right on Jorissen, the quietest and most secluded section of the layout, then connects with its traditional route on Dominick. A left leads in one mile to the big split: to the left, start the second loop; to the right, one half-mile to the finish line. Both are covered by aid station No. 2 manned by Heidi Keller Miler, her children crew offering plenty of encouragement especially as Houck zoomed by.er 2011 Boston form (third American woman, 2010) and plans for the 2012 Houston Olympic Marathon Trials while racing the hills and roads of Hopkins — Minnesota, that is, not Boston. Perhaps it is only fitting she competed this day as a Houston prelude, working to earn one of those top slots out of more than 100 qualified, leading to the Olympics just as Ron Daws did in the qualifying requirement’s first year, 1968.With her smiling, pleasant demeanor, high stepping with perfect form to this day’s history, she has an opportunity to use her skill and some Dawsion strategy to capture a berth in that tiny three-person field. out of Columbia Heights, captured third overall with his 1:35 double-0 clock, followed by Brian Davenport, 36, at 1:36:12. Nick Engster, 36, finished 1:36:12. First master was tenth overall, Paul Brown, 53 in 1:42 on the dot. Second woman, Iron Man finisher, Thea Fleming, 27, crossed the line at 1:47:01.ushed the stated maximum of the field; Winter said, “The roads can only accommodate no more than 200.” Yet the beautiful day pushed some to miss the race much like rain might, but they missed much, much more: A throwback, this event celebrates running without theatrics except for those on the roads, today starring Aaron Beaber and Jennifer Houck.y of Snowshoe Magazine. Senior Editor, Phillip Gary Smith also writes for Midwest Events and a different kind of racing: Radioactive DragRacing News. He recently released his second book, HARMONIZING: Keys to Living in the Song of Life, at http://www.ultrasuperior.com/ MDRA Thanks Phillip Gary Smith for posting this race story!

"MY RUN" is coming to Theaters for a ONE-NIGHT-ONLY showing tonight!

2011-03-31T15:16:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, Tonight is the big day - “MY RUN” is coming to Movie Theaters Nationwide for a ONE-NIGHT-ONLY showing. See what’s possible when physical endurance and the will of the human spirit unite in this inspiring film! I’ll be there and hope you will be too. Tickets info is available at www.FathomEvents.com/MyRun.

Buy tickets for Fathom's showing of the award winning documentary MY RUN
www.FathomEvents.com
This powerful and uplifting documentary exemplifies a commitment to something greater than yourself and achieving something deemed impossible.

Calling All Humans

2011-03-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that first USATF Circuit Race is coming up (the Human Race, this weekend) and MDRA has a race team (in case you forgot). What you need to know:

1. There are no dues (other than being a USATF member. Click here to join.

2. The first race, The Human Race, is this Sunday. Click here to register.

3. The 2^nd race is the Get In Gear 10K on Saturday, April 30.

4. The ground rules for team membership are pretty simple. If you can run one or more of the races that is great. You cannot get kicked off of the team for non-participation.

5. Questions? Want to join the team? Contact me at michael.d.nawrockiATgmailDOTcom

I look forward to seeing all of you out at the races soon.

MDRA - Win Running Prizes

2011-03-14T07:09:00.000-05:00

Runners and Marathoners… check this out. If you get your tickets this week for the “MY RUN” March 31st One Night Only showing that’s coming to Movie Theaters Nationwide, YOU will be entered to WIN lots of cool RUNNING prizes like a FREE pair of New RunTex RUNNING Shoes, race entries to any Spartan Race, 13.1 Marathon Series and other cool prizes. Go the MY RUN FB wall www.facebook.com/myrunmovie for more info.
MDRA - Win Running Prizes
www.facebook.com
Welcome to a Facebook Page about MY RUN. Join Facebook to start connecting with MY RUN...

MDRA Women's Camp

2011-03-13T18:58:00.002-05:00

MDRA Women's Running Camp is starting soon!

Wednesdays 6:00-7:30 pm

3 coaches/3 levels
Open to runners of all levels beginner to advanced

http://communityed.registration.edina.k12.mn.us/ (for more information or to register)

We hope to see you there!

27 days until the MY RUN Premiere Event!!!

2011-03-04T20:38:00.001-06:00

*27 days* until the *MY RUN Premiere Event*!!! Seats are limited, so get
your tickets today and ensure that your group will be able to sit together
on the event night. Groups are encouraged to wear their group/club/team
attire and represent! Tickets are available now at
www.FathomEvents.com/MYRUN

Nike Women's Marathon Preview Party

2011-03-03T08:54:00.002-06:00

It's a Girl Thing! A Nike Women's Marathon Preview Party for Women. Come with friends and family to learn more about the Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon. Enjoy an evening of relaxation and pampering as you are treated to mini spa services while you graze on light fare. Everyone will receive a goodie bag and if you register for an event you will be eligible for prize drawings including a Tiffany & Co. necklace. The event will take place Saturday April 9, 2011 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the reVamp! Salonspa, 2910 Hennepin Ave S., Menneapolis, MN 55408. Join the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's - Team in Training for this free event. Space is limited. RSVP by March 31, 2011 to Courtney at Courtney.klosner@lls.org

Wanna Race?

2011-02-27T11:59:00.000-06:00

The USATF Team Circuit is fast approaching, and MDRA is getting the band back together!!

A few years ago Kirk Walztoni put together the ~~Bad News Bears Racing Team~~ MDRA Racing team. We did an admirable job of getting participation ribbons and we want to just that again this year. The mission of the team is for people who of all levels of speed and seriousness to feel welcome to particpate. If you think about the MDRA marathon training classes, we have marathoners running of all abilities, be it the first time marathoner who just wants to beat the sweeper bus to runners in the 2:40s. And all are welcome and equally important to our classes. Okay, fine, so the sub 2:40s runners tend to move on, but you know, Run N Fun and Collegeville are allowed to have some runners too.

But if you are not in the sub 15 minute 5k bracket or a sub 2:30 marathoner, than does MDRA have a race team for you. Our team! The team is open to anyone, but we really really would like you to be an MDRA member. That's pretty much all it takes.

We will have a men's open team, women's open team, men's masters team, and a women's masters team. The men's open team will be headed by Mike Nawrocki (hey that's me!), the open women's team by Lauren Shoup, the men's masters by Paul "The Professor" LaMere, and the women's masters have been running strong for years and will be headed by Kathryn Welo Benhardus.

Click here for a list of the USATF Team Circuit Races.

Requirements to be part of Team MDRA:
1. You need to buy your own USATF Membership. Begin the process by clicking here.
2. When you sign up for a USATF Team Circuit Race, there will be a box where you indicate which team you are on. You will indicate you are on Team MDRA.
3. E-mail the head of your team to let him or her know you have signed up will be there.
4. There is no age or speed requirement to be on the team. You are not obligated to run a specfic number of races, just show up when you can.

Benefits:
1. Friends and peers to run with and to encourage each other.
2. Post-race socializing at some establishment or another. Your team organizers will put that together.
3. All abilities are welcome. Anyone who has taken an MDRA training class knows that everyone is welcome and equally part of the group. We will have some runners who are fast and serious but also make those of us, including me, who not as fast and serious, feel welcome and part of the group.

What else do you need? Contact me at Michael.D.NawrockiATgmailDOTcom with any questions or to let me know you want to be part of the team.

And keep reading this blog to get to more about the team and I'll also introduce Paul, Kathryn, and Lauren.

First race will be the Human Race, but it's never going to be too late to join. See you at the races.

My Run

2011-02-21T18:19:00.002-06:00

MY RUN

03/31/2011

The award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary MY RUN is coming to movie theaters nationwide for an exclusive one night premiere event on Thursday, March 31st at 7:00pm (Local Time). Narrated by Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton, MY RUN is the inspirational story of real life superhero Terry Hitchcock, the 57 year old man who ran 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days. This powerful and uplifting documentary exemplifies a commitment to something greater than yourself and achieving something deemed impossible. Following the feature, audiences will take a deeper look into the story through Q&A and interviews with the star Terry Hitchcock and his son, support team member Chris Hitchcock. A portion of proceeds from the MY RUN Premiere event will benefit the Livestrong Foundation.

Tickets are on sale now! Purchase tickets at www.FathomEvents.com/MyRun

MDRA Spring Marathon and Half Marathon Training Program Kicks Off This Weekend

2011-02-16T19:36:00.001-06:00

Whether you’re new to running or an experienced old louse, feel free to join the MDRA SMTP if you’re training for a half or full marathon this Spring, of if you’re just looking for an excuse to get out of the house. While we’re targeting Grandma’s weekend in June, the course is great for everyone, especially if you detest the loneliness of long distance running. Three coaches compliment many more team leaders to help you reach your goals! For more information, check out the following link: http://www.runmdra.org/index.php/programs/9-mdra-spring-marathon-training-program You can register online and everything.

While you may have missed the informational meeting held last night you can still sign up and join us for the first run this Saturday, Feb. 19^th. Registration begins at 8:00am and the run starts promptly at 8:30. We’ll be meeting at the gymnasium end of the Edina Community Center. Come run with us!

For questions on the class please contact Heidi at 952 927-0983 or email heidi@runmdra.org

Upcoming Free Clinics at Bloomington REI

2011-02-16T14:53:00.002-06:00

2/23/11 Snowshoeing Basics
6:30-7:30 PM

3/2/11 Your First Tri: Triathalon Basics (Women Specific)
7:00-8:00 PM

Check for more information at www.rei.com

Four Keys to Cross-Training for Runners

2011-02-16T14:46:00.002-06:00

Must Know tips to keep you in your best running shape

By Ed Eyestone (Runners World 11/9/2006)

1. Choose workouts that are closest to running in terms of muscles used and aerobic systems taxed. Good options include elliptical trainers, cross-country ski machines, stationary bikes and water running.

2. When cross-training, keep your heart rate at or above 70 percent of your maximum heart rate (220-minus your age) most of the time. In other words, you should be working hard and sweating a lot.

3. Check your morning heart rate regularly. An elevated morning heart rate is a sign over over training, which can occur if you add too much cross-training too soon.

4. Combine cross-training with running to maximize running fitness with actual lower mileage. You can substitute 25 to 30 percent of your weekly "mileage" with cross-training.

Winter Indoor Running to make you faster!

2010-12-19T14:50:00.004-06:00

This article on indoor winter running options was written for MDRA by George Fulp.
It is a good overview on how you can stay in shape and even get faster over the winter months.

Let’s face it. Running and racing outdoors in the Minnesota Winter is tough. Putting on two layers of pants and three layers on the upper body, plus two pair of socks, hat, gloves, face mask etc. just to run outside is never fun. For the first five minutes you are cold, and after that overheating. Racing? Five pounds of snow and ice stuck to your shoes, it feels like your running in molasses. What’s a poor runner to do?

There are some options.

Indoors. I’m not talking treadmill (or dreadmill, as some refer to it). I’m talking running in shorts, singlet and racing flats. You’re running all out, nothing but your own training and limitations.

When I show up at the first big race of the season in March…The Human Race 8k…the first comment I usually hear is “I haven’t raced since October”. Why?

There are places to run where you can get in a quality race or workout.
(PLEASE NOTE – THE DOME IS UNAVAILABLE FOR RUNNING AT THE TIME THIS STORY
WAS PUBLISHED, STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES!)
1. The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. 600 Meter to a lap upper concourse. Show up and pay your $1.00. Okay, it is concrete, it can be hard on the legs. The price is right. Lots of familiar faces. Best of all you can run your slow laps on the outside lane, then jump to the inside lane to run your pickups. My favorite: 2 laps hard on the inside (where very few run), then do my recovery lap on the outside. Bring water (it’s dry and warm in there) and a towel to wipe the perspiration. Every Tuesday and Thursday during the Winter.

2. The Meet of the Miles, January 10, 2011. University of Minnesota Fieldhouse. Okay, it’s only one mile. Few are in shape to run a hard mile in January. In 2010, 109 men and 28 women toed the line. Fears? What if I finish last? What if I get lapped?

Number One. It’s run in heats. If you feel you are in shape to run a 6:00 minute mile, you can run in a heat with others of the same ability. I remember distinctly in past years jumping into the 6 minute heat. For the first two laps, I was dead last. I’m a slow starter, by lap 3 I caught a few runners, and I actually finished 2nd or 3rd in my heat. Nobody expects you run fast in January, so there is no pressure.

A good suggestion. Use your Meet of the Miles as a base time. See how much you can improve between your January indoor mile and your “Twin Cites One Mile” outdoors in early May.

3. Challenge Races at Bethel College. Not just one race, not just one day, but a series of 5 races. It’s the closest thing we have to a indoor racing season. Starting on Dec. 5 and ending in February, you can race every other weekend for 5 solid weeks. 1500 Meters, 1 Mile, 5k, 3000 meters, 5k. Best of all, the track at Bethel College is awesome!!! They also have 200, 400 and 800 events if you really want to work on your turnover.

The field house on the Bethel Campus where these events are run is opened for an hour before the first event. You can get there early, run some nice warm-up miles, run your event, and do a leisurely cool-down, all while dressed in singlet and shorts.

Competition? Plenty of it. Watching 70 year old Rick Kleyman dueling with 72 year old Thom Weddle on the back-stretch of lap 5 proves that the competitive spirit never dies, no matter what the age.

Two years ago, I ran one of these events, and 8 year old Benjamin Olson was in front of me for 6 of the 8 laps in the one mile. This year, he show up and ran a 5:07 1500 meters. “I’m glad I didn’t run in his heat”, I thought to myself, as I watched him speed around the track. The little prodigy finished 5th in the heat of 12 runners.

Then the second heat lined up, and his younger sister, 9 year old Sarah, took off as soon as the gun sounded. She was in front of me for the first few laps. Remember these two names, if they keep improving the way they are, they will be forces to reckon with as soon as they hit their teen years.

The link to find these races: http://www.charitieschallenge.org

Okay, you’re probably saying to yourself “1500 meters…one mile…5k indoors? It takes me 7-8 miles to warm up, my race would be over before I got going”

Welcome to option 4: Indoor marathons, the latest craze to hit the Midwest. On Jan. 9, there is the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor marathon in Northfield, Minnesota. This is run on 282 meter second level jogging track in the field house at St. Olaf College. If you were hoping to run it this year, you are out of luck. It’s a lottery now to enter, it has gotten so popular Put it on your schedule for next year and make the attempt.

If you don’t mind traveling a bit, the 443 meter Pettit National Ice Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a whole series of races in late January, 2010. Jan. 21 (Friday) there is a 5k (11 laps), a half-marathon on Saturday (48 laps) and a full marathon on Sunday (96) laps. Again, due to popularity, this race is sold out, so put it on your MDRA race calendar for next year, and sign up early.

I ran the half-marathon/marathon last year. You receive one finishing medal for completing the half-marathon, another medal for finishing the full marathon, and a 3rd medal for doing both. The best part is, you don’t have to count your laps; every time you cross the time mat, a chip around your ankle records your current lap and cumulative time and are projected onto a screen. All you have to do is run. With a water stop available on every lap, comfortable air temp (about 50 degrees), you never have to worry about getting too hot or too cold.

Finally, a new contender is entering the fray in February of 2011. The Sandbox Indoor Marathon, taking place in New Richmond, WI Feb. 11-13. According the race website “We have designed a 1/4 mile running surface in the arena which will require marathon participants to run about 110 laps, half-marathon 55 laps, etc.” It will be a chip timed race, run on a facility that is normally used for motorcross.

When the Twin Cities marathon or 10 mile is finish in early October, it doesn’t mean my desire to compete is finished. My dream is for some day there is a true indoor racing season in the Twin Cities: two races in November, two in December, two and January and two in February. That would transition nicely from the Twin Cities marathon week in October to the Human Race 5k/8k in March. Until that comes to pass, I guess we can only dream.

2010-12-19T14:42:00.000-06:00

Join the Polar Bears at the Lake Harriet Bandshell for a Saturday Run!

2010-12-16T21:33:00.002-06:00

Short of friends?

If so, then why not make some new ones at a Polar Bear run this Saturday? We'll be meeting at the Lake Harriet Bandshell at precisely 7:30am for a run somewhere in the 7-12 mile range. You don't need to be fast. Newbies are always welcome.

Long Distance Running Coaching Clinic Registration Open

2010-12-13T19:36:00.001-06:00

Have you ever wanted to emulate one of the great MDRA coaches? Or, have you always wanted to learn more about the science of running and developing training plans? Then Running Ventures has a clinic for you.

The coaching clinic is available in two parts. Part I teaches coaching basics including coaching environment and skills, as well as physiology. Part II is a plan development workshop that teaches training components and theory, supplemental training such as core stability and strength training, as well as hands-on-design of plans for 5k, half marathon, and marathon.

Both sessions will be conducted at Marathon Sports, 2312 W. 50th St., Minneapolis. Part I takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 19th from 6-8pm. Part II is on Saturday, Jan. 22nd, 8-11am.

Class size is limited so be sure to register early if you're interested! Please contact Barb Leininger at: barb@runningventures.com.

Join the Polar Bears for a Run at Lake Calhoun this Saturday

2010-11-17T21:49:00.002-06:00

Finally! Finally, the weather gets cool enough to actually warrant the name "Polar Bears." Speaking of which, how about some polar bear trivia? Did you know polar bears can run as fast as 40 kilometers per hour—but only for short distances. Younger, leaner bears are the best runners. They can cover two kilometers without stopping. Older, larger bears quickly overheat.

Unlike the real polar bears you're invited to join us to run slightly more than two kilometers; we'll run somewhere between 6 and 12 miles. You don't have to run 40 km per hour either. All paces are invited and you're sure to find someone who'll run with you.

We're meeting Saturday, November 20th, at the Lake Calhoun Executive Center, located at the northeast corner of Lake Calhoun. Start time is 7:30am.

Newbies are always welcome! See you there!

Join the Polar Bears for a Run at Fort Snelling This Weekend!

2010-11-11T21:56:00.002-06:00

What up, running peeps?

If you're looking for 6-12+ miles of running action this weekend, you have to look no further than Fort Snelling at 7:30am Saturday, Nov. 13th. We'll be meeting in the parking lot near the intersection of Hwy 55 and Hwy 5. What's a good sign you're in the right place? There will be lots of runners standing around waiting to...run.

All speeds are welcome so join us!

Join the Polar Bears for a Run at Lake Nokomis this Saturday!

2010-11-03T21:59:00.003-05:00

Tired of running alone? Looking to run with some new friends? Run with the Polar Bears this Saturday morning, Nov. 6th.

Location: Lake Nokomis Community Center parking lot, 2401 E. Minnehaha Pkwy.

Time: 7:30 a.m.

Distance: 6 -12 miles

All runners are welcome!

Come Run with the Polar Bears!

2010-10-31T22:12:00.001-05:00

Just because the fall running season is almost behind us doesn’t mean you need to retire your running shoes for the long, cold, Minnesota winter. Instead, come run the Polar Bears!

The Polar Bears are a group of runners that meet every Saturday morning for, you guessed it, a run. All paces are welcome. Distances typically range from about 6 miles to 14+. Locations change from week to week. Here’s a quick list of why you should join us:

· What better way to get in a workout than with some new friends?
· We’ll help you get your long run in from October to February.
· If you haven’t experienced running with the group dynamic, you should try it. It’s free!
· You’ll meet some MDRA regulars, who are more than willing to talk about running, racing, sports, politics or…just about anything.
· It’s a great way to become familiar with the MDRA

So how do you sign up? Simply go to http://groups.google.com/group/mdra-polar-bears and select either “Sign in and apply for membership” if you’re already a Google Group member or select “Apply for Group Membership” if you’re not. You’ll need to become a Google Group member one way or the other, but that’s relatively pain free. When applying for membership be sure to mention a few words about how you heard about Polar Bears. It’ll help us differentiate you from the spammers.

Once you’ve joined you’ll receive an email during the week about where we’re meeting the following Saturday. It’s that easy!

Wanna 5K, or perhaps 10K?

2010-08-13T08:41:00.003-05:00

MDRA has partnered with the Twin Cities Marathon to offer a training program aimed at preparing runners to race the TCM 5K or TCM 10K run on the day before the marathon, Saturday, October 2, 2010. If you are new to racing, or you want to improve your time, this is the class for you!

The first class met this past Wednesday, August 11, however, there are still 7 weeks left! The class meets every Wednesday evening in Edina from 6:00 to 7:30 pm (the next class meets at TC Running Co in Eden Prairie). Each class will focus on a different aspect of running and training including injury prevention techniques, proper nutrition, core strength and race strategies!

The cost of the class is $60, which includes a special training program designed for you, USATF-certified coaching, a running singlet AND MDRA membership. MDRA membership entitles you to major discounts at local running stores, the official Run Minnesota MDRA magazine and the always popular training log book (retails for $15). This is an incredible deal!

The four coaches represent the best and most experienced Minnesota has to offer:

Kathryn Benhardus A USATF Certified Level One Coach and competitive masters runner, Kathryn is captain of the MDRA grand masters women’s USATF team circuit team and the grand masters women’s relay team, Do Not Go Gentle. They run ultra relays all over the country and have set age group course records. She has run many local races including 25 marathons, and won her age group in the MDRA Grand Prix for 2007. She coached track at the middle school level and has coached beginning runners for 11 years. Kathryn is currently the secretary of the MDRA board.

Nobby Hashizume Co-founder of the Lydiard Foundation (www.lydiardfoundation.org) to promote the Lydiard method of endurance training. Please check out the website or Google if you’re interested. A former professional running coach for Hitachi, Ltd. in Japan, he is currently coaching several ladies including a 2:50 female runner from Albuquerque, NM, and a couple of young ladies in Chicago via email/phone. He has been involved in running for over 35 years.

Gloria Jansen USATF Certified Level One Coach and a nationally recognized masters runner from White Bear Lake who has been running since 1986. She has completed 49 marathons and participates in many road races of all distances. She started coaching beginning runners in 2000 and has served as MDRA president.

Phyllis Stokke Phyllis is living proof that the MDRA beginning running program works! She started running with us five years ago. Inspired by the camaraderie and love of running that all the runners have found through this program, she keeps coming back. A cancer survivor who lives and works in Eden Prairie, Phyllis focuses on 5K runs.

If you're interested, check out the website for more information! If you would like to sign up, contact Heidi at hmiler (at) hotmail (dot) com. Or you can just show up to the next class which is meeting at TC Running Company in Eden Prairie at 6pm, August 18.

Christopher McDougall, Author of Born to Run, To Visit Gear West

2010-07-27T19:47:00.003-05:00

To claim Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run is a popular read among runners would be a serious understatement. McDougall tells a fantastic story about the running secrets of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon. This story alone is enough to read the book. But, it's one of their secrets has had a huge and dare I say controversial impact on the running community – that, according to McDougall, running with minimalist shoes or barefoot (or in the case of the Tarahumara, in sandals) is the key to enjoyable and injury free longevity. Since then, countless coaches, shoe companies, and runners have weighed in on the topic. So you want to join the discussion?

Here’s your chance.

Gear West and The Bookcase are hosting Christopher McDougall to the Gear West Store in Long Lake on Wednesday, September 15th at 6:30 in the evening. The store is located at 1786 West Wayzata Boulevard. Tickets are only $5.00 and are available at either Gear West or The Bookcase.

Check it out and see what all the fuss is about!

Tuesday Trails: I'll be back in 2 weeks

2010-07-20T21:37:00.002-05:00

This week and next week I need to devote my full attention to my other job (the one that pays). I'll be back in 2 weeks with another trail report!

Tuesday Trails: Book Review - Minnesota Running Trails

2010-07-13T18:24:00.006-05:00

Hello loyal Tuesday Trails readers! I'm still recovering from my light ankle sprain, and while I ran Hyland and Lebanon Hills this past weekend, overall, I've been doing less mileage as I try to heal. Less running = more time for reading! And so that makes this the perfect week for the first (and probably last) Tuesday Trails Book Review! (my English teacher would cringe at that transition).

I counted 9 Minnesota trail books in my own library (7 of them pictured above)

There are many guidebooks to trails around the state of Minnesota. Some focus on certain regions (North Shore, Metro Area) while others look at the most popular trails around the entire state. A quick search on Amazon found that most focus on hiking (69), some on walking (which may be different than hiking?), some on cross country skiing (21), several on bicycling (9), but there's only one guidebook that is dedicated to the trail runner.

Truth in advertising, it IS a great guide for hikers too

"Minnesota Running Trails", by Kate Havelin, a St. Paulite, is the only book that I've found that gives trail reviews from the perspective of a trail runner. You may be wondering why that is important distinction from "hiking". There are at least 2 major differences in running and hiking reviews:

Distance. This is the big one. To a day hiker, 5-6 miles is a nice, long hike, worthy of a trail review. To a trail runner, 5-6 miles isn't worth the drive. We're looking for 8, 10, 15, 20+ miles of scenic trails.
Surface. A rooted and rocky surface on a trail may not even warrant a mention in a hiking trail review, but that is an important feature for a trail runner. 2 years ago, after reading a hiking trail review of Cascade State Park on the North Shore, I decided to check it out. I found much of the trail unrunnable due to the heavy roots throughout the trail, while just a few miles away, the state parks were just as scenic, without all the ankle-turners. (Confession, I'd run Cascade again, it just would have been nice to know about the trail surface ahead of time.)

"Minnesota Running Trails: Dirt, Gravel, Rocks & Roots" was published in 2006. A disclaimer on the inside reminds the reader that they are to run trails "at their own risk"! I'd add that we are to run trails to our own enjoyment as well! I picked up a copy of this book 4 years and have used it several times.

The book (like most guidebooks) is organized geographically: North Shore, Headwaters (Itasca area), Red River (NW MN), Prairie (SW MN), Bluff (SE) and Twin Cities trails. As with most guidebooks, the North Shore and Twin Cities areas have the most trails listed, with 13 and 15 respectively.

Each trail review starts out with the basics: Mileage, surface type, hilliness, races, directions, other uses for the trail, and directions. While Kate then suggests a single route for the park, there are often many other routes in the parks too. Those extra routes are shown on the map, but not specifically reviewed. For the selected route, the book gives pretty much a turn by turn review of the park. Kate ends each chapter with her personal reflections on the trail.

My favorite part of the book comes at back of the book. Each trail has a small index card that can be cut out and carried on the trail during the run to help with directions. My biggest frustration with running unfamiliar trails is getting lost or the fear of getting lost, which causes me to stop every half mile at EVERY trail map and reassess my location. I can't count how many times I have stared at a trail map online for a new park, trying to memorize 8 different turns so that I only run 15, not 50 miles. Usually by mile 5 I miss a turn and have to readjust. Running blind like that can be fun when that doesn't result in running way too long, or when one has enough time to get lost. Unfortunately. I don't usually allow myself enough time to get lost. I probably should simplify my life a little, but that's a topic for another blog post!

Tear-out, turn-by-turn directions set this book apart from all other guidebooks

As I eluded to above, one thing that really sets this book apart from the other guidebooks I have is that these are running routes, not short hikes. I understand that the hiking guidebooks are trying to serve a larger market of hikers with all levels of abilities, but even when I'm out for a hike, I don't care about the 0.8 mile round trip route from the parking lot to a waterfall overlook. I want a substantial hike/run with some challenging terrain. So whether I'm running or hiking, I use Kate's book to help plan the route. I may modify her route when I want to run a little longer, or cut a bit out if I'm out for a hike, but her suggestions are the best first cut at routes I have seen.

If you want great trail reports that are perfect for running (or hiking - I've given this book as a gift to hikers too), you can't do better than "Minnesota Running Trails". It is far better than any other trail guidebook I've seen, and is a more consistent and comprehensive resource than anything I've seen online, including this blog (OK, ESPECIALLY this blog).

There are only a few things I will caution you about regarding the guidebook:

The book is REALLY light on trails in southwestern and northwestern Minnesota, so if you're specifically looking for trails in that area, you may be disappointed.
The book has only one edition that I'm aware of, so some trails may have changed slightly since 2006 when the book was published. I know that the Africa Loop at Afton has changed some and the directions in the book aren't exactly as you will find them at the park.
The book doesn't review every trail in every season. For example, there may be times (spring) when a trail is waterlogged, but Kate may have reviewed the trail in late summer and so all trail conditions may not be in the book. I know that 4 years ago I used the book for some runs on a camping trip to Itasca State Park over July 4th weekend. I was not prepared for the apocalypse being ushered in by biting, black flies. Obviously, the book doesn't cover every possible trail condition.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy! I know Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble have them. I've seen copies at running stores too. Maybe you can even get a signed copy like I have!

Enjoy the trails!

Tuesday Trails: Afton 25K Race Report

2010-07-06T17:00:00.013-05:00

Happy (belated) Independence Day! What did you do with your extended holiday weekend? Did you shoot off fireworks? Watch fireworks? Roast a pig? Read the Declaration of Independence?

With my extended weekend I decided to run the longest trail race I've competed in to date: the Afton 25K in beautiful Afton State Park. The race was held Saturday, July 3 in conjunction with the Afton 50K. I opted for the shorter distance.

Beautiful Prairies and Wildfires Steal the Show in Afton

I have run at Afton a few times and I love it there. The rolling prairies, steep ravines and sweeping vistas of the St. Croix River are breath-taking. Their hike-in campsites are some of the best and most-remote feeling in the Twin Cities.

Here's my promised race recap:

I made a series of errors leading up to this race (errors I'm sure I'll repeat again). The first was that I ran a marathon only 2 weeks prior.

I set out for Afton with my lovely wife Friday evening to meet some non-running friends for some summertime camping. We hiked in the 1 mile of steep terrain with all our gear and set up base camp. I then realized error #2: I had neglected to read all the email communications and didn't realize that everyone else had dinner before we went to Afton. So my pre-race dinner consisted of trail mix and S'Mores. Not too far off from my normal dinner, actually.

Our campsite was at Mile 10-ish

So then my wife takes off to sleep in our comfortable bed, and I decide that sleeping under the stars sounds like a great idea. So while all my friends pile in tents, I stretch out to gaze at the sky. However, that was hard to do since my view was blocked by hordes of angry mosquitos. So I crawled deeper in my sleeping bag. Problem was, it was still about 80 degrees at midnight. I had to decide whether to A) Be cool yet eaten alive B) Avoid the bugs but roast or C) Crawl into a friend's tent. I chose B and roasted all night. In spite of that, I still woke up in the morning with my face covered in mosquito bites (including one bite INSIDE my mouth.) We'll call that collectively error #3.

Error #4 came moments later when I'm trying to put my contacts in and decide to use my friend's saline solution. Which turns out to be hydrogen peroxide. So now, I can only see out of one eye, and I have a race in 45 minutes!

I wince and jog down the hill to the start. I bump into some racers I know, and meet some others for the first time. Soon, we're off and racing!

I quickly settle in about 15th place or so and attack the hills. There's a TON of tough uphill in the first 5-6 miles, and this is where I excell. I attack the uphills, press hard on the flats, but then, the really, ridiculously steep downhills come.

This was WAY steeper than it looks in the photo, I swear!

Now people are flying by me on the downhills, and I'm passing them again on the uphills. For the most part, I'm coming out ahead on this, as only one person of many that I was playing leapfrog with beats me. Unfortunately, my timidness on the hills starts to quickly wear on me physically. By about mile 7 of gingerly stepping down the hills, my left ankle is tense and feeling sore. From then on, I'm practically walking the downhills.

At the 10.5 mile checkpoint, I'm around 1:15, a 7:10 pace. The next 1.5 miles are the flattest and straightest section and I start to fly again. I'm thinking that I have sub-2 hours in the bag! No WAY can I not break 2:00 with only 5 miles to go! In fact, with 3.5 miles to go, it's looking darn near impossible that I won't be breaking 2:00.

Well, hubris on a dreadfully hot day and on a ridiculously hilly course will come to bite you, and it did me in quickly. After mile 12, the race ascends from the river up the "Meat Grinder". I know this is bad, and I'm ready for it, and I walk faster than others are running. I'm still looking good.

Then I get to the last 2.5 miles of the course, a single-tracked, super hilly and twisty section in the SW part of the park. Again, I'm attacking the hills, but now there are no more flat spots to cruise, and the downhills are obscene and very dangerous. I am walking parts of EVERY downhill. At this point, honestly, I'm limping. My left ankle is hating me and I have zero stability.

That is not the facial expression of a happy finisher

I limp across the line in 12th place, just a few seconds over 2 hours. I grin through the pain and greet my friends who have come down from the camp to see me finish. Then I cheer on my other friends racing, grab the best tasting hot dog I've ever had and... start the sloooow walk uphill to get back to camp. (let's call that error #5).

MDRA's very own Andrea looks like she enjoyed this race WAY too much!

Highlights of the race include:

Seeing (at least) NINE hawks flying over the ski slopes around mile 3. Inspirational. At mile 14 they would have appeared to be vultures.
Cheering on the 50K runners. These are people who ran the same sick course I did and thought, "That was nice, how about another lap?"
Seeing my friends at the finish after I missed them by the campground because I thought I was faster than I actually was!
The AWESOME wicking race shirts that look like a concert t-shirt for a death metal band. My father-in-law thought I was pretty cool in that one.
Meeting a bunch of die-hard trail runners and getting a glimpse into the trail-racing culture that is quite different than the road-racing culture. The Finn-Sisu runners are awesome! If you're interested in trail running, check out their class!
Setting a PR at 25K, a PR for a TRAIL 25K and a PR for the Afton Trail 25K. The best part about racing trails like this is that no time is transferrable to another race. It's just you and the course. I'm hooked!

Sweet shirt! Rock on!

Lowlights:

Spraining my ankle. It's a mild sprain and you'll still be seeing me pound the pavement the next month or so, but I'm off of uneven terrain for at least a few weeks. Look for me, I'll be the guy running around the lakes in an ankle brace.
My downhill running is terrible. I lost literally minutes of time on the downhills and ultimately hurt myself by running tensed up. Any suggestions out there on downhill trail running form?

One last look at the St. Croix River! Afton SP, July 2010

Enjoy the Trails!

Tuesday Trails: Afton Trail Photo

2010-06-29T18:42:00.004-05:00

Your Tuesday Trails blogger is taking the week off due to work commitments (this blog doesn't quite pay my mortgage. Heck, it doesn't even buy me a beer!)

Next week I will return with a race/trail report for Afton State Park. I'll be there to run the Afton 25K. Looks like there are about 80 spots left in the field, so hurry and sign up quick!

As promised, here's a photo. See you next week (which will probably be late as well due to the holiday!)

Afton Hills at sunset (taken by me in July 2008)

Race Numbers

2010-06-24T13:08:00.007-05:00

As in musical numbers. You know it's a good pun when you have to explain it.

This morning I was going for a slow laboring run, because that's what I do lately. And as per usual my mind began to wander. And as I ran past Minnehaha Falls where Get In Gear starts I got to thinking about music. Specifically, pre-race music that is blared over the loudpseakers at races like Get In Gear.

I like the fact that they play music. It gets people excited and makes the whole race more of an event. But when I think of lining up for a big race and the music that is being played, only two songs come to mind. It reminds me of that Blues Brothers scene where they only know two country songs as they pose as the Good Old Boys.

But instead of the Rawhide theme song and Stand By Your Man, the only two songs I can think of hearing at races are the Chariots of Fire theme song and that Dixie Chicks song, Ready to Run.

Now the Chariots of Fire opening music is a great song. A beautiful, inspirational opening scene, but we are coming up on the 30th anniversary of this movie's release. I was ten when this movie came out. Plus, the movie is about a couple of sprinters, not distance runners. And the opening scene is lost on a generation of runners. I say, time to freshen it up.

And then there is the Dixie Chicks song. Watch the video. No really, watch it.

Three ladies in wedding dresses... what does this have to with running? And who has a triple wedding? Talk about a logistical and financial nightmare. Okay wait, they are running after awhile. But this isn't about racing. It's about leaving the altar. And trespassing. And stealing kids bikes. And vandalizing cars. And assaulting mascots. And ruining kids' birthday parties.

Breaking hearts and committing petty and/or mean crimes? This isn't about running at all. Halfway through they're not even running. They're riding bikes. And I can't even figure out the end. They start a food fight and suddenly everything is okay? I need to remember that next time my wife is mad at me.

Just because a song has "ready to run" in it, doesn't mean it is about running.

Plus that video annoyed me because it seems like a direct ripoff of one of the greatest parodies of a chase scene ever, the one in Raising Arizona.

Anyway, I got to thinking on the latter half of my run, "okay wise guy. It's easy to criticize someone else's job than do a good job on your own." So I asked myself, what pre-race set list would I make if I were a race director? And then I realized what a tough job that would be. You can't just play music you like; you have to find something with a broader appeal. But why try to tie it to running? When you do, you end up on the same two songs every race director is stuck with. Tom Petty's Running Down a Dream gets a lot of play too.

At Twins games I like to ask the people I'm with what song they would choose to play as they get introduced to bat. Now I have a new question to ask at races. If you were the race director, what five songs would you play before the race? It is a much harder job than I initially thought.

I would pick older mainstream songs just to make sure they have wide familiarity. Off the top of my head, my list for the pre-race crowd would be....

KISS' Rock n Roll All Night.
Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion, which would lead naturally to...
Run DMC and Aerosmith performing Walk This Way together.
John Mellencamp's R.O.C.K. in the USA.
And to round out the five, I would add one song about running (sort of) Intergalatic by The Beastie Boys because they do claim they "run the marathon to the very last mile."

The close reader will note that these are not my favorite songs and have nothing to do with music I listen to when I run. They are just songs we all know and are widely liked; and they would be a nice break from the Chariots of Fire/Tom Petty/Dixie Chicks playlist.

Looking to Fall

2010-06-22T12:33:00.001-05:00

And by fall I mean autumn, not the falling like I do at least monthly on my runs.

So, now that Grandma's and the bulk of the spring marathons are behind us, it's time to look ahead to ~~fall~~ autumn.

Twin Cities Marathon anyone? How about Chicago? Or Des Moines? Whistlestop? The Belize City Celebration of Central America Fall Marathon? So many choices this fall, and yet we have one class to meet your needs.

It doesn't matter what marathon you run this fall, MDRA has an affordable option for you. The MDRA Fall Marathon Training Program.

Click here for more information.

In summary, Heidi from the office says:

Fall Marathon Class starts on June 22, 2010 (tonight) with an informational session at the ECC at 7:00 p.m. in room 351 (no run that night).

The first run is on Saturday, June 26 from the Sears Building in St. Paul off of Rice and University. Registration at 6:30 a.m., run at 7:00 a.m.

New this year, MDRA is offering a $20 class discount for anyone who has taken the class before and is bringing a new runner to the class. They can send the form in less $20 and make a note on their registation form the new runners name.

WE DO have TCM entries available! Up to 50, we should be able to accomodate anyone who needs one. Had a few inquiries on that this week.

This year I will be coaching the class again with Marty Humphrey and Anne Walztoni. So please come and join us. If you can't sign up tonight, we will be registering people on Saturday and throughout the class.

Our class meets every Saturday morning and Tuesday evening. We provide a training schedule based on experience and background mileage. We can also personalize your training plan to meet your performance goals. And while this class is targeted around TCM, we do have runners training for Whistlestop, Chicago, and other fall marathons. As coaches, we tweak your plan to meet your target marathon date.

The class offers a nice range of repeat class members and rookie marathoners. In general the ability of our class members ranges from sub 2:50 to 6:00. There really is room for everyone and we welcome all comers. So come and join us for a fun summer and fall of running!

Over the river and through the woods...

2010-06-22T12:02:00.009-05:00

Well, safe to say blogging and running in general have taken a back seat to other facets of my life lately. So the close reader should be able to infer that I did not participate in Grandma's Marathon last weekend. But I did go as a spectator. So consider this a Spectator Report.

I met Kate (who was a team leader for the MDRA spring marathon training class) and fellow MDRA blogger Drew Placknar in Shoreview at 5:45 a.m. and headed to Duluth. Drew is also a coach for the spring marathon training class. Once in Duluth we picked another MDRA coach for the spring class, Melissa, and headed to mile six. We got there right as the 3:20 balloon went by.

We got there just in time to see Polar Bear Plungers Chris Massol and Kristen Johnson run by.

Once the field went by...

...we got back in the car and headed to the William A. Irvin around mile 25.5. Along the way we saw the men's leaders go by at mile 25. Still such a tight pack. Philemon Kemboi (middle in the orange singlet) ended up winning by 16 seconds.

We didn't see the close finish, but we did see Buzunesh Deba sprint by on her way to victory.

A little less than half an hour later, a cute puppy made an appearance!! Oh yeah, and your Tuesday Trail blogger Nathan came by. Nice of the lady on the cell phone to take time out from her conversation to cheer Nathan on.

Drew Riddles in his first marathon meets his goal of breaking 3:30. Very exciting.

Drew P. and I cheering. Are working hard or what?

Okay well maybe not all that hard. Certainly not as hard as these guys. Congratulations to the MDRA Spring Marathon Training class participants and to all Grandma's finishers!

Tuesday Trails: Park (Minnesota) Point, Duluth, MN

2010-06-21T21:57:00.006-05:00

Hello Minnesota runners! Like many of you (probably over 10,000 or so), I am sore and still tired from the Grandma's Marathon and Half weekend festivities. I ran the full on Saturday. I may not have had my best time in the race, but I had a great time over the weekend celebrating running and runners! It was a great weekend, and so much fun to cheer and support so many MDRA and other finishers.

So, like many of you, I'm not wanting to think too much about running this week, so I'm not up for a big trails blog post. So instead, I'll toss out a "trail" I've never run on, and see what you all think. I'm drawing my inspiration this week from Grandma's Marathon and this week's trail report takes us to Duluth: Park Point (a.k.a. Minnesota Point).

View Larger Map

Background

My familiarity with Park (Minnesota) Point stems from many quick vacations over the years to Duluth. With its easy access from Canal Park just over the famed and historic Aerial Lift Bridge, Park Point is the logical place to go to access the rays and enjoy Lake Superior.

Park Point Beach is a great place to play in the sand and sun...

This past weekend the weather in Duluth was phenomenal! After the marathon we sloooooowly shuffled over the bridge and had a picnic on the beach right under the shadow of the lift bridge. We even walked in to ice our aching muscles.

...and an even better place to ice sore muscles after a marathon!

Sunday was even better! We drove back and went to a larger beach area and relaxed on the beach for a few hours, working out the singlet tan lines from the day before.

Park Point may be better known by the locals as a place for high schoolers to chill and start illegal bonfires. A couple years ago, post-Grandma's, we tried to do the same thing and were politely scolded by local cops.

Basics

According to Wikipedia, Park Point is 7 miles long on the Minnesota side, and 3 miles long on the Wisconsin side, making it the largest freshwater sandbar in the world. The beach really is spectacular and reminds me more of an ocean beach than a lake beach. I have been told that the entire beachfront is public access, in spite of all the homes that front the sand dunes.

This leads me to believe that at 7 miles in length, Park Point is a 14 mile round-trip beach run waiting to happen. I don't know about you fellow Midwesterners, but I LOVE running on the beach. I've run on beaches in California, Virginia, Argentina, Uruguay, Puerto Rico and Mexico. I have not, however, run on any beaches in Minnesota, mostly due to lack of length. Park Point seems an obvious place to beach run. Anyone out there try this?

Impressions

The beach is amazing, really reminiscent of ocean beaches. The dunes are beautiful and are undergoing restoration and revegetation. It's usually pretty windy along the beach, but this past weekend, there wasn't any breeze and the lake was the calmest I had ever seen it.

Race Venue?

I'm not sure there are any races on the beach itself, but apparently Grandma's sponsors a 5-miler on Park Point in July on the paved road on the peninsula. This year's race is July 16.

Whether racing, running or relaxing, Park Point is worth a visit!

Enjoy the trails!

Congratulations Grannies!!

2010-06-19T15:57:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all runners who particiapted in the Grandma's races this weekend. Fellow MDRA blogger Drew drove me and some other MDRA marathon class coaches/team leaders to Duluth and back today.

We met in Blaine at 5:15 this morning and I just got back about 20 minutes ago. I'll post a few pictures and add a more comphrehensive overview of our trip tomorrow. But for now, congratultions to everyone who finished or supported those who did.

Good Luck Runners!!

2010-06-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

Good luck to everyone participating in the Grandma's weekend of races.

Work and home life got away from me over the past month or so, but I will be able to blog quite a bit more now that school is out.

Thanks to Nathan for keeping the blog alive with his new feature while Drew and I took a breather. I'll check in post-Grandma's. That will be a heck of a race report roundup.

Good luck at Grandma's!

2010-06-17T08:11:00.004-05:00

Good luck to all Grandma's Marathon, Half and 5K participants this weekend! Many of you are probably headed up early (as am I) to avoid the disastrous road construction on I-35. Come early, stay late (into the night on Saturday!)

As your Tuesday Trails writer, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I ran my last soft trail run pre-marathon last night. I lightly jogged an old favorite: the short stretch of soft trail around the NE quadrant of Cedar Lake. Beautiful sunset, tons of paddlers on the lake, and I had the trails all to myself. One lake over at Calhoun felt like a moving frat party, but Cedar offered solitude as I mentally prepped for running 26.2. Do you have a favorite pre-marathon running route in the days leading up to a race?

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Good luck to all runners, especially those who trained with the MDRA class, ESPECIALLY those running their first half or full marathon! Look for me, I'll be wearing a dark blue singlet that says "BARR" in big, white letters. Cheer for me, and I'll cheer for you. Don't cheer for me, I'll cheer even louder! (shoot, I just realized that I left my cowbell back in Minneapolis. I'll have to shout really loud now!)

Also, remember to stop by the MDRA booth at the expo and say hi to Heidi and whomever else is working the booth (I'll be there for an hour or two as well). Grab our latest MDRA magazine and sign up for all the great member benefits!

Good luck out there and have fun!

Tuesday Trails: Lake Elmo Park Reserve, Lake Elmo, MN

2010-06-15T00:30:00.000-05:00

First, a reminder to lend your voice to the Minnesota Trail Survey! Check out the MDRA website and click on the survey link in the upper right.

As promised, Tuesday Trails lands on the east side of town this week. This week's post takes us to Lake Elmo Park Reserve in Washington County right off of I-94.

This gorgeous park is about 15 minutes from St. Paul, and about 30 minutes from Minneapolis. It is definitely worth a drive, especially in the fall. There are probably 15 miles or so of hiking/running trails. They are grassed/mown trails that double as cross country ski trails in the winter (a common refrain for these multi-use regional parks.)

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Background

I have met my running club out here a few times. Since it's one of the few parks we go to that charges an admission ($5 last I checked), we generally meet outside the park at a coffee shop and carpool in to save some money.

Every fall, I do work in Lake Elmo Park Reserve in my capacity as a water resources engineer, and that gives me free admission (and pays for the 30 minute drive across town), so I always make sure to bring my running clothes with me and when the work day is over, I change and hit the trails as the sun is setting.

Basics

According to Lake Elmo's website, there are 20 miles of trails. (The Winter Ski Map is much better than the Summer Map). At least 12 of those are soft trails. The western loop (A Loop) is a beautiful prairie loop. Other than the occasional McMansion sighting, the trail feels very remote. The B and C loops (central and eastern) are more wooded, although there are prairie sections as well. The terrain there is steeper and some portions of the trail near the Eagle Point Dam are quite eroded and could use some redesign using sustainable trail principles.

Watch out for gunfire on the eastern side of course! There's a shooting range there. I haven't been hit yet!

Impressions

There is no park in the metro that is prettier in the fall at sunset, in my opinion. The prairies are golden during the day, and turn a deep reddish gold at sunset. I just read "Prairie Erth" which is about the remnant tallgrass prairies of Kansas, and when I was reading the book, it was the prairies of Lake Elmo and Afton that I was imagining.

Getting There

The park is located a couple miles north of I-94 in the small city of Lake Elmo. From I-94, take Keats Avenue/County Road 19 north. Keats becomes the main park road. There's a park office where you have to pay (have exact change for the pay envelope). The main trail parking is about half a mile up on the left. If you pass the "Primitive Campground", you've gone too far! You'll know the Primitive Campground by the large protruding foreheads and usage of stone tools.

As far as I can tell, while there are other pedestrian access points to the park, there's no convenient parking at any of those locations. Best bet is to use the main entrance.

Race Venue

While the Ragnar Relay often uses the park as a checkpoint, very little of that race takes place in the park.

As far as I can tell, there are two races run in Lake Elmo. The first is the Lake Elmo Lions Huff-n-Puff 5K and 1/4 Marathon on August 14, 2010. 1/4 Marathon is an interesting distance. Some call that a 10K (with a short warmup). This race appears to be in the park, but on the roads. Price is pretty good: $12!

The second race in Lake Elmo uses the trails. The Wildwood Lodge Great Pumpkin Chase 5K and 10K will be run October 30, 2010. I've run this race before, and while I enjoyed the challenging routes picked (it's run on the hilly B and C loops), I did think that the race was slightly overpriced ($25 to $35), particularly since it didn't include the $5 park entry fee (and the shirt kind of sucked). I notice that this year the park entry fee is included, so it's a better deal now. I do wish more races had a cheaper option if you didn't want the shirt, but that gripe should be the topic for a different post! I may have to come back and give this race another chance. It's certainly run at the prettiest time to be in the park!

Enjoy the Trails!

Calling all Running Coaches!

2010-06-09T08:40:00.003-05:00

Are you interested in coaching other runners to run in a 5K or 10K? There are some opportunities to give back to the running community and help runners achieve their goals. I will say that I have had the pleasure of coaching the MDRA marathon class once and assistant coaching several times and it is a fun and rewarding experience. If you have any interest, please read on!

TRAINING
First things first. Although not always required to be a coach, if you are interested in becoming USATF-certified, there is a class to become a USATF Level 1 coach. The class is June 21 in Stillwater. See USAFT-MN's website for more details.

COACH A TRAIL RUNNING CLASS
Since I am the Tuesday Trails blogger, this one is near to my heart. The City of Lakes Loppet Run Club is offering a trail running class to help runners prepare for trail races of any distance up to a half marathon. This class is sponsored by Finn Sisu. They are looking for more coaches for this program. Mondays meet at Wirth, Saturdays at various locations. For more information, please email Nichole at nichole.porath (at) gmail.com.

COACH FOR MDRA - 5K and 10K
MDRA is looking for USATF-certified coaches (see above) to help with our new 5K and 10K classes. These classes are geared for the TCM 5K and 10K, run the Saturday before the marathon. Please contact Heidi for more information on how to get involved with coaching these classes. Contact info is on the website at www.runmdra.org or you can email Heidi directly at hmiler (at) hotmail.com.

Thanks!

Tuesday Trails: Elm Creek Park Reserve, Maple Grove, MN

2010-06-07T21:51:00.005-05:00

We head back to a Three Rivers Park for this week's Tuesday Trail. (St. Paulites, don't worry, I'm headed your way soon). This week's report is on Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove.

Like most Three Rivers Parks, including the previously reviewed Hyland, Elm Creek offers something for everyone: hiking, biking, horseback riding, swimming, cross country skiing and more! You'll be surprised to learn that this post focuses on running the park's soft trails.

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Background

Growing up in the northern 'burbs about 11 miles from Elm Creek, I used to bike there with my family. I remember sliding down the zip line and swimming in the impossibly clean and huge man made lake in the park. In recent years, I've been back to the park for early season cross country skiing (they have one of the longest man made snow courses in the Twin Cities).

So this past week I headed back with some MDRA running buddies for my first summertime visit in nearly 20 years. Imagine my surprise that the huge man made lake of my childhood was in fact only about the size of 4 swimming pools! A part of childhood just died...

In any case, we had a fantastic trail run, so much so that I wanted to share the report with you all while it's still fresh in my mind. This is one park that is worth the drive!

Basics

According to their map, Elm Creek has over 50 miles of trails, the vast majority being soft trails. On our run, we covered about 15 miles of trails. We were treated to deciduous forestlands, native prairies and wetlands. Yes, lots of wetlands, so BRING BUG SPRAY!! The mosquitoes were thick every time we stopped for even a moment. There wasn't a lot of commiserating in the parking lot after our run.

According to their website, the park is building 12.5 miles of new singletrack trails for mountain bikers and runners using the sustainable trail design (Lebanon Hills in Eagan has the best example of this construction technique). This is exciting news and will definitely bring me back! Sustainable trail design in hilly terrains makes for a lot of long, rolling hills. It provides a better, more consistent workout and most importantly, better protects the trail from erosion and degradation.

Impressions

I really enjoyed the tranquility of Elm Creek. The trails were well maintained, like any Three Rivers Park, but with few park structures and no neighborhoods in sight, this park felt really remote. Only by the ski chalet and beach did the park have a more urbanized, sanitized feel.

I particularly enjoyed the dense forests and rolling terrain around Rush Creek in the middle of the park. The big northern loop felt most remote, and had some very challenging sections of rolling hills. Surprisingly good hill workout for a northern metro park!

Getting There

You can enter at the main entrance from Highway 81 by the chalet, but the preferred spot for trail running is the hiker parking lot on the west side off of Elm Creek Road. There's a small nature center there with bathrooms. You can even buy a T-shirt if you feel so inspired!

While parking at the hiker's parking lot, make sure to take time to check out this great perennial garden!

Race Venue

I'm not familiar with any races at Elm Creek, but Google is. There is a race Notes for Cliff 5K at the park next Saturday, June 19. Know of any others?

Enjoy the Trails!

Runners: Speak Up and Improve Your Trails!

2010-06-02T15:20:00.004-05:00

Hello, your "Tuesday Trails" writer is back again. But this time I'm not here to share my experiences on Minnesota trails, rather, I'm asking you to share your experiences by completing the MDRA Minnesota Running Trails Survey.

As part of its mission of promoting the sport of running in Minnesota for all participants, MDRA is asking runners to share their experiences with local trails. MDRA will take all information collected and use your input to advocate for better trails throughout the state. For example, if you have a specific safety concern about a trail you enjoy using, please let us know! Help us improve your running experience by completing this short survey (only 8 questions!)

Thanks!

Tuesday Trails: Fort Snelling State Park, Minneapolis, MN

2010-06-01T22:36:00.005-05:00

This week's installment of Tuesday Trails brings us back to Minneapolis. "Really?" you may ask, "MORE soft trails in a the dense urban metropolis of Minneapolis? This cannot be!" Well, you're probably not asking that, but I'll tell you more about one of my favorite parks, Fort Snelling State Park. Before I write my report, I'd like to link to a trail report that my friend (and MDRA member) Nick wrote 2 years ago. He did a better job than I will, so you should probably just read his!

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Background

Not that I mind being confused with my esteemed blogger colleague, Rocco, but apparently on last week's post, a couple of you thought I was Mike. That's ok, but I'm not Mike, and I doubt he wants to be confused with me. This confusion made me realize that I had not properly introduced myself, and this week's entry is probably the most appropriate one, as you'll see why in a moment!

My name is Nathan, and I am a board member of MDRA, and an occasional coach and team lead of the marathon training programs that MDRA offers. I moved here several years ago and within a week had bought a house in South Minneapolis, picking the location purely on my experiences during the Twin Cities Marathon in 2003. I knew I wanted to be as close to Minnehaha Falls as possible, so that's where I lived. I loved that spot with the access to Minnehaha Parkway, the River Roads and Lake Nokomis. What I didn't know was that my favorite running spot by my house would be an entirely different trail.

I had no idea Fort Snelling was so accessible to Minnehaha Falls and only discovered it by accident by running the wrong way down the long hill from the falls to the base of the fort. Once I had a taste of the trails down there, I was running down there a couple times a week, particularly on Pike Island.

I recently moved closer to Uptown, so I don't get back to Fort Snelling as often, and I really do miss it. In fact, I miss that more than anything else about my old neighborhood, with the exception of the 5am runs with Rocco. I know he doesn't miss those.

That's enough about me, on with the trail report!

Basics

Fort Snelling has an interesting, amazing, and mostly sad history. It's not important to know the history to run here, but it's important as a Minnesotan to know what took place here. The Minnesota Historical Society runs a nice museum on top of the bluff, and there are other resources you can find on the Internet as well to learn more. Here are just a few interesting facts about Fort Snelling:

Purchased by Zebulon Pike in 1805
Fort construction begins in 1820
Dred Scott lived here as a slave, and since Minnesota was a Free State, he used his time at Fort Snelling as justification in his unsuccessful attempt to win freedom through the courts
The largest mass hanging in US history was carried out here in 1862. Lincoln ordered that Native Americans suspected of being involved with the Sioux Uprising be executed. This is without a doubt the darkest day in Minnesota history

Most people experience the historical settlement part of Fort Snelling

In terms of running (which is why you're reading this), Fort Snelling offers about 10 miles of running trails, almost all of which are soft trails. The state park website has an excellent map that details all the trails here. This blog post will focus on the trails on the west side of the river, however, on the east side of the Minnesota River there are more soft trails, often called Sibley Trails due to their proximity to the historic Sibley House.

The 3 main features of Fort Snelling (for running) are Pike Island, Picnic Island, and Snelling Lake.

Pike Island

This is a gem and my favorite 3 miles of running in the Twin Cities. Many find it boring because it is so flat, but I like the familiarity of it. The island is precisely a 5K (3.1 miles) in circumference, with cutoffs to allow 1 and 2 mile loops as well. The trails are dirt and gravel, and very flat. The density of deer living on this island is rather extreme, but if you enjoy seeing wildlife while you run (like I do), Pike Island will not disappoint. Deer, cranes and beavers are everywhere on and around this island. You really feel far from civilization, which is ironic considering this was the site of the first permanent white settlement in Minnesota.

The bridge to access Pike Island

Picnic Island

It's not really an island since it is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, but it probably used to be. There are picnic facilities and a boat ramp. This "island" is about 1.5 miles around or so. Not really worth it for it's own sake, but it's a nice way to make a trail run a little longer.

Snelling Lake

After Picnic Island you can continue running around Snelling Lake on the soft trails, pausing for a drink of water at the park ranger station. After completing the circuit around the lake, you're back at Pike Island!

Getting There

There are 3 ways to enter the park:

1) There's a 2-mile, paved trail that goes south from Minnehaha Falls down to Pike Island. Try to run easy down the trail, and hard back up! It's a nice shallow grade, so just perfect for that long hill workout.

2) Park in the lot up on top of the bluff for the Fort Snelling museum. It's free, and just a short, steep jog/walk down the bluff and onto the trails.

3) If you have a state parks sticker, you can park down below in the state park and run from there.

Getting Away

Fort Snelling is perfect for other add-ons. With its close proximity to 2 bridges (Highway 5 into St. Paul and Mendota into Dakota County), you have easy access to the River Roads, Minnehaha Parkway, Sibley Trails, and Big River Trail. It's a great spot to plan all or part of that 20-miler. Or it's a great spot to just run a 5K!

Race Venue

As I mentioned, Pike Island is exactly a 5K around, so it shouldn't surprise you to hear that races are run there! The Fort Snelling 5x5 Relay race every September is a favorite of mine. All you need are 4 friends who will run 5K! The race gets to be a little lonely in the latter legs of the relay, but it's still a ton of fun. This year's running will be September 19.

Enjoy the Trails!

Tuesday Trails: Hyland Hills Park Preserve, Bloomington, MN

2010-05-24T22:25:00.007-05:00

This post is the second in a series of trail reports. The first report filed last week on Theodore Wirth Park, can be found here:

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BASICS

This week’s trail report takes us a wee bit further outside the metro to just barely outside the 494-694 loop in Bloomington, MN. Our journey takes us to Hyland Park Reserve, part of the Three Rivers Park System (formerly Hennepin County Parks). You may know this park as the place with the ski jump looming over Highways 494 and 100, but Hyland offers much more.

Hyland Hills features over 10 miles of soft, hilly trails, about the same amount of flatter, paved trails, ski trails, boating, fishing, Frisbee golf, and picnic facilities. But what concerns us most today are the soft trails.

IMPRESSIONS

Hyland, unlike Wirth and many of the other metro trail systems, feels utterly subdued. The trails are in excellent shape, provide challenging hills, but are so consistent and well-maintained that it’s almost like running on soft asphalt. For the user looking to escape civilization, Hyland doesn’t offer nearly as much as other parks, but for those looking to run on soft trails and get a great hill workout, it’s hard to do much better than Hyland.

That’s not to say Hyland feels like downtown Minneapolis or Uptown. Rather, almost every time I run at Hyland I see deer, wild turkey, turtles laying eggs, and I’ve even heard reports of a coyote. The park is big enough to support diverse ecosystems while still feeling like it’s just an extension of your backyard.

Personally, I love running at Hyland. The trails are familiar to me, the scenery is constantly changing, and the well-managed (and actively burned) prairies offer surprises on every visit.

GETTING THERE

While the main access to Hyland is on East Bush Lake Road at the southwest side of the park, accessing this location takes a long time, especially in traffic, and makes the park feel remote. A much closer (to the urban core) access point is at the northeast corner on Chalet Road, right next to Normandale Lake. The map below shows this access point and a suggested route.

Another benefit of accessing the park in this location is that for a short warmup or cooldown, one can run the nearly 2-mile flat paved trail around Lake Normandale. Just be warned that most of the trail is not lit.

The main loop (on the map below) is about 8.5 miles from the parking lot at Chalet Road. If you’re looking for more, you can add loops through the ski hill, or my favorite, taking the long, gradual path up to the top of the ski jump for incredible views of the entire metropolitan area. Rumor has it that Bloomington police camp out there on the 4^th of July to make sure no one climbs the ski jump for an even better view of the fireworks. When I was in high school, I worked at a hotel across the street from the ski jump and we would watch the fireworks from 15 cities from the 22^nd floor. It was pretty incredible. If you ever get the chance to watch the fireworks from the ski jump, let me know what it’s like!

RACE VENUE

Lastly, I’d like to mention that every April, Hyland Hills hosts a trail race, the Trail Mix 25K and 50K. I have not run it, but I’ve heard it is well organized and executed. Generally the course is still wet in April, so the race often will tear up the trails for weeks, if not months. Fortunately, the conditions were dry this year for Trail Mix and the trails are in fine shape! I just ran them last week and can vouch for the trail condition.

Enjoy the trails!

Post Medtronic TC One Mile report

2010-05-17T08:02:00.004-05:00

Thanks to RunMinnesota writer Patrick O'Regan for this Medtronic TC One Mile recap and interview with Lopez Lomong.

USA One Mile Road Championship Press Conference

I attended the press conference on Thursday at noon for the USA One Mile Road Championship, which was run on Nicollet Mall that same day (May 13th). The top competitors were all in attendance. A panel of the top women, then the top men competitors answered questions. The host was Virginia Brophy Achman – positively the last word in being a gracious host.

Doug Logan, the CEO of USA Track and Field, gave some opening remarks. He commented on having lived in this area. He also said he had got up early that morning to get to a run in the rain. Doug sees a brightening future for USA track and field. Meb Keflezighi won the New York City Marathon last fall; Ryan Hall was fourth. Doug said the US may have reached a tipping point in the road racing part of the sport. And, on the track, recently, Chris Solinsky set a new American record in the 10k, running the remarkable time of 26:59.6, breaking Meb’s record by some 14 seconds and becoming the first non-African to run the distance in under 27 minutes. Now is the time, Doug said, to expand the sport, making track and field younger and broader in focus. To that end, this summer there will be a series of races shown live on Runnerspace.com.

Doug said he strongly encourages athletes to get involved with the media. Empowering the athletes themselves to promote the sport is crucial. They can take matters into their own hands. First person contact with the fans, Doug said, is a great way to stir up excitement for the sport. At the US Indoor Championship, for instance, many of the athletes tweeted the results to family and friends. Word gets around that track and field is an exciting sport.

The fields were stellar. Just to take the panels and highlight some of their accomplishments:

Women’s panel:
· Anna Pierce
o 4:28.37 mile
o 10th in the Olympic Steeplechase (won the Trials)
o 6th at the World Championships at 2009 in 1500
o 2nd in the world ranking at 800 in 2009

· Christin Wurth-Thomas
o 4:27.18 mile
o 5th in world ranking at 1500 in 2009
o 5th at World Championships in 2009
o Won Gran Prix meets in New York and Stockholm

· Heather Dorniden
o 4:38.8 mile
o Nine-time All-American at U of M
o Won NCAA Indoor Championship at 800 in 2006
o 3rd at USA Indoor Championships in 800
o 9th at Drake Relays last year in 1500

Sarah Bowman
4:29.72 mile
4th at USA Indoor Championships at 1500 in 2010
Won NCAA Indoor Championships in Mile in 2009
Won Pan American Junior Championships in 1500 in 2005
Won USA Junior Championships at 1500 in 2005

Men’s Panel:
Rob Myers
3:53.78 mile
Two-time USA Indoor Champion at 1500 (2004, 2008)
2nd USA Indoor Championships at the mile (2005, 2007)
3rd at USA Outdoor Championships at 1500 in 2005
3rd at Olympic Trials at 1500 in 2004

Lopez Lomong
3:53.35 mile
Won USA Outdoor 1500 Championship in 2009
3rd in 2008 Olympic Trials
Semi-finalist in 2008 Olympic Games
NCAA Outdoor Champion in 2007

David Torrence
3:56.75 mile
Won USA One Mile Road Championship in 2009
Won USA 3000 Indoor in 2009
Won USA Junior Championships in 2004

Garret Heath
3:58.71 mile
4th at USA Indoor Championships at 1500 in 2010
Finalist at World Indoor Championships at 1500 in 2010
Pac-10 Champion at 1500 in 2007

They all strike me as small men and women – like antelopes, long, thin legs, scarcely an upper body to speak of – born runners. They don’t get the attention they deserve – not in this country, in any case; they would be heroes in Kenya or Ethiopia – but this is good in a way. They are as down-to-earth as people who are among the best in the world at something could ever be.

All the athletes on the panels were wonderfully engaging in their comments. To keep this short, I’ll limit my attention to a brief interview I had with Lopez Lomong, who happened to be sitting next to me at the table. Rob Myers and one other competitor were at the same table.

Do you have a favorite track workout?

Lopez: I like to run 5 by 600… I don’t want to give the times, because I’ll be giving away my conditioning to my competitors here (he laughs)…

Do you run the ladder workout (800, 600, 400, 200 and back up)?

Lopez: Not too much… I’ll run the 600 at 90 seconds with 30 seconds rest… After that, I’ll jog 400 and run 300 repeats all out to get quicker…

What would be your time if you ran the 400 as hard as you could?

Lopez: I’m not a good sprinter… Forty-six seconds… It’s okay, but not…you know, at a high level. I would not be real good at that distance. Only average.

(For a miler? This is plenty of speed. Most guys who run the 400 in that time couldn’t run a mile under five minutes.) What is your half mile PR?

Lopez: One forty-five.

Typically, how many miles do you run in a week?

Lopez: Eighty-five.

What were your best times in high school in the mile?

Lopez: As a freshman, I ran the mile in 4:48, as a junior 4:32, as a senior 4:10.

Have you had a problem with injuries?

Lopez: Yes, in the World Championships leading up to the Olympics (2007), I was troubled by a hamstring injury. This limited my performance, and I was eighth there. The injury continued in the Olympic year (2008), and I could not train properly. There was always ice-time and I was slowed when I ran…. Running hard just irritated it… I made just the semifinals at the Olympics… But this is over now. I am training hard and in good shape.

Do you lift weights?

Lopez: Not too much. Only light weights. I use dumbbells now and then to calm my nerves, but not too much.

Is stretching important to you?

Lopez: A lot. With the hamstring injury, I stretch a lot. It eases the tension in my muscles.

Were there runners in your family? Parents or siblings?

Lopez: You know, before I came here I was one of the lost boys of Sudan. My parents never had the opportunity to show what they could do. But in Africa, running is what you do to get from here to there; it is part of being brought up there. We ran everywhere. When I came here, I was so happy to be part of this country. I compete for the joy, and I am very proud to be competing for the USA.

Do you have a coach?

Lopez: Yes, my coach is John Hayes of Texas. He has been my coach for the past five years – ever since college.

Do you run with a team?

Lopez: No, it is just me and my watch.

You do the interval workouts alone?

Lopez: Yes.

How do you handle the anaerobic grief without support? You are bound to back off.

He just smiles broadly.

(Apparently, the watch keeps him on pace.) You love to run, huh?

He continues to smile and nods.

One last question, Lopez. Do you have a goal in mind for your running?

Lopez: London (the Olympic Games site in 2012). Since last year this has been my goal. The World Championships last year (were part of that), and the World Championships (next year, too) will be. I have been training (all along) for London. It is all for London.

You think you can get a medal?

Lopez: He smiles and nods. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. It has been an honor.

The order of finish for the races is:

Women’s Race:
Anna Pierce – 4:33.9
Sarah Bowman – 4:34.9
Christin Wurth-Thomas – 4:36.3
Amy Mortimer – 4:38.5
Heidi Dahl – 4:40.8
Heather Dorniden – 4:42.1
Sonja Friend-Uhl – 4:44.9
Lauren Hagans – 4:45.6
Laura Janusjewski – 4:46.0
Meghan Armstrong – 4:46.2

Men’s Race:
David Torrence – 4:04.0
Daniel Huling – 4:05.4
Jordan Horn – 4:05.7
Derek Scott – 4:06.1
Garret Heath – 4:06.4
Lopez Lomong – 4:06.4
Liam Boylan-Pett – 4:06.7
Alex Tatu – 4:07.9
Darren Brown – 4:08.8
Robert Myers – 4:11.0

Women's Training Camp

2010-05-13T07:06:00.010-05:00

Remember when it was summer way back in April? Here are some nice photos of the MDRA Women's Running Camp to remind us of what it was like.

This camp takes place every year from April through May and as you can see everyone looks to be having a fabulous time. spring. The class has 41 women of every age and ability, from absolute beginners to 6:30 milers. The coaches and runners all work out together in an atmosphere of camaraderie and friendship, every woman doing her best and striving to be better. The class has 4 coaches who are able to group women with others of their own ability level, so everyone feels valued for their effort. There are speakers every night on a broad range of subjects. If you are interested, you should join us next spring, or join one of the marathon, half marathon, or ten mile classes offered by MDRA.

Try the MapMyRun Beta

2010-05-12T19:57:00.005-05:00

Here's a quick FYI for those of you who are users of MapMyRun. There's a new and improved beta version you can use that's available now. You can use it to access all your saved routes and create new ones too. Check it out here: http://beta.mapmyrun.com/.

Tuesday Trails: Theodore Wirth Park, Minneapolis

2010-05-11T10:04:00.011-05:00

Hello Minnesota Runners! This is a new feature that I’m calling, “Tuesday Trails.” Pretty creative, huh? Every week, or every other week, there will be a blog post on, you guessed it, Tuesday, and the topic will be… no, not Sudoku… the topic will be a trail in the Twin Cities. At some point I may expand the scope to Greater Minnesota, but you guys out there are so “Great”, you don’t need me to highlight all the awesome trails you have. Basically, I’m starting with what I know.

I’m beginning the series with unpaved trails, since the weather has been mostly fantastic and the trails are snow-free! This week’s trail report is a real gem: Theodore Wirth Park.

View Larger Map

Theodore Wirth Park is part of the Minneapolis Park System, yet actually resides in Golden Valley. Go figure. It has several distinct parts: Golf course, cross country ski trails, sledding hill, mountain biking trails, beach, and running/hiking trails!

Theodore Wirth Park was established in 1889 and was named Glenwood Park. (To see some really cool old photos, search for Glenwood Park at the Minnesota Historical Society’s website.) The park was expanded and renamed after the late, great Minneapolis Park architect of the same name.

There are over 700 acres of parkland and many miles of trails. So, where to run? To me, there are two principal options (please feel free to share your experiences below):

1) Connections to other regional trails: Grand Rounds, Luce Line and Bassett Creek Trails. Theodore Wirth runs mostly north-south and the paved trail that runs through it is part of the Minneapolis Grand Rounds bike trail, a 50+ mile loop around the entire city. Running on the rolling paved trails provides access to Minneapolis Chain of Lakes (by way of Brownie and Cedar Lakes) to the south and to Victory Memorial Parkway to the north.

Now that the Luce Line has fully connected to Theodore Wirth, from the paved trail, one can run west on the Luce Line out into Golden Valley, on to Plymouth and beyond, all the way to Lake Minnetonka. I biked on this recently and the new section of the Luce Line in Wirth is pretty nice. The only problem is that the very attractive pedestrian wooden bridge at the edge of the park is rather slippery in the morning dew.

Wirth also connects to Bassett Creek Trail on the east side of the park, which allows one to run toward the Bryn Mawr neighborhood, to Cedar Lake Trail and ultimately Downtown. This is a very pleasant neighborhood run.

2) Trail running in South Wirth: My favorite part of running at Wirth is the trail running! Who knew you could get some amazingly tough and beautiful trails and hills right in Minneapolis? OK, fine, Golden Valley. I live in Uptown, and within 3.5 miles of running from my house, I’m deep in the heart of South Wirth and hitting the hills hard. So where do you run? Looking at the map (south of Hwy 55), it doesn’t look like there would be a lot of mileage, but the Park Board has done a fantastic job of cramming a ton of trails into this small space without making it feel like they’ve crammed in a ton of trails.

The best map I've found showing the trails in South Wirth is the ski map.

There are two parts of South Wirth: Quaking Bog on the west side of Theodore Wirth Parkway, and Eloise Butler on the east side. Both have their unique challenges. The side that has Eloise Butler Wildflower Sanctuary has about 4 miles of trails (entirely outside the sanctuary). The course generally follows the cross country ski trails, with a few small deviations. The terrain is full of steep climbs and descends, and my favorite: a gorgeous section of trail through a coniferous forest glen that feels like Northern California. It’s hard to get the exact loop in Eloise down well. I usually just end up running there for a half hour or so until I feel like I’ve run out of trail.

After Eloise, comes the Bog. Quaking Bog, that is. The route in the Bog is well marked with ski posts, so just follow that main loop for a 2.5 mile time trial. Highlights include several tough climbs, a beautiful Tamarac swamp, and trying to run by the house with the constantly barking dog without waking it up.

The best places to access the South Wirth trails are from the parking lot off of Glenwood at the South beach at Wirth Lake or from the south by Brownie and Cedar Lakes off of the Grand Rounds.

There you have it! If you haven’t run on these trails, steer your car/bike/feet toward northwest Minneapolis for trail running in an urban setting!

Hugh are you? Hugh, Hugh…Hugh, Hugh.

2010-05-05T20:58:00.003-05:00

A calf strain I suffered a couple weeks ago led to a very bizarre encounter at Hyland Hills. To date, I’ve provided updates on my adjustment to wearing the Vibram Five Fingers and for the most part it’s been going pretty well. That is, until I strained my right calf. This occurred during a hill workout wearing my normal running shoes. In hindsight, I should have seen this coming.

Wearing the VFF is completely different experience from wearing regular running shoes. Your heels rarely touch the ground, the bottoms of your feet get tired, and most importantly your calves do a great deal of the work. Even though I was running in them only once a week, my calves got to a point where they were almost always tight. For all my runs. And, since I almost never stretch, this, I believe, likely led to the strain. Okay, so all lessons aren’t easy ones, right?

Anyway, after a week without running (which seemed like a month) I jogged to Hyland Hills over my lunch and was just about to disappear into the woods when some guy yelled,

“Hey, are there any good trails in there?”

I turned towards the voice and here’s this guy walking up me wearing a pair of green Vibram Five Fingers. In the small talk that ensued I learned he was a marathoner/triathlete also trying out the VFF. I couldn’t wait to ask him how it was going and here’s how the conversation went…

Me: So how do you like the Five Fingers?

Him: Pretty good, I’m just wearing ‘em once a week.

Me. Me too. So how’s it going? How ARE you adjusting to them?

Him: Pretty well, that is until I strained my calf. You get a killer calf workout in these!

Me. You strained your calf? Me too. When did you do that?

Him. Last Tuesday.

Me. Me too! So, you’re going to give them another shot now?

Him. Yeah, this is my first time since I got injured.

M: Me too!!! (Okay, at this point I was immediately thinking one of my buddies put him up to this. There was NO WAY we’d have the exact same experience like this, right?)

After this exchange I introduced myself to him and asked him his name. It was Hugh, which totally freaked me out because well, it rhymes with mine. (I’ve totally got goose bumps writing this now.) What are the odds? Anyway, we enjoyed a short run together in Hyland Hills. Later, I was astounded to find out Hugh was born on the same day and in the same town I was! Okay, this part's a lie.

So what have I learned from this uncanny experience? You have to exercise patience with the VFF. Listen to your body. Hugh I and both tell you that if you’re experiencing pain or tightness, back off. If your calves are tight, and they will be, give them some extra attention in the form of a post-run stretch, or by using a foam roller. Doing this will help you avoid injury so you can continue enjoying the benefits of the VFF.

Group Run Options

2010-04-28T22:27:00.001-05:00

For all you Twin Cities metro area runners, here are a couple of group run options.

Option #1: The Stillwater Marathon offers "on-course training runs of 6.5, 12.5 and 20 miles (with water and pace leaders)" with the next run scheduled for Saturday May 8. The training runs are free, but you do need to register on-line in advance. Click here to register. This link includes starting time information, meeting place information, and route information.

The Stillwater Marathon itself will take place Sunday May, 30th.

Cool fact about the Stillwater Marathon: they are also having a 20 mile race in conjunction with the marathon. Kind of a neat way to get that 20 miler in for all you late spring, early summer marathoners.

Option #2: Team Ortho is hosting a run this Saturday, May 1, for the Minneapolis Marathon. This run is also free. There are two routes planned: ten miles and 16 miles (with the option of tacking two miles on at the end). Both routes have supplied water stops along the way. The bulk of the run is on the Minneapolis Marathon. Click here for starting time information, meeting place information, and route information.

The Minneapolis Marathon is scheduled for Sunday June 6.

Blognation Pop. 5

2010-04-28T07:13:00.001-05:00

Julie Berg trains beginning runners, runs ultras, 5ks, qualifies for Boston and blogs all about it along the way. You can check out her blog Run On at http://julieberg.blogspot.com/

Also check out the other blogs in blognation on the links along the right. I try to add a new blog a week.

If you know of a blog about running in Minnesota that should be added (inlcuding your own), contact me at Michael.d.nawrockiATgmailDOTcom. People have been doing a nice job of pointing me to their own blogs or they like (Run On came at the recommendation of someone else). So don't be shy. Keep those e-mails coming!

Nobston

2010-04-27T22:58:00.005-05:00

As Drew mentioned before, MDRA coach and Lydiard guru Nobby Hasizume not only went to Boston but also got some great access to the elite runners, allowing for these pictures posted here.

But wait, there's more. Here's more about Nobby's trip to Boston, in his own words.

It was a perfect day at Boston. It had been raining ever since I arrived on Friday. It doesn’t happen often that somewhere else is colder than Minnesota! They were even talking about possible snow flurry Friday night! The rain stopped by Sunday evening. As we walked out of Runner’s World party, the only concern I had was the wind. At 10:00PM, the flag around downtown Boston was whipping around pretty hard…

Next day, I took a train from where I was staying, Newbury Port, to North Station. A beautiful clear sky and the sun was shining. At Copley, I spotted the Hanson brothers, Kevin and Keith. I call them “Boston Wind God” because when Reiko Tosa ran it in 2006, he gave us the chart of marathon course, divided into each 5-mile segment with projected wind of the day. “10 miles an hour tail wind coming from about 45 degrees angle. But when you start to go up the Heartbreak Hill, it’ll be almost directly from behind…,” they said.

My main concern for this year’s race was on 2 runners; Jason Lehmkuhle and Paige Higgins. Jason has been running very well in the past few years. With the strong wind on his back, I thought he might even flirt with 2:10 barrier. Likewise, Paige is trying to break 2:30 barrier. Paige’s coach, Greg McMillan, and her father were driving along the course to check her out and I was following her progress from the media room at Copley. A few miles to go, she was running 15^thplace and catching up other runners fast and she was the first American woman. Excited, I rushed outside with a camera. I positioned myself about 300m to the finish. I looked up the big screen and saw the men’s leader, Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, the younger. It says: “One mile to go” and the clock shows 2:01…I had to double-look – that’s sub-2:06 pace! Nobody’s going to run 2:05 on Boston course!!

Then I realized that I was too busy checking Paige’s split times and forgot to check Jason’s split. “Maybe he’s going for sub 2:10…” was my thought. In the end, he was 9^th overall, the third American behind Ryan Hall (4^th) and Meb Keflezighi (5^th) in 2:12:24 – 30 seconds PR. At the finish, he was completely spent. With the power of Media Pass, I dashed to him past the finish gate for high-five. He could barely lift his hand. That’s how it should be – good on him! Congratulations, Jason!!

Paige couldn’t break 2:30 barrier either but was the first American female and 13^th overall, passing a few more in the final mile (the last one on Boylestone). After having to forgoing Boston due to a knee injury last year; and a DNF at LA Marathon mere month ago, it was a nice redemption for her. Congratulations to her as well.

A few years back, when they had the US Cross Country Championships in Boulder, CO, Jason was asking Steve Hoag how to run Boston. “You’re ready for a breakthrough,” Hoag said to Jason. It wasn’t meant to be at Boston then but his breakthrough came in NY when he finished 5^th behind the former world record holder, Khalid Khannouchi at the US Olympic Trial. He carried on and PR-ed at Boston. But, at the same time, couldn’t help but give even more respect to Steve Hoag’s 2:11:54, yet another 30 seconds up from Jason’s time, when he chased down “Boston Billy”, Bill Rodgers in 1975, 35 years ago! So here’s a big congratulations to Steve Hoag as well.

St. Prefontaine Day

2010-04-27T00:16:00.003-05:00

After my 10k at Sunday's Saturday's Get in Gear came to its slow, steady end, I stuck around in the finish line area despite the rain and despite the fact that I would have to advertise a time I wasn't very happy with. But I still wanted to stay there and visit with as many people as I could and swap stories.

Get in Gear is a nice race for me because I live less than a mile from the Falls. So I eventually jogged home and, like I do every year, had to marvel just how far away from the Falls people had to park. About half an hour later I drove a friend to the airport and we saw the shuttle buses and we saw people walking to the light rail station with coffee cups in their hands and race numbers. And everyone seemed so happy.

And this got me to thinking, Get in Gear is like a holiday for runners. There are a handful of races that are like that, where you feel like it's some holiday. Some of my favorite races are not on this list. So a race on this list isn't better than one that isn't.

These are just races that feel like a racer's holiday. You could call it St. Prefontaine Day, in honor of the patron saint of foot racing. Well which races go on this list? Here's my take, in the order of the calendar.

1. The Frozen Half. This is a holiday in the same way a barn raising is a holiday. Everyone puts on their best face to do some hard work and there is a sense of community. Simply waiting in line for the port-a-potty is a test of endurance. You chat with everyone about crazy this is and how much it will suck. But when it's all said and done you loiter in the office building enjoying the warmth and the sense of accomplishment. The mug is a nice touch too.

2. The Human Race. I have always felt like the Human Race is the first day of school. All the competetive runners show up with new uniforms for the team they run for. People come out of Runner Vacation and you see people you haven't seen since Twin Cities Marathon weekend. And oftentimes a trip to a nearby bar and grill caps off the afternoon.

3. Boston Marathon Yeah, I know, it's a holiday only for the elites. You need the money and the qualifying time, but it is a truly special race. Anyone who can take advantage of the opportunity should do so at least once. Colin really captured why in this post a few years back.

4. Get in Gear As I put together the RRRR #6 post, I came to realize this is a goal race for so many first-time racers. It is really cool to read about how happy people were to finish their first race and be hungry for more. And for a lot of people, this is the only race they do all year.

5. Go North! 5k Yes this is a smaller 5k, but it just goes to show, the size of a race doesn't make it a holiday. This race has it all: a drumline and dance team at the start and on the course, Minnesota summer weather, and a hot dog party afterwards.

6. Grandma's Marathon Do I have to explain this one? The holiday starts Friday with the caravan to Duluth and then everyone from Two Harbors to Duluth celebrates on Saturday. I've been known to continue celebrating this holiday into the wee hours of Saturday night Sunday morning. And I think that is the key: Grandma's is a Saturday race.

7. Twin Cities Marathon Between Grandma's and TCM, there are so many races. And I should add, so many GREAT races. But the sheer volume makes it hard for one to stand out as a holiday. Imagine if Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, July 4th, and Labor Day all happned over a three week period. They wouldn't feel like a holiday anymore. But TCM is a weekend-long event now and TCM or the TC10 is the goal race for so many runners. It's like all the races bottleneck to TCM and it is THE racing holiday of the second half of the year.

Conspicuously Absent
1. All races that fall on a holiday. This includes the obvious (turkey trot and the Valentine's Day run) as well as the Brian Kraft 5k and the Victory races beecause they fall on holiday weekends.

2. Outstate races. I almost added Nerstrand Big Woods Half Marathon because everyone sticks around post-race to have soup in the church basement. But it may have just been a fun race for me and a regular run for everyone else. I'll have to run that race some more to figure it out. But I just haven't run enough races outside the metro area.

Any races I missed? Any races I should have left off?

Race Results and Reports Roundup #6

2010-04-24T14:25:00.012-05:00

Update #2 (April 25, 1:02 p.m.) Results from the 5k, half, and full marathon in Nisswa have been added (Run for the Lakes). Five race reports and two videos from Get in Gear have been added. A news story about the Kick the Couch 5k (video) and a photo album from the Nisswa races have been added. I'll update again tonight.

Update #1 (April 24, 5:36 p.m.) Results from Chippewa Trail 50k added. The first round of Get in Gear photo albums and race reports have been added (one photo album and four race reports). Contact me at michael.d.nawrockiATgmailDOTcom if/when you have a race report from any of this weekend's races to share.

Mama always said Get in Gear weather is like a box chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Today brought rain. Someone needs to enlighten me as to why, pre-race on rainy days, runners cram themselves into whatever shelter they can from the precipitation. You're going to get soaked anyway during the race, so why not get used to it in advance?

Anyway, on with the results, race reports, and a look ahead to next week. I'll probably have my own race report up tomorrow. I ran my slowest 10k ever, but I ran even splits for the first time since the TC10. So my head is back in race shape. I just need my body to get there.

Results
Get in Gear Results for all events
Chippewa Trail 50k Run Results
Run for the Lakes 5k results Marathon and half marathon results

Results wanted/pending, if available:
Kick the Couch 5k (Mankato, MN)
Walk on Waconia 5.5 and 10.2 mile run

I will keep finding race reports and still need to write my preview for Sunday's races. So keep checking in. If you have a race report you want to me to share, contact me at Michael.d.nawrockiATgmailDOTcom

Race Reports
Get in Gear
Wayne's Get in Gear Photo Album (124 pictures)
Minnesota Don (10k)
Best Day of the Year (great pictures capturing this spring race)
Diary of an Average Runner (half)
Tenaciously Yours (5k)
Brett posts a video of his first race ever (10k)
Twelve in Twelve (5k)
Seven Minute Miles (10k)
Julie's Running Blog (10k) (editor's note: Julie is on a crazed pr streak)
Simon Says... Run (10k)
Crossn81 captures footage of 5k, 10k, and 1/2 marathon finishers
The Curvy Life (10k). It's hard not to smile when you read this story. It is reason #2763 running is awesome.

TV news story of the Kick the Couch race video

Brainerd Dispatch's photo album of the Nisswa Run for the Lakes races. Some of the pictures need to be rotated 90 degrees. And by some, I mean most.

Upcoming Races
Next weekend I will be in Champaign/Urbana, IL as part of a relay team race for the Illinois Marathon. I've never done a marathon relay before, but it looks like a lot of fun.

Sunday is a big day with both the Lacrosse and Eau Claire marathons taking place. And here in Minnesota the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon. The New Prague Half is a stop on the Grand Prix tour, so there will be a wide range of runners out there joining you. And there is a pretty cool trail half marathon along the Gunflint Trail.

Take a look at all the races. A lot of good races to choose from.

Saturday May 1, 2010
Runnin in the Ruff 10k and Two Mile Race (Milaca, MN) Link

$17 to pre-register in advance (I cannot find a link to the pre-registration for online, but contact information for the race director is in the link above). $21 for race day registration.
Registration: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Race starts at 10:00 a.m.
Seventeeth annual.
Trail runs along the Rum River.
Part of the Minnesota Trail Series. Everyone should do at least one trail race a year.
For all you Twin Cities runners, this is a great place to see the running scene outside of the metro area. Milaca is about 65 miles north of the Twin Cities.

Run Around Women Plus 30k and Five Mile Race (Longville, MN) Link

Longville is about 120 miles west of Duluth.
$30 (pre-registration deadline has passed).
This name confused the heck out of me until I looked at the course map. There is a Woman Lake and neighboring Girl Lake. You run around both in the 30k, hence the name.
Good tune-up race for a spring marathon for all you northwoods runners.

Randy Bauer Memorial 5k (Coon Rapids, MN) Link

$20 if you register on or before April 24 (no extra fee for online registration). $25 race day registration.
Race starts at 10 a.m.
This race is in honor of a science teacher who worked with at-risk kids and was an avid runner and outdoors adventurer. He died of cancer in 2007 and proceeds from this race go to cancer research and programs to help at-risk youths.

May Day 5k (Waconia, MN) Link

9 a.m. $30 (pre-registration deadline has passed).
Sixteen turns through city streets.

May Day 5k (Eagan, MN) Link (pdf)

$30 race day registration. $25 if registration is post-marked Saturday April 24th.
Includes a half mile (or is it quarter mile? the information is conflicting) and mile run for the kids. Fee: $10 if postmarkd by Saturday. $15 race day.
Add $3.25 to all these fees if you choose to register online.
I love the course for nostalgic purposes. That there is a classic Texas high school cross country course. About twenty turns and figure eight loop around the athletic complex. Don't knock it until you've tried it. The race tends to go by a lot faster on a course like this.
Proceeds go to Eastview's High School National Honor Society.

From the Heart Half Marathon and 5k Run/Walk (Owatanna, MN) Information Link

Registration link
Half marathon starts at 8 a.m. and 5k run/walk starts at 8:30 a.m.
If you register on or before April 25th: $30 for the half and $20 for the 5k.
After April 25th but not race day: $35 for the half and $25 for the 5k.
Race day registration: $50 for the half, $35 for the 5k.
Nice looking course that runs through parkland, neighborhoods, and a creek.
Proceeds go to directly support two families with a family member fighting cancer.
Second annual.

Down and Dirty 8k Trail Run (Lake Elmo, MN) Link

Registration is closed for this race, but I had to add it because it seems unique. A women's only trail race through the Lake Elmo Park Reserve, one of favorite places to run. So ladies, keep this race on your radar for next year if you aren't doing it this year.

Third Annual SAFA/BAP 5k Race for Ronald (Coffman Memorial Union, Minneapolis, MN) Link

$15 with no fee for online registration.
High noon. Course goes through the University of Minnesota campus.
Proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House.

Nick Clare Memorial Run 5k, 10k, 2k Walk (Hastings, MN) Link

5k and 10k start at 8:30 a.m. and 2k walk/run is at 8:45 a.m.
$23 if registration is received today (add a little over $2 to register online). $28 after that, including race day registration.
Click here for the history of the race, the story of Nick Clare, and the Nick Clare Foundation.
5k route has seven or eight turns and is run on city streets. 10k runs has 12 turns and runs along city streets and through a park on the Mississippi River.
Both courses are single loops.

River Valley Relay Marathon (Stillwater, MN) Link

8 a.m. start time.
Lots of choices here. You choose how many people, between two and eight, are on your team. You choose how long each person on your team will run. You choose which seven non-profit organizations will receive your proceeds.
$30 for each team member.
Click here for a story from the Stillwater newspaper about the race.

Sunday April 2, 2010
Lacrosse Fitness Festival (Lacrosse, WI) Link

5k on Saturday and a half and full marathon on Sunday.

Eau Claire Marathon (Eau Claire, WI) Link

Marathon, half marathon, and two mile fun run all on Sunday.

Arboretum Bud Break 5k (Chaska, MN) Link

5k starts at 9:00 a.m. and One mile Daffodil Dash (for ages 5-12) starts at 10:00 a.m.
$20 for members of arboretum members, $25 for non-members. Price is same for either race. Price goes up to $30 for everyone who registers after Tuesday, April 27.
Price includes general admission into arboretum.
Winding figure- eight course (sort of) and the flat, asphalt trails of the arboretum and past the gardens. Sounds like a really nice run to me.

Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon (Wayzata to Excelsior, MN) Link

Sold out :(

Tribute to the Troops 5k Run/3k Walk (Eagan, MN) Link 1 Link 2

Race day registration only at this point.
All proceeds go to the Fallen Heroes Children Education Fund.
Schedule
$18 for the 5k, $12 for the 3k, or $10 and $5 respectively for active and reserve military. Kids under 12 run for free.
2nd annual.

Ham Run Half Marathon and 5k (Grand Marais, MN) Link

Registration ends 4/31. $45 for the 5k, $59 for the half.
Point-to-point race along the Gunflint Trail.

Friends of the Orphans Cinco de Mayo 5k run/Walk (St. Paul, MN) Link

Includes a kids' 1/4 mile and one mile run.
Registration ranges fro $12 to $25. Registration closes 4/30.
Proceeds go to the Friends of the Orphans to fight poverty. Participants are encouraged to raise $100 for this charity. Link

Blognation Pop. 4

2010-04-23T21:53:00.001-05:00

Chad Austin: cornerstone of the Minnesota running and blogging scene, savvy veteran runner, unofficial and accidental copy editor for this blog, and Blognation's newest member.

Check out Chad's personal running blog, Simon Says... Run.

Chad also has a blog under our MDRA approved linkage section, Running Minnesota. As you may already know, this is where Chad has a collection of interviews of local elites.

Speaking of approved linkage, check out Minnesota Tri News a site already familiar to all your triathletes. But it has a lot of good stuff for everyone. So check it out.

250 Meters Down, 41,750 To Go

2010-04-23T07:18:00.003-05:00

Michael Rand is a sports reporter and editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. And he is does a little marathoning on the side. Jason Lehmkuhle's ninth place finish at Monday's Boston Marathon caught Mr. Rand's attention. So for fun he tried to see if he could hold Jason's pace for a quarter mile.

Click here to see the story and the accompanying video to see if Rand could do it.

And now to dicuss the results. Rand is your typical runner. Running an all out quarter mile, he was able to finish within seconds of Jason's marathon pace. And this begs the question, which is more impressive? Running 168 consecutive hilly, asphalt laps in 75 seconds OR running one lap in world record time, 43.18 seconds?

It's an impossible question to answer, but it doesn't mean it can't be asked. And it doesn't mean I can't try to answer it. Sure I'm biased because I'm a distance runner, but I would have to say 168 laps at 5 minutes per mile is more impressive because of the mental fortitude and discipline it takes in addition to the physical impossibility of it all.

And finally I'd like to close by saying it's not often we get to name drop on the blog. But I need to give an extra shout out to Jason because he is not only a professional runner but also a graphic designer. The logo that is currently on our MDRA singlets with the ribbon is his design. He also does the bulk of the graphic art you find in the magazine version of Run Minnesota.

Race Results and Reports Roundup #5

2010-04-21T23:22:00.010-05:00

Friday April 23 update: 103 pictures from the Running of the Pigs 5k posted by The Sporting Life.

Thursday April 22 update: Fourteen more race reports/picture sites have been added. I also added a pretty lame preview of this weekend's races. The only thing lamer than that preview is my attitude about racing the Get In Gear. If you've ever dreamed of beating an over-the-hill never-was like me, this weekend those dreams will probably come true.

Did I say I'd get to the roundup Monday night? That was crazy talk. I meant I'd think about blogging Monday night but get around to it Wednesday. Away we go....

Results
Saturday April 17, 2010
Trail Mix 25k, 50k and 50k Team Results
Cemstone Run for Others 5k 10k
Challenge Obesity 5k Results
Bunker Hills Run 8k 2 mile Mile
Fitgers 5k Results
Earth Day Run(s) Results and Pictures
NE Minneapolis Mississippi River Earth Day 5k Results
Dragonfire Walk for Athletics 10 mile, 10k, and 5k Results

Sunday April 18, 2010
MDRA Mudball Results
Running of the Pigs 5k Results
Quick Steps for Reading 10k results only

Results wanted (if available): Minneapolis Recycle Run and Bill Gallagher 5k.

Race Reports
Mudball
Examiner.com
Steve in a Speedo

Trail Mix
Tri Lulu Tri
Run Jean Run

Challenge Obesity 5k (ed note: very cool stories here)
Fit This Girl
Prior Fat Girl
Challenge Obesity 5k Pictures (From GlossyDigital--over 1320 pictures)
Also click here for other races from GlossyDigital previously not linked here, including Run the Valley, Easter Sunday Rise n Shine, and Get Lucky 7.
Challenge Obesity 5k Pictures (from Charities Challenge's homepage--over 300 pictures)

Bill Gallagher Memorial 5k
Bill Gallagher Memorial 5k Pictures
Bill Gallagher Memorial 5k News Story

Fitger's 5k
Duluth News Tribune story about the Fitger's 5k, including the leader outpacing and running around the pace car.
Up North Running

Earth Day Races (St. Cloud)
St. Cloud Times recap of the Earth Day Half Marathon
Julie's Running Blog
26.two
Addicted to Running

Other Races
St. Paul Saints Recap of the Running of the Pigs... wait a second, the story says hot dogs were served post race. If I were a pig at that race, I'd be running too.
TSL's homepage has 103 pictures from the Running of the Pigs 5k
Peace Coffee Racing (Minneapolis Recycle Run 5k)

Upcoming Races
Okay so I totally dropped the ball here and did not summarize this weekend's races. I am in the virtual doghouse. Consider it a one time slip up, until I do it again. Then it will be a two, three, four, five time slip up, whatever the case may be.

As the fire of my old blog turned to ash in 2008, I did write a little piece after the TC5k proposing a little something I call the Lazy Mike 5k. Well, gentle reader, consider this to be Lazy Mike's Preview of this weekend's races.

Get In Gear Races Has anyone heard of this race? Some obscure race that no one does. It goes along something called East and West River Road. Anyone know where that is? Crap, I still need to sign up... Hold on a sec.... Well I'm back now and that sucked. The very close and loyal reader of this blog should have figured out now that I'm not a big fan online registration fees, especially a certain non-local site that bombards you with unwanted offers and advertisements as you register. So I urge you all to go to your local running store to sign up. Say hi to the folks working there. Support our local running scene and save $2.50 in registration fees. END SOAPBOX SPEECH HERE.

Other Saturday Races: There is a race in Waconia.

The Ice Age Trail 50k will be going on (but I think it may be a little late to start training for that one).

WAIT! WHAT? there's a marathon in Nisswa, MN and the winning time last year was a 2:43. Who knew?

Let's see, there's some sort of row-ride-run triathlon in Winona. Again, not a good one to do if you plan on starting your training program tomorrow.

And people are kicking couches in Mankato. Oh wait, that's the name of the 5k. Unlike the aforementioned races, this one sounds like one you can do with little training between now and the race.

Sunday's Races The Run for Justice 5k is a good low-key race. There is also a race walk in the STLP, which I know is harder than it looks.

Okay that was a really lame rundown of the races.

For those of you doing Get In Gear. See you there, and if you write a race report, you'll see it here.

Check out Jason Lehmkuhle running Boston

2010-04-20T07:49:00.013-05:00

Courtesy of our roving running reporter Nobby Hashizume, who also serves as a coach for the women’s running class and author for RunMinnesota magazine, snapped these great pictures of Jason finishing the Boston Marathon yesterday. Jason PR’s with a finish time of 2:12:24. Way to go Jason!

If you a few spare moments, check out this cool running site: www.lydiardfoundation.org.