Stacy's Blog

On the treadmill @ 8:34 pace.

Biked 4 miles 

Wanted to run outside, but the temp was 0 and the windchill was -15 to -20. Didn't feel like dealing with the cold and the roads are still not cleared very well. Hopefully this weekend I can get Bayly out. She is a little unruly since she hasn't been out for a week. 

Ok, so I log on and here is Jillian looking all tan and buff while I feel all spindly and pale. Like that's fair. :)

4 miles @ 8:34 pace

3/4 mile @ 8:15 pace

1/4 mile @ 8:00 pace

 Hoping to get outside tomorrow and wear the dog out. She has gutted 2 stuffies this week and harassed the appliance delivery guys. 

Outside (yea!). Temp. 13 and no wind! It was awesome! Conditions were horrible. Everything is white. Everything. Makes it hard to see. The road has about 2 inches of powder on it. For every step forward I slipped 1/2 step back. Needless to say my pace was pathetic. Ave. 10 min. miles. But it was so good to get outside with Bayly I didn't care. She had a full set of whiskercicles. 

I am enjoying my Garmin, which I have affectionately named Petunia. Everyone has a Garmin, but how many can say they have a Petunia! :) Still figuring out all the bells and whistles. Quite a task for someone who is technology illiterate. 

Spent the day shoveling out; in the brilliant sunshine. The day was beautiful. I told Ron I would finish shoveling and he could put my new dishwasher and faucet in. :) I was out for a couple hours, got all the snow cleared off the driveway. Had to round up the dogs a few times, as they were off visiting the neighbors. Finally got down to the treadmill at 9pm.  Ran a 9:00 minute pace. Kicked it down to 8:34 for the last 2 miles.

Supposed to be negative highs all week. If the wind doesn't blow I still might be able to get outside. Hopefully  

Treadhills and biked 5 miles and lifted weights. It was warm enough to go outside, but it snowed all day, so by the time I could get out I couldn't see the road and didn't feel like fighting to keep myself upright.

Since I am confined to the treadmill for an extended period of time, I have decided to try some of the bells and whistles I usually don't use. We have a Precore so it has a lot of bells and whistles and I seem to get into a rut and don't take advantage of them like I should. So tomorrow night I am going to do an interval workout!

3 miles interval @ 3% incline

2 miles @ 8:13 pace

2 miles on the bike

My legs are tired, but otherwise it was a good workout. Now outside to shovel the snow we got yesterday and last night. The driveway should be clear for at least 24 hours before the next round of white stuff hits. Oh Joy!

4 miles @ 8:41

1 mile @ 8:34

1 mile @ 8:00

 Lifted weights. Yea, more snow tomorrow,  I can't wait! NOT

TM workout:

2 miles interval @ 3% incline

2 miles @ 8:34 pace

2 miles same as first 2.

So I signed up for the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty in Blackhawk Colorado. There is a 7 and 12 mile and a 50K. I went for the 7 mile. I have been a flatlander for far to long to attempt anything else right now. I am sooo excited. It is a trail run. That means rocks, streams, trees, altitude and elevation. I can't wait! I am going to be down there spending time with my folks and visiting family for a couple weeks and decided it was time to run a race in CO. 

Easy 4 @ 8:57 pace

Tried the 10K hill program tonight. I'm not sure what the incline is, because I was to busy concentrating on staying on the treadmill and breathing. It was ugly. I only did 4 miles of that program. Then ran 2.2 at 8:34 pace. I'm going to keep working at it. I'm such a flatlander. Temp -3. Windchill advisory. It's going to be a cold week.  

Tempo run on the TM:

Mile 1 @ 8:34

Mile 2 @ 8:13 

Mile 3&4 @ 8:00

Mile 5&6 @ 8:34

Trying to push beyond the 8:34 pace. It's getting comfortable so it's time to try and kick it up a notch. Of course that may all change if I ever get outside again. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be -10 with a windchill of -35. Ugh. Nobody is in a good mood right now. The flood forecast came out yesterday. 98% chance of major flooding again this spring. Third year in a row. Seventeenth year of this wet cycle. It is getting really old.

On the bright side: the days are getting longer, the anemic sun was out today and we might get into the teens next week! Woohoo! :) 

Interval workout on the TM. It was a killer today. My legs felt heavy and I felt sluggish. I had a migraine yesterday. Maybe that had something to do with it. Tara is home. Yea! Movie night!

I'm going to try and do 7 tomorrow without losing my mind, since it will be on the treadmill.

So the weather service has this new "warning". It is called an Extreme Cold Warning. Really? The way I see it: When you walk outside and your nostrils freeze shut, pretty sure you can figure out it is extremely cold, without the weather service issuing a "warning" about it. 

Temp. -14 and a windchill advisory. Could not bring myself to go down to the treadmill. The sun was out and I stayed in town so I was protected from the wind a little. The hardest part about running when it is this cold is just getting out the door. 

It really wasn't bad once I got going. The wind isn't bad, but when it is -14 it doesn't take much to drop the windchill way down. For January in ND it was a beautiful day. :)

10K hill workout on the TM. I did 5 miles tonight, then ran flat @8:34 for 2. The inclines range from 6%-9%. I think it was better when I didn't know what the inclines were. 

Temps are on the rise this week, so hopefully Bayly and I can get outside for the rest of the week. There is not a stuffie in the house that has any stuffing. She has gutted all of them. The weekend and beyond look brutally cold again.

Signed up for the Fargo 1/2 Marathon, May 21.  

Temp 24! Amazing sunset! It felt great to be outside! I tried to keep Mr. Garmin between 8-9 min pace. Not easy considering my route took me over snow drifts, ice and a really uneven gravel road. But I am not complaining cuz I was outside! Bayly was in dog heaven. 

The head honchos in Fargo want to have 3 million sandbags ready. They figure it will take that many to hold back the Red if things really get nasty. They have 300,000 on hand from last year.  

An easy 3 with Bayly. I decided to take Maggie too, since we were only going 3. Her little legs kept up, but she is such an annoyance to Bayly. She is like the little sister that is always following Bayly around: "Geeze Maggie, sniff on the other side of the road this is my side and find your own pizza box, this one is mine". 

LSD outside. It was great day for a run. Tomorrow winter comes back. This week has been like a vacation! The birds that hang around all winter were even happy. 

My legs felt tired today. Rest day tomorrow. Ron's employee appreciation party is tomorrow night. Woohoo! I don't have to cook. That is always a good day.  

Tempo run

1/2 mile @ 9:13

1 mile @ 8:34

2 1/2 miles @ 8:00

1 mile @ 8:20

Cool down

Need to focus on speed more. It was a killer today at 8:00. I would like to PR at the Fargo 1/2. Gotta have goals, even if they are lofty.

By by 30's, hello sub zero (again) (sigh). :( 

I feel like a hamster. 8:34 pace on the TM. The windchill is -25+. We got more snow today. Not sure how much since the drift in our driveway is about 3 ft. high. I had it all cleared off, and now... (sigh). Ron took the 4-wheel drive today. Good thing: he is going to need it to get into the garage. Thank goodness tomorrow is Feb. I hate January. Feb. is not much better, but at least I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I need some color and heat right now. Ok, I'm done. Dark mood has passed for now. :)

I got my books today! Three mountain books. Two, about Everest and 1 about K2. The people that climb those mountains are amazing and since I will never have the strength or money to do it, I live vicariously through them.

Temp 22. No wind. Lots of sunshine. I intended to go 7. My plan was to let Bayly go 4 then go another 3 without her. When I got to the last part of our usual route it was completely drifted shut. The only way to tell there was a road was because of the snow piles on each side. Any way Bayly was having a great time and so we ran on the drifts. Ugh. It was slow going. The drifts were pretty hard, but uneven and my feet sunk about an inch with each step. My legs felt like I was running in jello. By the time we were done with 4 my hamstrings were tight. So I decided not to push it. This is going to be a slacker week.

It was a great day in ND! Temp 24, no wind, some fog from the melting. Stayed mostly on the truck route and it wasn't to slippery. Ron ran 4.  According to Mr. Garmin: pace 9:05.

Tonight Ron and I went candlelight cross country skiing. I have not done that since I was about 16. It was such a gorgeous night. It was a trail down by the river lit up by ice luminaries all along the way. Lots of fun! I am not much of a cross trainer, but since ND has more winter than summer, this might be something I could get into.  Came home and watched a sappy chick flick. It was a good day! :)

It's just cold and I was in no mood to deal with it today. Tempo run on the TM:

1/2 mile @9:13

1 1/2 miles @ 8:34

2 1/2 miles @ 8:00

1/2 mile @ 7:47

1 mile @ 9:13 

Painting the bathroom tonight. 

How I long to wake up in the morning and hear the weather guy say "Sunny and highs in the 80's today!" Oh what a joyous morning that will be. We are at -8 and windchill 20 and 30 below. It never seems to end! 

Treadmill:

Started out at 9:13 pace and gradually moved down to 8:20 pace for the last 3 1/2. Did some core work. I get so bored with weights and stretches and core stuff. I wish I didn't. It is so good to do, especially as I get (dare I say) older. 

Weather guy just said we might hit 40 on Tuesday and Wednesday next week!!!!!! That 's above 0!!!!! He also said the last time we saw 40 was on Thanksgiving weekend.

Flood preparations hit high gear starting Monday.   

TM:

2 mile interval

1 mile @ 8:57

Wasn't feelin' it tonight.

Prayers up for J, G, D, M and C. 

My legs were really tired and sluggish, but I didn't care cuz it was close to 40. There were puddles to run through and the sun is feeling warmer every day! Oh it is the little things to appreciate in life. :)

Ron and I went for a Valentine Day run. It was 40 (lovin' the warmth) and slushy. Ron ran about a 9:30 pace. Mine was an 8:37 pace. Supposed to be in the upper 30's 'til Friday. Our driveway is completely clear for the first time since Thanksgiving. I feel like a cat. I just move around the house wherever the sun is shining. 

Mud, slush, sunshine and blue sky! Doesn't get any better than that! Bayly went 3, I went 8. I am going to keep her at 3 for awhile 'til she gets her running legs back. She has not been out much this winter and I notice if she goes any farther than 3 she is stiff at night. That might be her limit from now on. She will be 9 this spring, but has the heart of a 2 year old. We ran the gravel, so she was a mess when we got back. 

 I didn't keep track of pace. To busy enjoying the gorgeous day.  

Temp. was 12 and breezy. Planned on going 10 but my legs were tired and I was cold the whole time. I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat and I didn't run for 3 days, so as usual my knees were hurting.  Ok, I think that should be enough excuses for one run. :)

Bad weather headed our way so I suppose I will be on the treadmill for awhile. Ugh! 

So I ended up getting sick. I have no patience with being sick. No way am I going to get the mileage in this month that I wanted to. Hopefully this will pass quickly. On the bright side, the weather is cold and windy so I would be on the treadmill. Maybe by the time I feel like running again the weather will be better. :)

I will run today.... I will run today....I will run today even if it is on the treadmill. (sigh)

Temp 8. Windchill minus something. Who keeps track anymore.

It was a good run, even on the TM.  My legs felt fresh and despite my ears being plugged and full sinuses I felt really good. Running always helps my disposition, which has not been good this week.  Maybe my body needed the rest. Un fortunately my brain didn't. Wish they were on the same page. :) 

It was head cold vs. sanity. Sanity won. So out Bayly, Maggie and I went for a run.

Temp.  -3, slight breeze. We did our usual out and back. I didn't take Garmin. I know my pace was slow. Some of the road had drifts. Fortunately someone 4-wheeled through them so I had tracks to run through. Dogs loved it. There are ice crystals in the air so even though the sun was out it was hazy. Really pretty. 

Busy weekend ahead. Tara is home for the week! Yea! Dustin is out west in the high country, snowmobiling, so Kaylie ask us to go with her to cheer on her students on the girls BB team in the district tournament. Ron and I are going to the Home Show and look at the latest and greatest in home updating. And at some point this weekend I have to finish painting. Oh yea and I have to run. :)

Raging head cold turned into a raging sinus infection. Doc, meds and rest. 

Ron and I and the dogs went for an easy 3 in the snow. Temp wasn't to bad at 18 and it was breezy. Just good to be out side! Thought my knee and hip would give me trouble since I have run twice in 2 weeks, but they both felt pretty good.

Lots of flood talk and edgy people. The waiting is the worse. Looks like the water will start flowing end of this month. 

On the TM @ 9:05. Off to a fundraiser banquet and to help Jared get into his car, as he seems to have lost his keys.

TM again. It was 20 today but I am so done with the cold and wind I wimped out and stayed inside. Pace 9:05 for 2.5. 8:34 for last 1.5. Building back up.

We were walking to the car the other day complaining about the cold and Tara said our muscles are just tired of shivering. I couldn't have said it better. 

Talked to the boys CC coach tonight. Two years ago we had to sandbag his neighborhood, but he said this year the city is building a levee to 44 feet behind his place. So he thinks they will be ok. 

It was 10 degrees warmer today and the wind was minimal so out we went. It was really a pretty nice day. The track kids were also out and about. I ran 2 with the dogs but the road was not clear from last night's 3 inches that was supposed to be only be 1 inch. So I slipped and slid my way along. The dogs were really annoying today. I don't know if there is a change in the weather coming or what. They kept running ahead then back to me then around me. Bayly slid into me and almost knocked me over. So I was more than happy to be done with them. I did the last 2 on the bike path. Somebody cleared it and the sun had melted what was left so I had a clear route. Much easier running. I think I will stay on hard surfaces until things clear up. And I am not even going to try speed work until the snow and ice are gone. Which means I will have to be on the TM for speed work. 

 "Sandbag Central" reported they have 2.4 million bags ready to go. They are shutting down this Saturday. Now it is a wait and see. The next flood report comes out in about 10 days. So far nothing has changed from their earlier predictions. 

Twice around the truck route. Nothing to write home about. The sun was brilliant! Aaaahhh! I could just feel the vitamin D.

 Yesterday was one of those North Dakota days that 70 or 80 years ago would have probably killed people. Started out at 35 degrees in the morning, bright sunshine. Temp climbed to 45 by afternoon, still bright sunshine. By last night the temp dropped to 15 the wind was 50 mph and the snow was blinding. Could not see across the street. Fortunately with modern technology we knew it was coming. We were under a blizzard warning from 3pm yesterday until 6 this morning. Pretty much everything was cancelled and most people were all safely ensconced in their homes.

So I had to run on the treadmill. There just is not any place left to run except the highway. My usual route is drifted and snow covered, the bike path is covered and the truck route is icy and slippery. And the wind is not blowing 50, but blowing enough to put a nice icy chill in the air. I am so hoping this was winter's last hoorah. Weather dude said the temps this week will start the melt. Awesome. Our driveway is down to a lane and a half. There is no place left to put snow.

Easy run in the sun and it was fun!!!

Interval workout on the TM @ 3% incline. Outside tomorrow!

The March sun is so strong. The bike path is snow free and 1 mile of our "dog" route is completely clear. Maggie ran 2 (need to get some winter weight off of her, she is looking like a sausage with legs). Bayly ran 4. Both dogs got to frolic in the mud, slush and water at the end of the mile line. Ron and I did 6 with the last 2 on the bike path. I wore one long sleeve shirt, one short sleeve shirt and my shorts with underarmur (sp?), that was it! Amazing, warm day. If this keeps up the water will be moving by the April 1st for sure.

So this was my first serious speed workout outside since November. There wasn't any ice or slush or snow. I stayed on pavement and my legs felt great! My pace for the first 3 miles was 8:03, so I am pretty pleased with that. Took it easy for mile 4, but still kept it below 9:00. Sun was out, temp in the 40's. It was a good day!  Oh ya...I love Mr. Garmin! :)

Easy 4 @ 8:54 pace

Temp. 37, stiff breeze. Not a bad day. Legs felt pretty good. 

Tara came home this morning to be with her friend. Time is short and prayers are many.

God Bless You, J, G, D, M, & C 

Ran 2 with the dogs. Came home had supper and Ron and I went 3. Temp. 35, dusk, no wind. Really a nice evening. All hell breaks loose tomorrow. Major storm with ice, rain, snow and wind. Oh joy!

Snow, ice, wind, treadmill @ 8:34 pace. 

Last week we said good-by to an amazing lady, Ron's bro-in-law had surgery to have a spot on his lung removed and Ron and I both got sick again. The weather is lousy. The flooding has not started because the temps have only been in the 30's. Still huge piles everywhere and we are supposed to get more on Sunday. It is April tomorrow, right? 

Ok, I'm done. After all the emotions of last week I thank God that I have 2 strong legs, lungs to take in fresh, chilly air, a heart that beats, eyes to take in His amazing creation and ears to hear the honks of the geese heading north. :) And by the end of this day I will have 5 more miles to add to my mileage.

Fargo is in the Championship bracket on the Weather Channel for the toughest weather in the nation. We are up against Bradford, PA. 

5.50 @ 8:57 pace. Slow and easy and quite enjoyable. 

8:37 pace. Sunny and in the 40's and no wind. Awesome. I had to stop and welcome the geese back to the northland. They flew right over me. Thousands of them! Hopefully the storm will stay north of us. 

It is official: Fargo, North Dakota is the toughest weather city in the country per the weather channel. The voting was close in the last round, but Fargo beat out Bradford, PA.  

An easy 3 with Ron and the dogs. Water, water everywhere and the dogs loved it! My hamstrings were tight, but the sun was out and the sky was blue and the temp was warm. Aaaaahhh! 

Red River is above flood stage. Will be at major flood stage by Thursday.

Not sure what the prediction is for the Sheyenne. Our town hasn't deployed sandbags yet. Just waiting and watching. 

First 4.1 was @ 8:14 pace and that was an effort. Last 2 I kept under 9:00, but did not feel real great today. My sinuses are still full and the wind was a factor. Not going to complain about the wind today. It helps dry things up and we need all the help we can get. Some of my route looks like lake front. Ducks, geese and waves.

They are predicting the Red will be at 39 feet on Sunday. Record was 2 years ago at 40.8. The Fargo Mayor is predicting a crest of 40.5. He should know he has been fighting floods his whole career. I checked the river gage on the Sheyenne and they have it staying at moderate flood stage. But like Ron said it usually breaks out before it hits major stage. Still waiting and watching.

We can finally see grass in our front yard! Woohoo!  

Easy run with Ron and the dogs @ 8:57 pace.  Temp. 45. Warmest day since November! 

So I intended to do 3 timed miles. I just wasn't feeling it. So I did 2. I felt great yesterday and my head was clear. Then today my throat is scratchy and my sinuses were bothering me. I'm thinking it might be all the snow mold. 

1 @ 7:07 pace

400 recovery

2 @ 6:58 pace

400 recovery

Rest of the run was slow and easy and soaking up the sun. Temp hit 50 woohoo!

Roads are under water everywhere. Ron had to take a different route home. When the river hits 39 feet he will be working 12 hour shifts. He always leaves me when there is a disaster.

 We have to go to the Cities Saturday, so I decided to do my long run today. Spectacular spring day! The temp must have been close to 60. It was windy, so some of the run was a "hill workout".  I didn't feel great, but the nice day took my mind off the run. I haven't run this many miles since October. I was feeling it. Looking forward to a couple of rest days.

The Red isn't rising as fast, which is good. They are still holding to a 39-41 ft. crest. Ron's prediction is 38.46. He was only .2 off last year. So the pressure is on. :)  So what do you all do for fun in ND? In my best Scandinavian accent: "Well we have alot of fun in the spring. We guess what the river crest's will be during the flood! Ya sure, you betchya! Dontchya know!"

It was a cold, windy, rainy (like we need that right now) day. I decided not to battle the weather. TM @ 8:34 pace. Nothing special. 

As long as our sump pump keeps running (every 20 seconds) we should stay dry. We plugged the drains in the basement today. The sanitary sewer is having trouble keeping up.

The Red crested Saturday night at 38.75. Fourth highest flood on record. Fargo is doing ok, it is the rural towns and residents that are just getting hammered by the smaller rivers and overland flooding. It is heartbreaking to watch how these people have tried to save their homes for the last few weeks and they finally can't do it any more and have to be evacuated. Especially the older residents. They rescued an 87 year old veteran on Friday from his home. He had a sandbag dike and pumps, but the water was coming at him from all sides and it just proved to much for him. He said he is done fighting the water. This is the third year in a row that he had tried to keep his home safe and failed. 

Spring days don't get much better! Ran 3 with the dogs. Did more stopping and starting for the first 3 as the water has finally dropped in the ditches and the dogs spent most of their miles splashing and swimming. Second 1/2 was a good run in the warm sun @8:30 pace. Just a great day to be outside. Another nice day tomorrow, then turning chilly again. 

Didn't even make it to 40 today. I was going to run outside, then I walked outside. The wind was gale force and it was cold and I am so over cold and windy. So I turned around walked back inside and ran on the treadmill. For all the complaining I do about the TM, I am glad I have it on days like this.

1 warm up

2 @8:13

3 @8:00

4 @7:41

5 @8:13

6 cool down

One of Kaylie's students lost his house on Saturday to flood waters. Another student would have lost her house yesterday, but the National Guard got there in time. As the Red goes down the Sheyenne goes up. Valley City is scrambling and Lisbon as they raised the crest 2 ft. We have a meeting in town tomorrow night to hear what we can expect. Roads are washed out everywhere and the Sheyenne is already breaking out east of us and causing problems. Nothing new, it did the same thing in '09 and '10.  But the sun is shining and the snow is almost gone!

Weather was much better today. Snow storm tomorrow. Ugh! 

Ran with Ron around the truck route. Nice and easy. We talked for most of the run. Always nice to bond. :)  Got home, ate a quick supper, then headed to the flood meeting. Nothing new, really. We have done this before. Sheyenne gets high, breaks out east and west of town, floods rural residents, washes out roads, stays high for weeks and weeks, then drops back down to normal and we are all stuck with a summer of closed roads, corn stalks rotting in the ditches and mosquitos. Same story, new year. 

Temp 33 and quite wintery. So far we only have a skiff of snow. Hopefully we won't get any more. Tara said Bismarck got several inches. Yuk!

Did an out and back on the bike path @ 8:06 pace. I'm pleased with that considering I felt great on the way out and wanted to quit on the way back. Not sure what happened. I was pushing the wind, but it wasn't that strong. Long run tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Great run today in spite of the weather. Ron and I drove to a different route and did an out and back. We had to drive through water to get there. I think they will have part of the road closed in the next few days as the water was really rushing over it and starting to chew it up pretty good. The out was great until we came to a 50 foot chasm that used to be the road. The culvert was gone and all the pavement was at the bottom. So we had to make some adjustments. The back was slightly uphill, pushing the wind, but I felt really good for the whole run. Ron struggled a little but he had a good day too.

I finally broke the 30 mile mark for the week. Yay! My mileage is not where I would like to be for the year. But I am happy with this week. 

I am really starting to lose my sense of humor with the weather. Honestly, this is April. We don't need any more snow! Sheesh, this is getting old. 

Ok, now on to the run. Took it easy today. My legs were really tired for the first half. Things got better on the last half. Dogs went 4. They needed to get out. We were here and there all weekend and every time we left the dogs were looking at us like "ok is it our turn now?" 

Another gray day. Temp 40ish. Not really a bad day. 40 doesn't feel that cold now that I'm not running on an ice cube anymore. My legs were really tired again. Hmmm?

4 miles @ 8:06

2 miles @ 8:46 

I would like to say this was an easy run. I wanted to do 5, but my legs are heavy and sluggish. Maybe 34 miles last week was a little much. I don't know. I would really like to keep my mileage up, but I learned along time ago to listen to my body. Rest tomorrow and maybe X train on Friday. I plan to do 11 on Saturday. I am a little frustrated. 

Awesome run! The 2 days rest really helped. Ron and I went into Fargo to run. We needed a change of scenery and all the roads are closed out here. You can run about a mile in any direction and run into a road closed sign. The Sheyenne river is flowing all over the countryside and they are saying it will be at least another 10 days before it shows any signs of slowing down. The main highway just west of us is closed now because the road was breaking up. Not sure what the school is going to do. Some of the kids and teachers have to drive 50 miles at least out of the way just to get to school. But the sun is shining and the temps are warming. Yea!

Happy Easter! 

Another great spring day! Temp 65. I actually got hot today on the run. Not complaining. The dogs did 3 and it was a good thing they had water to splash in because it was to hot for them. We did an out and back, out and back. Water, water water. Several driveways are under water. You can tell if the resident is home if their car is at the end of the drive. If their boat, tractor or 4-wheeler is at the end, they aren't home.

Back outside for more yard work. Ron teases me every year, that from now until the end of September he will have to move the kitchen outside if he wants to eat.  So true.

Had things to do in Fargo, so we ran in town. I definitely enjoy the change. The evening was perfect. I did some speed work for 4 miles, then enjoyed the evening for the rest of the run. Ron ran 5+. He doesn't get to run as much so he struggles with his pace. He gets frustrated he is not as fast as his younger days.

1@8:18

2@7:42

3@7:37

4@7:51

5@9:32

6@8:38

7@8:28 

Perfect North Dakota spring evening. Light breeze, no bugs, great sunset. Went 3 with Ron and the dogs, 4 alone. Pace 8:52. The place we turn around with the dogs has about 2 1/2 feet of water in the ditch from the river breakout and it is moving fast so the culvert has a whirlpool and is making this sucking sound. Of course the dogs are curious and I had to yell at both of them to get away. If they get in that, it will suck them right through the culvert. Ron threw a stick in and about 10 seconds later it popped out the other side. I think we will turn around a little sooner next time. Hopefully the river will start dropping this weekend. All this water is really getting old and we aren't even fighting it like so many others are. 

Prayers for you all down south.  

I am looking forward to a couple of rest days. We are off to Bismarck tomorrow for Tara's awards banquet and to help her move. She is staying in Biz. this summer. Ron and I will officially be empty nesters. sigh. Next year at this time we will be going to her graduation. sigh.

Ran 11 in Fargo. I went in this morning and I am glad I did. The wind was a bit brisk during the run and I ran against it for 2/3 of the run. Now it is around 40-45mph. At least it is drying things out. It's also causing major white caps on the farm fields. 

Very slow, easy run. Temp was chilly and windy but the sun felt good. I can't get over how green the grass is! Maybe after all the winter white and gray my eyes are like super sensitive to color. :)

We spent the weekend with Tara which was awesome. We bought her a new bike and helmet. She is all about saving money this summer. Her legs will be in good shape at the end of the summer. Unlike the Red River Valley, Bismarck has hills and a lot of them.

The western part of the state had a spring blizzard on Saturday so we were moving her in 50 mph winds and horizontal snow. Fun.

On the news Saturday night they had a story about a marathon in Minot. Which is only about 30 miles from Canada. Any way they show these runners out in the middle of nowhere running on this road against this horrendous wind. I can't imagine doing 26.2 in those conditions! You never know what kind of weather you are going to get when you run a marathon in the spring in ND! 

Perfect weather for a run. Tried to keep it up tempo the whole way, but I struggled. All in all I am happy with the run. I hate speed workouts. My IT is giving me some trouble. Nothing like last time when I had to quit running for a month. We'll see, I may cut back on mileage. I know I would benefit from X-training. I just prefer to run. 

Average 8:08

1@ 8:57

2@ 8:15

3@ 8:12

4@ 7:39

5@ 8:00

6@ 8:07

7@ 7:48 

Biked 9 miles on the stationary bike.

It was a hot day, but a good run.

Easy run

8:15 pace

Treadmill today. Cold and really windy. Spring has finally arrived in ND. Green grass, black dirt and blue sky. It hasn't been what I would call a warm spring, but I have been able to get out and get my gardening done. Really sore and stiff. Amazing how gardening muscles are different than running muscles. 

9 days 'til Fargo Marathon!  

I let the dogs go all 4 with me today as the temp is 45 and breezy. Not a great spring day, but hey at least it is not snowing. :) I should have known this would be a cold, windy, wet weekend. It is the Minnesota fishing opener and it is never a good weekend for the opener. I'm glad I don't like to fish. 

So this is my schedule for the next 4 Saturdays:

May 14  8 miles

May 21 Fargo Half Marathon. Hoping to PR, but not putting a lot of emphasis on that. Just going to enjoy myself and try to keep the "competition monster" at bay.  After the race I am heading to Colorado for a wonderful 2 week va-ca to visit family and friends and: 

May 29 Run the Arkansas River Bluegrass Half in Salida, CO. I am really excited but a little nervous about the altitude. I have been running at 945 ft. and this race starts at 7100 ft. I have no expectations about time, just going to have fun!

June 4 Golden Gate Dirty Thirty in Blackhawk, CO. Another altitude run. My first trail run with great scenery! That's mountain scenery! Woohoo! Oh and I am only doing the 7 miler. I'm in it for the scenery. :) Seven miles at that elevation will be challenging enough.

We waited most of the day for the drizzle to quit. Finally we just decided to run in the drizzle. Temp 47, but not much wind so it was not a bad day. The drizzle quit about 1/2 way through the run. Everything looks so pretty after a rain. Fortunately we didn't get much. The farmers are way behind and we could really use a few weeks of warm, dry days. Sheyenne River is finally dropping, so roads and driveways are starting to open up. Prayers for everyone down south battling the Mississippi.

Average pace was 8:35 and that was a struggle. Did not feel great today. Think I will spend taper week mostly resting with some low, easy mileage.  I'm still debating whether or not to wear Mr. Garmin during the race. I have never worn a watch during a race. I just kind of go on how I am feeling. So I don't know. ???

Easy run with Ron. Took the dogs out for a 11/2 mile walk as the temp hit 70 today and it was to hot for them to run. Mowed the lawn, killed weeds, planted more flowers and soaked up the sun. I LOVE SUMMER!!! 

The week before a race is my favorite time. The pressure is off, the training is done. What will be, will be. Good or bad. :) 

Great run! Great evening! The weather has been unbelievably perfect this week. I need to stay inside and get some stuff done, but I am having a hard time staying in when outside is so nice.

The river is finally back in it's banks and there are tractors and semis everywhere. And when I go into Fargo there are runners everywhere. There are like 20,000 runners and walkers signed up for all the races. 5K and kids race Friday night. 10K, Relay, Half and Full on Saturday. 

Tara comes home tomorrow. She and Megan are running the 10K in memory of Megan's mom. They have t-shirts and both are getting a little nervous. This will be Tara's first road race. Jared and Kaylie have their bikes ready to go. They are the cheerleaders. Last year they biked 20 miles and we only ran 13. Ron and I are charity runners for TAPS and we are running in memory of a brave hero who died in 2003 in Falluja on his way home for some R&R. We are very honored. Now, if the weather just holds it looks to be a good day!

Where do I start? Temp 65, windy, humidity about 75%. I would like to say it was a good day, but it wasn't. 

Tara and Megan ran at 7:00 am. They had a great race and were very excited when they were done. The Marathon started at 7:30 and the Half at 8:30. We were at the Fargodome at 6:15 am. Needless to say it was a lot of waiting around. I hate that.

We started out at the 2:10 pace, because we kept getting pushed back as more people lined up. Ron told me to just run my race and we would meet at the finish. I started off feeling pretty good. There was a lot of jockying around and passing. I do wish the walkers would move to the side. That is just one of my gripes. The road for the first 2 miles is narrow and it gets crazy. My legs were starting to tighten up at mile 3 and I was thinking that's weird. I realized about that time that it was really hot and muggy. The wind was actually a blessing. Well by mile 5 my legs were really protesting and the bumps, we call hills, were giving me trouble. Also weird. I opted not to wear my Garmin because I didn't want it chirping at me the whole way. So I had no idea what my pace was. At the 10K my time was 54:36:00. I was kind of surprised. My legs were not cooperating at all, by mile 8 I knew there would not be a PR today. The heat was really getting to me and I usually don't mind the heat. Well I started thinking about Ron at this point. He hates heat and if the temp gets much over 60 he really struggles, then throw in some humidity. I had no idea how far back he was, but I was getting kind of worried about him. At mile 9, I considered walking. Have never even entertained the thought of walking on a half. I have never felt worse during a race. So I pulled off and waited for Ron. I waited about 7 minutes and was getting worried. I called Jared and Kaylie as they were biking the course and I had just passed them. Jared said he was back quite far the last time they saw him. And he was struggling. Still no Ron. I waited a few minutes longer then started out again. I just had such a nagging feeling about him and about 2 1/2 miles before the finish I pulled off again and waited and waited. I called Jared and he rode back along the route and finally saw him. When he caught up to me he was not good. He was running like his legs were sticks and he was on auto pilot. His pace was slow and we walked some just to get him to the finish line. I knew if I kept him moving we could get in under 2:30:00. We made it and we entered the Fargodome together to screaming crowds, loud music and the finish line. Awesome! And he was quite happy with his time, all things considered. 

So it was not a great running day, but it was a great family day. Off to Colorado! Woohoo! 

Ran on the Spring Creek Trail in Fort Collins. It was a gorgeous sunny Colorado morning. My legs felt surprisingly good and my pace was 8:49. I was ok with that considering the altitude jumped about 4000 ft. Spent the rest of the day visiting family. Heading to Grand Lake tomorrow to hang with my bro. Maybe try to run up there a little bit.

So I will make this a race report when I get the info. It was a hot, windy, dry day in Salida. The course had amazing views and I had a really good run. My unofficial time is 2:05:00. Like I said I will know more when the results are posted. My mom went with me and she got really sick so I ran and then had to leave. She is feeling better, but it was a 3+ hour ride home and I did not want her to have to wait. Considering the elevation and how dry it was ( I am used to a little more humidity) I am pleased with my time. I was tired and the hills were killer, but I had a great time and felt good til the end.

I have to come down to the local library to post stuff cuz my folks do not have a computer. The library is on volunteer time so makes things interesting. :)

So after getting the official results I am thrilled with how my run went! It was a good day! :) 

This was the hardest race I have ever done. The elevation and hills killed me. But the course was amazing. My first trail run and the scenery and views made every agonizing step worth it. I had so much fun and met some great people. I am thinking I might have to make it an annual event.

 I am taking the week off and will start running again when I get back to ND next week. 

Ran with Ron around the truck route. Temp. 78. My legs were heavy and I did not feel the best. I have been busy with yard work and house stuff and laundry since I got back. Ron was helping Dustin farm while I was gone. After 16 hour days he did not get a lot done. At least the place looks like someone lives here now. :) I am always torn this time of year between gardening or running. Decisions, decisions.

Jared is 27 tomorrow. Why do I always feel older when my kids have birthdays?

A measily 2 miles. Planned to go farther, but a crop sprayer messed up our plans. It rained all day, then this evening the sun came out and it was an awesome evening. Bayly had a great time playing in the ditch. Summer running started on Monday for the CC team. I won't be able to go in every day with the gas prices, but I hope to get in to run with them as much as I can. We lost 12 Seniors last year so it will be interesting to see where our numbers are this year.

Had a Dr. appt. so I went in early and ran with the team. We have some new ones and they are young. Yea! Temp is in the 70's and humid. I don't have any races planned this summer except for a local 5K or 10K. I am going to try and concentrate on increasing my mileage this summer. That's my short term goal. Long term: I turn the big 50 in Oct. so I would really like to do something different next summer. I have been seriously looking at the Leadville Heavy Half in Colorado. Just not sure I want to run 15 miles at 10,000 ft. It would be awesome if I could pull it off. Ugh.  I also would like to do the Flying Pig Marathon in Ohio. I raised pigs in 4-H and FFA and I do have a soft spot for them. I would love to have a t-shirt with a flying pig. ( I am all about the t-shirts) :)

Temp. upper 70's and muggy. Pace 9:03. Felt good today. 

Pace 8:26 for 3. Pace 8:49 for 2. I LOVE SUMMER!!!!  It is hot and muggy and the mosquitos are plentiful, but I still love summer. Maybe it is just because of the horrendous winter and spring we had. When you live in ND you learn to never take summer for granted. Now if I could just figure out how to extend it into January. Ok, maybe it could be winter for the month of December so we have a white Christmas. Then the new year rolls in and wahlaa! it's summer again. :)

Well June was pretty much a bust in the running department, except for the awesome Dirty Thirty. Ran today for the first time in 2 weeks. Ugh! I felt like a new runner. Legs were so tight and sluggish. Temp was about 85 and muggy. Which seems to be a theme this summer. I suppose since everything is wet and every low spot in the state has water, that could have something to do with the humidity. I started to feel better the second half of the run.

So here are my excuses for not running. I have had this spot under my right eye for a few years and this spring it started to bleed a little. So Ron made me go in and have it looked at. The docs thought it looked like it could be a basal cell thing. I had it removed and could not run for a few days because of swelling. Because it was under my eye they had to do a little more cutting to make everything look ok. I have spent my life outside when the weather is good. Growing up in Colorado I would take off on my horse for hours. No one ever said use sun screen. It just was not a big deal. When my kids were growing up they could not go out without it. I never bothered. Well I am a hat person now (and sun screen) I look hidious in a hat, but vanity is out the window. :) 

The day after my minor surgery Ron and I headed to southwest Wyoming to move my dad up to ND. Sixty years of smoking and hard living have taken its tole on dad. He was on oxygen 24/7 and not doing well. 7000 feet was not helping either. So we moved him to 900 feet and he is doing better. But it has been difficult. The drive up here was not easy on him. We are still getting him settled in his apt. But it has been an adjustment for all of us. 

On Friday we loaded up Tara and helped her move into her new apartment in Bismarck. She has one more semester then she will student teach and graduate in May. She is so excited and ready to be done with the whole college scene.

I don't want to add up the miles I have driven over the last month. In spite of my sluggish legs they were happy to be doing something normal and enjoyable. Now the rest of me just has to catch up on some sleep and all will be good. :) 

HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY!!! 

Temp. 93. Dew point 75. Ugly day to run outside. Stayed in and ran on the TM. Keeping mileage low and easing back in to it. Feels really good to be running again.

We are going to be grandparents in November and we found out on Friday we are going to be grandparents to a little grandson! Everything looks good and Jen and Jared are very excited! 

Beautiful, perfect summer night. Not a cloud in the sky and no humidity! I didn't take my Garmin so not sure what the pace was, but it felt fast tonight. My legs felt great. The cooler temp was a nice change.

HOT!!! And slow. Ran with Ron for 1.8. He has not run for about 6 wks. Temp was 89 and no breeze. A swarm of angry nats attacked me and I ingested a few. Mmmm protein! Pretty much a non event kind of run.

Thought if we ran this morning we would get out before the heat. Not. Temp was 80, which is tolerable. Humidity, however was 80%. Ugh. I felt sluggish. My pace: 9:30. Pretty slow. Until the humidity goes away I am just logging miles. Not real happy with my mileage this week. Need to jump it up next week. Still not complaining about the heat. Just makes running a little more challenging. 

Off the help Jared and Jen with their yard. They are bringing in a load of dirt tomorrow and need to get the sidewalk removed. They are tired of the rain making its way into their basement.  Happy Weekend!!!! :) 

So the temp was 86 and the humidity was thick. There was not a leaf moving while I mowed. I was thinking (while I mowed) there is no way I am running in this. I figured I was stuck on the treadmill tonight. 

There was some wicked weather southwest of us and it looked like we were in line for some. All we got was wind, nasty lightening and a little rain. But the temp dropped to 70 and the wind came up. The weather passed and it turned into a great evening. The sunset was awesome and the thunderheads to the east were pretty cool.   Nice run @ 9:12 pace.

Finally ran with the team today! Coach let the girls pick their distance. 2,3,4,5, or 6 miles. One of the girls picked 6 so I went with her. We had a good run in the sunshine. I like the chance to run one on one. Gives me a chance to get to know them better.

Awesome summer day. The humidity was down and the temp was perfect. And they sprayed for mosquitos last night. Doesn't get any better! Nice easy run. Felt good. Heat comes back on Thursday and stays for awhile. Still not complaining. :)

Ran with the team this morning. It was cloudy and really humid (the kind you can see). Thought it would be a nice easy run. Right. It was easy for the girls. The head coach and I had a speed workout. By the time we were done trying to keep up, we were both sucking air and feeling old. The girls finish and are all smiles and high 5's and I am just trying to breathe. 

Went with Kaylie to the big Fargo Street Fair this afternoon. They pretty much close downtown and there are like 300 craft tents lining the streets. Lots to see and eat. :) 

There are 2 things the weather guys never say in the the same sentence. Heat wave and North Dakota. That is about to change. Beginning today through next week they are saying the highs will be upper 90's, lows will be in the 70's. Oh, and the humidity will be 75%. That's the kind of weather down in Mississippi, not in ND! 

Anyway I have made peace with the treadmill again. Sigh. Wasn't even going to run today, but I couldn't sit still during the last Friday Night Lights so I did 4 on the TM @ 8:34 pace.  

Ran 3 very hot, sweltering miles with the team this morning. Ugh! I like the heat, but this humidity is a killer. I wish we could bottle the heat and pull it out in January. That would be perfect! 

Ran 3 on the TM @ 8:34 for 1 1/2 and 8:13 for last 1 1/2. 

I intended to run yesterday. We had storms during the night and we knew that the town Jared and Jen live in got a lot of rain. Called them at 6 am yesterday and sure enough they had a flooded basement. The sump pump wasn't shutting off which probably kept the water from getting higher. We removed all the soggy carpet and disinfected the floor. It was only rain water, thankfully not sewage. What a mess. Got that done and called my dad as it was beastly hot and I worry about him turning off his air conditioner. He needed to go to Wal-Mart, so ran in and took him there. Had a meeting last night. End of story.

Temp is 93, humidity is at "ugh" level. Ran 4 on the TM @ around a 9:00 pace. Biked 3.5 and called it good. Just not feeling it today. I am so over all this water. We have roads still closed. Minot and Bismarck have a long road ahead of them in their recovery. All the rivers up here are still at or just above flood stage. And this is the middle of July! Towns are threatened. And then I turn on the news and see Texas just drying up. It is heartbreaking. I wish we had a way to send some of our water their way. End of pity party. Stay cool out there. :)

With the team. What a difference a day makes. The temp was 80, but the dew point was way down and the breeze felt cool. It was a great day for a run and to be outside. We had over 20 girls this morning. That is pretty awesome for summer running! 

Cheered Megan, Damian, Abby and Frances on tonight at the Scheels 5K. It was a hot day and they did great! :) 

Temp 80 and the humidity is on the rise again. Still better than it was earlier in the week. Beautiful summer day. The crops are looking pretty good and the sky was an amazing blue. Average 9:30. Fun run!

Final summer run with the team. It was hot and the air was a little thick, but I felt great. Did not feel like 10 miles. Captains practice for the rest of the week, rest next week, then practice starts! Where did summer go?

Average pace 9:11. Nice run, legs were a little sluggish. 

Hot and muggy run. 

Storms. Treadhills.

Great day for a run. Low humidity, temp 80. Beautiful summer day! I love the run, the road and God. Left the dog at home. It was to hot.

Hot, hazy days of summer.

First day of CC practice! 35 girls, lots of new, young faces! :)

Mini speed workout, just to get the team out of their comfort zone a bit. Loving the cooler temps and low humidity.

Avg. 8:57. My goal for raising my mileage this summer has gone by the wayside. I can't say this has been a great summer. My dad's health is not good. He has been in the hospital for the last 3 days. He gets out today and we have some decisions to make. Just getting pulled from a lot of different directions right now. I really needed this run. 

Really hot, or I am just a wimp.

Tempo run with the team.

Loving this gorgeous late summer weather. Low humidity, temps in the 70's and lower 80's, cool nights and no rain. The rivers are finally below flood stage yea! Average pace 9:15 today, felt good. My mileage is still way lower than I would like. It is what it is for now. Life is getting in the way of running. I usually am sorry to see summer end. Not this year. It has been a tough one. 

Ran with the lead girls tonight for about 2/3, then they started to speed up so I dropped back. Temp was about 80 and breezy, but without that nasty humidity it was a good day for a run.

Ran 5 this morning. 3 more with the team tonight. Enjoying this nice fall weather, but not the dark mornings and "dark to soon" evenings. 

Awesome night for a run. Beautiful sunset to the west and full moon to the east. CC meet tomorrow. It is going to be a hot one. Temp supposed to be 87. Leaves are beginning to fall and beans are turning. It has been dry for about the last month. I haven't heard one person say "Gee, we need rain". Wish we could have sent some of our over abundance of moisture to Texas this summer. 

Airport run with the team. Out and back. Out was a killer against the windy cold front heading our way. Back was nice. 

Biked 3

8:52 pace

Just total mileage for Oct. Days are not accurate, mileage is.