Borrowed Literature

Posted by Patchwork Reality

Often on Facebook I see posts asking for a book recommendations. Truthfully I am not usually one that has time for books with much substance i.e.; politics, dry facts etc. so I hasten to recommend any of the recent Barnes and Noble nook book of the day deals I may have recently indulged in. Life is so busy and chaotic some days that I really enjoy a book that is entertaining and light to take my mind of life. On more than one occasion I have borrowed a book from our son who is the epitome of book worm. The boy devours books at all levels.
His highly gifted language arts class is following the Iditarod race currently being run in Alaska and his teacher assigned the book Winterdance by Gary Paulsen to the class complete with an email to patents regarding some of the language.
Intrigued I picked the book up and likewise devoured it. This book is brilliantly written completely eye opening to a lifestyle I had no knowledge of and a race I truly knew nothing about, and the chapter “Major Wrecks” had me laughing out loud while the kids slept. As a marathon runner there were parts of the book I could relate to, I completely understand a mentally and physically grueling accomplishment that can be related to childbirth, you easily forget how hard it was and are ready to do it again. However, I am still in awe of this man’s journey and all other mushers that even considering attempting this race.

I was surprised by the relationship between the dogs and mushers, the totally trust and respect but that these were not lap dogs, these are not social dogs that romp in the dog park and play fetch with their human family.
Truly emotional and written by a fellow Minnesotan!!! From my sons 6th grade class and I this is a must read!

Mankato Marathon 2013

Posted by Patchwork Reality

Done!!

It has been one week since I ran the Mankato marathon and I am now able to go up and down steps without my legs reminding me of the work they did one Sunday…I am sure it looked funny for a few days, but it was worth it.

I am super pumped to have completed my 5th full marathon, you can read about last years Mankato race here , I am actually ready to run the same race next year, I really do enjoy this course and the support along the way.

My day:

5:15 AM alarm goes off, hit snooze

5:25 AM stagger out of bed…take a nice warm shower, put on my running gear, complete with a nice layer of glide to prevent chaffing…wish me luck.

5:45 AM waiver on outfit, its is freezing outside, it has not been so cold yet this year, I do not want to spend the next 4+ hours cold, and wet.

5:55 AM wolf down egg, toast, banana and bring coffee and vitamin C charged water with me.

6:04 AM all 6 of us in the car on the road….getting a little nervous

6:45 AM I am dry heaving out the window of the only car on highway 14….might be the vitamin and ibuprofen I gulped down or my nerves, this has never happened before!!!

7:28 AM get to Mankato and head straight into the CVS for black garbage bags, rain on the forecast and maybe even snow!?!?! Gotta love Minnesota weather!

7:45 AM biffy business done….ready to run

7:56 AM Photo op with my favorite fans! Another mom in the parking lot with kids crowded around her for warmth offered to take our picture, thank you! (notice my socks, it is the only was you will recognize me in the end…brrrrrrrrr!)

8:00 The gun goes off, like cattle we head through the start gate and listen to the beeping of our time chips activating and Garmin watches starting…here we go. Mind you I am wearing a huge Sherpa lined hoodie sweatshirt, have a garbage bag with head and neck holes wrapped around my hydration belt, 32 ounces of water in bottles and gu chomps…not feeling all the light, but ready to run.

~8:45 AM right around mile 5 I am warm enough to take off my hoodie and throw it in the ditch, just as the 4:15 pace group comes up behind me, I run with them for quite a few miles. I am feeling confident and ready to rock this race, (yes it took almost an hour to warm up and get my head in the race!)

~11:17 AM (all this and still not lunch time?…I know!!) about 20 miles in I am starting to hurt, I take the ibuprofen I brought with me, at this point it is like having a baby without an epidural…you either can or you cannot…you won’t remember all that you went through in the end but there will be a ~~baby~~ medal in your arms and an irreplaceable sense of accomplishment.

~12:32 PM (how as your lunch?) I cross the finish just seconds after seeing my family in the crowd cheering for me, I caught my hubby’s eye glimmering with pride. I take off my hydration belt and my chest tightens I can hardly breathe, man pride is a crazy thing. I walk and have a medal put around my neck. (yes it is me…those socks won’t lie)

Then I ask in a super small watery voice for one more, to give to Ana the Brave who I ran in honor of. She has fought a battle with brain cancer that no one can train for..she needs some bling too!

~1:15 PM Noodles for lunch, my favorite, it takes awhile and does not sit well but I need that calories.

~1:45 PM back on the road heading home to a hot shower and my bed. Already planning on training better for next year! 🙂

Official chip time for 2013: 4:31:34, honestly my slowest, but I put the least amount of training into this race and felt great to accomplish it, so I am happy with that time.

Running a Legacy

Posted by Patchwork Reality

I climbed the proverbial running ladder, if you will.

Climbed rung by rung, for real, from the ground up starting with week 1 day 1 on the Couch to 5K C25K program, after baby number 3.

I ran my first 5K race in March 2008. I cried, thought my heart would burst; with pride, relief and thrill, and then went back to cheer for my hubby who was a few minutes behind me.

Next the 10K, ½ marathon, 20 miler and then the full….26.2 which seems insane but really it is always over by a bit in a race that is a Boston qualifying race to ensure it goes the distance. I think my Garmin watch read 26.32 when I crossed the finish of my first full marathon in 2010.

But let’s back up a moment, I chose to run the Mankato Marathon, why? Because serendipitously the year of the first Mankato marathon was the same year that I had added running a full marathon to the years tasks. Coincidence? I thought not. So since 2010 I have run each year in the Mankato marathon, I even ran one other full marathon in 2011, but 2 in a year was too many.

My pact with myself was to keep running this marathon every year , “every year I’m shuffling” if I have to right?! Well, this year my friend Kim that has run every year with me, is out with injury, and to be honest without the camaraderie I am not feeling it as much, plus as I posted in pickled, I am tapped out each day and have not run more than 10 miles since the Med City ½ marathon Memorial day weekend. I was struggling trying to convince myself.

Then I get this email:

Good Morning Mankato Runner,

This is our official Mankato Marathon invite to welcome you back for 2013. We have exciting news as we have implemented a Legacy Program for those faithful marathoners who have been with us since our first Mankato Marathon race.

Starting in 2014, runners who have completed all five consecutive Mankato Marathons are eligible to be in the Mankato Marathon Legacy Runner program.

Legacy Runners will receive a special, unique bib for the 2014 Mankato Marathon, have special acknowledgment in the 2014 Mankato Marathon Activities Guide and on the Mankato Marathon website, and acknowledgment at the 2014 Scheels and New Balance Sport and Health Expo. Runners will receive a unique clothing item as well.

To find out more information contact XXXXXXXX at XXXXXXXX@mankatomarathon.com or to register http://mankatomarathon.com/races/full/.

See you in a month!

Mankato Marathon Staff

It’s like they read my mind….I want to run every year…this year I need motivation…unique clothing item…I might be easily persuaded.

I have been motivaed, legacy…I mean really who ignores an invite a legacy club??!! Not this girl, so I am going to run this race…I am fiercely self competitive, it will be frustrating for me to not be what I would deem “fully trained” for this race, but I am hoping my body will surprise me by showing me that not over training can be successful as well.

So give me a little mental what’s up on October 20^th as I run in the small legacy club without my friend and minimal training! It will feel so great to cross that finish line regardless of the time on the clock. Pre race jitters are all ready setting in!!

Squirt Level Triathlon

Posted by Patchwork Reality

Summer, how fast it flies, I love it, for real.
It seems like calendars are full of events, fairs, festivals, friends; endless opportunities.
We may have accidentally hit the ground running faster this summer than we sauntered into last school year, but there are such so many fun thing to participate in when the weather here in Minnesota is sunny and warm, we really do know how to pack a year of run into the summer.
There are so many things I would like to share, but these photos I had a chance to sit down and edit and it is so cool that Santanna has made family history by being the only one to complete a triathlon….and at the squirt level.
60 feet swimming
.9 mile bike ride
.4 mile run
I am so proud…I also hope that by involving all of our kids in these small races at young levels they will carry these skills throughout their lives as hobbies, emotional management time, a way to stay fit and/or a way to compete at their own level.

My first Duathalon, Cannon Falls

Posted by Patchwork Reality

I need to give you all a weekend recap, the lineup was:

9 am Saturday morning, just me; Cannon FAlls Duathalon

2 pm Saturday afternoon the whole family; Colordash

9 am Sunday morning, just me: Spring Fling Diva Dash.

Seriously!

I have to tell you that I was so excited/nervous that I barely slept Friday night, plus Jon worked an overnight shift, which means that none of us slept very well, it is weird how the kids just sleep differently with him out of the house.

I had breakfast made, everyone organized, all my gear set out and we left on time…..and got 17 minutes away when i realized I did not have my helmet…*&$%….this is the one thing that I could NOT race without, my Garmin, fuelbelt, gu champs, all of those I would have been OK without, %&$*!

I RACED back home got my helmet, RACED to the start, which was in a town 45 minutes away, praying not to get pulled over, called my friend who was racing with me, she picked up my packet.

I got these pinned on my number, got body marked, parked my bike and just got the last satellite signal on my Garmin and we were off.

I was already racing at this point.

2 mile run:

14 mile bike….yep thats me on my old GT mountain bike, and skater girl helmet (yes I have a helmet!!!).

I came in from the first 2 mile run in about 16 minutes, so i was feeling pretty good, then I started getting passed by people pretty quickly, my bike is heavy, not really meant for racing, but I am not serious enough to invest in a road bike…yet.

One lady passed me and I turned and said “great job”…she said, “wow, you are doing really well on that kind of bike”….thanks!

3 more miles, this last transition was the hardest, my legs were a little wobbly and felt heavy, I kept going and actually kept up a solid pace. I passed a few runners, HA, I might have a heavy bike, but I know how to run.

Finish time 1:40:XX, my goal was to come in under 2 hours, because I really had not idea how long the bike portion would take, with wind and hills, I guess I was a little off on my estimation.

Here I am in my Patchworkreality cover shoot 😉

This was such a fun experience, I love the challenge that I got in training for and participating in this event, as a runner, sometimes all I do is practice running, I noticed a difference in my pace and even shed a few pounds, but mostly toned up some new parts of this old bod. I am already planning to participate in another Du in September, and am going to see about borrowing a road bike from someone to see if I can finish a little faster.

A huge thank you to all the volunteers and FInal stretch for putting on this event!

1/2 Marathon Training starts….now! (sub 2:00)

Posted by Patchwork Reality

You all know I am a runner, it is like breathing for me, my system starts to shut down when I miss more than a day of running, well not entirely, but emotionally I drain without running.

It clears my mind, takes me away from life, I organize my thoughts, plus get a great caloric burn at the same time.

Last year I ran a PR 1/2 marathon twice. The first in May at the Med City and the second in Duluth at Grandmas 1/2. (1:58:01) 9:01 pace.

I did not get into grandmas 1/2 marathon through the lottery this year, so I am considering running the full 26.2 to join all my girls for the weekend….but that is a bit ahead of where this post is leading.

Below is the training plan, my life, for the next 12 weeks, this puts me right to race day for the Med City Marathon weekend.

This plan will hopefully bring me a new PR, you can see the plan trains beyond the 13.1 race distance, this is the intermediate 1/2 marathon training plan from coolrunning.com.

I love having a plan set for me…..hubby will back into the training routine as well:

Hubby: how many miles do you have to run tomorrow?

Me: (the mileage for the next day)…

He is very supportive, but I am trying to convince him to run with me this year, so instead he can ask “how many miles are WE running tomorrow?” He of course would start on the beginner plan.

My schedule:

Week	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.
1	Off	4M	6M	4M	6M	3M	8M
2	Off	Fartlek (5M)	3M	5M	6M	3M	9M
3	Off	5-6 Hills 5K-10K pace	3M	6M	6M	3M	10M
4	Off	Fartlek (5M)	3M	6M	6M	3M	8M
5	Off	4-5 Long Hills 5K-10K pace	4M	6M	6M	3M	11M
6	Off	6 x 880s 5K-10K pace	4M	7M	7M	4M	8M
7	Off	3 x Mile 5K-10K pace	4M	7M	7M	3M	12M
8	Off	6 x 880s 5K pace	5M	7M	7M	4M	9M
9	Off	4 x Mile 5K-10K pace	4M	7M	7M	4M	14M
10	Off	6 x 880s 5K pace	5M	8M	8M	5M	15M
11	Off	5M	5M	8M	7M	4M	8M
12	Off	4M	4M	6M	4M	3M	RACE DAY

26.58??

Posted by Patchwork Reality

Running 26.2 sounds crazy right? But what about 26.58??? That is what my Garmin rolled over in mileage at the Mankato Marathon Sunday October 21, 2012. (Watch says 26.6 because I didn’t stop it right away). But how about that calorie count???

In order for a marathon to be a Boston Marathon qualifying race it has to exceed the 26.2 mark to ensure that runners have gone the distance, if you will, because 26.1 might not be enough??!!

Anyway, this was Mankato’ 3rd marathon, they have re-marketed it as the BOLD RACE, starting this year. My friend Kim and I have run all 3, Mankato’s first marathon was also my first Marathon. To be honest I was just not feeling this marathon, it is truly a full time job training for this distance; the energy drain, the time way from family, and getting nothing done around the house can creep up on even the sanest person, which I do not claim to be.

However, there is something about lining up and getting involved in races that really gets me excited. By mile 3 I was definitely glad I had trained to run this race, and as many times prior to the race that I may be qutoed as saying “this will probably be my last for a while” or “I am just not feeling it this time”, my head was in the race. Kim and I were on pace for a 4:12 marathon time until about mile 22, my chest started to hurt, and my pulse was really weak, I has a cramp in my right calf (which does not ever happen to me), my GU chomps made me a little nauseous; I needed fluids, so we slowed to a walk while I took on water as quickly and safely as I could, and we started running again.

We crossed the finish line just over 4:22 about 3 minutes slower that last year, however, I knew already that there would be next year.

Total we have both run 4 full marathons….This is your brain on running;)

As a bonus I explained to the lady with the medals I was running for a cause, and she gave me a medal for Ana …I think it is so fitting, because she will also have to be BOLD this year.

Think this collection needs a 4th Mankato Marathon medal???? It just might get one!

Running Shoes….Mizuno’s Run Narrow?!

Posted by Patchwork Reality

True I am a bit behind on some of my posts, the wee one had to have surgery so while she was healing I have not had much time for blogging.

In the midst of training for my marathons and other races this year, it has come time to replace the old pair of trusty duds for a new pair. I have worn many a shoe through my running days. For quite some time I was very happy with my Nike shoes with the Nike+ iPod setup. After I purchased my Garmin watch I realized that I could buy any running shoe on the market, I was no longer tied done with the sensor for my Nikes. (I could have bought a shoe pouch but was too cheap).

So I branched out and bought a pair of Saucony’s, a running partner wore them and had previously worn Nike’s she thought that Saucony shoes were much better.

I have had some luck with these shoes, but lost a few toenails, and am thinking they might be just a bit to narrow. Especially after pounding pavement in the July heat and my feet swelling.

When I wore Nike shoes I was buying them in a wide, and just was at the local sports store yesterday looking for my old friend size 9 Wide and they were MIA.

I had gone for a quick purchase at Old Navy for their Give and Get 30% sale and realized I could get shoes from the Pipelimes site so I ordered these bad girls:

Mizuno Wave Rider 7

These came in a wide, and after Free Shipping and my reward codes I scored them for $20!! I am hoping these will eliminate any toenail damage, they seem to have good reviews and I will have plenty of training miles on them before the first big day!!

It seems that I have a history of trial and error with running shoes, this can be expensive and frustrating.

One thing that helps is to know a little about your feet.

What is your arch type? High? Low? Neutral?

Are you running long distance? You may need a 1/2 size bigger than normal especially if running in the heat.

Do you have wide/narrow feet? If you have wider feet to begin with a wide shoe may help if running long distance?

Do you over/under pronate?

Answer to the above questions can lead you in the direction of a best fit shoe for your feet.

What shoes have you had the best luck with? How did you decide on this shoe?

Marathons on the Calendar

Posted by Patchwork Reality

I just signed up to run the Med City Marathon on May 29, 2011, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and the Mankato Marathon on October 22, 2011.

Both of these races will be paced by the Minnesota Pacers, already I am anxious. After running my first full marathon last October in the Mankato Marathon I know the time and effort that goes into training. There is no better feeling that crossing the finish line and knowing that all the effort was worth it…but 2…in one year. I am always trying to challenge myself so instead of making a pace goal I made another race goal. To complete 2 full marathons this year. It will take an immense amount of training. I will post my training plan for the Med City as soon as I get it planned out.

In between marathons I will continue a race per month but probably no more than a 1/2 marathon. Not sure what the training will look like in between also, I may focus more on cross training and maintain one long run per week.

New Year’s Day Race

Posted by Patchwork Reality

What is the best way to start a new year? With a 5K of course. That is exactly what I did. It was a balmy -32 and probably about 20 less than that with the wind chill. The wind was fairly mild but present. I was a little late getting to the check in, the race started at 11 AM, giving the earth a few hours to warm up in the sun and some runners to shake of the ringing in of said new year before braving the tundra for 3.11.

One thing about running that I am still learning is how to be properly dressed for the weather. This is something I struggle with whether running or not, comfort V. performance V. fashion, I almost never get the trifecta correct. This morning was no exception, I had a base layer T-shirt s mid weight hooded north face layer and a wind/water resistant hooded Columbia jacket, one knit hat, a pair of yoga pants, which should be plenty because running really warms up your legs, and a knit pair of fingerless gloves. The gloves were a last minute decision because I needed to be able to start/stop my Garmin.

As I am pining on my number, there is a lady giving a speech in the back of the Running room, about not allowing bare skin to be exposed to these elements for more than 30 minutes!!! I look around and notice there are many runners wearing something similar to this. Doubt about my material preparation sets in.

The race starts, already I think my nose is frozen. I can barely feel my fingers, so I tuck them up inside my gloves, hoping my fingers huddled together will keep each other warm. Not happening. Doubt again about whether or not I am going to make it in this cold. I keep running watching the persons feet in front of me, if they can do it so can I!

See no fingers…they are huddled.

At the halfway turn around I am feeling good, it usually take me about the first mile to get into my rhythm be it a training run or a race. I finish the race and head into the Running room for post race snacks, feeling great and smiling at all the other racers who are also smiling, we have our noses and our fingers and conquered the tundra! We already know it is going to be a great year.

Happy New Year!