Live Life. Be Passionate.

Crewing Badwater 135 - July 2011

2011-12-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if I will ever attempt to run this race. I have to say the $1000 entry fee for minimal support puts me right off. I don’t see the need for it. For sure, the event costs money to host, particularly the medical support. But a grand? And that’s before paying for your own support crew which for most people is a necessity in a race like this. Though you have to give huge credit to the

Yosemite - July 2011

2011-12-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, this post has been a long while coming!! But I did want to record this wonderful weekend where we did our first little bit of exploring in California. For most of 2011, I have been commuting weekly to Los Gatos (just south of San Jose) while Chris (and Cooper) remain in Minneapolis. It's been challenging at times but all of these new places to explore make it fun. Chris had been out for a

A couple of things...

2011-12-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

The following are all in various forms of draft and some will actually get posted before the end of 2011! July - Badwater crewing - I would never have believed the desert could be that pretty. Even at 117 degrees. July - Wasatch Front Ultra Relay – myself and Chris opted for (created) the 2-person team. August - Leadville 100 - the magnificent beauty of the course made up for too much road.

Back where it all began...

2011-08-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

After my first trail experience at the Afton 25k in the summer of 2005, I knew I wanted to do more of this. 3 days later I was emailing Larry and hence began my love affair with the Superior Hiking Trail. I came across the email exchange today while doing a search for a work project. I had to cringe at my asking Larry about water crossings! And his response about the "nice bridges" makes so much

Black Hills 100K

2011-08-23T18:13:00.002-07:00

I ran this race several weeks ago (June 26) and started the report almost immediately - but got a little side-tracked since. Which means there are a few more race reports to follow! Black Hills 100K was a tough race for me. There's a simple enough reason for that - my training wasn't what it should be to really race the way I know I am capable of. But, now that some time has passed since the

Coming soon...

2011-08-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog, I have not completely forgotten about you. I now have THREE race reports to finish (and 2 of them to start) as well as a few other random posts about the awesome summer so far! - Black Hills 100K - Yosemite Weekend - Crewing at Badwater - Wasatch Front Ultra Relay - Voyageur 50M - Freaking out about Leadville 100M Chow. For now.

Running Down Under...

2011-06-06T13:11:00.019-07:00

Earlier this year I took a new role with a recent acquisition, relocating to Los Gatos, California (just south of San Jose). It's been an interesting transition going from being part of a 50+ person department to a department of 1. And definitely challenging to work on a completely new (medical device) technology. But always interesting. I am mostly traveling back to MN every weekend but there's

Chippewa Moraine 50K

2011-05-24T03:03:00.007-07:00

This is a little late going to print and a little shorter than usual race reports... both due to a lack of the most valuable non-renewable resource. 4th year of the race. 4th time running it. 4th win? Ah, wouldn't that have been nice! But alas, I knew full well going into this race that for me to win would have required a bunch of women not to show up and/or some horrendous weather conditions

Photo blog...

2011-04-22T09:57:00.002-07:00

To avoid too much focus on those pesky race goals I thought I'd post a collection of photos from Christmas 2010 in Ireland through the recent trip to Colorado/California...Christmas Tree... I am renowned for redecorating the tree when I get home but this year it was still in the box when I arrived! Myself and Caz had fun constructing it. We usually have a real one so the artificial one took some

2011 Race Goals

2011-04-22T07:37:00.006-07:00

Better late than never. And just in time for tomorrow's race! It’s a short list this year. Though I expect that may change – but we’ll see how things go with weekday hill training in CA and weekend technical trail training in MN... April – Chippewa 50K, WI – 4:50. No sandbagging, just no way I am going to be beating the past 2 years’ times (4:41 and 4:41); and in fact 5:00 may be closer to

2010 - The Year in Review

2011-04-20T22:44:00.007-07:00

This will be a busy blogging week for me - I have to post this one (only a few months late), and then sneak in my goals for 2011 before the first race on Saturday! And I also need to post a ton of photos from the trip to Ireland...I kept pretty much the same categories as last year. Best race performance (according to me!): Bighorn 50M Most fun "racing": Where’s Waldo - 15 hours

Hello. My name is Helen.

2011-04-06T16:38:00.017-07:00

Forgive me readers, it has been 3 months since my last post. In that time I have both lived life and been passionate. But I haven’t had a whole lot of time to blog about it. And the passion didn’t have a whole lot to do with running so probably better you didn’t hear from me. And if I am being fully honest about it I have been taking the easy option and just posting on facebook. Sorry

Tuscobia Winter Ultramarathon

2010-12-20T07:54:00.003-08:00

First of all - I did NOT do this race :)Even if I had not run Hellgate last weekend I suspect this would not have been in my plan... but I am intrigued by it and perhaps next year I'll try the 50K as a Hellgate recovery run!The reason for my posting on the Tuscobia Winter Ultramarathon is that I want to congratulate the winner of the 150 mile foot race (and indeed all of the participants in all

Hellgate 2010

2010-12-16T17:33:00.011-08:00

A few things I learned this past weekend –1. The race is actually 66.6 miles long (I thought it was merely a 66 mile 100K).2. My pain threshold is way higher than previously believed.3. Having crew rocks!4. The hour before dawn is the most incredible time to run through the woods.5. Always take the bacon.Going into this year’s race I knew I was not anywhere close to last year’s level of fitness.

Getting caught up!

2010-12-10T08:40:00.004-08:00

Life gets busy, doesn't it?Running...- Is going okay. Not great, but okay. And right now I am happy with okay.- Training for Hellgate took a few hits between a lot of travel and, er, something called Beer Relays which I do not recommend the night before a planned 30 mile training run...- Two 30 mile runs (on days not following Beer Relays) at Murphy in November was as good as it got and minimal

Still alive...!

2010-11-10T07:24:00.004-08:00

... and planning to get caught up on the blog sometime soon. It's been a busy few months with travel and work and life and... (sort of) training for Hellgate 100K. I will have a slightly different goal to last year! But still really looking forward to the race.

Fall Superior Trail Races

2010-09-23T05:46:00.014-07:00

There's nothing like a series of 3 hardcore races on my favourite trail to get me excited about trail running! And even though I wasn't actually racing this year, I was looking forward to the weekend as much as always. It was a long one. A busy one. A memorable one. And most of all, a fun one. I could write pages but given how bad I've been at posting lately I am just going to get my thoughts

Where's Waldo 100K

2010-08-28T08:46:00.013-07:00

Welcome to Oregon! This was the view from the flight into Portland - Mt. Hood with Mt. Jefferson in the background...It was so nice of Carrie and Aaron to move to Portland last year. Giving Kami and I a good reason to run Where’s Waldo 100K in south east Oregon. A first visit to this beautiful part of the country for both of us. I’d heard good things about this race and figured it would be a good

Bento Box

2010-08-26T00:16:00.001-07:00

Lunch time in Tokyo...

Tokyo

2010-08-24T17:14:00.011-07:00

(Where's Waldo / Oregon report to follow!)It's great being back in Japan after so many years... I lived here for 3 years about ten years ago (1998-2001), in a city called Toyama on the west coast (Sea of Japan). During that time I made several trips to Tokyo so had gotten to know the place quite well. Then I was back here for two short visits in the summer of 2004. And now, after a few days here,

Beta V.5

2010-08-18T05:42:00.002-07:00

Ahh, all weekends should be like this...Earlier in the summer I was chatting to Brian about running some of the earlier sections of the Sawtooth course as a training run ahead of his first 100 miler in September. So I was glad that it worked out for him to be able to join me on yet another trip north (I feel like I have neglected Afton this summer!)...Myself, Vale & Dee headed off from the cities

Need a pacer? Don't hire me...

2010-08-10T21:04:00.005-07:00

I was thinking I was 0 for 3 until Vale kindly reminded me that I did successfully pace her at Zumbro 100K last year. Though I did have help from John and also managed to lose her on one of the loops – that was quite amusing – to come into the AS without my runner!The less successful adventures include...- Eric at Sawtooth 100M last year... things weren’t going so well in the unusually hot

Voyageur 50M & The Great Danes

2010-07-29T19:32:00.009-07:00

Two big events to write about but not a lot of time to write so I am going to do the bullet list post:Voyageur 50M(with apologies for doing a great disservice to the race/runners by not writing a proper race report)- Chris Gardner was on fire. He took the lead from Dusty Olson somewhere close to the turnaround I think, getting there in 3:17 and running strong all the way home for a 6:55 finish -

The place to be...

2010-07-22T23:03:00.011-07:00

Voyageur 50M Trail Run Looking forward to seeing the action from the sidelines this year. After being lucky enough to have 2 of my best races on this course in '08 and '09 I didn't want to tarnish the bright and shiny memory that is Voyageur by showing up to race unprepared - so instead I will be helping out and hopefully seeing a lot of people have a lot of fun. That is, if one considers the

Beta V

2010-07-18T20:29:00.006-07:00

I hadn't thought about it when I scheduled the op for right after Bighorn but it turned out that my return the trails would coincide with the annual Beta run on the Superior Hiking Trail. Perfect timing! The Beta run was originally conceived as a test run for the Sawtooth 100 mile race directed by Larry Peterson. I first joined the group up here in 2008 when I was training for that race - my one

Badwater-Arrowhead Double

2010-07-13T12:45:00.007-07:00

- How tough do you have to be to run Arrowhead?- How tough do you have to be to run Badwater 135?- How tough do you have to be to run both, in the same year?- How tough do you have to be to win both, in the same year?Ask Zach Gingerich!He may not have had the day he hoped for back at FANS 24hr in June but he certainly made it happen in Death Valley yesterday and today.Mt Whitney Portal 135M1.

Badwater 135M

2010-07-12T19:46:00.021-07:00

Follow the action from Death Valley here.Matt Aro from Duluth is the sole MN representative. Other runners people here will be familiar with include Adrian Belitu who came up from Chicago to run Zumbro back in April. And another veteran Zach Gingerich, aiming to improve on last year's 3rd place finish, was here in MN last month to run (and win) FANS 24hr.No WI runners but KG is pacing Iso

Zero to Sixty (Two)

2010-07-12T05:44:00.001-07:00

Today is 3 weeks from surgery and I can take the boot off. Which is somewhat irrelevant since I stopped wearing it last Wednesday. It just felt like I was walking better without it. Apart from a few spin classes and swimming, I continued to stay off my feet as much as possible all of last week and iced the ankle at night. There is still some swelling around the incision but it has healed nicely.I

Baby steps...

2010-07-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Recovery is going well. I saw the surgeon last Thursday and he was happy with progress. He cleared me for spin class and to swim once the incision had healed just a little more. I didn't do either until Monday. I mean, where would I find the time between the World Cup, Wimbledon - and now the Tour de France? Oh, and there was Afton...But Monday I decided it was time to get off the couch and try

More Afton Fun

2010-07-06T15:45:00.005-07:00

Check out Matt's video footage of the race - great stuff!

Afton Trail Race 2010

2010-07-04T07:13:00.030-07:00

What. A. Great. Day.And I wasn't even racing!! As I have found over the past few years of volunteering at a number of trail races, the days when I'm not wearing a race number can be just as enjoyable. And slightly easier to recover from...It was a perfect day for being at the start/finish area as we had probably the nicest conditions of the entire race course - fabulous sunshine but a strong

Bighorn 50M, June 2010

2010-06-29T17:29:00.023-07:00

Waking up on race morning a little after 2AM I felt surprisingly relaxed and looking forward to the run. Then again Kami was driving us to the race start so technically I may have still been asleep. We’d signed up for this race many months before and were excited to be making the trip to the Bighorn Mountains. However, on the drive down to Sheridan, Wyoming (from Billings, Montana) the day before

Recovery x2

2010-06-23T10:17:00.018-07:00

Well, the good news is that I haven't gone crazy... yet! This is my third day of sitting on the sofa with my foot elevated. I had the cyst removed from my right foot on Monday. It was a ganglion cyst - decent size, about 5 cm long and a visible bump just below my inner ankle bone. The surgery went well and I got all bandaged up and was out of the clinic within 3 hours. I have some pretty strong

Superior 50K, May 2010

2010-06-21T18:23:00.020-07:00

The title would suggest a race report, right? You will not be disappointed! But since my general lack of enthusiasm for the race spilled over into a complete meltdown when it came to writing a race report, I am going to borrow a much more entertaining one that I ever could have written. Many of you who run locally have met my friend Deirdre by now - Dee is over here for 6 months with work and, as

Shorts...

2010-06-19T21:10:00.010-07:00

So I haven't been doing a great job keeping up to date here but hoping to improve that... will be on my butt the next few days between race recovery and then surgery recovery! For now, some life shorts...- Have failed miserably to write up a race report for Superior 50K but have a cunning plan to make up for it. Next post.- Ran Bighorn 50M today. One word - BEAUTIFUL. Hard to believe the scenery.

Kettle Moraine 100M - Girls rock!

2010-06-08T17:29:00.012-07:00

But then again, so too do the guys...The comments on KG's facebook page got me thinking about whether or not girls do better than guys in tough conditions - particularly in ultras. Anecdotal evidence (a.k.a. my own personal opinion) would suggest yes. So I ran the numbers from KM100 which was surely a miserable day on the trail if ever there was one...155 Starters: 34 women, 121 men51 Finishers:

Afton Trail Run 2010

2010-06-03T18:35:00.013-07:00

A lot to catch up on - had a brilliant weekend up north and need to post some photos. And still need to finish my Superior 50K race report. But in the meantime I thought I'd mention one of my favourite trail races in case you have not yet signed up...*image courtesy of ATR race director The Afton Trail Run 25K/50K - one/two loops - covers a mix of challenging terrain and climbing as it winds

Happy Place

2010-05-28T13:35:00.005-07:00

I am spending the long weekend up here on the Northshore. Hard not to be happy! Managed to get a cabin in Tettagouche SP - would have camped but then saw that a cabin was available and decided to put an unexpected bonus to good use (got a few $$ for some extra project work recently). I had originally planned to volunteer with the SHTA on Sunday as a group of high school kids had build a wooden

When being one of the 90% would be OK...

2010-05-24T20:23:00.010-07:00

So much for my last run with a numb foot. I had my apt with the foot doc this afternoon. After a few attempts, he numbs up the ankle area, cleans it and then punctures the skin with a rather large syringe. I am watching it intently - I love this stuff - expecting the syringle to fill with a bloody mess of fluid and gunk. Nothing. Not even a drop! Well okay, maybe like half a cc. Let's try this

In the meantime...

2010-05-24T04:26:00.008-07:00

I've not yet gotten around to the Superior 50K race report. But soon. Can you tell I don't write up race reports ASAP for the races I don't seem very happy about ;)I almost titled this post "Book Review" but I am too lazy to write an actual review...Let The Great World Spin by Column McCannThis is the first book by Column McCann that I have read. It caught my interest about a month ago when I

Miwok 100K, May 2010

2010-05-16T09:59:00.011-07:00

A little behind in my posting here given that I've another race report to write from yesterday! But first here's my account of a (mostly) wonderful running experience on May Day 2010.It’s pretty common a few days after a race for me to think about how much I’d like to do it again the next year. But I have to say that long before the finish line of Miwok 100K I was already mentally adding the

Chippewa Moraine 50K, April 2010

2010-05-02T14:40:00.009-07:00

I started this the day after the race (3 weeks ago) but didn’t get very far. And given that I now have another race report to write I will keep this short... for a change!Like many people I was disappointed when the race was cancelled. Wynn had put together a really great event for the past two years – with the first snowy frolic sure to remain in our memories for a long time and last year’s race

Miwok - brief post race update

2010-05-01T21:47:00.004-07:00

I did surprise myself - but not in a good way... I wanted to lie down on the trail and sleep at mile 20!! I felt so done. Zero energy. I was walking even the smallest of hills. Thankfully I recovered over the next several miles and the second half actually felt better than the first. Mind you, it's all relative. This is one tough course. And it did all the kicking butt today.11:20, 13th FHappy

Miwok - ready or not.

2010-04-29T20:50:00.007-07:00

Here is what I wrote back at the start of the year when laying out my goals for the year of racing...Miwok 100K (CA) - 11:00 10:30 (Olga is keeping me honest...)And a top 10 finish while I'm at it. I don't ask for much. Kami Semick won this race the past 2 years. 2008 was the muddy year and I can't recall what her time was but last year she was just over 9 hours. Incredible. But then she is in a

Home

2010-04-25T12:55:00.004-07:00

One of the movies that stays with me the most from the past several years is "Kings", adapted from Jimmy Murphy's critically-acclaimed play The Kings Of The Kilburn High Road. It's a fairly true to life account of many an Irish ex-pat living in north London in the 70's and 80's. And the acting, particularly by Colm Meaney, hits the mark.There's a lot of relevance in this movie to my own

In brief...

2010-04-19T12:52:00.005-07:00

- Chippewa race report will be late, very late- The chapter for SLG's book will also take a little longer than planned- After more than 30 trips through Amsterdam airport I actually stepped outside the door last Thursday to breathe Dutch air for the first time- That was followed by my first visit to Belgium and the north east corner of France- I know the Eurostar schedule by heart- But that's

An EVENT-full weekend...

2010-04-11T18:34:00.003-07:00

What a great weekend to be running in the midwest!Locally we had the second edition of the Zumbro 100 which saw some great times on a tough course especially for runners coming off winter training. I enjoyed the few hours I spent there Friday afternoon/evening getting to see all of the runners pass through either the start/finish area or later at AS 1/4. It was still relatively early in the race

Zumbro 100 Updates

2010-04-09T17:07:00.006-07:00

Just left the fun at Zumbro and will post this as soon as cell coverage returns! I spent a few hours at the start/finish area of the 20 mile loop course and then headed over to AS 1 / 4 to catch up with Jen... Mile 37.1 splits - John Storkamp 6:15 (43.1 @ 7:25 / 57.1 @ 10:38)Kyle Gulseth 7:22 (43.1 @ 8:49)Bob Triplett 7:36 (43.1 @ 8:52)Brad Birkholz 7:50 (43.1 @ 9:05)Adam Schwartz-Lowe 7:50 (43.1

SHT-Duluth and more spring trail running...

2010-04-09T05:46:00.009-07:00

How lucky are we with this incredible early spring weather?We made the most of it last weekend (can't believe it's Friday already by the time I am posting this - another crazy week), heading up to the Duluth section of the SHT on Saturday. Myself, Vale, Eric, Kami and Jim (male masters - meet your new competition!) left the Twin Cities around 5AM and met up with Lisa, Ron and Jeff at the Grand

Spring Forward

2010-03-30T20:20:00.002-07:00

Until learning the "Spring forward, Fall back" mnemonic, I would always need to think for a minute, or ten, about which way the clocks go every March and October. "Spring forward, Autumn back" just doesn't work the same...And of course I just like the analogy of springing forward - into the year, into spring training, into the nice weather, into the racing season!This post will be a mix of all

Perils with Prius? Oh yeah, baby!

2010-03-19T19:33:00.008-07:00

This made me laugh out loud driving home this evening. A funny take on the ongoing saga...Marketplace on NPR/*

It's that time of year again...

2010-03-17T06:25:00.006-07:00

... when we're all Irish, right?So maybe you will enjoy the annual St. Patrick's Day greeting from Áras an Uachtaráin.I found it a little underwhelming myself. Just like Mary then.I'm too lazy to find any green clip art but I do like Google's efforts again this year.

Way Too Cool 50K

2010-03-14T21:39:00.012-07:00

Okay, I’m going to get it out of the way first - this is one very cool race!Back in December, after getting into the Miwok lottery I thought I’d chance the Way Too Cool lottery also. And as luck would have it I got into that too. My luck promptly ran out upon a Vegas with the girls. I had a week or so to decide if I wanted to go ahead and enter. I figured a March race in sunny California wouldn’t

Running the Globe

2010-03-12T06:27:00.013-08:00

Slight exaggeration with the heading but I'm writing this on a flight to San Fransico (Yay for in-flight Wi-Fi!) ahead of tomorrow's race - Way Too Cool 50K - and just a week ago I was discovering old and new trails back in Ireland.I was in Galway for work and got to spend a day in Sligo (home) and another in Westport - one of the prettiest towns in Ireland. Of course, with the lovely weather we

More Airline Humour. Not.

2010-02-28T10:21:00.007-08:00

When traveling abroad it's usually a good idea to have this with you...Less than 24hrs after getting back from the week in LA/Las Vegas, I was back at the airport, flying to Dublin via Amsterdam. For once I was not rushing - which means I got to the airport almost 2 hours ahead of departure time. The line through security was nice and short so I figured I'd have time to have a coffee, check some

Flight Attendant Humour

2010-02-26T07:30:00.003-08:00

It's not too often you remember the flight attendants for their humour these days. But in the past two weeks I've been on two flights where they really did keep us entertained. Flying MSP to Boston on Presidents Day the flight attendant announced he had bottles of wine to give away and started a quiz on US Presidents - press the flight attendant button if you know the correct answer. It was

Training to Race, Racing to Train

2010-02-22T21:03:00.005-08:00

This blog title sounds familiar. I think I might have used it last year. Or stolen it from someone. Sorry, Steve if I plagiarized again![Plagiarized - that is a great word - no matter how often I use it I can never spell it correctly, that first "i" just looks odd...]Anyway, I guess I am planning to do a bit of both this year. OK, make that a lot of both.I am not sure when (though I log my miles

Psycho Wyco 50K Race Report

2010-02-14T19:17:00.019-08:00

Design by Jason Crosby IllustrationI'd read about this race a few times and was sort of thinking it might be a nice way to kick of the season early. Previous February races had been Moab in 2007 and Orcas Island in 2008. This time last year I was in Argentina attempting to climb Aconcagua. With a California race next month I didn't want to travel too far, so it helped that Kansas City is both

2010 - Train, Race, Repeat

2010-02-10T15:02:00.005-08:00

I started this post about the middle of December - right after Hellgate I think - but soon fell out of racing (and training) mode and have been pretty side-tracked recently. I need to retire!Last year I said I would ease back on racing and train more. Didn't quite work out. So this year I am throwing that out the window and just planning to race as much as I can!As you see from the updated

Well said!

2010-02-07T14:00:00.004-08:00

Went to 2hr spin class this morning and we watched the final stages of the 2005 Tour de France. Giuseppe Guerini won the 19th stage and was interviewed afterwards:Reporter: "You're 35 so you're a senior citizen in this race. Was this a victory for your legs or your head?""Both. You need the legs to get to the front. And when you're in front, you need the head to stay there"You may remember

Watch it!

2010-02-07T13:39:00.006-08:00

Kurt posted the link to a really great film that I watched last night - this is a 90 min movie (not a short You-tube clip!) but definitely worth the time.http://danceswithdirt.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-makes-us-believe.html

Quinquennial Anniversary

2010-02-03T05:31:00.001-08:00

Quinquennial - now, there's a word I don't use often! I am happy to say that today I am 5 years living in Minnesota. It seems so much longer when I think of the actual move over here. But so much less when I think of how quick those years have passed. But heck, a lot has happened. 95% good, 5% not so good. That is a pretty decent ratio.I probably won't make it to my Semisesquicentennial (also

New Foot Record at Arrowhead 135

2010-02-02T19:18:00.013-08:00

Zach Gingerich crossed the finish line at 9:02PM. 38 hours and 2 minutes after leaving International Falls. Incredible!About 2.5hrs under the previous course record set by John Storkamp in 2008. Conditions appear to be pretty favourable this year. Well, if you call not too far below zero favourable :)Looks like last year's winner Eric Johnson is in second place and I think John is in third. But

Arrowhead 135

2010-02-01T18:41:00.015-08:00

It will never be a post title for an actual race report of my own... but check out the race blog to get the live report from the 100+ souls brave enough to try it.Also, check out the piece on NPR yesterday - very cool that the race is getting so much attention this year - as well as the support of the town of International Falls.Lots of locals running, as well as a few bikers and skiers. Pierre

Studio 54

2010-01-31T13:59:00.013-08:00

In our former lives (that is, mine and the club's), Studio 54 might well have been a place I'd want to spend a Saturday night. But last night, and indeed all weekend, my studio was a series of Minnesota Winter Wonderlands, finishing up with 54 miles.Friday, after a pretty stressful week at work (13 hours at the office Thursday was the reason for no extra curricular activities Steve :) - the day I

The Line of Scrimmage

2010-01-24T19:20:00.011-08:00

I have no idea what it means. And really, no desire to learn. But it's my favourite thing about American Football. It sounds... kind of rough and thoughtful all at the same time. I won't claim to know anything about the game and after watching tonight (well, the 4th quarter and now OT), I won't know anything more. But I've come to have a little more respect for the game over the past few years.

Time to get Screwed

2010-01-22T18:57:00.010-08:00

My shoes, that is.Had a nice run at Lebanon Hills late this afternoon - had hoped to finish up work earlier but ended up starting out around 4pm so ran the last few miles in the dark but it wasn't so bad as the trails there are well packed. Not as good condition as last week but that's to be expected with the weather... and the ice showers due tonight won't help much! But hopefully we get some

Bits and Pieces

2010-01-21T05:07:00.006-08:00

Life in 2010 has been pretty busy which is the main reason for lack of posts recently. But I am also having weird blog issues whereby I cannot sign into my own blog directly - I have to comment on someone elses and then "I'm in" and can go to my own - but still have to open everything in a new window vs being able to just click on "new post" at the top on my page. Odd...I have thrown together (

2009 - The Year in Review

2010-01-03T19:46:00.007-08:00

Before 2009 has disappeared from view I thought I'd post a few random thoughts from the year...Best race performance (according to me!): Voyageur 50MBest "race shape": Leanhorse 50MMost fun racing: Leanhorse 50M - correleted to above I am sure!Most memorable training run: Eagle Mountain - a 10K return trip to Minnesota's highest point complete with a swim in pristine Whale Lake - try it sometime!

New year, new baby!

2010-01-03T19:27:00.009-08:00

No, not me. Though with the extra lbs one would be perfectly within their rights to wonder...I have a new nephew! A year ago I had 2 nieces and now I also have 2 nephews - a busy time for the Lavin clan!! Baby Patrick Brian was born to Sandi & Patrick (my little brother, well - I guess he's not so little anymore...) - in Perth, Western Australia, yesterday January 2, 2010. Welcome Patrick Jnr!! I

New Year's Day

2010-01-01T18:39:00.014-08:00

My favourite day of the year. And New Year's Day 2010 was a good one! I have never cared much for New Year's Eve (I was in bed by 11pm last night) but I do love the first day of the new year. Bit of a cliche I suppose but I love the idea of starting over, new beginnings, new hopes and dreams. Not so much new expectations as new possibilities.Despite no running for over a week it felt great to

What Year is it again?

2010-01-01T18:33:00.006-08:00

I happened to spot this magazine while waiting in line at the store today. I had to share. People actually buy this shit?

Adding to the Portfolio...

2009-12-27T09:31:00.016-08:00

AS 5 Jennings Creek - about an hour after hitting the dirt. I thought at the time I heard a little crunch - turns out I broke cartilage in my nose. But no real injuries from the race... I mean, who needs their nose to run?AS 7 Bearhollow Gap - I don't know why I look this happy - I'm sure I wasn't at all! But I was definitely happy here!!!Hard to believe this race was just 2 weeks ago. In the

Nollaig Shona

2009-12-23T13:47:00.009-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoying some time back in Ireland with family and friends. Freezing conditions - not as cold as MN but roads are treacherous so we're housebound. Had to leave my car at the end of our road and walk the 3/4 mile home... beautiful night out - snow covered fields, bright stars and a half moon! Only problem is I had to leave all the Christmas presents in the car :)

Stories from Hell

2009-12-17T08:48:00.011-08:00

Here is a link to stories from other particpants in this year's race, as well as the race director's report:http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/2009_hellgate/2009%20stories%20from%20hell.htmlI particularly love this quote from Jenny Anderson:"There are several common threads that bind ultrarunners but the core of who we are is seeking a life full of passion, enjoying God’s playground and

Hellgate 100K

2009-12-15T06:48:00.036-08:00

12:01AM, December 12, 2009No matter how you look at it, there is something fundamentally unfair about starting a race at one minute past midnight. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the starting time was the kindest part of this race.The Road to Hell... is generally portrayed as pretty daunting. For me, it began with my first visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains for the 2007 Promise Land

The Short Version of Hell(gate)

2009-12-13T13:41:00.008-08:00

I will be having nightmares about rocks for weeks. Rocks covered with leaves. And by all accounts this was a pretty good year with the leaves more packed down than usual. And the ice wasn't near as bad as other years. And even the temperatures seemed okay - at least by recent MN standards. I suppose all this means I'll have to go back again to experience Hellgate in truly hellish conditions..

From Vegas. The Road. To Hellgate.

2009-12-07T19:36:00.013-08:00

VegasHad a really fun long weekend in Las Vegas with the girls. Pam, Kami, Susan and I flew down Friday... my first trip there... all of the girls had been several times but not all recently so much had changed. Seems like 3 or 4 old hotels get torn down every year and 1 mega hotel goes up in it's place! I had a great time hanging out with the girls... gambling, partying, shopping... and cheering

SHT, Hyland, Afton, MN River Bottoms... all in a week's work!!

2009-11-29T18:15:00.004-08:00

Hard to believe December is almost upon us - but what a great month November proved to be for running in the midwest!! I was so lucky to be able to get my heavy training for Hellgate in while the weather stayed decent. Of course, I could be faced with very different conditions in the mountains of Virginia in 2 weeks time but I think the ability to train well beats freezing my ass off for hours in

"The Returnee"

2009-11-24T21:19:00.003-08:00

As I was logging on to the Hennepin Co. fine payment system earlier today I thought it was quite clever, though not very amusing, that the word verification read "the returnee".It made me wonder if this was a customized program. Maybe there are other word verifications like "gotcha!" and "ha, now, you're sorry..."In any case, upon seeing the $1.50 "convenience charge" that was to be added to the

Where The Wild Things Run, Surf, Race... and Party!!

2009-11-16T13:27:00.010-08:00

Again, it’s been too long.Hard to believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. We had an early taste of winter, then a fabulous few weeks of autumn, Thanksgiving is almost upon us... and then it will be Christmas! I love Christmas. It is without doubt my favourite holiday. I love Christmas trees, lights, decorations, presents (especially the presents) and of course, the food. I love traveling

Time...

2009-10-27T06:02:00.007-07:00

It's time I posted something but I have no time. Or more specifically work is gone a little crazy again and I am trying to get as much sleep as possible (to prove myself wrong that I do need more than 6hrs sleep - I am not sure about that one yet) so blog posting/reading time is limited. Definitely time I wrote up something about the Wild Duluth races as it was a fantastic weekend up there - and

Getting back to it...

2009-10-14T05:37:00.007-07:00

I should probably wait until after the weekend to write this post but I'm going with the optimistic approach.Running a few miles here and there last week while in Ireland felt pretty good (not least because of the lovely autumn weather. Yes, autumn/fall, not winter!). Then Monday night I went out around the lakes for 7M. Everything feels good when running but when I get done and massage my shin

In absentia

2009-10-06T05:27:00.004-07:00

Is it good or bad that without running I don't have much to blog about?!In Ireland this week for work. And fun. Had a lovely weekend catching up with family - and meeting baby Sean, my nephew. He is too cute. Full of smiles and laughter these days. 3 months and changing every day.I ran 1 mile Sunday on grass, barefoot, felt great. No pain. Then last night I ran 4M on the roads. It felt great

Accepting it!

2009-09-23T04:22:00.002-07:00

After several PT sessions since the marathon and endless rounds of ice massage, no running, just in the pool and yoga classes since Saturday... there is still relatively intense pain deep in the muscle (anterior tibialis) when I flex my foot back. So, I emailed the Grindstone RD today to withdraw from the race. I am in San Francisco for the week with work and have been thinking nonstop about how

Superior Trail Races 2009 - Crewing, Pacing and Racing!

2009-09-18T05:41:00.006-07:00

All in a days work. Or two days in this case. Though it felt more like one really long day. I guess that’s what happens when only a few hours sleep separates them. I am not sure if it was the 40oz of coffee that morning, topped up with several diet cokes and I don’t want to know how many gummi bears, but I was buzzing about all day Friday and had an absolute blast hanging out at the Aid Stations

Big Weekend

2009-09-10T19:04:00.003-07:00

Lots happening this weekend among my running & triathlon buddies - I'm up here in Two Harbors for the Superior Trail Races - crewing for Eric S tomorrow in his first 100 mile race. It'll be a blast!! PT again this morning - shin doing pretty well I think. Will be testing it at some point tomorrow night...Eric D is also running his first 100 and many others making their first attempt at the

Progress!

2009-09-08T20:37:00.003-07:00

Thanks for all the good wishes folks - be it the prayers or crossed fingers - something is working! Had a good visit with the PT today - I especially liked the part where he said "... and we don't just want you being able to run 10 miles without pain, we need to get you to 20, 30 etc..." - yeah, this is my kind of PT - I've had enough of the "100 miles? Like, all in one go?"As expected, it's a

Ups and Downs

2009-09-06T19:28:00.001-07:00

When I started to draft this post on Friday evening the title was intended to describe this...Yes - that would be the Grindstone course - 23,000ft of elevation gain and loss in the fabulous Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia! The only saviour being the lack of serious altitude - highest point is just under 5000ft.However, as luck would have it, within 2 days of making the decision to enter I am now

Decisions, decisions...

2009-09-03T19:39:00.002-07:00

I am usually pretty good with decision making... if I want to do something, and it feels right, and I can afford it (ok, this is more of a nice to have than a need to have)... I usually go for it.So, I WANT to do a 100 mile race, it definitely FEELS right, and I can sort of afford the added costs... BUT it means a pretty messed up travel schedule (Mpls-Boston-work 1 day then DC-Virginia-run 100M

Angeles National Forest - On Fire

2009-08-31T20:03:00.011-07:00

Photo by AP10PM - after 3 hours of research between races sites and nwa.com I think I have to accept NO 100 mile race for Helen this year. There are really only a few that I would consider - the top 2 being Bear and Grindstone - both are still open but pretty much impossible due to work/travel schedule.Ah well... maybe it's just confirmation that 50 milers are my thing :) And looking on the

Lean Horse Half Hundred

2009-08-25T16:01:00.050-07:00

As much as I hate to say it, this was for me, That Perfect Race.Why the hesitation? Because I have only been running ultras for two and a half years and I know that there can be only so many great races – so I really don’t want this to be as good as it gets...I don’t ask for much do I?I hadn’t planned on running this race at the start of the year. I thought Voyageur would be my last race before

Lean Horse prep and other Random Stuff

2009-08-20T06:40:00.005-07:00

I guess I haven't had much to say lately. Well, more like no time to say it... can you believe it is the end of August next weekend?? August in MN - where it's meant to be 90F at least every other day, right? Except for this summer... when we have to go to Hot Springs, SD, to experience it - in the middle of an ultra no less!Preparation for Lean Horse has involved a few solid weeks of training

If a bear is chasing you, run downhill

2009-08-12T05:40:00.007-07:00

Termed "dubious advice" on this U of M website which goes on to say...In fact, bears are fast runners over any terrain. Lean bears can run up to 30 miles per hour for short distances. It's best to never assume you can outrun a bear.Well, thankfully we didn't have to test out that assumption when we disturbed this guy's twin on the trail close to Sugar Loaf Road on Saturday... Though, to be fair

Quote of the Day (Year?)

2009-08-07T10:13:00.005-07:00

Last night I finally started to read up on Angeles Crest - my 100 mile race in September. They do a nice job of putting together a racebook each year and this quote caught my attention...On Persistence and Determination"Press On - Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is

Training, Training, TDraining...

2009-08-06T07:28:00.004-07:00

Last week I felt incredible. I couldn't believe how much energy I had coming off Voyageur. No doubt the mental boost of a good race played a large part but my body seemed to rebound instantly. After a double-dose of ice-baths I ran a few miles the following evening and then kicked off my highest mileage training week on Monday... ending with a 42 mile run on the Luce Line last Saturday and a few

Voyageur 2009

2009-07-31T07:24:00.013-07:00

Before Saturday I was already pretty sure that this was my favourite race. Now I am certain! I know that is easy to say after having a great race but I would like to think I’d be saying it regardless. I just love how low key this event is - the small town start, the wonderful volunteers, the variety of terrain, most of it challenging, and knowing more than half the field of runners.I was feeling

Voyageur in the Rain?

2009-07-24T06:21:00.001-07:00

Looks like there's a good chance of a wet day tomorrow. Will it slow things down? Maybe on the grassy sections but personally I always feel like I am running slow along here... give me rocks and roots anyday! Though rocks and roots in the rain can be more treacherous... not to mention muddy Power Lines. Yikes - that could be fun.Regardless, I am looking forward to this race. Last year was a great

See-saw

2009-07-21T18:38:00.003-07:00

This morning I reached my goal weight of 140. I have been trying hard since Grandma's to drop a few lbs. So what do you think I ate today?I was off-site from work for an all day meeting so I knew it would be bad. But jees I didn't think it'd be this bad...Breakfast:- 4 mugs of coffee- Bread Roll & Cream Cheese (full fat)- Mini danish (I think I had 2 but I am not sure. Probably)- A few slices of

Pentathlon Sunday

2009-07-19T19:02:00.005-07:00

After making a firm decision last night to not do ANY work today (both work work and mowing the lawn kind of work), I managed to enjoy a taste of all of my five (current) sports. Nothing like making the most of the fabulous weather. Especially since days like today don't seem to be making an appearance in the midwest too often this 'summer'. There is something terribly wrong when it's as warm in