Tomorrow is the first of April, but I can hardly believe it. Today's weather was anything but springlike. Charlie and I got out for a nice long walk with Deb in mittens and winter jackets for the 21 degree weather. After church, we attended Haley's second outdoor meet of the season complete with double coats, mittens, hats, blankets and sunglasses! (Her first outdoor meet was in Texas, but it was similar weather to today minus the snowbanks around the venue.). To add a little insult to the cold (31 degrees) conditions, it started to snow partway through shot-put and got heavier during discus. Even Charlie looked around like, "What the heck!!!" He did thoroughly enjoy getting out to the track meet and loved his 6 cheese balls that my dad brought him in a baggie...only 6 because Charlie is supposed to lose a little weight. He is finding out what runners know...you can't outrun a poor diet.
A couple weeks ago, I suggested that we all quit looking at the weather apps and just go with the flow. Well right now, my "flow" is frozen solid and I could use a good thaw. Please, a little warmer weather!!! I did just peek ahead and we are due for a steady warmup for the next week with highs in the upper 50's to low 60's by Friday. One good thing with our slow spring is that the anticipated flooding along the Minnesota and Red Rivers has been much less severe than predicted. I don't live in an area that floods, but many others in our state do and watch the spring melt very carefully. Yesterday I enjoyed a cold but very solid 12 mile run at 9:03 average pace. I'm feeling like if I can do that on a training run, I may be able to aim for around 1:55 in my upcoming half marathon or around 8:50 per mile. I've run 2 halves in the 1:55-1:56 range in the past year, so if I was even able to beat that by a few seconds, I would be very satisfied. In all honesty, keeping it under 2:00 is nearly always better than 50% of more of the pack which I would consider very good for me. The longer I run, the more I appreciate that everyone has a different story and goal. I would never knock on someone whose whole goal is to finish even if they are the last finisher. Each runner has their own story and sometimes those are filled with medical miracles, weight loss wins, heartaches and obstacles. And to the runner who finishes last, I also marvel at how long they have been running since the winners finished. Considering we all got the word "Go!" at the same time, that last guy or gal across the line has been running a lot longer than the first one. Now that April is a mere 2 1/2 hours away and outdoor track is in full swing, spring has to be coming soon. Earth Day Half Marathon is coming up April 20. There is another price increase on April 1st, so if you haven't registered yet and catch this before midnight, one last chance to save a few dollars. It looks like neither Blake nor Deb will be able to participate so I'll be mostly on my own. Maybe a few family members will make it out to give me a little peppy cheer along the route. If it's snowing like today, I'll give them a pass to stay in where it is warm. Here's to hoping for some April showers that are rain and not snow! Happy running--Missee
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Last weekend, Missee, my mom, and I spent the weekend at Quilt Camp with one of my mom's friends. We usually attend Quilt Camp in the fall. This year we decided to attend camp in the spring as well. It was another wonderful weekend at Camp Lebanon! Missee and I headed out for a run on Saturday morning. The weather was a little more winter-like than I had expected. The cooler temperatures actually made running easier. The ground was still frozen, so we were not trudging through mud. Along our path, we noticed a lot of animal prints. Does anyone know what animals made these tracks? We enjoyed a little over four miles of gravel roads and trails that circled around the camp. The tree covered grounds are gorgeous! It was a peaceful run with great scenery. We also ventured onto the local county road for a bit. (Missee enjoyed being the "tall one" on the photo below. :) The best part of camp is being with my mom and sister! We had a great time! Happy Running! -Stephanie
These days, all anyone seems to talk about is the weather...how bad it was yesterday, last week, last month; the impending forecast especially if more gloom and doom is in sight; how it's affecting schools and plans; and the newest complaint...potholes. I think the whole state has taken up meteorology as their new hobby. I'm ready to get rid of that hobby in favor of quilting, running in sun visors and shorts, even working in the yard--without a snow shovel. To purge myself from this winter gloom, let me show you a few photos I've collected lately. First up is the view from our cafeteria window at school a week ago. This is the current weather. My "Kleenex mittens" totally agree! On the other hand, I am celebrating National Quilting Day today with packing for camp coming up next weekend. With the forecast actually looking like a warmup, it might be quite muddy at camp. I will not let that stop me from enjoying camp, so I ordered up these this morning. Pink flowers feel like Spring! Yesterday I stopped at Target for a few items...hold on, no one gets a "few" items at Target. Let's call it a half-cartload. I was in the Easter aisle looking for some treats to take to camp and saw these. Very unusual to find candy and socks in the same package. My half-cartload did not include the Peeps socks. I did get out this morning for a 13 miler which was pretty slow, but I felt solid. The Earth Day Half Marathon is in only five weeks. I can definitely finish the race; at this point, not sure on any time goals. I have done three runs of 13+ miles so far. The good part is that most of the people running the race are from this area and trained in the same conditions, so we will all be in the same boat. There is still time to get some nice training weather and head into the half marathon feeling a little more confident. The course is brand new this year, so it will be my best time on that course no matter what :-) I found this photo online of a running poster. I think Charlie should have one like this to watch all the runners at Earth Day. I wonder how many pets he will get. Personally, I love the little kids with signs that say "High Fives for Power!" and put their hands out for high fives. I try to take all of those; little kids have endless energy and plenty to share! Try not to let the weather get you down. If you have other hobbies you enjoy, disengage from the weather-watching hobby. It doesn't change the weather to ruminate on it endlessly. Take a quick peek at your weather app before your runs to dress properly and happy running! Missee Another winter storm has moved into our area. Because of our surplus of snow, I chose to remove this sign from the front porch of my house this morning. We are expected to get eight to twelve inches of snow with the latest winter storm. My run this morning started with a light icy rain, that built up to an ice shower, and ended with snow. Despite the ice, it was a really good running day. I had six miles on my schedule for today's run. I enjoyed the daylight and the peaceful roads. The ice was not causing me to slip, it was more of a nuisance. The ice didn't feel great when I ran into the wind, but wasn't bad enough to cut my run short. As I ran, I noticed that the snow is piling up on our yards to a level that I cannot remember seeing for many years. Street crews have been coming around our neighborhood digging out fire hydrants and pushing back snow from the corners. The street crews have had so much work to do this winter. I like how this homeowner decided not to dig around their mailbox, but just keep the door free of snow. Here are a couple more pictures of our latest winter scene. One sign of spring... Daylight Savings Time. Happy Running! -Stephanie
It is now March, which weather forecasters like to call the "beginning of meteorological spring." Well March 1st arrived with a dose of ankle-deep snow and another blast of cold. That seems a bit more like winter than spring to me. All over Minnesota, people have adopted an "I just don't care" attitude about weather and I'm no exception. I ran outdoors a couple of days this week on icy streets, hopping over ice chunks and small snowbanks in the cold, but decided that for Saturday's long run, I was choosing indoors. I've totally had it with cold, snow, icy, dark, roads getting narrower every week because of the snow, negative temperatures and windchills that are even worse. Luckily, I have a way to run without engaging in any of the above annoyances. Running on the treadmill is good and not good. It was definitely a treat to wear capris and not have to worry about seeing traffic over the mounds of snow. On the other hand, I spent two hours running and didn't get anywhere. It was a mental marathon. I tried a couple of things to help make it less boring. I took a piece of paper and taped it over the treadmill display so that I wouldn't be updated on the time and distance approximately every 40 seconds or 180 times over the course of my run. I charged up the iPad and started an episode of NYPD Blue and made a goal to not look under the paper for two full episodes or approximately and hour and a half. (For those who didn't watch NYPD Blue in the 90's when it originally aired, it is very entertaining, a bit scandalous, and quite irreverent. Do not watch if you are easily offended or cannot take the show in the context of the 90's in which it was made.) . After two NYPD Blues, I switched to QVC live online and was intrigued by nearly every item they showed. I did order one birthday gift, don't tell Mom! Charlie was probably glad that I ran at home because this weather is too cold on his feet and he sometimes barks at the door while I am gone running. However, he has taken to grabbing toys to play fetch while I tie my shoes before jumping on the treadmill. He then will sometimes bring the toy over to the treadmill while I'm on it and I'm a little concerned that he will drop in on the belt. Now, all toys to to "time out" on top of the TV while I run. In an effort to channel a little spring, I found these cute hats for Charlie and Haley to wear on sunny days. Target had them in their dollar area for only $3 each. They are going to look so sweet together in their hats. How are you marching on toward spring? Next weekend is Daylight Savings...one less hour of sleep doesn't necessarily sound like a way to cheer everyone up. I don't mind this time switch too much because my morning runs are 100% dark now, so the extra light in the afternoon is welcome and I won't miss it in the morning. Quilt camp is in only three weeks; there's a reason to be happy! The theme is Spring ReTweet...a birdy theme. I know we will be working on assembling our Women of the Bible quilts with all 40 blocks now complete. Other than that, I'll be working on some smaller projects. It will be fun to spend three days at the sewing machine, enjoying time with Mom and Stephanie and running and NOT worrying about the lack of warm weather. I see that next weekend is a forecast high of 30. That will be refreshing. Happy running! Missee
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AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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