Oh my, we have made it to Week 4 of the Un-Canceled Project races. I'm glad they added two more weeks, because clearly the rest of the society is still canceling a lot of things. This week, MN announced that students would not be returning to the classroom this spring. Even though I pretty much figured that was the way things would end up, I was really sad. After I got the notice to come to the Google Hangout (still not as fun as it sounds LOL), I spent the next hour cleaning bulletin boards and stuff out of my office that I wouldn't need with no students eating at school. The next two weeks, Courage and Commitment are not canceled; Deb and I have not chosen race distances, but I'm hoping for something other than a half marathon next week as my legs are a bit tired. This week, our theme was Inspiration and the color was teal. Deb found a pretty teal shirt from a local marathon that she often volunteers for in the food area at the finish line. I dug out this shirt that commemorates a runner I knew as a teenager and she was the little sister of one of my tiniest teammates with the biggest heart. Johanna grew up to be a fabulous runner winning many titles along the way including Division III Cross Country Champion AFTER recovering from a brain tumor. She went on to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon although her brain tumor recurred 3 more times before ending her life at age 33 just over 7 years ago. You can read more about her story here or just Google Johanna Olson and you'll find articles from Runner's World, ESPN and others. Here is how I most remember Johanna and Marney...as WDC runners of the 90's. Johanna was lucky to have such a great big sister as Marney who took her to treatments and took care of her quite a bit while she was fighting cancer. Here is our starting line photo and the back of my shirt...I was delighted to find a shirt that was teal-ish in color as well as containing the word "inspires." You may have noticed that we do not appear to be in front of my house as usual, nor is it dark. Well, today was the original date of the Earth Day Half Marathon and we had pledged weeks ago to run the course today whether or not there would be a virtual race...which there is in addition to a make-up date in September. We also moved our usual running of time of 6:00 to 7:00 so we'd for sure have daylight. Since the course changed a little last year in honor of the 20th anniversary of the race, we were a little unsure of a few spots along the way, but it went pretty well. In order to finish in two hours or less, I knew we'd need to average 9:10 per mile or less. This was sometimes a challenge, but we were pretty steady between 8:55 and 9:10 for most of them. The weather was perfect for a nice long run, 40's warming into the 50's by the end and virtually no wind. It's really too bad the actual race couldn't be today; people would have a lot of personal bests in this kind of weather. Last week I'd felt like I was dragging a giant trailer through the last few miles. This time I felt much better, even surging a bit at the end and I don't mind bragging just a bit that mile 13 was 8:38...one of the fastest along the way. I've read statistics that all World Records have been set with negative splits...running faster at the end than at the beginning. While I'm not setting any world, or even personal records these days, I do like the feeling of finishing strong...very inspirational! Our finish line photo was taken in front of a local bar that burned down a couple of months ago and turned out to be arson. We chose to take the photo here because the missing building really changed the landscape of downtown and we wanted to capture that. This week's run was inspiring for a number of reasons. It was a refreshing change of pace to go somewhere else to run. The weather was so beautiful that I'm more exciting for spring weather. The fact that we were nailing mile paces under 9:00 or under on 7 of the 13 miles was a reinforcement that training pays off. Running the race course made me hopeful that we'll be back there with 1,000 or so of our closest running friends in September.
What is inspiring you these days? I hope you are using your quarantine time to get some extra steps in running or walking...maybe your dog is losing a little weight like mine, which his vet wanted him to do anyway. Enjoy the sunshine whenever you can; Vitamin D really does boost moods so go soak it up. Happy running! Missee
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Here we are in Week 3 of the UnCanceled Project and this week it is humor that we remember is not canceled by social distancing or calling off all the fun events we had planned for a beautiful spring weekend. This week's color was orange. I opted to wear my Boston Marathon jacket from 2012 to both celebrate this project but also to honor all of those who had worked so hard to qualify for the 2020 race scheduled for Monday that has been postponed until fall. Here we are at the start. Note that we had on headbands and gloves yet. The weather this week was pretty good. The temp was around 30 and there was a slight wind that was a headwind at the beginning which gave us a lot of hope for a tailwind heading back. Around two miles into our run, we noticed a large brightly colored sign on the side of a garage that read, "Stay Strong!" How did they know a virtual race would be passing by??? Another mile or so, we noticed a small half log on the ground. Deb figured it was a pedestrian speed bump because we were running too fast. Humor abounds! As far as race results, this week did not go as well as the week before. I was lacking energy fairly early and that only got worse. The last couple miles were slow, but we got it done and even managed to be in good spirits. Deb noted that I don't drag like that very often to which I mused that I'll appreciate runs that go better all that much more. Here is our finisher's bib photo. The weather had warmed up and the headbands and gloves were stowed in pockets miles ago. Hooray for spring! Also, we did not bring along reflectors or headlamps due to the earlier sunrises. Many people would say there is nothing humorous about running half marathons two weekends in a row, so how about making it three? Next week, inspiration is Un-Canceled. It is also the original date of the Earth Day Half Marathon. Our plan is to try to run the race course if possible. If not this week, we still have commitment and courage to un-cancel. I am so thankful that humor is not canceled during all the chaos and confusion during this time. Sometimes if you couldn't laugh, you'd cry. Thankfully, I still don't know anyone who has become seriously ill during the COVID 19 pandemic. If all of the disruption to society is helping keep people safer, it will be worth it, but I think we are all in the same boat of wishing we knew when we could do some normal things such as getting a haircut or enjoying a cup of tea with a friend at a local cafe.
In the meantime, try to keep smiling and happy running! Missee P.S. I've been doing a lot of sewing while at home these past weekends. The quilt camp that we missed out on this spring posted this today: Here we are at the end of week 2 of the Un-Canceled Project by Run The Edge. It is definitely not too late to join in as they just announced this morning that there will be two additional weeks of races going into May, Courage and commitment are also not canceled! That is excellent news and they also added two new race distances, 8K (approximately 5 miles) and 15K (9.3) miles. I haven't seen Deb since this announcement; I'm confident we will continue on our un-canceled journey, but not sure what distances we'll choose. Yesterday, we ran the Hope is Un-Canceled Half Marathon. Here we are at the starting line which is also my driveway. We have not run more than 12 miles since last fall and not more than 10 miles since early February, so our goal was simply to finish. There were things we'd hoped for along the way that happened...Deb hoped for a light breeze after several windy days and we were also blessed with very courteous drivers who gave us plenty of room. Around mile 3, we REALLY hoped those large wild turkeys would stay where they were and not chase us. Again, we lucked out. Yikes! There was also hope for porta-potties which appeared just where they were needed, and the finish line that was an effort to reach, but still a lot of fun. This week, we averaged 9.22 per mile, definitely not our best, but a great jumping off point for two more half marathons the next two weeks. Next up: Humor is UN-Canceled next Saturday. These days it's pretty safe to assume that wherever you are there is a stay at home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. It's very difficult not to be out and about. My dad described it very well as that I don't know where I want to go, but it's hard not to be able to go there. Exactly! Today is Easter and while sitting at home with my husband and Charlie is not wholly unpleasant, I miss the kids, their fiances, our parents and extended family. I've got a ham in the oven, but it's not the food, it's the people around the table that make holidays special. I'm still really hoping that the summer wedding plans don't need to be adjusted. See, hope is everywhere! One thing I've noticed on my at-home days is that I choose my outfits in the spirit of a toddler...only the most comfy items come out of the drawer whether they go together or not. For instance, here is my Friday outfit. These are super comfy pants. I chose this shirt because it says "Hello Sunshine" even though it is a tank top and who wears those when it's 30 degrees? The zip jacket I chose because it is from quilt camp and I'd really like to be there. At least I have a text group with my quilt camp roomies and can watch the cute ladies from the quilt shop on Facebook a couple times a week. What are you wearing these days just because you like it--not for looks?
Keep on the lookout for what is not canceled! Since they added two more weeks, consider joining the Un-Canceled project with us. You can walk, run, bike, elliptical or whatever works to get you to your finish line. Running outdoors is one thing that still feels normal--happy running! Missee Yesterday, Deb and I participated in the first of our Un-Canceled race series. We decided on a 10K for our first "race" of the season. This week's theme was gratitude and we were directed to wear something blue and take photos before and after the race. Since we are unable to stand or run close together, the pics look a little like a selfie with a photo-bomber! Our final goal for the day was to do 10ish miles, so we started out with a 2-mile warmup in which we were permitted to gripe about all the things that were frustrating this week...work, trying to shop, quarantining with family members, etc. Once we got to two miles, we restarted our watches and tried to only talk about things we are grateful for...from opposite sides of the bike path which is about 8-10 feet wide, so we definitely maintained our 6 foot social distancing rule. It was not hard to be grateful!
All races need results! We completed our 10K in 9:06 per mile. I would rate the weather as fair. It was mostly calm, but the 17 degree temp is a little chilly for April. Here is my finish photo taken along the banks of the Mississippi River. The water was raging over the dam and made us feel like we were on vacation looking at a waterfall. I also figured out how to put a photo into those cool race bib photo frames that Run the Edge provides. They also had a cool video to watch after finishing the race telling us how awesome we are for crushing the challenge. Next up: Hope is UN-Canceled Half Marathon this Friday. With so many fun events canceled, try to keep searching for what is still available and be grateful for that. Perhaps something you really didn't want to do IS canceled and you can be grateful for that, too! 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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