St. Paul Winter Carnival Half Marathon Sherpa Report and "Winter" Running in Minnesota

Saturday was the St. Paul Winter Carnival Half Marathon. A month or so ago, I had planned on running it, but my longest run in the past month has only been 8 miles. I knew I wouldn't have a problem finishing, but I've done plenty of runs lately because I can, not because I'm ready. Plus, I was really excited to e Steve break 1:30 - his "crazy goal time." He wasn't sure he could do it. I knew better :) We got there about an hour early, and while Steve stretched, I snapped photos and looked for other bloggers. We saw Jeremy pretty early on, and IronGirlNyhus spotted me near the start line. IronMomJenny wasn't far behind her. We stopped for a quick photo before the start with one of their friends. I feel terrible that I can't remember her name!.

After the gun went off, I started out for my own run. I had hoped to go 8 or 9 miles, but some quick mental math and I realized that I may not make it back to see Steve finish, so I backed it off and only went 7.5. My legs were a little hashed from a couple of hill workouts in spinning class Wednesday and Friday anyway. I wanted to make sure I was at the finish line with plenty of time to spare just in case Steve way exceeded his goal, so I got there 10 minutes early. He was right on time, though, and he finished 1:29:13. I knew he could do it! I'm so happy that someone in our house is fast! We waited around for a while, and it wasn't long before Jeremy crossed the finish line. IronGirlNyhus came in a little while later, but I didn't get to see Jenny finish. By then most of my body was frozen, and I needed to warm up. Sorry Jenny!

Today it was 40 degrees! I managed to only work an 8 hour day and made it home with daylight to spare. I donned my hawt new running skirt and was soon out the door for a tempo run. At the turn around, I was overheating a little, and by the time I got home, I was in short sleeves too. I got a couple of crazy looks, but it did make my splits faster. I negative split my return by about a minute. Tomorrow we're back to normal January. It's supposed to cool off 40 degrees in the next 24 hours and be below 0 by tomorrow at this time.

Spring Cleaning!

Things are looking a little different around here. I thought I'd spiff up the the place since cobwebs collected in it for so long. Plus, the heat wave we're getting this weekend (30s!) has me excited for spring. Profile updated? Check. Title updated? Check. Bloggy buddies updated now too. I'm sure I'll think of more blogs that I like to stop in on, but for now, this is what I've got. If I've forgotten anybody, please leave a comment or send me an email. I'd love to link you! Coming soon: my 2008 race schedule. It looks to be a speedy year!

I'm Back!!

Well, after a much needed hiatus, I'm back. I figure since I'm now officially signed up for my next marathon, I should really be posting again. More on my 2008 season plan to come soon. A brief update on my last 2 months:

* My car was stolen in late November. It was quite a educational experience. Who knew that an 18 year old car with 190K miles on it would be so easy to steal, and who knew the whole thing would be such a pain in the butt to deal with? It's amazing how many times over you're victimized when your car is stolen. I took the bus to work most days. Sometimes Steve gave me rides. The thought taking the bus to the Y for a workout after I finally made it home for the day though, was not very enticing. Needless to say, I didn't make it there for the full month that my car was being fixed. My workouts were limited to running outside for a month or so.

* After the radio and window were fixed and the steering column was replaced on my car, a huge hole blew threw the muffler, and we decided smokey had to go. So, this is what I've been driving around for the last 3 weeks:

Since I've never had a car with less than 160,000 miles, it is a little scary to drive a car that's only 2 years old, but I'm getting very used to doors, locks, and speakers that work. Plus, the remote start has come in handy this week. Bonus: both of our bikes should fit in the hatchback this summer!

* I spent 6 weeks in November and December sick. A nasty cold, another nasty cold, and a horrible case of food poisoning to top it off. Um...not fun. I think I'm finally on the upswing though.

* Two weeks ago, we had a warm spell in Minnesota. It was around 35 degrees, and I ran in shorts. Today, the high here is -2 degrees. I am so not a Minnesotan.