My Mom Is 100 Years Old Today

Tuesday, May 18, 2010:

MY MOM IS 100 TODAY! We had a heckuva party over the weekend, people coming to Minnesota from as far away as California. She's lovely. Go MOM!

I ran 20 miles on the park’s hilly, dewy, grassy trails today, though the dew was long gone by the time I finished. 52 degrees at the start of the run, 70 at the finish, bright sun throughout. There is some shade on these trails - perhaps one third shady and the rest sunny. The sun felt good at first, but toward the end I was slowing down and looking forward to the shady parts.

Sunshine and Sweet Pea spent about the same amount of time out there, and we crossed paths three times. That’s always nice.

I sucked down three GU gels and one Clif Shot gel. As far as I can tell, they are interchangable - neither gives me a stomach problem. I do prefer the ones with caffeine, though - they give an extra boost. The legal performance-enhancement drug. I also took five packets of "electrolyte," each containing 440 mg sodium chloride, 15 mg potassium chloride, and 18 mg calcium carbonate. No cramps of any kind at all. Very minor complaint from the left hip and right ankle. They'll be OK.

Loop 1	8.03 mi	1:26:07	pace 10:43
Loop 2	7.09 mi	1:20:59	pace 11:25
Loop 3	5.17 mi	1:00:00	pace 11:36
Total	20.29 mi	3:47:06	pace 11:11.

Although I really couldn’t go much faster, I know there was more left in the tank at the finish. I could have kept going at about the same speed. It’s good!

Saturday, May 15:

St Croix Valley Runners, the usual five-mile route. Good group today. I ran with Mike, who had recently finished the Eau Claire Marathon and was really in no hurry. I was looking ahead toward a 20-mile run in a few days and also had no reason to go faster than nominal, so most of the group finished ahead of us. We did the five miles in 45:00, pace 9:00. Plenty good enough!

Thursday, May 13:

Another break in the rain. This time I ran in the neighborhood, a somewhat-hilly 6-mile course all on paved roads. Finished in 57:38, for a pace of 9:36. No pains, no problems. Still a little tired from yesterday’s trail run, I walked up a few hills, but the time is plenty good. It’s a masterpiece.

Wednesday, May 12:

Break in the rain. We three ran in the park again, this time on the paved trails because the grass trails were soggy with an inch of recent rain. My left hip was a little cranky at the start, but it smoothed out in the first half mile and wasn’t a problem. I ran the hilly 7.9 miles with only one brief walk break, to chat with my sweeties as I passed them. Time 1:15:43, for a pace of 9:33. It’s a masterpiece!


Normal breakfast, oatmeal underneath. The blueberries are frozen ones, and that's working out very well, cheaper than fresh (especially now) and apparently higher quality too. Of course we do have to wash the blueberries (or any frozen berries) before putting them on the dish, because they come right from the field.