Best Day of the Year

Mississippi Blues Marathon / Half Marathon

2012-01-18T14:51:00.016-06:00

Saturday, January 7; Sweet Pea and I earned finisher's medals.

Ten (10) porta potties at the start. Still long lines when the race began. There were ten more beyond the start, but we were unable to find them before the race.

THE HALF MARATHON COURSE

Gated communities and boarded communities

Some marathons begin and end at the capitol building, but Mississippi's magnificent capitol was visible from the race course.. only in the far distance. (dome near the center of the picture)

Access roads, entrance ramps, exit ramps... who knows? Plenty of exhaust to inhale, and usually sharing the road with traffic

Typical residential communities? Abandoned buildings, burned out houses, boarded up homes.
Were the city leaders hoping for donations? Why did they not allow the race course to explore more parks, historic buildings, etc.?

GOOD NEWS

Best marked course we have run: many good signs and a thousand orange cones!

Water stops were fabulous.

Orange shirts... volunteers! ... were everywhere. There was never a question of which way to go at any corner.

Post race food was outstanding. The party was a PARTY!

Fortitude for First Descents Marathon / Half

2011-12-18T19:00:00.015-06:00

Lewes, Delaware: State Park on the Atlantic Coast

Course was well marked .. including this "don't go this way".

With 4 loops for the marathon and 2 loops for the half, we saw Don 3 times.

Bring your children to the races!
And my apology to this lovely family for poor focus of my camera... which will be replaced as soon as I can figure out what to get.

One of the first descendants
"Cancer," I said. "Leukemia," he replied softly.
"My dad died of leukemia too," I said, and he hesitated for only an instant, and then hugged me.
The race started then and I cried for the first half mile.

All sorts of traces of World War II defenses in this state park on the Atlantic Coast.

The sky was clear and blue for the first couple of hours, temperatures in the low
40's, but NO precipitation.
When we registered for this race back in September, I feared a sleet storm in mid-December.

We saw a marathoner slip and fall on the pine needles. Most of the way they were not a hazard.

Turn around at the fishing dock on Delaware Bay.

Footprints in the sand, not much of a problem on the trails.

Bless their hearts, the water stop/aid station volunteers.

Clouds gathered and by the end of the race the sky was totally overcast.

50 states myeloma marathoner Don, after the finish. See MinnesotaDon.blogspot.com.
Be sure to see his video on CNN's blog.

Hot soup for runners who finished in less than five hours at this six hour marathon.
Later finishers probably needed it even more, the temperature still being in the low 40's.

We brought some LED Christmas lights for our motel room. (Light in the window is a reflection from a lamp in the room.)

Our marathoner didn't finish in time for the hot soup, but Sweet Pea and I served up chicken breast, baked squash, nachos, popcorn and ice cream back in the room.

Sweet Pea made lattes with organic milk (no steamer, but heated on the stove) and organic French roast filtered coffee.

Seattle Marathon - Half Marathon

2011-11-27T19:47:00.003-06:00

Myeloma Marathon Runner Don had a great race, although we did have to thaw him out afterward.

Sweet Pea and I had a lovely time, in spite of light rain, until about mile 10 when the rain and the wind really got going.
The last half marathon she and I ran was Hartford in mid-October. Unfortunately we didn't run anywhere near enough stairs to train for Seattle hills.
Muscles across my rib cage on my back are nearly killing me now, and I do need to figure out some "training" for that pain.
Wondering where all the old women of Seattle are: I finished first out of ONE in my age group.

Have always loved Seattle and still do.
Besides the race, we have walked down at the piers, seen a Washington State Ferry come in, seen the Christmas lights and greens at Pioneer Square, and had a clear view of Mount Rainier.

3 Marathons in 3 Weeks

2011-11-18T20:07:00.004-06:00

Amazing Myeloma Marathon Sweetie of mine!
Hartford, Marine Corps and New York City Marathon: he ran them all in 3 weeks.

Sweet Pie and I ran the Hartford half and cheered at the Marine Corps and New York City Marathons.

Love to run love to run love to run! It all began after each of us reached Weight Watchers goal weight.

Two Half Marathons

2011-10-26T19:46:00.004-05:00

Portland Maine and Hartford Connecticut, two weeks apart, and we had two memorable car trips through autumn color to get to them.
I celebrate the volunteers, the organization, the interesting race courses, the patient police, the race directors, the folks in the cities that tolerated road races on their streets.
And I sure do recommend both races.

Oh so much depends on the weather for marathon and half marathon races.
In Portland the rain came sweeping at us with 15-18 mph winds.
Below: at the Portland start line, umbrellas and rain gear

Rain came the day before the race in Hartford.
Wading in deep mud just before the start

But in Hartford the temperature was in the 50s... with NO rain on race day, and Sweet Pea and I finished the Hartford Half in HALF an hour less time than we had run just two weeks before in Portland.

I love races and I wouldn't trade the experience of participating in both of these.

MULTIPLE MYELOMA MARATHON MAN !
Here he is at about mile 26 of the Hartford Marathon, as always, happy to be running.
Yea Don! Looking good. That's my guy.

I Love Trader Joe's

2011-10-21T19:31:00.004-05:00

This afternoon at about 5pm we stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up a few things.
So on Friday afternoon, most of the carts were in use, the store was busy.
But all the check-out lines were operating, and we did NOT have to stand in line to pay. And the clerks were as cheerful and friendly and quick as usual.
I am amazed that many grocery stores make you stand in line for them to take your money. Today I did not have to wait in line, because I was at Trader Joe's.

Tale of Two Half Marathons

2011-10-15T19:10:00.003-05:00

Portland Maine October 2
Hartford Connecticut October 15

Sweet Pea and I crossed the finish line in both.
I'm still thinking about what to write.

Stacy Died

2011-09-27T17:26:00.006-05:00

Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Myeloma sucked the life and the light out of a shining star.
Stacy, a young mother fought with every ounce of her being to keep the myeloma from taking her, hoping to be there for her two little girls.
And she won the fight for many months.... I think about 4 years.

I don't want to read any glorious stories of people whose lives were miraculously changed for the better by their cancer diagnosis. Not today. Stacy died.

Please see Don's Myeloma Hope blog.

Myeloma Race for Research

2011-09-26T20:27:00.009-05:00

Keeping up the hope: every event to promote research for beating multiple myeloma.
This annual event, a 5K race/walk around Lake Phalen in St. Paul, is a family affair, with children and dogs, a live band, a speaker from Mayo Clinic.

Sweet Pea especially enjoys the dogs.

And the dogs.....

The live band.....

Down the hill, that's Don in the navy blue "survivor's shirt". There were some teams for particular myeloma survivors, wearing matching custom T-shirts.

Sunday was delightfully chilly ... for running, bright and sunny ... for pictures, until after the event was over.

Family and friends of one of the myeloma supporters.

This myeloma survivor, navy shirt, came from California. Surrounded by family and friends, she is loved!

Medals for first in age group for these two seventy-somethings.

Presque Island Half Marathon

2011-09-24T16:00:00.006-05:00

Mighty cottonwoods are unexpected on "almost an island" formed of wind blown and wave washed sand. Miraculously, not a gated community or populated by resorts, this peaceful piece of nature is totally a Pennsylvania State Park.

Pre-race in the dark: every port-a-potty was lighted inside.

Sweet Pea and I followed a service dog and owner all the way.

Click on this one and check out all the water birds on the breakwater.

Cottonwoods, a few maples, some variety of oaks we don't see at home, and a wisp of a moon in the early part of the race.

The state park is popular, and there was a certain amount of traffic for slower marathoners. Doing only the half, we were not bothered so much.

The substantial wind was energizing for me. That is the city of Eire, across the water.

Waterstops were EVERY MILE on this race.

"Did you just take a picture of that waterfountain??!!" chided a marathoner going by. Sure, I said, we are only doing the half; I'm taking pictures of everything. I thought it was notable that water is available way out at the end of the road.

It is always fun to see the scouts at a waterstop.

We finished! Lovely weather, fun and nearly flat course, delightful day: We recommend it.

Presque Isle Full / Half Marathons

2011-09-18T18:23:00.007-05:00

Caring for the environment goes on!

One of the special sections of the island:

Walking on the beach, Lake Erie side, the day before the races.

A great day for races!

For a super report of the marathon, see minnesotadon.blogspot.com.

Sweet Pea and I did the half marathon, with a better-than-usual time.
More about that later.

Mushroom ??

2011-09-15T20:35:00.001-05:00

This is growing on the end of a log in our woods.

Team Continuum

2011-09-06T19:25:00.002-05:00

And a note from my Runner Dude husband:

I'm now running on behalf of Team Continuum, raising money for people living with cancer, while I pursue my goal of running a marathon in each of the 50 states. We three have a full schedule of marathons for the rest of 2011, including the New York City Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, and several others.

You can help. If you go to my new E-Race Cancer Facebook Page and "like" it, a donation will be made to Team Continuum by a third party. We invite you to do that - there is no cost to you.

While you are there, you are certainly also welcome to click on the Team Continuum link and make a further contribution to the cause.

Thank you!

Allergy Season

2011-08-29T12:45:00.004-05:00

Goldenrod and thistles in full bloom. . . .

But precious little children are still out there.

And so are we!

Walking / Running in the Park

2011-08-15T20:45:00.001-05:00

Summertime

2011-08-06T11:33:00.005-05:00

In the county park . . .

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Summertime! Enjoying the fresh melons and organic berries. . . and other fresh fruit.

Making sure we get some good protein every time we eat:
ground bison, grass fed pesticide-free beef, organic free-range eggs and chicken, organic low fat yogurt, small amounts of a variety of nuts.

... And trying to work a few fresh local seasonal vegetables in to our menus.

Some supplements I'm taking right now:

D3 5,000 mg (in addition to a good supply of sunshine)
turmeric extract
NOW brand Thyroid Energy
COQ10
Resveratrol (in addition to eating those fresh organic grapes)
Rainbow Light, Active Seniors multivitamin
some calcium and magnesium when I think of it . . .

This past week Sweet Pea and I went to the park every day for an hour at around 7 or 7:30am and another hour at 5pm.
Temp at 5 was usually in the low to mid 80's with substantial humidity. Ugh.
We are training for . . . well, we are training for something I guess.
Also hoping to lose a little extra weight. Needing to travel a little lighter!

Providence Half / Age Group Award

2011-08-03T19:47:00.003-05:00

This award arrived in the mail last week... much classier than it looks here.
The clever photo reveals no evidence of flabby flesh older than age 50!

My choice of dessert ... a fresh fruit bowl ... bare and undressed (that's a little plain yogurt on the side)

Last weekend we discovered a new route for a training run.
Minnesota is in bloom.

Missoula Marathon / Half Marathon - Delightful Community particpation and support!

2011-07-15T06:22:00.015-05:00

Huge thanks to Sweet Pea for posting these pictures and taking many of them.

Great finisher's medals with double silk ribbons

Even the flowers were great for marathon weekend.

Hundreds of school children, ages 5-13, ran their final mile of a 26.2 mile year-long project, running a mile at a time throughout the year. With unmatched enthusiasm, some appeared to be as young as 5 years old.

Weather was just right for the outdoor expo, too. . . . .

. . . .And the Farmer's Market. Attractive organic berries and vegetables were offered.

One of Missoula's many parks, well-used on Saturday afternoon. . . .
(All pictures here can be enlarged with a click.)

Race morning was high-forties chilly. Sun on the mountains promised a beautiful day for a race. Pines lined the roads along the course on the way in to the city.

Missoula is graced with huge marvelous maples lining the streets. Small round abouts at intersections are alive with flowers.
More than the usual number of folks came out to support in residential areas. Here, and also in the finish area, families brought their children of all ages. Community support was unusually evident for marathon races events.

The Good Food store, a race sponsor, hosted a great spread of post-race food. The Good Food store rivals any "good food store" we have seen.

We FINISHED!
With plenty of time to finish and walkers welcome, it was heartening to see more than the usual number of amateur runners of every age, including over 65 groups.
Participation in the races contributes to the community spirit and general health of the people, I think!

The Clark Fork, which flows west and north from Missoula, is part of the Columbia River watershed. Water was unusually high for this time of year, as it was on the Yellowstone River which flows west across Montana to the Missouri River. Gives reality meaning to the predictions that global warming will cause more storms (greater snowfall) and higher water.
Across the river, see the restored Milwaukee train depot.

Don had a great marathon race.
Be sure to read his report of our marathon weekend. minnesotadon.blogspot.com

Casper Marathon / Half

2011-06-07T18:16:00.007-05:00

Another half marathon age group award for Sunshine

Ready at the start line

Finisher's medals have a movable center

"Run with the Herd" in Wyoming
Shirts are long sleeved technical shirts

That's Sweet Pea at the finish enjoying some of the incredible offering of fresh fruits and vegetables. Food at the finish also included gluten and sugar kinds of treats and pizza.

The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) flag in the picture is on the truck of the licenced amateur radio operator who volunteered communication assistance.
Sweet Pea's grandfather was a ham radio volunteer at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth every year.

Be sure to see Make It a Masterpiece for a complete race report.

Rhode Island Races Finishers' Medals

2011-05-23T20:15:00.002-05:00

Classy medals, complete with printed satin ribbon

They are mailing out the 3-deep age group awards.

Cox Rhodes Marathon/Half Marathon

2011-05-07T11:03:00.011-05:00

Sunday, May 1, 2011, Providence, Rhode Island

That little box at the top of the windshield is a Easy Pass/ I-Pass transponder. It reads the tolls as you roll on through on the toll roads and charges you less than if you paid cash. It worked through every state.. to New Jersey a few weeks ago .... and to Rhode Island this week. It is truly a stress reliever.

We drove the race courses the day before the races. The half marathon led us north through old neighborhoods, along a pleasant boulevard, up and down many hills and back along the Seekonk River.

Race day dawned with a clear and cloudless sky.

We smeared on layers of Vanicream SPF 35 sport sunsreen from the Mayo Pharmacy (zinc oxide and octinoxate), hoping that is still the recommended skin protection.

Runners gathered in sight of the capitol building. At 10 minutes before the start, the National Anthem was sung, exactly as written.

A great day for the race

Spring was everywhere: daffodils, tulips, flowering trees.

A million cheers for the great volunteers.

A one-way street led down to the river.
Only on Gano coming back was traffic control NOT controlled, and vehicles sped by within a couple of feet of runners.

Marathon and half marathon runners came in on the same route, past a great number of encouraging signs, especially for Team in Training.
We especially cheer Team in Training runners, running in support of blood cancer research, including myeloma.

The marathon race course was laid out to the south along the harbor, much of it on a bike trail with delightful views.

The last mile leading to the finish, with trees bursting in flowers

Pizza at the finish, and for the marathoners, some pizza even before the finish.
Water and bananas, too, of course

Don was video taped running the marathon. Part of that video was shown this week at the myeloma conference in Paris. See his blog for details:
myelomahope.blogspot.com

Sweet Pea and Sunshine: running partners and finishers, with one more half marathon first in age group award for Sunshine.

Run A Palooza - New Jersey Shores

2011-04-26T12:02:00.006-05:00

See that flag at the top!? Wind was gusting to over 30mph on Saturday, April 16 when Sweet Pea and I ran/walked the half marathon.
The races were a benefit for the local Special Olympics.

Sweet Pea ran races in our local Special Olympics when she was in high school. Now she ran in a benefit for Special Olympics.

The sun made this much of an appearance before the race, and then hid behind heavy cloud cover. Pictures turned out sort of gray, but oh it was glorious running in the wind on the board walk along the beach.

Runners took shelter indoors until just before the race.

Sweet Pea espcially enjoys seeing dogs... and kids... out during races.

The board walk was in excellent repair the whole 13.1 miles. A couple of places folks showed up with brooms to sweep drifted sand off the walk.

Running in the wind, along the Atlantic, was a delight to treasure.

Verification of the weather!

We drove all the way to Jersey Shores and got this great technical shirt.

Easter at House of Hope

2011-04-25T09:24:00.006-05:00

Sanctuary was full, even at the 11:00 worship.

House of Hope

Music was Easter and glorious.
Sweet Pea wanted to sing even more Easter hymns that she knows.
Choirs and their several anthems were excellent.

One of the best parts:
At the conclusion of the service, the congregation response of all singing the complete "Hallelujah Chorus" (printed in the bulletin with all parts) was amazing.

The organist offered a magnificent postlude (Toccata from Symphony No. 5), for which most stayed in their seats, turning to face the organ in the balcony. At the conclusion, the congregation burst into applause.

The lectern microphone, used by worship leaders and readers, worked well.
Unfortunately there was just a little bit of something wrong with the pulpit mike (strangely common in churches I've known!)
Word recognition during the sermon was difficult for all but those of keenest hearing.
Carillon Postlude of familiar Easter hymns rang throughout the church and atrium and the neighborhood during coffee time.

Easter afternoon: Our first sighting of an egret in the park.

Yes, of course I always miss preaching.

Land Between the Lakes Marathon . . . Part Two

2011-03-17T14:18:00.021-05:00

Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Sweet Pea and I did the 23K... a little more than a half marathon, which gave us the delightful opportunity to view both Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake from the trails.
The registered runner's shirt was a short sleeved technical shirt, a useful addition for most runners.
(Click to enlarge any pictures.)
.... AND a very good HAT!

The day before the race we drove to the south end of the National Park Reserve on The Trace, a road through the woods, between the lakes. . . .

. . . . where we saw a herd of bison . . .

. . . . acres of daffodils . . .

. . . . and 2 nineteenth century smelting furnaces.
By taking a side road for 3 miles we were able to get a magnificent view of Kentucky Lake.
Sunrise and the 6am start of the races (note runners in the foreground).

Bridge over the Cumberland River, and the beginning of a good race and a good day
After the long drive through the lovely woods on Friday, we were concerned that the trails would give us no views of the lakes. Our fears proved unfounded: Trail along Lake Barkley.

Not only was the trail well-marked, but there were "Not this way" "Go Back" signs to further assure runners of the correct trail.

Mile markers provided complete information. A couple of new bridges were welcome.

Some muddy spots and small stream crossings without bridges, but not any as wide as this stream along the side of the trail.

Bright green moss, even on the south side of hills

Mile 9 for 23K runners and for first time around runners of the longer races, with Kentucky Lake beyond the trees. This part of the race became a challenge for those of us who had done our training in a Minnesota Field House. Maybe we could have found some stairs for training?!

Congratulations to finishers.
Hurrah for the finish line... and hurrah hurrah for volunteers.
Special thanks to the young girl who was still handing out key chains to 23K finishers when we finished.

I can't believe we were so intent on enjoying the amazing snacks (M&Ms, cookies, pretzels, potato chips, bananas, oranges, etc., etc., etc.) that we came away with NO pictures of the great volunteers and their super water-stop treat tables.

At the community center chili and lentil soup made hearty post-race food.

THANKS West Kentucky Runners and Grand Rivers for sharing the
Land Between the Lakes trails!

Blogging Again!

2011-03-14T19:25:00.012-05:00

Picture: three age group awards in half marathons for me in 2010.
In one other half marathon that didn't give age group awards, I was first in age group.
Thanks to Sweet Pea for running with me.

Minnesota has been buried in record snow.

Two perspectives of the St. Croix Field House where we have been running:

Daffodils decorated the hills in the Land Between the Lakes park in Kentucky last weekend when Don ran the marathon and Sweet Pea and I ran the 23K.

That dome, pictured above, did not provide swell hill training for running the Land Between the Lakes trails.
The folks were great; the trail is beautiful; we had a fabulous time.

Be sure to read /http://minnesotadon.blogspot.com
He wrote an interesting report of the Between the Lakes Marathon.

100 Years

2011-01-07T21:15:00.005-06:00

About 200 people came to help celebrate her 100th birthday last May. In the autumn family gathered for their 75th wedding anniversary.

We were losing her a little at a time, but then just after Christmas, in a few days she was gone. He was at her side. More than 200 folks came to the celebration of life at her church this past week.

She was a Master Gardener, an artist with flowers and knitting needles and women's hats and sewing machine, an election judge, a church youth advisor, a world traveler, a maker of tasty herb meatloaf. On many a Christmas Eve she sang the Hallelujah Chorus with the church choir. She was my husband's mother.

After the Big Snow

2010-12-18T16:31:00.004-06:00

December 11, historic blizzard in Minnesota, and we are running on indoor tracks.
Steps to the deck the morning after

FIVE (5) foot drift blocking our front door

Where the driveway meets the street

Closing blessing of a Christmas letter from another retired woman pastor:
"Peg Chemberlain challenged us at Plymouth Congregational on Sunday to live as a fractal of God, recreating God in all that we do. What a great ambition in a world that never needed God more. We wish you Light and Joy and Peace in the midst of Darkness, Grief, and War through the grace of God. Merry Christmas!"

From yet another retired woman pastor friend:
"We pray your waiting is also active and that with God's help you are strong of heart and staying prepared for all of life's surprises."

And from me for family Christmas gatherings: Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ has forgiven you."

Wishing you joy, good choices, holy energy, blessings,
Love & Prayers

Global Warming Winter Storm

2010-12-11T10:02:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday we ran short races in the Bethel University field house in Arden Hills, north of Minneapolis.
We are running in a dome covered field house every week day.

This morning we have a snowy fantasy of blowing snow: Forecast of at least a foot and 30-40 mph wind gusts. We are near the blizzard warning area of Minnesota. The high (yes, high!) for Sunday and Monday: zero.

December 6 Newsweek, Sharon Begley's "A Climate Whodunit", reports on the progress of scientists to link extreme weather to greenhouse-induced climate change, human-caused. Believe it!

Meanwhile we are cozy, delighted with the snow bowl view from indoors. Enjoy!

PS Extra thanks to our resident computer expert for rescuing this computer from a mega-insidious virus this week.
Pictures for posting will be restored later today.

Route 66 Marathon/Half - Tulsa

2010-11-29T08:45:00.015-06:00

November 20, 2010

My favorite shirt at the expo in Tulsa, where Sweet Pea and I ran the half marathon

Kids were making spectator signs at the expo.

Race course along the Arkansas River was a delight.

Running through neighborhoods, enjoying the fall color of maples and oaks. . .

I always like to see the big downtown churches in the city.

Early morning drive to the start, flags gave witness to the prevailing Tulsa wind.

We ran over the Arkansas River on one bridge and back on another.

"Up with trees" signs decorate Tulsa... along with planted trees.

Maple trees were glorious last week in Tulsa.

Multiple explosions of multi-colored confetti sent each coral of runners off on the races.

At the finish area, children everywhere. . . these events are a family affair.

Children cheering before they can walk

Food at the Finisher's Food tent was better before they ran out of the good chicken and vegetables and were left with plain white rice.

These great signs liberally marked out the race courses, guiding our pre-race day drive and the actual running of the races on race day.

The many delightful parks of Tulsa certainly changed my image of that city.

Don enjoyed running part way with a Team in Training runner. He is a multiple myeloma survivor and always greets Team in Training people with, "Thanks for helping to save my life."

Route 66 Marathon/Half

2010-11-23T13:09:00.004-06:00

What a treat to be running in Tulsa, Oklahoma, just two days ago, while snow was happening at home!
The delightful course takes a tour of a part of downtown, past churches, meanders through several neighborhoods, crosses the Arkansas River twice. Tulsa is decorated with many parks, and last weekend the maples and oaks were in spectacular fall color.

Both marathon and half marathon courses finish with a pleasant stretch along the Arkansas River.

Volunteers were great as usual, race arrangements and plans were well thought out and executed.
More PICTURES soon.

SNOW !

2010-11-14T20:58:00.002-06:00

Before the snow came, we had 5 glorious 50 degree days of training in the park.

Isn't the snow lovely though!

NYC Marathon

2010-11-06T18:11:00.002-05:00

Remembering our running of the New York City Marathon

Yes We Can!

2010-10-29T17:22:00.001-05:00

And I don't mean that twisted ridiculous "yes we can.... backwards" thing....

I mean "Yes we can"... forward and, let's say: for all the uninsured children?!

PLEASE PLEASE VOTE

Truman Presidential Library

2010-10-23T17:57:00.006-05:00

Independence, Missouri

Our 6th presidential library in our travels to do marathons in 50 states.

The grounds around the buildings were spacious and lovely... Sorry that we neglected to get any good photos.
Maples were at their finest in Missouri last weekend.

"All Americans... are entitled to ... good medical care."

Truman's oval office in the White House during his presidency

The visitor's center

The Truman home in Indendendence

One of the street banners in Independence, honoring and remembering the former president, who daily walked in his home town.

My favorite presidential libraries, so far, are Clinton in Little Rock and Eisenhower in Abilene.
The rose garden at the Carter library was lovely, but we were not in Atlanta when the buildings were open, so maybe next time.
Each place provides interesting insights into each our presidents and terms in office.

Kansas City Half Marathon

2010-10-19T17:01:00.013-05:00

At the expo:

IMAGES ALONG THE KANSAS CITY HALF MARATHON RACE COURSE

Volunteers along the course were GREAT. Water stops were good; traffic control on all the cross streets was exceptional. Weather was nearly ideal, ranging from quite brisk to a bit hot.
Kansas City is HILLY. The course was laid out in a pretty manageable route.. with downtown, neighborhoods, parks, etc.: INTERESTING RACE.

Read a good report about the marathon on Make It A Masterpiece.

BUT THEY RAN OUT OF HALF MARATHON MEDALS!!
The finish area was chaotic. Volunteers seemed uninformed.
We had to ASK about medals. The excuse was that they had an unexpected number of last minute sign ups. Well, 3 hours after the race began, I think they might have prepared the finish area volunteers.

I think they should have quickly volunteered and instructed us.
The tent for signing up for medals was some distance outside the finish area.
"Maybe in 3 weeks", someone said.

"If I don't have my medal, what picture can I post tonight on my blog?" I asked one gracious volunteer. "I can think of a couple of pictures!" she said.

Some marathoners did not get their finishers' shirts, which were piled along a fence. No one was handing them out.

Until the finish, IT WAS A GREAT AND ENJOYABLE RACE!!

75th Wedding Anniversary

2010-10-07T10:16:00.004-05:00

Two people still in pretty good health celebrating 75 years of being together!!
A nice little dinner with family (including us) ... and a surprise party at the care center

You can read about the running events in our lives during the last three weeks on Make It a Masterpiece. Especially note the run for Myeloma Research.
Really, I will try to get back to blogging a bit.

Note what Don has to say about our bad experience with an expensive Toshiba laptop waranty on his Pea Gravel blog. No more Toshiba in this house!

It is autumn in Minnesota

Little Grand Canyon Half Marathon

2010-09-15T18:21:00.005-05:00

South of Huntington, Utah, the half marathon treks through the most delicious part of the Little Grand Canyon.
We are sparing you the dozens and dozens of pictures we took, both when we were driving the race course the day before, and when we were supposed to be running the race.

Flowers like these line the roads and freeways of Utah and Colorado.

Running across the desert at the beginning of the race, we were fascinated by the plant life.

The rocky road was not as troublesome as the dust from vehicles in the last few miles of the course.

Mile markers helpfully advised of miles left to go to the finish at the swinging bridge over the San Rafael River.

You can read about the marathon on Make It a Masterpiece.

I was the only woman runner over 62 in the half.. so I guess I was first in my age group.

2010-09-08T19:29:00.005-05:00

Running short races on weekends:

Weekend before Labor Day

This was the first year we ran the Milk Run 5K at the Minnesota State Fair.

Saturday of Labor Day weekend we ran races at the Buckshot event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, benefit for Special Olympics. The Buckshot was the first race we ever ran... eleven years ago.

This year around 1400 runners participated.

At the Special Olympics Buckshot Races they celebrate all sorts of people. They have FIVE YEAR AGE GROUPS ALL THE WAY TO 95!
Awards are always interesting.

Another race this weekend, details later...

Celebration of my Godmother

2010-08-29T15:11:00.009-05:00

A committal service at graveside

Let us pray:
Gracious Spirit of all mercies
Through the abundance of your love
We are your children.
You have promised to be with us forever.
Comfort us in this time of grief
With the precious and sure hope
of Resurrection.

Scriptures:
Revelation 7 ".... for the Lamb, who is at the center of the throne, will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe every last tear from their eyes."

Job 19:25 "For I know that my Redeemer lives....."

John 11:25 "I am the resurrecton and the life..."

1 Corinthians 15:57 "... thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Precious words in the liturgy:
"...keep our sister, in the company of all your saints..."
"In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through Jesus Christ..."

Praying together the Lord's Prayer.

God of all life, grant us grace to walk with you
in sure confidence of your eternal love.
Energize us to comfort one another as we
have been comforted.
May we go in unity of Spirit with all creation,
remembering that we are Easter people.
Inspire us to do justice,
share and receive forgiveness,
love kindness,
and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.

Receive the blessing
May God bless you. May the peace of God which passes understanding sustain your heart and mind in Jesus, the Risen Christ. Amen.

"Jesus Loves Me" sung by the great-grandchildren, placing flowers on the grave.

Back at the house, the gathering of family and friends

The dessert table... and through the window you can see the luncheon table, all graciously set as she would have chosen.

Lovely weather, with a breeze off the lake, and lunch and conversation under the pines

Youngest of the great-grandchildren

My Godmother was there at my baptism, my ordination, and most important celebrations in between. I can picture her in their kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinners.
At 18 months, I was flower girl at her wedding.
Deepest and highest of honors to be asked to officiate on this day.....

The prayers at the beginning and the end of the committal, based on Scripture of course, were written by me.
Liturgy was from the pastors' Occasional Services book, an ordination gift (twenty-five years ago!) from my brother, his wife, and their family.
The benediction is the one I used in all the years of my interim ministry.

Let us go in peace.

Carter Presidential Library

2010-08-25T12:53:00.003-05:00

Make It By Midnight in Macon Georgia:
Evening marathon races on Saturday, July 17

Sunday morning on the way through Georgia, we stopped by the Carter Presidential Libray. The buildings were not open yet for the day, but the gardens were lovely.

Raise Myeloma Awareness

2010-08-20T18:57:00.000-05:00

Myeloma patient Keith May and the IMF have entered a racecar design called "The Survivor" in a contest called Sponsafier. The winning entry will be built as a full sized car, showcased at a NASCAR race, and your votes can help push us across the finish line.

This will raise awareness of myeloma, the International Myeloma Foundation, the great work being done to change the course of myeloma, and the work that still needs to be done. Here's what you can do:

Just take 30 seconds every day until August 28, click nascar.myeloma.org, wait for the screen to develop, and simply click the “vote” button. You don't have to log on or enter ANY information. For extra credit, you can do this with every computer that you have available, every day.

“The Survivor” is one of several hundred entries in the Sponsafier contest. Some are just artistic designs and some like Keith’s support a cause. Now we all have the opportunity to support Keith, myeloma awareness, and the IMF by voting every day for the next 11 days, and by asking your friends, families, and colleagues to vote too.

The messages on the car are simple: “Beat myeloma to the finish line,” and simply “Beat Cancer.” What better way to get there than by racing? Click nascar.myeloma.org.

Bridge on Gateway

2010-08-16T08:25:00.003-05:00

Oh glorious re-use!
Instead of tearing down the ancient weak bridge, they are bringing it to Gateway Trail for runners, bicycle riders, walkers, skateboarders to cross a
busy highway.
Click to enlarge; the details are on the sign.

Buy Local

2010-08-02T19:24:00.004-05:00

Vidalia onions:
What fun it was to "buy local" in MACON Georgia when we were there for the marathon.

In June we bought local organic Idaho potatoes in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

When we were in Charleston, South Carolina, we ate fried green tomatoes.

Dew points are nearly as high as the temp, but we are running.

Good article in "Runner's World", September issue, about grief... when the loss is "not being able to run".
Also, as always, information about healthy eating.

Lumberjack Days in Stillwater

2010-07-24T20:01:00.002-05:00

Children lining up for drinks after the 1 mile kids' race.
We usually run the 5K and our runner guy runs the 10 mile, but today we enjoyed being spectators.

Make It by Midnight Marathon

2010-07-21T18:44:00.006-05:00

Here we are, happy finishers, all lit up with reflective strips and flashlights.

This picture has a few added flowers that I found on PhotoSuite.

Cute dog added to the celebration for some runners.

For a good race report:
http://minnesotadon.blogspot.com/

Make It By Midnight in Macon

2010-07-20T20:07:00.003-05:00

Marathon and Half Marathon in Macon, Georgia.
Runners decide when to start... in order to finish by midnight.
Temp hovered around 88 degrees, cooled off some by a 20 minute downpour midrace.

We all received tiaras for finishing before midnight .. and finisher's medals, of course. We three had a great time.

If you don't take care of your body

2010-07-14T21:10:00.003-05:00

"If you don't take care of your body, where will you live?"

Message seen on a shirt at a marathon in Idaho

Words for Wednesday

Summertime

2010-07-11T13:37:00.005-05:00

Yes we did take some fireworks pictures on the Fourth of July.

Of course fireworks are better in person. Even on TV there is motion.

Billboards in the city of Superior, Wisconsin this week. (May click to enlarge, of course.)

Nice kitty on the front lawn, seen on our Saturday run. But Kitty, why are you outdoors chasing song birds?

Eleven runners plus Sweet Pea and I gathered at the Northland tennis courts on the NW side of Stillwater MN, on Co Rd. 12.
Come and run 5 miles at 7:00 on Saturday mornings.
Clouds after sunrise were inspiring yesterday.

Marine on St. Croix

2010-07-04T16:50:00.006-05:00

Annual 4th of July 2 and 4 mile race: we all did the four mile.
The race starts at an old historic grade school and drops
around 200-300 feet (We aren't sure) ... while rolling up and down gentle hills.. nearly to the level of the St. Croix River, east of the Twin Cities, in Washington County.

We see running friends at this race, so gathering at registration is fun. POURING rain the hour preceding the race added a different atmosphere this year. Loyal supporters showed up. Participants were hopeful, and the rain stopped entirely before the National Anthem, sung live from the local firetruck.

Big, unfair age groups for old folks... age 60-69! But anyway...
Our 69 year old Don took SECOND place in that age group.

When Sweet Pea and I came in, the woman collecting the timing chips as runners crossed the finish, recognized us, greeted us with a smile, and thanked us for coming again.
With a shortage of competition, I did get a blue ribbon for first in age group. I'm discovering that not many old bats run races.
Keeping Sweet Pea's pace keeps me from overdoing.
And, well, races involve getting out of bed, putting on race clothes and covering the distance to the finish! I'm happy.

The race was fun to do, as usual.
Apologies to our families, who may have already read some of this.

The shirt: We have no idea why 4 blue horses, but it is outstanding.

Happy Birthday, America!

Flower Power

2010-07-03T15:36:00.004-05:00

Running among the flowers in July!
Some St. Croix Runners gathered this morning.
Sweet Pea and I ran here, noticing that the mower carefully left a row of wild flowers along the trail.

It is lily season in Minnesota.

Spectacular flowers in that neighborhood, I thought.

No rain, temperatures above freezing, joints working pretty well, glorious flowers: Great to be running!

Hot Evening Runs

2010-06-30T19:13:00.004-05:00

Lot's Wife, in the First (Old) Testament, looked back at an evil city and turned into a pillar of salt.
Or maybe she ran in the late afternoon of a hot June day in Minnesota, sweat much, and turned into a pillar of salt.

We are appreciating all the kind an encouraging words regarding our "half marathon".

DNF . . . Part 2

2010-06-22T10:52:00.009-05:00

The day was warmer than we hoped for... but much cooler than it has been for 3 of the last 4 years for Grandma's Marathon.
There was a pleasant, almost too strong fresh breeze ... but a head wind instead of wind off the Lake.

My knee injury from the spring of last year was finally a thing of the past.
Three weeks before we had finished a half marathon in Idaho.
This was going to be my chance to do a marathon in my seventies.

The National Anthem, the playing of "Chariots of Fire" (I love that), and the pair of deafening fighter jets flying right over the runners and the start line....

As we approached the 13.1 point, Sweet Pea declared, "I'm tired.
I WANT TO QUIT!"
We had slowed down in the last few miles and I knew that neither of us could finish anytime ... before nightfall??

But WHY?

I discount the fact that I am just plain old. That would not explain why Sweet Pea was as wiped out as I was.

**Maybe it was that half marathon 3 weeks before... that should have been our usual 22 mile long run.

**Maybe it was not getting our usual good night's sleep in a totally dark room the night before the race.

**Maybe it was those 2 (stupid??) training runs we did in the few days before the marathon... which should have been taper time.

**Maybe it was because, although we are below Weight Watcher's goal weight, we are too heavy for best performance in running.

**Maybe that stiff wind, while exhilarating, had contributed to our being worn out.

It sure did happen to both of us: that being too wiped out to continue.

It was after we decided that we couldn't go on that we saw the dog... but yes, you could say, we stopped to play with a dog, lard out in a yard, and eat our gluten-free pretzels and ginger cookies while sitting in cushy lawn chairs instead of on foot finishing the marathon.

We appreciated the rest there, waiting for Don to come in the car to pick us up after he finished the marathon with a good time.

BUT I AM REALLY BUMMED OUT,
"MAKING LEMONADE" out of the lemons I find myself buried in,
ON DAY TWO OF STRICTLY COUNTING WEIGHT WATCHER POINTS AGAIN,
THINKING UP PLANS FOR BETTER TRAINING...(better resistance training for strength, more long runs), plus finally getting back to some Tai Chi,
AND TAPERING NEXT TIME.

Hope springs eternal. It is the best day of the year.

DNF

2010-06-21T18:54:00.002-05:00

Grandma's Marathon

Dog at the half-way point (13.1 miles): more fun than running the second half of the marathon?!

Leaving Chicago June 6

2010-06-18T07:57:00.006-05:00

Union Station and the roar of the AMTRAK engines

After a informative time at ASCO and some good run and walk in Chicago...
A last glimpse from the train: good by Chicago; see you next time.

Rain as we crossed southern Wisconsin.
That's a RAINBOW at the end of the track (though the back window).

This is the second time in a week that we have been treated to rainbows on the trip back home.

Dinner in the dining car, looking out over the Mississippi River between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Sunset reflected on the river. The end of a perfect trip and a perfect day. Every day is the best day of the year.

Yes, we are running!

Running in the Park

2010-06-16T19:58:00.001-05:00

Dust??!

2010-06-13T18:24:00.005-05:00

Dust! That's what the Geek Squad Guy at Best Buy called those spots inside my camera.
Besides dust spots in the picture above, those are sailboats on Lake Michigan last Sunday.

So... This is my new camera. 2 1/2 X 3 3/4 X 7/8 inches: a tiny bit thicker than the last one, but this one is "dust proof" (Who knew that was important??)

This heron across a pond in the park would not have been such a good shot with the old camera.

How about this gluten-free teff/brown rice flour/sorghum flour "rye flavored" bread... With no dust spots!

ASCO (Part Three) Getting the Word Out

2010-06-11T19:51:00.008-05:00

Thousands of poster presentations during the conference last weekend.

A whole wall of internet connection opportunity

International Myeloma Foundation sponsored Don's trip, giving him the opportunity to attend sessions, view posters, and then blog for those interested in multiple myeloma.
http://myelomahope.blogspot.com/

Our reservations were made for us at the Hard Rock Hotel. Turned out to be a great choice. It was the last stop for bus number one on the way to McCormick Place and the first stop on the return trip. It was a super location to go running and walking.
Note the cute pillow case (below).

Better pictures than we took of the art on the mirrors on the hotel walls are here:
http://adventuresofcancergirl.blogspot.com/

Running Walking in Chicago (ASCO Part 2)

2010-06-10T13:11:00.013-05:00

ASCO attendees hustled along... 30,000 of them.

Weather was perfect for running/walking in Millenium Park.

As we revisited Millenium Park, we remembered the hot hot Chicago Marathon in Chicago several years ago now.
From the walks in Millenium Park we found our way to the Lake Michigan waterfront.

Everywhere, people were moving on foot... or on bicycles.

Park and trails provided great running/walking along the Chicago River.

An art fair was nearby.. maybe not for running, but some interesting walking.

Navy Pier, also interesting walking on the weekend, was wind-swept clean of blowing snow the last time we were in Chicago.

Sweet Pea loves kitty pictures, and you never know what you'll find just walking on the city streets.

North of the Chicago River, we were reminded of the great community support there for runners in the Chicago Marathon, even though the official support was pretty sparse and dry! Some folks came out with their own personal garden hoses to provide spray, promised and not delivered until the final mile of the race by the marathon organization.

We were delighted to discover both Trader Joes and Whole Foods on the near north side of the river, where we stocked up on organic fruit for the weekend. Walking...

Anniversary of Ordination

2010-06-10T12:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, June 9, was the 25th ANNIVERSARY of my ORDINATION.
I loved the people in congregations and doing interim pastoral ministry.
Opportunities dried up sooner than I expected. I had a wonderful time while it lasted. Retirement is good; life is good.

Next post: Running, Walking in Chicago

ASCO in Chicago (Part One)

2010-06-09T10:29:00.017-05:00

ASCO is the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which held its annual meeting last week at McCormick Place in Chicago, 30,000 strong. Don was there as a guest of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), to observe the information presented by the many speakers, and to blog about it from the perspective of an ordinary patient. Yay for the IMF! And thank you.

Don's reports on ASCO:
http://myelomahope.blogspot.com/

At the conference exhibits, Don pointed to the lighted graph which showed Pomalidomide patients in a drug trial.
"This is me, right here," he said.

Now my super little Canon camera is taking blurry pictures like I was storing it in a bucket of water. Sigh. . . .
Non-blurry pictures may have been taken by Sweet Pea, or by Don or even by Don with his phone camera.

McCormick Convention Center is enormous and awesome.
There is a two lane bus route from downtown to the Center, no passing, no exits or entrances, just straight out to where you want to be: expediently.

30,000 folks is a CITY! Twelve bus routes, with 15 buses on each, picking up and dropping people off, back and forth all day and evening.
Below is the list of hotel stops for just one of the routes.

After reading Cancer Girl's blog for some time we appreciated the opportunity to meet Karen and her husband Jay.
We recommend her delightful ASCO reports:

http://adventuresofcancergirl.blogspot.com/

Coeur d'Alene Part 3: Coming home

2010-06-07T21:08:00.012-05:00

Pilgrim's Market (food store) in Coeur d'Alene provided great fruit, including the first organic red grapes of the season, for the drive home.
Sunday, May 30, we ran the races in the morning, crashed in the hotel, shopped at Pilgrim's and hit the road for Butte, Montana.

Also real organic Idaho potatoes and Montana Huckleberry jam.

We saw spectacular snow on mountains all the way to Billings, Montana.

Like I said... all the way... snow on mountains.....

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, in Western North Dakota, besides being vast and marvelous "badlands", is a tribute to the conservationist President.

Can't miss the prairie dogs.
Also, magpies flew from trees near us. (Too fast for my camera)

Scoria is that red stuff, which makes great gravel roads, besides being awesome.

A family friend, working in the charming little town of Medora for the summer, was our gracious host.

The Painted Canyon... have to use the word "spectacular" again....

Don drove 1100 miles... the day after running the marathon... to get us from Butte, Montana to home in Minnesota.

In Eastern North Dakota we saw the first complete double rainbows we had seen in years (city folks, you know).
In Minnesota we were treated to lightning "fireworks" in the clouds ahead of us for more than an hour.
All the way, the trip was interesting.

The annoying gray spot especially on that last picture, is permanent inside the sweet little new Canon camera I bought last November. Hmmmm.
Some of the pictures posted on this blog are by Sweet Pea... with her camera with the clean lens.

COMING SOON: the AMTRAK trip to Chicago.

Our drive to the Coeur d'Alene Marathon Races

2010-06-04T18:33:00.006-05:00

Our drive through the South Dakota Badlands was even more spectacular when we turned
around at a detour and drove the other way with the sun at our backs.

Taking a running stretch at a parking lot...
And a couple of guys played catch on the lawn beyond the road to get a stretch.

From Billings, Montana to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, we didn't have much of an idea of the mountains we were missing on the way out. It was like a taste of the autumn storms and snow coming in, except, no, we didn't see falling snow.

Coming here soon: the post about our return drive from Idaho.

Coeur d'Alene Marathon/Half

2010-06-01T14:27:00.009-05:00

Finisher's medals for Sweet Pea and Sunshine and a
AGE GROUP AWARD medal for Sunshine in the half marathon
Long sleeved technical shirts for participants of both races

The Montana Big Sky hung low on our drive out. We saw fog and rain, but no mountains. Saturday afternoon was rainy in Coeur d'Alene. Showers for the Sunday morning marathon had been forecast for 2 weeks.

The tour of the race course was highly oversubscibed at both 1 and 2:00. Caravans of cars followed the small trolley crowded with lucky runners who were first in line to ride.

Saturday night forecast looked better!

Just enough sun at the start for cheer, but somewhat overcast throughout the race, temperatures were in the fabulous fifties, for a marvelous race.

Maps provided were difficult to interpret, but the course was well-staffed with volunteers. My doubts about experiencing an interesting half marathon were blown away with runs along Fort Sherman Park, a variety of neighborhoods.... AND

A major stretch along the Coeur d'Alene River and Lake Coeur d'Alene both out and back. The wind was stiff and chilling.. but easily excused for the thrill of the scenery.

More details tomorrow.......

2 Celebrations of a Century

2010-05-18T21:23:00.002-05:00

Celebrating two 100 year old women!

On Sunday afternoon almost 200 folks came to a 100 year birthday celebration for my Sweetie's Mother.
On Monday morning we attended the funeral for his 100 year old aunt.

------------

Today we did 10.9 miles in the park. It was a bit warm, but a lovely day.

Race for the Cure

2010-05-11T07:50:00.008-05:00

Race for the Cure Minneapolis
50 thousand people: Second largest Cure race in the country
$2.5 million raised to fight breast cancer
3,000 women diagnosed in Minnesota every year

Wearing our hearts ... well, not on our sleeve, but on our backs
This was mine this year. Usually I add sister-in-law Mary and several others, but I was hurrying to get to the start of the race. Sigh.

"In Celebration of" ... names of breast cancer survivors
"In Memory of" ... names of those who have died

Seeing the thousands of pink signs on runners and walkers is enough to move one to tears. Many say "In memory of my mother", some list several sisters or aunts.

This one ran just ahead of me at the start:

Children were all "Number 1". I always wonder what their stories are.

A young man pulled a wagon with 3 small children in it. (at the right)

We finished the 5K in around 50 minutes, stopping to take pictures, etc.

Many friends and families gathered after the race for pictures: good to celebrate and record the survivors for another year.

In the afternoon we ran another hour and a half in the park.

Snow in Duluth on May 7th . . . . Seriously!

2010-05-08T09:54:00.011-05:00

Our car was covered with heavy wet snow, fabulous for making snowballs.

Activity/running since Sunday: Ten miles Tuesday, Four miles Thursday in the Twin Cities

Minnesota Arboretum 5K

2010-05-04T13:16:00.011-05:00

Bud Break races: kids get to race too.

The 5K race

Running through the blossoming trees of the Minnesota Arboretum is a treat.

We like to walk together instead of running this race.

We even took a little side trip along the way on the "Wild Flower Walk" to see trillium.
Tulips and daffodils carpeted the finish area.

Officer Down

2010-05-01T20:04:00.004-05:00

Too many police cars for 5K race security
An officer on foot waved us to make a left turn ... with his rifle.

At the entrance to the park at Lake Phalen in St. Paul, we were informed that the Batten Disease 5K had been cancelled and would be rescheduled.

At home we heard on the news that a police officer had been shot and killed at 6:30 this morning.

Get in Gear 10K

2010-04-24T14:51:00.006-05:00

Pre-race pick up, with pouring rain on and off all morning

Pouring rain was sort of sad for all the kids who show up for their race.

Our Serious Runner ran the 10K.
His report: http://minnesotadon.blogspot.com/.

Sweet Pea and I joined the huge gathering at the start and then, cold and soaked, trudged to the car to dry off.
We managed to catch sight of Serious Runner coming in and gave him a cheer.
Here are some finishers heading for the snack and junk food tent.

Hats off to even the slow runners... finishing is good!

This is the broken and patched cobblestone block where I crashed my knee a year ago. Pretty much healed now.

Young opportunist finding fun in the puddles in the broken pavement

Earlier this week, Sweet Pea spotted a red-winged black bird in the park where we ran.

Not ordinarily hardy in Minnesota, this bush was developed by the University of Minnesota. Love the color!

Get in Gear

2010-04-23T14:12:00.002-05:00

What a difference a day makes!
Weather is the wild card.
Wishing everyone the weekend of their choice.

Abilene, Kansas

2010-04-20T17:52:00.006-05:00

Trips to marathon / half marathon cities delight me. I cherish many memories.

The Eisenhower Marathon races in Abilene Kansas were among the most graciously and genuinely supported by the community that we have experienced.

Below see the Scouts and sponsors providing a water stop in the park. The courses took us through the park both on the way out and the way back to the finish.

Community gathering at the finish. Pancakes, sausage, and other snacks were served in the church at the left of the picture.

A drive around the town provided views of marvelous old homes.

Flowers were out ahead of the flowers in Minnesota.

Meditation center, burial site of the Eisenhowers.
You can click on any pictures to enlarge.

Thanks to all for patience with my celebrating the presidency of Eisenhower It was refreshing to revisit a great Republican President after enduring the Bush years.
The rash of anti-Washington bigotry is disappointing, from folks with some kind of amnesia about the past administration.

Well, enough already. We are running the park and on Gateway Trail and keeping on keeping on. Weather is marvelous for running right now.

Eisenhower Marathon / Half

2010-04-15T20:29:00.007-05:00

Dwight David Eisenhower: A man of peace

We appreciated visiting the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas.
In contrast with some other recent Republican presidents, Eisenhower graduated from West Point. (not ducking national guard responsibilities).
Recent historians have re-evaluated his presidency. (Can click on pictures to enlarge)

We enjoyed the special Smithsonian exhibit at the museum.

The mediation center, burial site of the Eisenhowers is a lovely tribute.

People at the Eisenhower buildings were cordial. They stayed open longer for the benefit of visiting marathoners.

The Eisenhower Marathon / Half Marathon volunteers included church groups and boy scouts and Kiawanis members, as well as local runners.
The Abilene community was hospitable. The weekend was almost like going home.

Eisenhower Marathon / Half : We love Abilene!

2010-04-11T19:38:00.008-05:00

Kansas is blossoming.

Saturday was a glorious day for a race.

Fifty degrees and mostly cloudy:

Finisher's medals for the half marathon for Sweet Pea and me...

And ANOTHER AGE GROUP AWARD FOR ME!

For a report of the full marathon: http://minnesotadon.blogspot.com/.

Easter Blessings

2010-04-04T20:12:00.006-05:00

Human Race on Summit Avenue on Palm Sunday (a week ago).
Children lined up for their race:

Almost 800 Runners lined up for the 8k. We looked for Amybee but she was at an 8K on the other side of the Mississippi. In the Twin Cities we are blessed with many race choices.
St. Patrick's Day costumes are popular for these races.

Glorious weather was a blessing of Holy Week. We were out for an hour every day, even enjoying a few daffodils and crocuses.

Children's sermon at Easter worship service:

Pastor Julie is a delight!

Well, yes, I miss wearing that alb and stole. Sigh. But at 71, it is a good thing to be retired.

June Weather

2010-04-01T04:29:00.004-05:00

Having a great time running and just enjoying temperatures about 25 degrees above average for this time of year.
Highs in the 70's are a little too warm, so we are choosing to run in the morning... sure seems like spring. Least snow ever, I think, for the snowy month of March. Interesting.

It might be the piriformis muscle in my left hip that is giving me the grief (pain!), but I run anyway. Gotta run gotta run.

So... Maundy Thursday... the great revolution: the world is upside down and Jesus washed the disciples' feet.

Sand Hill Cranes on Gateway

2010-03-23T10:02:00.009-05:00

While doing 14 miles on Gateway Trail yesterday, I glanced through the trees to a distant marsh area and caught sight of a pair of SAND HILL CRANES ... huge magnificent birds.
Not a great shot here; that's a tree branch at the bottom edge of the picture.
Never had I seen these larger-than-great herons before.

Many bicycles, horses, roller bladers, dogs on leashes ... and runners...
Even on a Monday .... We are on the edge of spring.

A young five-year-old bicycle girl...
The mile markers on Gateway helped us keep track of our 14 miles yesterday.

Stillwater Bridge is closed today due to flood waters reaching the bridge deck.
Here, on Sunday afternoon, traffic was still using the bridge.

Historic health care bill is signed: a century of journey toward this milestone ....
with hope for further humanitarian progress for the United States.
May those who have health care rejoice in sharing with those who do not.

Spring Week

2010-03-18T20:24:00.010-05:00

Oh Joy! Rejoice! A week of spring: 60 degree highs
Melodies of Easter hymns play in my head.
I remember playing tennis with my sister, many years ago in northern Iowa, in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, in March.

We ran in the park every day this week. By today the snow was pretty much gone.

Today we saw a magnificent hawk... a little too tame... maybe injured?

Just a week ago, with the yard still deep in snow, Sweet Pea spotted these deer just going by.

A week ago Gateway Trail was clear, but with snow banks.

These mallards know what season it is. When first I saw them they were sitting in a puddle in this parking lot, about to set up housekeeping.

More cold weather is on the way. Winter is not over.
But we had this week of spring.

Dr. Krissy ND

2010-03-13T12:41:00.006-06:00

Naturopathic doctor: graduate of medical school, passed state medical boards
We celebrate Dr. Krissy.

Fog all day, every day, all week. Finally today, the air has a springtime feel. We have been doing a combination of indoor and outdoor runs.
Now the outdoors is calling us.

Last week the barn owl outside our kitchen window

Age Group Award - A1A Half

2010-03-06T07:34:00.001-06:00

Downtown Saloon Fort Lauderdale

2010-03-03T19:37:00.013-06:00

A1A Marathon/Half: 5th post about the race and our trip
You can keep scrolling down for more!

Marathon weekend, on Friday evening we met at the Downtowner Saloon, on a canal across from City Walk in Fort Lauderdale. (Smoke-free, except on the patio)

Fantastic thing: while we were there we saw the televised men's curling team WINNING a game. Curling has become one of my favorite spectator sports of the Olympics.

Restaurant food selection is tricky if you don't want to eat gluten. Yesterday I heard that Canada's favorite pass-time is hockey; for the US, the favorite pass-time is deep fried.

From southern California to New York, "deep fried" appetizers are on menus of "good" restaurants. Sometimes those are the only choices.
Downtowner's menu looked pretty reasonable.

Anyway, here is what they had, and behold, appetizers that looked interesting and NOT deep-fried. (You can click to enlarge.)

Sweet Don and our super waitress came up with three appetizers we could share. One was tomato mozzarella stack: fresh tomato and buffalo mozzarella slices with a balsamic drizzle and topped with a sprig of basil.

He served me the top slices of the stack.
The other appetizers were seared tuna (5 pieces to share) and potato skins (one for each of us). Amazingly, the potato skins were not greasy.
All three items were delicious.

Here we all are, through the glass, to protect the innocent!

We are back to running now, the next big race in mind.
Yesterday we ran in the park. The temp was above freezing, but where we were the wind was pretty sharp.
This warmer week is most welcome, but there will be more indoor runs this month.

Lady Chateau in Fort Lauderdale

2010-03-01T18:59:00.014-06:00

"Come down to Fort Lauderdale and run the A1A Marathon/Half Marathon," he said to the St. Croix Valley Runners.
Those of us who flew down also enjoyed a ride on the Lady Chateau.

http://www.biscaynelady.com/browse-our-fleet/lady-chateau/

The incredible boat ride on intercoastal waterways

Maybe more boats than I have seen in one day

And countless mansions of the rich and famous

All kinds of boats, sailboats and huge luxury liners

Some friends gathered for a party (They know each other now?!)

An outdoor wedding

A Turkish Festival, along the City Walk, uniquely viewed from the canal

Ah, a delightful afternoon it was, and thanks to Sweet Pea for this nice shot

An unforgettable pre-race spaghetti and grilled chicken dinner for the runners

Amazing custom menu for some of us: Gluten-free pasta and chicken without breading

There are still great pictures to post, so don't miss the future installments of our 3 days in Fort Lauderdale.

Glorious

A1A Half Marathon

2010-02-27T18:33:00.006-06:00

"HALF" ... what a lame name for a pretty substantial race (13.1 miles, already!)

Since 2005 I have finished more than a dozen marathons and I loved every one. But the truth is, half marathons are fun.

We who ran the half marathon last weekend, had the same glorious experience as the marathoners of running into the Florida sunrise.

I stepped through the spectators to get another shot of the sunrise, now sort of wishing I had taken a picture of the spectators, too.

The entrance to a park, a shady portion of the race (picture taken the day before as we drove the race course).

Although potties were nearly not there at all: a total of 4 in the first 5 miles,
Water stops were great!

"We ran here" is one of our favorite expressions.
And we did run here... right down the A1A highway, with a panorama view of the Atlantic.
We ran here!

This runner always manages to look fabulous at the end of a marathon.

The last hour was warmer than I like for running... but what a great race it was!
In spite of the lame name, this "half" marathon gave me not one aching muscle.
That strange ever-present pain in my hip had been bothering me with every step... even walking.. and continued to even in the race. But good stretching after the half took care of all the muscle pains.

Sweet Pea and I enjoyed the day.
The race was FUN!!

Fort Lauderdale Signs

2010-02-24T19:39:00.009-06:00

Posted by Sweet Pea

A1A Marathon / Half - Fort Lauderdale

2010-02-23T19:09:00.005-06:00

A quick trip to Fort Lauderdale for the races last Sunday: Don's great report of his running of the marathon is on his Masterpiece blog.

Sweet Pea and I ran the half marathon together. Living in Minnesota, running outdoors in February, in a short sleeved shirt and shorts, is bliss.
The race started a 6am and the first 3 hours were delightful for running.

We ran into the sunrise!

Bethel University Field House 2/14/10

2010-02-17T19:45:00.008-06:00

Ready to race: runners gathered for one of half a dozen distances (plus race walking).

Still on Pomalidomide, but no longer on DEX, Don was pleased with his time.

The littlest runner

Two small boys had a football. On the right, notice the littlest observer

But then he recovered the football, and he was all smiles.

Daisies and roses, our Valentine flowers for Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea ran one of the races, too. I walked the whole time, enjoying being indoors. My right knee still hurts some when I run and lately my left hip has been hurting too. Spring will cheer me up considerably.

Frost & Fog / Valentine Flowers

2010-02-13T15:42:00.006-06:00

Fog advisory until noon today
Frost came with it.

These pictures were taken at 1:00 in the afternoon.
That's snow on the tree in the lower center of the picture; the remainder of the white in the picture is FROST.
(You may click on pictures to enlarge.)

More frost

Valentine flowers from my Sweet Guy: tulips are one of my favorites.

Eating healthy! Pepperoni from Applegate Farms, organic sauce and jalapenos and cheese on a whole grain gluten-free crust.

PS Yes, we are keeping on running on indoor tracks.

Not a typical week

2010-02-10T20:53:00.002-06:00

We are getting our running indoors. Some guy at the athletic club bubble today suggested, probably in light of the blizzard news from the east, that God may have promised never to destroy the world with another flood... but didn't say anything about SNOW.

When the ordered the shirts for the Frigid 5, run last Sunday, they may have assumed the Vikings would be playing in (winning??) the Super Bowl.

My aunt's funeral was this week. She was the last of her generation on my mother's side. Sigh. I miss her, and grief for my mother is all fresh again.

Our Christmas cactus is flowering again.

Our Christmas amaryllis is flowering again.

2010-02-07T15:16:00.006-06:00

Temperature was about 20 degrees at race time. Race is a double loop on the Fair Grounds. In spite of snows this week, streets were clear and mostly dry. We three all ran the Five K. It felt good to be in a race.
Pictures of runners gathering at the start:

View on the way home from the race: sunshine on fresh snow on the Minnesota State Capitol dome

Mall Walker Cross Training .. AGAIN !

2010-02-01T17:32:00.011-06:00

4:40 (four hours and forty minutes, yes!) actually walking today at Mall of America

We were there for 5 hours (20 minutes for latte and potty stops), with no shopping at all this time.

On Sweet Pea's pedometer: 16,014 steps

Lots of mall walkers, mostly in pairs, but a few in groups of 3,
And we saw one fast walker, probably moving at 10 minute miles, looking very much like an athlete in training... mall walking!

Cyclamen plants (even the leaves are lovely) there at a memorial

The memorial explanation (You may click to enlarge.)

The memorial

A couple of fountains at the Mall

Security on a Segway

The roads were greasy due to the snow that fell while we were indoors walking.
On the drive home we saw this hearty runner along the Mississippi.

6 hours at the Mall of America

2010-01-26T18:07:00.007-06:00

Toddler Tuesday at the Mall, East Rotunda

Also a celebration of the Chinese New Year for the toddlers

On our feet for a full 6 hours, walking briskly for more than 5 hours.
We did walk with our lattes for a time; Sweet Pea spent part of her Christmas gift card on a Weight Watchers book; a quick check of sale racks at a couple of stores yielded a $15 jacket for me; she picked out dark chocolate dipped marshmallow for each of us at Rocky Mountain Chocolate; we each wolfed down a small taco for lunch.
Yup! We had a good time. Way back on the day the Mall of America opened we three walked the whole thing, and I still think it is an interesting place.

I figure we walked more than 16 miles today at the Mall of America.

See Him Run!

2010-01-24T15:15:00.010-06:00

I cook all that good food on his blog.... Because I love him ... and ... You should see him run.
That's him on the right. (Picture snipped out of a movie.) Maybe you saw "Grey's Anatomy" last Thursday. The partner said.. "Because I love him" and "You should hear him sing!" If you didn't see it, that's OK too. The scene was a love story.

ANOTHER SUBJECT:

Inflammation of the iris:
Woke up with incredible eye pain.. like my eyeball might burst.
It was about a week and a half ago. With a hastily made appointment, the ophthalmologist, was looking into my eye before 10am. He administered the first drop of prednisone, and with 2 more doses at home, I could look out of the corner of my eye without undue pain by noon.

Left untreated, which is difficult to imagine considering the extreme pain, iritis could lead to blindness. It looked a lot like conjunctivitis, but it wasn't. For eye pain: definitely see a doctor.

Because there may have been immune system involvement, we also made a visit to our naturopathic doctor (ND) for supplement advice.

A week later the doctor reported no evidence of the inflammation in my iris.
Now down to one drop a day for the rest of this week, I feel very lucky and blessed.

Happy Birthday Me

2010-01-15T19:59:00.003-06:00

Some of my birthday flowers from my Honey.

(and oh look, I can make fruit bowls too!)

Our resident Cat, hunting squirrels from the cozy comfort of a chair.

Always interesting to walk at the "bubble" (St. Croix Valley Recreation Center). Last week there were some moms with baby carriers, strollers. Often there are a few guys practicing fly fishing out in the middle area. One day a man was training a German shepherd. It is inspiring to see the people with recent joint replacement doing their therapy.
And always, there are a few real runners.... running!

Snow Scupture by the Wind

2010-01-10T20:13:00.001-06:00

Running indoors.

Winter in Minnesota

2010-01-06T19:48:00.004-06:00

Twice in blue moon at the end of December:

Oh yes, we have snow in Minnesota. And it is cold, too.

We are running indoors: in the bubble, or at the community center, or anywhere else indoors. It's a good thing.

Happy New Year 01-01-10 or maybe 10-01-01

2010-01-01T15:16:00.005-06:00

Home-made New Year ball at the party we attended:

Have enjoyed reading the plans some runners have for 2010. We have a couple of marathons in mind... and a half marathon or two, but not much for firm plans yet.

I'm not really a traditional person, but decades in the same house has yielded something of a traditional environment. In 2010 I would like to be selective about what to save, and take pictures of some stuff before donating to Good Will. We will see how that goes.

Thai food, which I know nothing about, is of interest to me.

My knee pain still hangs around, and I have resolve to work out and run through it.

I am hopeful that some of the effects of 8 Bush years will be resolved and that Obama will, less and less, be blamed for what lingers.... I am hopeful...

Maybe I can get new hearing aids. Progressive loss of hearing began before my mid-thirties, and I wonder what the future holds.

Wishing You, Dear Reader, blessings in 2010. May You run with joy.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T20:28:00.006-06:00

Bumper sticker sighting in Duluth on December 23: a wise word for the arrogant.

Powerful waves on the shore of Lake Superior (Canal Park) in the stiff east wind that blew in the blizzard snow, water frozen on the rocks. December 23
(As always, you may click on pictures to enlarge.)

Back home in the Twin Cities, morning of December 24th. Yes! we have snow.

This morning we ran in the Stillwater bubble.

View from the front row (reserved for those who want to see the sign language interpreter) at St. Andrew's, 4pm, Christmas Eve.

Real live people, including the cute baby.

Blessings of the season to All!

Gluten Free Christmas

2009-12-21T19:10:00.004-06:00

Gluten-free choices take a lot of the regrettable eating out of the holidays. See the previous post for use of organic teff flour for baking. Although whole grain, it is ground fine. We have used it for banana bread and ginger cookies... so far.

Whenever possible, choosing whole fresh fruit or dried fruit instead of sugar, and nuts (without oil added), avocado, or organic coconut oil or olive oil over other fat is a nice goal.

Moving toward wholesome eating is a journey. We are somewhere on the continuum.

On Saturday, December 5, in New Orleans, Sweet Pea and I walked a couple of miles on Magazine Street to Whole Foods Grocery, housed in the old Arabella Station building. Arabella Station, a historic site, was built in 1893, and later, in the mid-twentieth century, used as a streetcar barn.

This sounds like a commercial, but we have enjoyed access to organic produce at Whole Foods in nearly every city where we have run a marathon. We also try to explore farmers' markets and co-op markets.

After lunch in the deli there, we shopped for a few groceries which we packed in the 2 bags we brought. We walked the few blocks to St. Charles and caught the trolley.

Cooking our breakfast eggs in the hotel room worked out quite well, and helped keep expenses down. Organic apples and grapes supplemented meals eaten out. Bag on the left has the symbol for the International Myeloma Foundation.

Today's fitness report: worked out some at home

December Running

2009-12-20T19:57:00.007-06:00

This morning Sweet Pea and I each ran about 4 miles... indoors!!

Annual cookie baking experiments in the afternoon.
Rolled ginger cookies made with gluten-free whole grain teff flour (NO refined potato starch, tapioca starch or corn starch).

Peppernuts can be made with teff flour, too, but these are a little short of flour.

Calypso wreaths ... in honor of our New Orleans trip.
An experiment: Spritz recipe, flavored with lime candy flavoring and organic coconut oil.
No gluten (wheat) flour, but sweet rice flour for about 3/4 of the flour and whole grain brown rice flour for that last 1/4 of the flour.
Butter for a third of the shortening and solid virgin organic coconut oil for 2/3 of the shortening. Well, the dough jammed up in the cookie press, so we just formed them by hand.

Not claiming any of the above is real food... but a good experiment in gluten-free baking.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

New Orleans Part 3

2009-12-17T15:45:00.007-06:00

Be sure to see the MyelomaHope posts about the reason for our trip to New Orleans.

Sweet Pea and I did 14 miles of walking in 3 days. Took this picture on Magazine Street, I think, just west of the heart of New Orleans. We could see evidence of flood damage many places.. but also, as in this picture, rebuilding and recovery.

We 2 took a tour that was listed as a tour of the Katrina damage, but turned out to also be a good tour of the whole city in 3 hours (riding in a van, not walking!)

The weather turned rainy, ironically, just when we were in the lower 9th ward, most damaged by the forceful flooding. Many vacant lots that once had houses, bought by the federal government and not rebuilt (according to our tour driver).

Bright colored Habitat for Humanity houses to encourage musicians to return to the city.

Monument to commemorate the first anniversary of Katrina, blue posts indicate flood water levels in various locations. The partial wall signifies rebuilding. There are chairs... on a family's front porch... and a row of chairs on the other side, representing community. There is more interpretation of this monument on the internet.

The tour included an extensive investigation of a cemetery, including detailed explanation of the "natural cremation" process.
The gathering of a few jazz musicians for an interment was somehow a more cheerful note!
Tour also included French Quarter, Garden District, City Park, etc.

WORKOUT REPORT: At the community center. Sweet Pea did 4 miles on the track and I did 4 miles on the treadmill.
I think outdoor temps have been as much as 20 degrees below normal for this time of year.

New Orleans in 3 Days

2009-12-16T17:07:00.007-06:00

Part 2 .... Sweet Pea and Sunshine in New Orleans December 5-6-7
See Myeloma Hope blog for details of the hematologist conference.

Crescent City Farmers' Market at the corner of 700 Magazine Street and Girod
We bought a bag of scrumptious fresh pecans.

On a tray at bedtime: "Sweet Dreams .... A New Orleans Tradition" Pecan pralines

Small package pralines, thrown from a float in the Canal Street parade

Oh yes, and BEADS thrown from the floats ... even Santa was throwing beads. Beads hung by the dozens from the power wires, tree branches, porch railings.

It was nearly dark when we two bravely took the street car on Canal Street out to City Park to see the lights of Celebration in the Oaks. (City Park, recovering from Katrina flooding.)

A festive visit for children, with carnival rides for children
Dinosaurs and alligators were numerous.

A calypso version of "Twas the Night before Christmas" .... "the prancing of eight tiny alligators."

The red shadow in the middle window the the building is a 15 foot tree made of poinsettia plants.
Because we were uncertain about street car stops, we walked about a mile back to Canal Street. It was dark, but oh it felt gloriously warm to these Minnesota visitors.

Back home, we renewed our membership at the community center last Sunday. Spent an hour on the treadmill on Sunday and an hour on the track on Tuesday.
Training for the next half marathon....
My therapist says I have a lot of half marathons left in me... Hmmmmm!