Happy Thanksgiving

Running running... and getting ready for Thanksgiving.

Don may run outdoors in nearly any kind of weather.. and sometimes he goes with us to the indoor track. I sort of prefer temperatures above 25 for outdoor activity (which means I don't ski anymore).
Running in above 40 degree weather is a great thing: shoes, shorts (optional knee covers), a shirt or two (or three?) ... depending on the humidity and the wind... and just run run run!

Thanksgiving is a great holiday... family together... no gifts required ...nearly everybody celebrates it...
Hoping you can spend it with those you love.

Extra encouragement to eat turkey... from Minnesota... first in the nation in turkey production.

Gobble gobble!

Great News and Well, the Weather

Be sure to check out Don's monthly myeloma report:
myelomahope.blogspot.com

This November weather is getting annoying: cold, windy, cold, gray, cold, snow flurries, cold.
The unseasonably cold weather hit suddenly, you see.
And reasonable weather theology would say we didn't deserve that because the winter dragged on (last "spring") until summer finally came.

We are keeping on running... at a community center with a very nice indoor track.
Around and around and around....
But oh my, that beats cold, windy, cold ....
Happy running!

First Snowfall

Monday and Tuesday were spectatular... September weather!
Also, we are celebrating some election results and hoping for restored international relations.. and other good changes.

Chickadees, nuthatches and cardinals flocked to the feeder when the snow came on Thursday.

Later this week: Freezing weather and time to sign up at indoor track center.

Summer: lots of races, 5 marathons, some half marathons, and where did it go??

Amendment... Don ran 5 marathons.. and that 10 miles that was supposed to be a marathon in St. Charles.
Sweet Pea and I did only 2 marathons (sigh), 3 half marathons, the Twin Cities 10 mile .. and many shorter races: 5K, 8K, 10K

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Don ran the marathon (32nd marathon, 19th state); Sweet Pea and I did the half.
Don's myeloma diagnosis was just after his first marathon. He has no symptoms and doctors say, whatever you are doing, keep doing it.
Both race started out together.. for the first 6 miles. Weather was just right for running: temp around 50 degrees.
Indianapolis is a city of monuments, many of them made from Indiana limestone.
Gatorade in "poison" cups.. On Halloween day.
Little trick or treat bags of chocolate candy were a fun addition to the race bags.

Marvelous fall color all weekend... Pumpkins decorated doorsteps for Halloween.... and Obama lawn signs were abounding on the historic north side of Indianapolis.
The race began and ended near the Indiana State Capitol Building.
Registration was in the rotunda of the capitol. No security screening was imposed
There was NO expo.

But the next day...
when Post-race spaghetti was offered there, too.. somebody decided to set up security screening, locked all but one entrance to the building....

AND FINISHERS WERE REQUIRED TO (TEMPORARILY) SURRENDER FINISHERS MEDALS, CELL PHONES, CAMERAS, ETC TO GO THROUGH SECURITY BEFORE ENTERING THE CAPITOL TO
SEE THE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS POSTED AND EAT POST-RACE FOOD!!!

Truly, during the race, police and volunteers were super.
Only a few motorists had missed the road closing warnings and honked impatiently.

A walk along the canal... You can click to enlarge the wording on the plaque.
Sunset on a beautiful day.. as we drove all the way back to St. Paul from Indianapolis.
Next morning we ran a 5K on the University of Minnesota golf/cross country course.
... final race of the local grand prix season.

Des Moines Farmers' Market

In celebration of the weekly (Saturday morning) Des Moines Farmers' Market!
We were on the way to drive the marathon race course last Saturday (see previous post), and quickly came across the extensive Farmers' Market, with many streets closed to traffic east of the Polk County Court House (in the distance in the picture below)
This was the largest most marvelous farmers' market I have seen.

In the picture above, one of the many tents offering heirloom tomatoes.

One farmer was selling his frozen emu meat, another frozen elk.
There were many vendors selling ready-to-eat food of all sorts.
Wonderful Iowa produce, of course... some of it organic.
This woman, selling homemade fudge, was taking orders for Christmas.
Attractive handmade jackets...

Crafts too...

Pottery...

An abundance of flowers...

And even home-sewn APRONS!
We bought an Iowa-grown seedless watermelon for our post-race supper.
It was the best of the season.
If
ever you are in Des Moines on a Saturday morning (spring, summer, fall) be sure to tour the Des Moines Farmers' Market.

Des Moines Marathon

We 3 ran the beautiful Des Moines yesterday.
Below... Sweet Pea, wearing a garbage bag to keep warm at the start, running toward the Iowa State Capitol. Temp was in high 40s.. but heated up to 70 by mid-afternoon.
The marathon winds through historic neighborhoods, around the Drake University Bulldogs-blue track, miles of wooded trails, and around Gray's Lake (below).
Water stops were shut down when we got past mile 11... They had promised water support for a 7 hour marathon.

Until around mile 20...
And then we found volunteers were magnificently at water stops until the last runner went by.

And all 3 of us finished. Our Fearless Leader won another age group award.

October

Sweet Pea and I did twenty miles on Gateway Trail last Thursday.
You can click on the map for a nice enlargement.

Wooly caterpillar... we saw about 30 of them ... and the interesting thing is that every one of them was really chugging along.

It was a lovely autumn day.

Saturday we did a 5K race for leukemia/lymphoma (in which we have personal interest!)
As you can see, we parked fairly near the start line.

Below.. a tree closer to home.

PS for the previous post

Bless the volunteers!!!
Last year they struggled to get enough water out there ... with runners pouring cups of water over their hot heads...
This year they endured the rain pouring on their own heads...
And still they were out there. Hurrah for the faithful spectators, too.
(See yesterday's post.)

Twin Cities Marathon Races

After missing the window of opportunity to register for the Twin Cities Marathon last spring, Sweet Pea and I put our names in the envelope and made it in the drawing for the Twin Cities 10 mile race.

Perhaps you heard that it rained?! Forty-eight degrees and about an hour of really pouring rain: soaking wet socks ... even shoe laces can be bothersome when they are heavy with water... feeling returned to my fingers a couple of hours after the race.
I was so cold that I couldn't think about much but keeping on keeping on running.

It was my favorite temperature for racing... minus the rain.
About 35 degrees cooler than Chicago a year ago. We had a good time.

All 3 of us finished our races.

You can click on the map for a nice detailed enlargement.

Haven't read blogs.. or posted anything new for a while. I'm fine; just a lot going on here. Thanks to friends who have wondered.

Below is a trail in one of the Washington County Parks, picture taken late on a cloudy afternoon. Actually, on a sunny day the maples are lovely this year.

Still Running

A 5K race last Saturday, sponsored by Orthopaedic Sports.
race course on a new section of Gateway in North St. Paul.
Below ... an egret finding breakfast as we ran by.