A dog named Boat Beer

My Sissy had an "epic status" on Facebook yesterday.  The "epicness" came from how one of her friends and I completely hijacked all the comments, and even got a few others to play along.  As it turns out though, one of my comments was about shiner minnows.  And in discussing this status with her after the fact I told her how her doggy nephew "Shiner" is named after these minnows.

Both of our dogs have fishing and drinking themes to their names.  Rascal Jack is named after a fishing boat in Hawaii named "The Rascal", and Jack Daniels.  Shiner Bock is named after the aforementioned minnow, and a delcious beer brewed in Texas.  I told my sister that we will forever have to name our dogs after fishing and drinking.  We eventually started laughing about where these names would lead and decided that sooner or later Hot Hubby and I'd run out of ideas and we'd end with a dog named "Boat Beer".

Then, because my sissy and I are quite funny, our giggles turned into us concocting a story about Brian and I being on our deathbed and rewriting our will so that my niece (my sissy's stepdaughter, The Artist) would end up with Boat Beer.  And we'd will her a lifetime supply of milk bones to keep Boat Beer happy.  And she'd have to love Boat Beer even though he will be slobbery.  And her friends would extend their sympathies for our passing, but she'd be a wee bit fussy that we left her with a slobbery, snuggly, huge dog named Boat Beer.

Oh, how my sissy can make me laugh!  A laugh that I think she definitely needed.  And I'm thankful for our laughter together.

Boa Retirement

One of the best parts of wearing a boa is the molting!  You leave behind a small part of the fun with each feather that falls.  Sometimes I'd find boa feathers in my car WEEKS after the last time I wore a boa.

Boa feather on the field at Kinnick Stadium 

GO HAWKS!

The unfortunate part of leaving a bit of the fun behind is that eventually the boa is less full, and will eventually need to be retired.  I am planing on retiring my very first Iowa Hawkeye boa on January 28th.  After running the Securian 10k in St. Paul, I am heading to White Bear Lake to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge.   I will be wearing my boa as I jump into the lake!

It will be a bittersweet (and chilly) moment!  This boa has been along for some seriously fun times...

KINNICK

Camp Randall - During a Hawkeye win over the Badgers 20-10

GO HAWKS!

Tailgating with the Luther boys

With friends that feel more like family 

On the wedding day of two amazing people!

Tomorrow when I jump into White Bear Lake, the boa is jumping with me.  It will be the last time I'll wear this one.  What a fun, fabulous, fantastic event to retire it at!

I agreed to wha?!

As you know, I have dubbed 2012 as the Year of Extreme Racing.  My first extreme race will be on January 28th when I run the Securian 10k in St. Paul, then head to White Bear Lake to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge!  But I just agreed to something much more extreme than jumping in a freezing cold lake, or climbing the stairs of a skyscraper, or running an over night running relay.  I just agreed to go to the Minneapolis Boat Show with my husband... *shudders*

See, I haven't been to the Boat Show in 20+ years.  I can't even look at the billboards, hear the radio ads, or see the commercials without my stomach doing a little flip flop.  It's only within the past 2 years that I've even considered going back to the Minneapolis Convention Center.  The last time I was at the Boat Show I left the building bleeding profusely out the back of my head, with my mom incredibly pissed that we had just paid $20 to walk through the door. 

My parents and I had just started walking through the boats.  They turned around to leave the second vessel we checked out, and someone cut me off so I was stuck there.  Being a kid I thought I'd just duck out the corner of the boat instead... duh, I'm nimble!  But when I stepped out of the boat, I didn't step onto the platform.  My foot missed completely and I fell out of the boat.  I hit my head on the boat, then on the wheel well of the trailer, then the frame of the trailer, and finally on the concrete floor of the Convention Center.

I'm laying on the ground screaming in pain!  My parents turn around when they hear the cries and discover it's their child who is making all the racket.  My dad reaches down to pick me up and helps me stand on the platform. 

I then have a conversation that goes like this:
Mom: Stop crying!  You're acting like a baby!  What's the matter with you?  Shut your mouth!  I'll give you something to cry about!
Me (sobbing uncontrollably): There's s-s-something running d-d-down my back!
Mom (eyes grow wide): OH SHIT!

I black out at this point.  I wake up in a hospital while a doctor is coming at me with a large needle to numb my skull so he can put in 8 stitches.  Thank the heavens that it was January in MN, and we had only been at the show for a few minutes.  I didn't even have time to take my jacket off, and I think the hood may have saved me!

I hate the Boat Show.  I love my husband.  2012, the year of extremes!  Game On.

2012 - Year of the Extreme Race!

A quick wrap up on my 2011 goals before I dive into 2012 (it's going to be quick because I should have done this long ago, but I've been too busy doing other things):

• I ACHIEVED MY GOAL OF RUNNING AT LEAST one 5K PER MONTH IN 2011
• That's it actually.  I raced every month, and I loved it!  The only month with a minor snafu was July.  And that's because Lifetime Fitness cancelled the race at the last minute.  I scrambled, but found a better race in Stillwater! 
• December 3rd was my last race of the year and it felt amazing to complete my goal.  I jumped up and down singing, "I did it!  I did it!  I did it!"

Moving on to bigger and better and more extreme things... 2012! 

My goal for 2012 is in two parts.  Part 1, race at least 1 race per month.  The race can be as simple as a 5k, as involved as a triathlon, or as long as a half marathon (more on that later).  Part 2, race EXTREME races!  Thus far "extreme" includes the following:

• Polar Bear Plunge (So I realize this isn't a race.  Unless you consider that I'm racing against NOT drowning!)
• Stair climb
• Triathlon
• Half Marathon (YIKES!  Seriously, this one is the one that scares me most!)
• Obstacle race (I haven't decided yet on Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, or Muddy Buddy)
• Mountain Bike Race (I'm not sure yet how many of the series I'd like to do, or which race yet.  But after spectating at numerous races over the past couple of years, I know this is extreme!!!)
• Ragnar (duh, totally extreme)
• Salsa 24 (Although, we'll see about this one... mountain biking in the dark.  Uh, yeah extreme!)

So, there it is!  My goals for 2012.  I will never forget that feeling of achievement on December 3rd.  I'm so excited to tackle these head on in 2012!

Happy New Year!

I run, you cheer. Pretty clear, right?

This post is a request that anyone I know get up early on a Sunday morning, drive to Minneapolis, and cheer for me while I run 10 miles with thousands of other women! Sounds fun, right?!

In less than 2 weeks I will run my first 10 mile race at the Women Run The Cities (WRTC - http://www.womenrunthecities.com/) event. The race begins at 8:00am Sunday, September 25th. The Start Line, and more importantly the Finish Line, is at Minnehaha Falls Park just off of Hiawatha Ave (Hwy 55) in Minneapolis.

I have been running at least one 5k each month this year, and my goal is to complete one a month for the whole year. It is truly with the support of my friends and family that I've kept on pace (pun totally intended!) to accomplish this goal. In addition to pushing myself at these monthly races I've registered for additional runs as well. This 10 mile race is by far the longest race I've ever accomplished. Even my running in Ragnar was not quite like running this 10 mile race.

It is because this will be such a challenge for me that I am asking people I love to get up early and come cheer me on! The people in my life have been so supportive of me all year long and I'd love to see familiar and smiling faces along the way, and at the Finish Line!

If you're like me, then you'd be interested in cheering at a couple places throughout the race route. To help you figure out approximately where I'll be I've put a pace map at the bottom of this post. My goal is to run 11:00 miles, with an overall finish time of under 2 hours. These mile markers (the numbers circled) and the times at the bottom right are just an opportunistic estimate of where/when I'll be.

Who: You and me
What: Cheering and running (respectively)
Where: Minnehaha Falls Park and on the West and East River Pkwys http://www.womenrunthecities.com/WRTC-CourseMap2009.pdf
When: Sunday, September 25th at 8:00am
Why: Because you love me and I'm a wee bit crazy!
How: With all my might!
My plan is to have Hot Hubby take me out for bacon and eggs after the race and the more the merrier!!!

The Best Thing

Yesterday I ran in a 5k in Minneapolis called the Say Thanks Run which benefits the MN Military Appreciation Fund.  It was a beautiful morning with temperatures in the low 60's and the sun shining brightly.  But the weather wasn't the best thing about this race.

The run was in conjunction with the rededication of Victory Memorial Drive, a WWI memorial in Minneapolis.  There were veterans of all ages there admiring the new memorial and gorgeous parkway.  Two veterans played Taps, then sang the National Anthem right before the start of the race.  It was a very prideful and touching moment for me.  But the rededication wasn't the best thing about this race.

The course was a very simple "out and back" down the parkway.  The street was lined with gorgeous oak and maple trees, that I could estimate to be over 75 years old.  There was a very, very small incline on the way out, which made for a very, very nice decline on the way back!  There were less than 400 participants, and everyone was very encouraging.  But the atmosphere wasn't the best thing about this race.

Just after the turn I noticed a runner right next to me and he yelled some encouragement to one of the other runners who hadn't turned yet.  They must have been friends as the 2nd runner yelled back "Keep up the good work Jerry!"  I turned my head to see a gentlemen twice my age about to kick my butt.  So I say, "Go get 'em Jerry.  Kick my ass!"  He laughs and says, "I could be your grandfather."  I remind him that age doesn't matter when you're running less than 10:00 miles.  Jerry kept me going for just over a mile strong.  I didn't want to let that man down.  We bantered back and forth the whole way.  

My legs started to get cramps though, and I needed to slow down a bit.  Jerry told me to slow down a notch, but for not too long.  I would guess that he finished at least a minute before me.  When I crossed the finish line I was ecstatic!  I had beat my previous PR, and had finished in 30:09!!!  This was largely due to Jerry's encouragement!  I pushed myself like never before!  But achieving my PR was not the best thing about this race.

The BEST thing about this race was the fact that I got to run it with my friend, Captain Jackie S. Jaspers.  Jackie enlisted with the Marines shortly after her first year of college and has been on too many deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  There were countless nights that I spent worrying about her safety, and the safety of everyone in her deployment.  But she is amazing, and is finally home, living in the Twin Cities!  She is no longer enlisted, but active in Guard.  

The best thing about yesterday was the fact that she was with me.  That I can thank her in person for her service to our country.  I get to make memories with her like running 5ks together, and beating PRs together.  Jackie beat hers yesterday too!  She is a kick butt runner and I love watching her succeed!  

Thank you Jackie.  Thank you MN military personnel.  Thank you to all of our troops!

Got... nothing

Ugh, creative genius, where have you been?  I've got nothing for ya folks.

On the upswing though, I'm still running those monthly 5ks!  AND I registered for a 10 mile race in September.

Wait, what?!  I paid money to run 10 miles?!  I thought I might be losing my mind, but now I'm certain of it.  Oh, and the other day I actually enjoyed running up and down hills in a quazi-figure 8 style on paths near home.  Seriously have lost my mind.

I'll come back soon.  Back from la la land!