ITS BEEN SPRING NOW IN MINNESOTA FOR A FEW DAYS BUT MOTHER NATURE SEEMS TO BE DRUNK AS WE GOT A FRESH 5 OR SO INCHES OF SNOW THIS MORNING. THIS LOVELY BLANKET OF SNOW CAUSED ENOUGH HAVOC TO CANCEL THE YMCA'S EASTER BUNNY 4 MILE RUN I HAD PLANNED ON RACING TODAY. WHILE THIS MIGHT SEEM LIKE A BUMMER, PROBABLY A BLESSING AS I REALLY NEED TO GET SOME SOLID MILEAGE AND TRAINING RUNS IN. THAT BEING SAID, IT WAS A EARLY SATURDAY ANYWAYS WITH SOME PUPPY DUTIES AND THEN OFF TO THE Y. WAIT, DID I JUST SAY PUPPY!? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? MEET EMIE, SHE'S BEEN A PRETTY GOOD PUPPY SO FAR AND IS DARN CUTE!

IF YOU DIDN'T GET TOO DISTRACTED BY EMIE, I'M STILL TALKING ABOUT RUNNING, RACING AND TRIATHLON. SO, SINCE THE BUNNY RUN DIDN'T HAPPEN, I HOPPED ON A TREADMILL. SEE WHAT I DID THERE, HOPPED... OK, FOCUS. THE RUN WAS GREAT AND FELT GREAT. I CRANKED OUT A SOLID 15 MILE TREADMILL RUN AND FOCUSED ON PACE ALONG WITH HYDRATION AND NUTRITION A LITTLE BIT. WITH BEING PAIRED UP WITH BASE PERFORMANCE, I HAD SOME BASE BARS AND SALT TO KEEP MY BODY IN CHECK AND THE CMT HOT 20 COUNTDOWN KEPT ME FROM GETTING TOO BORED.

I GUESS THAT RUN ALONG WITH THE CANCELATION OF THE BUNNY RUN PUSHED ME OVER THE EDGE AS I JUST SIGNED UP FOR THE FARGO MARATHON. I WAS BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE HALF AND FULL AND DECIDED TO RACE THE FULL. WELL MAYBE NOT RACE BUT RUN THE 26.2 MILES. THE GOAL THIS YEAR IS A SUB 3:45 AT GRANDMAS AND TO PR AT IRONMAN WISCONSIN 70.3 IN JUNE. JUST DIDN'T FEEL RUNNING A HALF WOULD BENEFIT THE END GOAL ENOUGH.

GARMIN DATA, EVERYONES FAVORITE RIGHT? LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THE RUN FELT GREAT AND I WOULD CONSIDER IT THE OFFICIAL START OF THE TRAINING FOR GRANDMAS AND IMWI70.3 WHICH ARE BOTH IN JUNE. AFTER THE RUN I ELECTED TO DO A LITTLE 500YD SWIM TO KEEP THE LEGS LOOSE AND JUST TO GET BACK IN THE POOL. WHILE IT ISN'T AN OPEN WATER SWIM, THE CHAIN OF LAKES TRIATHLON IS JUST OVER A MONTH AWAY! THAT ALL BEING SAID, HAVE SOME KILLER BASE PERFORMACE AND WATTIE INK HIT SQUAD GEAR TO WEAR THIS YEAR. BOTH KITS ARE AWESOME AND GETTING EXCITED FOR A GREAT YEAR.

AS ALWAYS, THANKS TO ALL MY COOL PEEPS THAT KEEP ME MOTIVATED, PUSH ME AND GIVE ME COOL GEAR!

#TRIBERULES #TRIBERACING #WATTIEINK #WATTIEINKHITSQUAD #BASEPERFORMANCE #RACEWITHBASE #ASICS #TREK

My good friend has decided to fundraise for Smile Train to help give smiles to children in need. Smile Train is an international children’s charity that provides free surgery to poor children suffering from cleft lip and/or cleft palate.

Children born with cleft cannot eat or speak properly, aren't allowed to attend school or hold a job and face very difficult lives of isolation, pain and heartache. Some children are even abandoned—all because of the way they look. Their clefts usually go untreated because they are too poor to afford the simple repair surgery that takes as little as 45 minutes and costs as little as $250 dollars.

But with your help, we can save these children and give them the life changing surgery they both need and deserve. Thank you for supporting my fundraiser with Smile Train-- together we can change the world one smile at a time!
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Please, if you are able, donate here: Branden Scheel • Smile Train

While competing in an IRONMAN race is EXTREMELY difficult, it seems pretty easy in relation to what these children face. I have had the PRIVILEGE to compete in IRONMAN Arizona 70.3 with Team MMRF and it was a life changing experience. From fighting cancer to cleft lip/palate, we get to do all the hard work. We swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then 26.2 miles. All we ask is for you to skip a latte or two and donate a few dollars, every little bit helps! i can speak from experience, this will be a life changing event and day for Branden. Lets raise some money!

Everyone always has an “A” race planned. While for most that makes sense and Is the logical thing to do, I like doing things DIFFERENTly. So, my 2 A races are going to be IRONMAN Wisconsin 70.3 and Grandmas Marathon. The issue is they are 6 days apart with the 70.3 coming first. Woof.

As for all the other races, not real sure yet. I have a lot of planning to do quickly. Graniteman series? MaRathons? Race international triathlons? Time will tell!