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ONE WOULD THINK THAT WITH THIS BEING MY 18TH HALF MARATHON IN ADDITION TO THE 26.2 RACES AND TRIATHLONS THAT I WOULD KNOW HOW TO PACK BY NOW. SURE SHIT, I GET TO FARGO AND STOP AT A CARIBOU COFFEE BEFORE I HIT UP THE EXPO. IT WAS THERE IN LINE THAT I REALIZED I DIDN'T PACK ANY CONTACTS. FOR MOST PEOPLE IT WOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM BUT I WEAR DAILY LENSES, WOOF. OFF TO A GREAT START! ONCE AT THE EXPO I GATHERED AS MANY PROMOTIONAL FLYERS AS POSSIBLE FROM THE VARIOUS VENDORS. THESE LITTLE THINGS ARE LIKE CASH FOR PEOPLE WHO RACE A LOT. THEY HAVE PROMO CODES ON THEM GOOD FOR $5 TO $15 OFF RACE ENTRIES! JUST REMEMBER, RUNNING IS A CHEAP SPORT, EVERYONE KEEPS TELLING YOU THAT.  AS PER THE NORM, THE NIGHT BEFORE A RACE IS FILLED WITH DOUBTS, PAIN (SOME REAL AND SOME PHANTOM) AND REGRETS. YOU TRY LAYING EVERYTHING OUT PERFECTLY, SET 77 ALARMS AND TRY TO BE IN BED AT 8PM. THE FIRST TWO USUALLY HAPPEN, THE SLEEP, THAT NEVER COMES. LIKE WHY DONT WE PRACTICE GOING TO BED EARLY AS PART OF OUR TRAINING!? BRILLIANT IDEA IF YOU ASK ME. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT AMERICA IS FILLED WITH SOME LAZY INCONSIDERATE PARENTS WHO LET THIER KIDS RUN IN THE HALLWAY AS THEY DRINK IN THIER HOTEL ROOM. OOPS, OFF ON A SIDE RANT. RACE MORNING. THE DAY EVERYONE HAS HAD ON THIER CALENDAR FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS. WENTRAIN FOR HOURS IN HOPES OF CRUSHING THAT 30 SOME MINUTE 10K (BRANDEN) OR THAT 1:30 HALF OR MAYBE TRYING THE IMPOSSIBLE, A SUB 2 HOUR MARATHON. NIKE CAME UP SHORT RIGHT? THE THING IS, IF YOU AREN'T NERVOUS THE NIGHT BEFORE OR YOUR HEART RATE ISN'T THROUGH THE ROOF RACE MORNING, YOU SHOULDN'T BE IN THOSE POSITIONS. IT'S WHEN YOU FIND PLEASURE IN ALL THIS AGONY THAT YOU KNOW YOU'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING, RUNNING!  THE RACE. NATURALLY I GOT TO THE FARGODOME WITH PLENTY OF TIME BEFORE WE STARTED. SOMEHOW, I STILL MANAGED TO FIND MYSELF SCRAMBLING TO THE START CORRAL. RATHER THAN BEING BY THE 1:40/1:45 PACER, I WAS BY THE 2:15 PACE GROUP TO START THE RACE. THIS MEANT TWO THINGS; IT WAS UP TO MY GARMIN TO PACE MY RUN AND I WOULD WASTE TIME AND ENERGY PASSING PEOPLE. SO FAR, THE RUNNING GODS WERE KICKING MY ASS. WITH THE START BEING INSIDE THE DOME, WE ALL WENT FROM BEING WARM AND FUZZY TO FREEZING AS WE LEFT THE HOME OF THE BISON. I THINK MOST OF US WERE WARMED UP BY THE FIRST MILE AND SOME REGRETTING THE 7 LAYERS THEY HAD ON. THESE FIRST 3 MILES OF THE RACE WERE BRUTAL. MY FIRST MILE WAS LIKE 8:15 PACE THANKS TO MY INABILITY TO GET IN THR PROPER CORRAL. PASSING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE MAKES YOU FEEL KIND OF GOOD BUT I KNEW IT WAS WASTING VALUABLE TIME. AFTER ABOUT 4 MILES INTO THE RACE, IT THINNED OUT AND IT WAS GO TIME. AS THE MILES WENT BY, I KEPT SEEING SUB 7:50 MILES ON MY WATCH. THIS WAS A GREAT FEELING, ESPECIALLY WHEN I DON'T SEE MYSELF AS A FAST RUNNER AT ALL. IT'S USUALLY MILE 10 THAT I START TO SLOW DOWN. SOMETIMES FROM PHYSICAL REASONS AND SOMETIMES A WEAK MIND. THAT SATURDAY IN FARGO BOTH WERE STRONG. I COULD FEEL MY LEGS PUSHING ME FURTHER AND FASTER AS I NEARED THE FARGODOME AGAIN. LIKE I SAID, I USUALLY LIMP INTO THE FINISH, SOMETIMES SICK ENOUGH TO VOMIT AND OTHERS AT SNAIL PACE. THIS WASN'T THE CASE, AND HOPEFULLY A NEW TREND. THAT LAST MILE, RATHER THAN SNAIL PACE, WAS A 7:20 MILE! YOU CAN THINK LIKE I DID AND BE LIKE SHIT, A LOT WAS LEFT OUT THERE ON THE COURSE. YOU WOULD BE 100% CORRECT. ON THAT DAY IN FARGO, I COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BROKE 1:40 AND PROBABLY HAD A NEW PR. BUT I AM NOT TRAINING FOR A HALF MARATHON PR, I AM TRAINING TO CRUSH MY IRONMAN. IT'S HARD TO KEEP FOCUSED ON THE END GOAL SOMETIMES. PEOPLE GET DISTRACTED EASILY AND THAT CAN BRING HAVOC TO THE END GOAL. SO YES, I AM DISAPOINTED THAT I DIDN'T RUN AS FAST AS MY BODY AND MIND COULD BUT I AM MORE CONFIDENT NOW. I SHAVED OF EVEN MORE TIME FROM MY HALF MARATHON TIME THIS YEAR AND THE RACE FELT EASY. IRONMAN WISCONSIN 70.3 AND GRANDMAS ARE NEXT!  "THE HARDER YOU WORK FOR SOMETHING, THE GREATER YOU WILL FEEL WHEN YOU ACHIEVE IT." "EVERY MORNING IN AFRICA, A GAZZELL WAKES UP. IT KNOWS IT MUST OUT RUN THE FASTEST LION OR IT WILL BE KILLED. EVERY MORNING IN AFRICA A LION WAKES UP. IT KNOWS IT MUST RUN FASTER THAN THE SLOWEST GAZZELL OR STARVE. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE THE GAZZELL OR THE LION, WHEN THE SUN COMES UP, YOU BETTER BE RUNNING."
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LET'S START WITH THE GOOD STUFF FIRST. WHO DOESN'T LIKE A LITTLE PICK ME UP OR A THAT A BOY? WELL, I CAME ACROSS THIS CRAZY CHARACTER NAMED ARNE ONE DAY AND TO BE HONEST, NOT EVEN SURE WHEN OR WHERE. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THIS MAN HAS A HEART OF GOLD AND IS BATSHIT CRAZY PASSIONATE ABOUT RUNNING. IF YOU HAVE SIGNED UP FOR A LOCAL 5K OR HALF MARATHON, YOU HAVE LIKELY CROSSED PATHS WITH ARNE. HE WON'T BE WINNING RACES LIKE THE NEXT GUY I'LL TALK ABOUT BUT HE WILL OUT WILL YOU AND RUN WITH MORE HEART THAN ANYONE. CHECK OUT ARNE BELOW AND A GREAT STORY BY ANOTHER FELLOW RUNNER FRIEND. ABOUT ARNE VIA ECHO PRESS FIND HIM ON FACEBOOK: RUNNING WITH ARNE ROBERTSON  FAST. A WORD USED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. YOU CAN HAVE FAST CARS, FAST WOMEN AND FAST FOOD BUT THIS DUDE NAMED BRANDEN...HE'S FREAKY FAST AT TRIATHLONS. WELL, LETS BE FAIR TO HIM AND SAY HE'S A FAST RUNNER AND BIKER FROM WHAT I KNOW. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I AM ALWAYS BEHIND HIM AT RACES EATING HIS DUST. I THINK THE FIRST REAL TIME I CAME ACROSS BRANDEN WAS AT THE YOUNG LIFE TRIATHLON IN DETROIT LAKES AND I THOUGHT I LAID DOWN A GOOD TIME ONLY TO HAVE HIM CRUSH ME BY 20 FLIPPIN MINUTES. HE TOOK 1ST IN THE AGE GROUP AND I WAS SECOND. THE BEST PART OF THE STORY IS THAT I TRIED TO FIND HIM AFTER THE RACE TO GET TO KNOW HIM AND HE COULDN'T BE FOUND! TURNS OUT HE LEFT IT ALL ON THE COURSE THAT DAY AND NOT ONLY EARNED 1ST PLACE AG BUT ALSO SOME WICKED DEHYDRATION. I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT. SORRY FOR THE PIC OF THE BROKEN ROCKET, JUST SHOWING EVERYONE YOU ARE HUMAN! CHECK OUT BRANDEN FOR THE FARGO MARATHON WEEK: WDAY INTERVIEW  INJURIES...WOOF. WHEN YOU MISS OVER A MONTH OF TRAINING DO TO ILLNESS, OR AN IDIOT DOCTOR, ONE IS FORCED TO CRAM. JUST LIKE COLLEGE, CRAMMING USUALLY DOESNT GO WELL. WITH A 70.3 RACE A FEW WEEKS AWAY ALONG WITH GRANDMAS MARATHON IT MAKES FOR AN INTERESTING TRAINING SCHEDULE. MY LONGEST BIKE RIDE WAS 28 MILES, THEN I CRANKED OUT A 56 MILE RIDE ON STEALTH. DOUBLING DISTANCES USUALLY ISN'T THE SMARTEST BUT I HAVE NO OPTIONS AT THIS POINT. TO MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING I SWAM BEFORE THAT BIKE RIDE AND ALSO RAN A 10K AFTERWARDS. SUNDAY WAS MOTHERS DAY AND I WAS JUST LAYING AROUND ON WHAT WAS TO BE A DESIGNED REST DAY. WELL, MY LEGS WERE DRIVING ME NUTS AND I NEEDED TO MOVE. GOING AGAINST WHAT I KNEW AND WHAT KIA SAID, I WENT FOR A 3 MILE RUN AND THEN MONDAY RAN 10 MILES AT RACE PACE. GUESS WHAT? MY BODY, ESPECIALLY MY LEFT KNEE HATES ME. IT HATES ME SO MUCH IT IS NOW SWOLLEN AND IT FEELS LIKE I'M BEING STABBED. SO NOT ONLY DOES MY BODY HATE ME, MY TRAINER HATES ME TOO! THIS IS A GREAT POSITION TO BE IN 4 DAYS BEFORE THE FARGO MARATHON. THANK GOD I ONLY HAVE TO RUN 13.1 MILES!  #FARGO #FARGOMARATHON #RUNNING #MARATHON #TRIBERACING #WATTIEINK WITH TRAINING MY REAR OFF FOR A FEW YEARS AND NOT GETTING THE RESULTS I WANT, IT WAS TIME FOR CHANGE. NO, NOT THAT CHANGE YOU VOTED FOR A FEW YEARS AGO BUT REAL CHANGE. LIKE BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS CHANGE. I WENT TO THE BIKE SHOP WITH KIA, WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE AN AMAZING SIDE KICK AND NOW MY (CERTIFIED) TRAINER TO BUY HER A NEW BIKE. WELL WE LEFT WITH A NEW BIKE BUT IT WAS FOR ME...I'M SURE THIS WILL COME BACK AND BITE ME SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD! BEFORE YOU START THINKING I'M THE WORLDS WORST BOYFRIEND, REST ASSURED, SHE GOT A BIKE TO. I GOT MOMS OLD TREK TUNED UP FOR HER WITH A NEW SEAT, NEW GRIPS, NEW TIRES AND TUBES. IT LOOKS AND RIDES GREAT! CHECK OUT THE NEW RIDES. THE FIRST RIDE, I DON'T THINK ANY FIRST RIDE GOES WELL. I HAD TO PLAY AROUND WITH THE PEDALS/CLIPS AND OF COURSE, THE SEAT. I UTILIZED THE CENTRAL LAKES BIKE TRAIL AND WENT TO BRANDON AND BACK, ALSO KNOWN AS A 28 MILE RIDE. THE GOAL WASN'T SPEED OR DISTANCE RATHER I FOCUSED ON HEART RATE AND CADENCE WHICH WAS A FIRST AS WELL! THANK GOD FOR ALL THESE FANCY GARMIN SENSORS AND DUOTRAP. BESIDES THE BASIC STATS BELOW, I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS QUOTE OR PICTURE QUOTE FOR THOSE KIND OF PEOPLE. RAPTOR RIDE: • 28 MILES • 16.8 MPH • 1:38:50 • AV HR 150BPM • AV CADENCE 88RPM  |
AuthorWORK HARD. STAY HUMBLE. A LIFE FILLED WITH SWIM, BIKE & RUN. 5Ks TO MARATHONS, SPRINT TO IRONMAN 140.6 Archives
October 2020
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