Ice Ice (Ice) Baby

Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling too good. So I figured I’d go outside in the late afternoon and trim some grass around the front railing. The railing had other plans. It jumped out of no where and attacked me:

This is 6 hours after the attack,
after most of the swelling had gone down!

So, as I do every night, I laid in bed and iced my heel and my knee. Only this time, I added a third bag of ice to my forehead.

I’m such a dolt. Maybe I’ll have a sweet “racing stripe” for the duathlon this weekend. What a way to use (waste) my 200th post.

Gear West Duathlon Photos

Here are some more photos from the Gear West Duathlon on Sunday, where Matt and I took second in the team competition (sorry the images are so small, but that’s all they gave):

At the 5K start (on the far left)


Again, on the far left


Matt on the 28K bike


Matt working a hill


“Snacky Treat”...I mean...“Matt” on the bike
(That’s for you, Missallycat!)


The lowest point in the run, along the pond


A few strides later


Up the final hill, sprinting to the finish

Grandmas Marathon Training Update: Yesterday, I HAD to try a longer run again. It’s getting to be crunch time. I thought about trying 12. Pharmie thought I needed to push it more and go something like 16-18 miles. She was right - the marathon is just over 4 weeks away, and I can’t keep putting off my long runs. So my plan was to go out 6 miles, head back to home for 12 miles, and then see if heel was doing OK and consider another few miles. Well, it was getting pretty sore by mile 10-11. At 12, it was pretty rough, but I wanted to test it - I mean, it’s really now or never when it comes to some of my longer training runs. So I got out another painful mile and a half for a total of 13.5 (in 1:33:40). The pace was where it needed to be, but the heel wasn’t quite having it. I’m pretty bummed about it.

So the plan for now is this: no running, biking, or swimming until the duathlon this Saturday (just a little strength training, some icing, some stretching, and a lot of rest). The two 5K runs during the du shouldn’t be too problematic. Then, take 3 days off, and try a long run again on Tuesday. I’ll go from there.

So check back Saturday night or Sunday morning for my Apple Duathlon race report. As I mentioned in the last post, Matt and I (Team Happy Pants) are going out there to race together, only as individuals this time (not as a team). Wish us luck!

Gear West Duathlon Race Report

Or, “Another cool, windy duathlon”

Or, “This is more of a ‘cross country’ race than any of my cross country races in high school!!”

Or, “Holy crap, Pharmie - that’s A LOT of photos!”

Pharmie and I had a great pre-race meal last night: we stopped by “Grand Ole St. Mark’s Day” where we each had a burger, and we split a big strawberry malt and some fries. THEN we both had a piece of homemade pie (blueberry and pumpkin). We were ready to race!

We got up around 5:30, and loaded up. Matt (Pharmie’s brother) came over to ride out to Orono with us - Matt and I were doing this duathlon as a team: I was going to do the runs and he was going to bike. When we got out there, Pharmie learned that the race-day registration had filled up, so she couldn’t compete. Dang! She had put off registering to see how she felt after her 20 MILE RUN YESTERDAY! And you people think I’M the crazy one in this relationship! She was bummed at first, but quickly realized that it was probably all for the best that she couldn’t compete. Also, because she couldn’t race, she’s the one responsible for all the following great photos of her hubby and brother! Thanks Pharmie!

Matt and I got set up in transition. Our official team name was “Team Happy Pants.” Yep, that team name was my do-ins. It was STRANGE not having to worry about the bike - that was Matt’s job today. I just needed to have my run stuff ready. Here we are stretching out before the start:

I’m getting my achilles stretched and loose

And here’s Matt and I when the race was about to begin:

The Wardrobe:

OK, so here’s my story. I start teaching a summer Color Theory class at the College of Visual Arts tomorrow, so I figured I would wear an outfit made up of the subtractive primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. I’m such a geek.

A super geek ready to race

Notice in that photo that I’m NOT wearing my Under Armour shorts under the short yellow shorts. Pharmie was worried that something would happen. She was afraid that “something” would pop out and be dragging along the trail. Don’t worry, everything stayed in place. No children had to be scarred.

Toeing the start line, literally

5K Run (3.1 miles):

The gun went off, and I was running. I shared the lead for the first few blocks (the only straight and flat part of the run), and after that, I had the lead the rest of the way. The run was NUTS!! It was SO OFF-ROAD! After 1 kilometer of nice, paved road, the run became solid trail, grass, gravel, wood chips, and muddy trails through the woods. At one point, we had to cross a little creek on a few pieces of 2x12 lumber that looked a little iffy. Here’s the run course, and you can see how many sharp, nasty turns we had to do in the area that’s labeled as a “marshland:”

Here’s Matt getting ready for the bike while I’m out on the run:

During my run, I had one guy on my tail the whole time, and he caught me about a quarter mile from transition. He passed me as we headed up this one, last, nasty hill:

(this photo is from later on in the du)

I followed him into transition, and finished just 1 second behind him:

I was pretty happy with my time, considering the nasty, rough, off-road conditions.

T1:

I ran up to Matt, he dropped down to take the chip off my ankle, and he strapped it to his leg:

Matt’s behind all the bikes, taking off the chip

Then Matt was off on the ride, only seconds behind the first place team:

28K Bike (17.4 miles):

Matt was out on the bike. He said it was hilly and windy. He had ridden the course this past week, so he was ready for the hills. A bunch of us from the relay teams hung around in transition. We all were laughing because we felt guilty that our team members were out there in the wind, and we could just hang out for a while.

One of my legs got a little muddy and scuffed up by my shoe during the nasty, muddy run:

Pharmie snapped this sweet photo of the short shorts as I was walking away from her:

How do you spell “Bow-chica-wah-wah?”

I put on some clothes to stay warm during my break, and then cheered for the other athletes:

The guy next to me was the first place runner

Chatting with some of the other relay teams:

The guy who finished just in front of me chatted it up during our down-time. He was a nice guy. He was a runner by trade. He didn’t even have a bike. I didn’t feel too bad getting beat in the run by an actual runner. He just finished Boston 4 weeks ago, and he’s thinking about trying out some duathlons and triathlons (on his own - not as a team). He asked how good my biker was. I told him he was hoping for a 49 or 50 minute ride. He said that’s what his biker was hoping for too. We both smiled, and I said, “It sounds like we might have a race here!”

T2:

A few minutes before Matt was scheduled to come in, the other biker that had gone out just before Matt came riding in, and his runner took off. I figured that was it - there wasn’t any way that I could catch him. I stripped down when I knew Matt was close...

...and it wasn’t long before I heard Pharmie shout “STEVE! HERE COMES MATT!”

Matt headed toward me

I took off his chip, and strapped it on:

We had a good transition strategy worked out for passing the chip. We had the second fastest T1 time, and the 3rd fasted T2 time.

4K Run (2.5 miles):

Even though the other runner had a 2 minute lead on me, I wasn’t throwing in the towel. I went out pretty hard, thinking that I could have a great run or that he could bonk, and there’d be a chance to win this for Team Happy Pants. I saw him on one of the loopy areas, and he was running strong. At that point, I knew that Matt and I pretty much had second place locked up with no real chance for first. That doesn’t mean that I slowed up - I still was going for a good time and a strong run.

The second run was brutal. The wet, muddy areas from before now had 400 more feet that had traveled over them. It was a MESS. I’m not complaining - I enjoyed the harshness of the course. It was just a hellish run for everyone.

I headed for the finish, and heard Pharmie and Matt cheering me in:

Official Results:
Team Happy Pants: Steve Stenzel, Matt Linder
Overall Team Place: 2 out of 16
Division Place (Male/Male Team): 2 out of 9

5K Run: 2nd place: 18:55, 6:19 pace
T1: 0:37
28K Bike: 5th place: 48:32, 21.0 mph ave
T2: 0:29
4K Run: 2nd place: 17:24, 6:34 pace
Total: 1:25:55

We were 2:23 out of the lead, and Matt and I were talking afterward that there wasn’t any way for us to have made that time up: their runner was better than me, and their biker was better than Matt. I was happy with my first run time: it was right where I wanted to be, and only 1 second off the lead. Matt was happy with his bike time: he finished about 30 seconds faster than he had hoped. My second run time was rough: the course was more beat up, and so was I. I had hoped to run that about 1:30 faster, but that wasn’t in the books today.

Nothing left to do but eat:

Mmmm...post-race hot dogs!

I wanted to take a photo like this at the end, but I figured it could be inappropriate:

There were a lot of official photographers out on the course, so check back in a few days: I hope to have more photos up! Oh, and look for Matt and I (Team Happy Pants) to be doing the Apple Duathlon next weekend (only we’ll be splitting up the team to compete individually - I can be the “Happy” and he can be the “Pants”). Thanks for reading!

p.s. SUPER BIG THANKS to Pharmie for the great photos above! She took a ton! Thanks Pharmie!

An Experiment: Results

Back in January, I had a post titled “An Experiment.” In that post, I listed off things that I use and love, with the long-shot idea that the respective companies would see it and send me oodles of their product. Here are the results:

• Yaktrax: they ROCK! They got this ball rolling. They saw that I ran during the winter with some different spikes for traction, and they thought I would like their product. They sent me 2 pair. And I used them all winter! I love them! Thanks Yaktrax!

• Vanilla Crisp Powerbars: everyone there sucks. No love. I’ll still use your product. And your gels.

• Recoverite: no love. Jerks. I’ll still use your product. In fact, I just used it an hour ago. Delicious. But you’re all still jerks.

• Nuun: SUPER! Wil heard that my wife Pharmie loved Nuun, and Wil re-gifted 8 tubes of Nuun to Pharmie! Thanks Wil! She loves them! And then a rep from Nuun contacted me as well, and they sent one tube of every flavor! Thanks Nuun!!

The 8 from Wil

• Specialized: all a bunch of jack-holes. I’ll still use your product. Big Rhonda would get lonely if I didn’t take her out now and then and ride her hard.

• Apple Computers: Steve Jobs is a whore. There. I said it. I love your machines, though. I’m actually using your product right now. Super reliable.

• Pontiac/GM: sluts. All a bunch of loose, easy sluts. My car isn’t getting any less rusty. 173,000 is how much I’d like to be making each year, not how many miles I want on my busted-ass ride.

And just because of that “An Experiment” post, someone from Bridgedale Socks contacted me. They sent 6 pairs of socks my way to try: 3 for me and 3 for Pharmie. They are similar to “the big ‘S’ sock company” (as someone from their company referred to them*), but they are more technical. Pharmie gave one of her pairs to her sister, Steph, and I think that’s the only pair of socks Steph will wear on her longer runs. Her feet used to be as nasty as mine, but with her new Bridgedales, she’s doing great! Thanks Bridgedale! You guys ROCK! And between Bridgedale and Drymax, I’ll be in sock heaven for years to come!

* If you didn’t pick up on it, the person from Bridgedale socks was talking about Smartwool Socks. Man, you’re dense.

** I really don’t mean any ill-will to anyone from the above mentioned companies. This is all in good fun. I’m the one being a dillweed, not the great companies above. Thank you for making a great product. Now, please send me one of your great products. That will be all.

p.s. I ran a fast(ish) 6.5 miles today. The heel was OK. I ran a mix of grass and sidewalks like some of you mentioned in my last set of comments.

p.p.s. Matt and I are signed up as a team for the Gear West Duathlon this Sunday. I’m doing the 2 run legs and Matt is doing the bike. Matt wanted our team name to be “Balls Deep.” I wanted “Team Tighty Whitie,” but I couldn’t get Matt to wear undies over his bike shorts. So I compromised, and we are officially signed up as “Team Happy Pants.” Will I see any of you western-suburb-bloggers out there? The short yellow shorts will be making an appearance. Check back Sunday night for the results!

Look Ma! I’m Running!

I just got back from my first run in over 2 weeks (because of my recent achilles issues). I’m icing on the couch, but I’m doing OK!

I decided to try a 6 mile run. I’m smart enough to not go out for a 14 miler (which is what I REALLY want to do), but I also know I needed to push it a little, because Grandma’s Marathon is only 6 weeks away. So I had to try to go more than just 2 or 3. Pharmie and I both decided that a 6 mile run at an easy pace was the best thing to try.

I stretched pretty good and warmed my heel by the fireplace. I strapped on my new shoes and headed out. Anyone who’s ever ran after an injury knows how your mind ONLY travels to the injured area, and it waits for the slightest twinge. I tried to force myself to run a little slower than usual, and to run with nice, soft heel strikes. A few miles into the run, everything was still OK - maybe just a little tight, but mostly OK. At the turn-around, I was still feeling great, and I was in high spirits. One more mile, and I started feeling a little soreness in my heel. It got a little better after another mile.

When I finished, both my heel and knee were a little sore, but they weren’t bad. It’s about the best I could hope for right now! I stretched for a bit after the run, and now I’m nearly done icing my heel and knee.

Because this run went OK, I plan on running the Gear West Duathlon this weekend. I just said “run” because Pharmie’s brother, Matt, is going to do the bike. We’re teaming up and going for gold! I’ll be running the first 5K and the last 4K, and Matt will be biking the 17 mile ride in the middle. We’ll see how that goes!

In other random news:

• I just bought a harmonica. I’d like to teach myself how to play it this summer. Right now when I try to play it, it sounds like it’s being raped.

• I’m wrapping up spring classes. But next week, I start teaching a summer class at CVA. So not much of a break...

• I played my first round of golf in exactly 4 years this past weekend. Golfing is not my strongest suit. I shot a 7 on a par 3 after nearly driving the green. Nuff said.

• This weekend, when I was at my parents home for Mothers Day, Mom and Dad were asking about “Google Earth.” So I showed them what it was all about. We looked at the homestead, and then we noticed something in the field that doesn’t belong there. I’m pretty sure Google Earth caught my Dad cultivating the field:

And then I looked around at some places in the Cities. I found my car in front of the College of Visual Arts, as I am usually one of the first ones there in the morning:

Oh, one last quick question. With my achilles tendonitis and my consistently sore knee, should I be running on the concrete sidewalk? Or should I be running on slightly uneven (but more cushioned) grass? I run most of my miles down Summit Ave in St. Paul, and there are grassy areas in between many areas of Summit. Should I be doing some (or all) of my running on the grass?

Thanks (and a story)

I want to thank everyone for the very helpful comments on the previous post AND also for the e-mails that some people sent as well. It means a lot to me. Thanks a bundle!

This past week, I’ve been stretching and foam-rolling once a day. At night, I ice in bed, right before going to sleep. And it IS getting better. Yesterday, I don’t think my achilles hurt at all. Today, I might try doing some calf raises. I’ll keep up with the stretching, but I won’t overdo it (some of you mentioned that over-stretching it is a possibility, and to make sure I don’t go nuts with the stretching).

The foam roller and I have been getting along OK. He beats me up, and he sometimes hurts like a bastard, but it’s a “good hurt.” Here he is, sitting in the corner of my living room:

I swear, one time I turned around quickly, and he looked like this:

If you’ve used a foam roller on your IT band or Achilles, you KNOW what I’m talking about.

Also, 2 days ago, I went for a little swim to see how my heel would hold up. Andrea, the swim coach, was in her office when I got down to the pool. I asked her about water running. “So do I basically put on one of those belts and make a running motion in the deep end?” She said, “Yep, that’s about it.” She gave me a few more tips: don’t lean forward too far, really get the arms into it, and don’t point your toes like your swimming - keep them flexed like you’re running.

I warmed up for a few laps, then did about 800 meters of freestyle, and then tried water running. Andrea was getting ready to start an old lady water aerobics class - you know the one. It’s the one that takes up too many lanes and all the ladies reek like Aqua Net and White Diamonds perfume. Andrea told me (with a smirk) that they were going to be doing some water running during this class, and that I could join in. I smirked back and said, “No thanks...”

As I started “running,” Andrea kept looking down to me from the other side of the pool. I thought she was going to shout something to me about my form, and I was ready for any sort of help. After a few minutes, she did: “HEY STEVE – lean forward a little more. And really get those arms going!” I followed her advice, and it instantly felt more comfortable. I ran for a few more minutes before having to get to work.

I hopped out of the pool just as the old ladies were running their way into the deep end, ready to boot me out. Andrea actually pointed out one of the ladies to me from the side of the pool: “See how Gladys is angled just a little bit forward and her arms and legs are moving so far in and out?” I saw it. It was beautiful and perfect. Gladys had shown me the way of the water runner.

I’m about to say something for the first and last time on my blog. Get ready. Here it comes. Never again will these words be uttered. Alright, here it goes: Thanks you, 60-year-old Gladys in the saggy baggy swimsuit, for showing me proper form in the pool. You have been a vital part in my recovery process. Thank you for your help.

Wow, that felt weird.

2 Things A Marathon-Runner-In-Training Should Never Say

It’s been 1 week since I’ve ran.

And my achilles has been killing me.

No joke. It started a week and a half ago. I had a 10 mile tempo workout to run. I ran it hard. On the way back (around mile 6 or so), my achilles started aching a little. “That’s weird,” I thought. Once I finished, I was pretty happy with my time (1:04:20), but I realized it was a first run all year that I didn’t negative split. That was probably a bad sign right there. The next morning, I couldn’t walk down the stairs without pushing off on the wall on both sides of me for support. My achilles was SO SORE. I was f*cked. I iced and took it easy for the next few days.

Three days later on that Sunday (one week ago) I took part in the Winter BeGone Duathlon. My plan was to run it normally and see how bad my heel felt. As I think about my workouts a year ago when I was training for Ironman with my bad knee, I really feel like I didn’t push it enough - I feel like I used it as an excuse when I really could have worked through it a little more. Therefore, I really wasn’t that happy with the way I performed at Ironman. I was NOT going to let those same feelings interfere with marathon training. I mean, I’ll take it easy if I’ve hurt something as I try to make it better, but I will NOT use a sore ankle as a crutch for running a marathon time that isn’t what I originally wanted.

So, at the duathlon a week ago, my heel had some sharp pain before I hit the first mile marker. During the bike, it was fine. I don’t think I felt it act up - I don’t think it got any worse. Then during the final 10K run, it hurt. I got home and iced it. It was sore the next day, but not as sore as after the 10 miler (I think in large part due to the icing).

It’s been sore all week. I haven’t ran. I haven’t biked. I haven’t swam. Normally, a week in my tri-journal looks like this:

This past week looks like this:

Up to this week, my training has been spot on. Perfect. Nearly word-for-word from my training plan. Today, I’m missing an 18 mile run. (Wow, that was really hard for me to even write.)

I’ve talked with a PT briefly. She completely figured out what happened. She asked about when it first acted up: “Was it raining?” Yes. “Was it cold?” Yes. “Were there any big hills?” Yes, just before my heel started hurting. She figured it was an overuse injury, and she told me to massage it and stretch it. I’ve done that twice this past week. I don’t know how much it’s helped. I think I’m going to try running in a few days, with maybe a 6 or 8 miler. Beyond that, I don’t know. My training after that run depends on how that run turns out.

If you have any advise on how to work through this, I’d LOVE to hear it. Please.

Because this has been a pretty depressing post, and I’m known for being the “eternally optimistic guy with the short shorts, gross feet, and crazy high metabolism,” I’ll leave you with something fun. Just over a week ago, one of the schools that I teach at hosted it’s first ever “80’s Ball.” I was asked if I could take photos of the couples (think “bad prom” photos aesthetic). So some students made some make-shift backdrops of Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, and Richard Simmons. Here I am in a few photos with some students of mine:

I went as an 80s track star. Can you tell?




Some of my group


We’re in a nasty 80s gang. Don’t be hatin’ or we’ll mess you up.

Yeah, they’re a pretty fun group. The strange thing is none of them are old enough to even remember the 80s. Whatever.

What Does “6 Months” of Socks Look Like?

I came home yesterday to Pharmie sitting on the couch. She was smiling, and there was about a 1 cubic foot box next to her from the mailman. “Your socks came...” she said with a grin.

If you remember, I was in a contest about a month ago to put Drymax socks to the test. (Click here so see my video submission on YouTube.) The winner received a “1 year supply” of Drymax socks. We’ll, I didn’t win, but thanks to all of you that voted, I DID come in solidly in second place. Because of the gross things I did to the socks, and because I MAY be known for posting photos of my gross blistered feet, Drymax decided to award me with a “half year supply” of socks. I had no idea what that meant.

Until yesterday.

Pharmie thought there were about 10 pairs in the box. I picked up the box. “I dunno, it’s pretty heavy. It might be more like 15 pairs,” I said. I cracked it open. “Holy Mother........”

We counted them up. Forty-four pairs! Not 44 socks; 44 PAIRS! I need another dresser in my bedroom just so I can house my socks! This is CRAZY! I think I need to re-write the great Marvin Gaye song “Sexual Healing” with lyrics that are about “Sock-ual Healing!”

Thank you Wil, Kahuna, and Drymax! You guys all ROCK!

A Few More Photos

Photos keep turning up from the Winter BeGone Duathlon this past weekend. Here’s the last round of images:

Pharmie and I talking about our game plan


Starting gun


Me finishing (I added this image late to my last post)


Pharmie getting her bronze


Me getting my silver. Coy, aren’t I.

Winter BeGone Duathlon Results and More Photos

Official Results from the Winter BeGone Duathlon:

5K Run (3.1 miles): 19:20, 6:14/mile, 6th fastest 5K
T1: 1:02
Bike (19.5 miles): 1:04:24, 16th fastest bike
T2: 1:10
10K Run (6.2 miles): 41:33, 6:42/mile, 6th fastest 10K

Total Time: 2:07:27
10th Place out of 52 overall
2nd Place out of 4 in age group

To answer some questions from the previous post:

Kim, I have no ass. You asked how I did the bike ride in just running tights. But in the previous post, in the photos where you see me finishing, I’m actually wearing bike shorts under my tights. I just have no ass, so bike shorts make it look like I have a little sumthin’ sumthin’ back there. It’s a gift; it’s a curse; it is what it is.

J-Wim and Bubba, I’m sorry to admit that no suspenders, tighty-whities, or short shorts made it to the duathlon with me. This kinda upsets even me. I dress up all fun and weird for short, less intimidating events. This duathlon was the first REAL event of the year, so I dressed normally (just like I dressed normally for the half marathon in Jan). But, if it were warmer, the short shorts WOULD have made an appearance...

And Liz and Lisa, I forgot to mention in the previous post that the new Rudy Project helmet was great! I wore it, and DID NOT feel like a poser. I took off the “ear thingies” because they fall off easily when I slip the helmet on. I didn’t want to have to fiddle with them in transition, so I just left them at home. But the helmet was good. The slide-down visor was really nice to have out in that wind - I had it down the entire time. Now, I just need to find some great stickers, and plaster the bastard!

Here I am at the start (and Pharmie’s just behind me out of the frame):

And here I am in T1 getting my Rudy helmet on (and making a dorky face...)

Finally, here I am crossing the line:

For this next photo, I must tread lightly. I NEVER want to make fun of a newbie to the world of multi-sport. I’ve been known to make fun of posers (people who have an $8,000 bike but can only average 12 mph), but I would never make fun of someone stepping out and racing in their first duathlon. If you’re out there trying your first ever race, more power to you! Way to go! I do not want to be that over-competitive super-jerk. I’m always that guy that sticks around and cheers everyone into the finish line. (In fact, after I finished this du, I got 2 bottles of water and walked back to the finish line to give water to the guy that I chatted with and passed on the run - we talked for a few minutes after finishing.) So, instead of being a super-jerk, I won’t say anything about this next photo. I’ll just show you, and you can soak it in:

It kinda makes me feel a little bad. I may be going to hell.

Winter BeGone Duathlon Report

Or, “Holding Off The Bikers As Long As I Could”

Or, “Who Ordered The Wind And Hills?...”

Matt, Pharmie, and I left St. Paul this morning at 6 am to drive down to Oronoco, MN. We met Borsch down there:

Matt, Pharmie, Me, and Borsch

We got there EARLY (as I ALWAYS like to do), and there were only 3 bikes set up in transition. I love to have prime pick-ens’!

Pharmie and I were going to do the long course, which was a 3.1 mile run, an 18.6 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. Matt and Borsch were signed up for the short course: 2 mile run, 12 mile bike, and 2 mile run. IT WAS GOING TO BE THEIR FIRST MULTI-SPORT EVENT! We got a sweet, sweet parking spot, about 20 feet from transition and 30 feet from “port-o-john row:”

The snow-fence just in front of my car is the corner of transition

I had one big goal for the day: to push HARD on the bike. In the past, during multi-sport events, I feel like I’ve left too much in my tank during the bike. I wouldn’t push enough on the bike, thinking about that run that I have to do when the bike is over. But not this time. Today, I wanted to bike harder and just try to hold on for the run. That was the plan.

So Pharmie and I got set up in transition and got ready to go:

It was REALLY SWEET being able to park so close - just after the pre-race meeting, when we were on our way to the starting line, we all did our final strip and threw everything in the car. It was about 31 degrees at the start, so it was the chilliest multi-sport event I’ve ever done. At least it was sunny!

Start: Pharmie and I started the long course 12 minutes before the short course started. It was a pretty small event - it was actually its first year. There were about 50 doing the long course and 110 doing the short course. I’ve NEVER been in such a small du or tri. My last tri was IM WI, when we started with 2,200 other people. This was much different.

Run: I was hoping to run the first 5K in around 20 minutes, but I didn’t know how hard I’d push myself. I ran most of the run in 7th or 8th place, and finished strong and feeling fine!

Bike: It was windy. And HILLY. And the “18.6 mile bike” was really just over 19.5 miles. That hurt. BUT, I stuck to my plan. Well, mostly.

I went out on the bike, and waited to get passed. See, I’m not a super fast biker. I didn’t get passed until about mile 2. I had dropped to 8th overall. A few more people passed me throughout, but I wasn’t getting passed as quickly as I usually do! I was pushing, and people were having more trouble catching me! But I started having a tough time around the middle of the bike leg. I was getting sick of the wind and hills. But when I saw the mile marker for mile 12, I kicked it in the butt and told myself to finish this ride hard and strong, just like I wanted to. And that’s what I did. I finished the bike in 11th overall.

Run: I hit the 10K run, and I went out at a good pace. I had worked hard on the bike, but I still had plenty for the run. I didn’t take official splits, but my first mile was about 7:10, and I hit the second mile marker in under 14 minutes.

Around that second mile marker, I finally caught up to the ONLY RUNNER IN SIGHT on the long course. There was no one behind me that I could see, and just this one guy in front of me. “Good morning,” I said. “Jeez, you caught me quick!” he told me. We made small talk for about 15 seconds. Then there was a pause. Finally, I just came out and asked it: “How old are you? Are we each others competition?” He laughed and said, “I was JUST thinking about asking you that!” It turns out he was in the age group above me. “Good thing...” he said. “I won’t be able to catch you!” We laughed again. I threw my hands up in the air and jokingly said “Not that it matters - we should each just be running our own race, right?” We parted ways, and I took off in front of him.

The run was tough. Besides mile 1 and 2, there were no mile markers. And my feet were a little numb from my bike shoes yet. And my knee was sore. And my Achilles tendon was really acting up. It was shooting pain at times. I just tried to keep my form proper and strong and work through it.

I didn’t see anyone else on the run. The Joe Plant 5K a few weeks ago where I ran all alone was good practice. I turned into the park, and booked it to the finish line.

Unofficial Results:
5K Run (3.1 miles): 19:19 - 6:13/mile
T1: 1:36?
Bike (19.5 miles): 1:03:50 - 18.3 mph
T2: 1:09
10K Run (6.2 miles): 41:33 - 6:42/mile

Total Time: 2:07:27
10th Place Overall
2nd Place in Age Group

That’s right folks! I actually walked away with some hardware! The best part of the story is that Matt finished FIRST in his age group on the short course, and Pharmie finished THIRD in hers! (Borsch would have done better, but his bike broke 2 days ago, but he didn’t just throw in the towel. Borsch did the du today on his old, crappy mountain bike!) So, in our group, we had a full set of gold, silver, and bronze to take home!!

It was a fun day and a small, fun event. Now, we’re all hashed. Our butts are all sore. In fact, Matt made an inappropriate prison-man-bitch joke about having a sore butt. I don’t want to take it any farther, so I’ll just leave it at that. I’m going to lay in bed tonight and ice my knee and heel, and we’ll see what tomorrow holds.

Check back in a few days for official results and some official photos! Thanks for reading!

It’s Unanimous!

Well, I’m going to wear my new Rudy helmet on Sunday during the Winter BeGone Duathlon. Everyone who voted in my last post thought I should. Thanks for you input. But a SUPER THANKS to Joseph who let me know that the chin strap should NOT be on the outside of the ear-thingies like I was wearing it in the previous post. That would have made me a super poser! (Not to mention that I just said “ear thingies” which makes me a poser anyway...)

I’m excited for Sunday. It’s the first duathlon of the year, and we’re taking a small army down to compete in it. Pharmie and I will be doing the long course (3.1 mile run, 18 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). The most exciting part is that Borsch and Pharmie’s brother Matt will be coming with to do their FIRST duathlon! They’re trying out the short course (2 mile run, 12 mile bike, 2 mile run). AND there’s a chance that Pharmie’s sister Steph will do it too! Should be a fun day!

The one thing that could really ruin the day is the weather. The duathlon is called “Winter BeGone,” which is ironic because Sunday morning it’s supposed to be about 35-40 degrees, windy, and rainy. Gross. We’ll see how it goes. Check back Sunday night!

Long Run Update and a Question For You All

(Note: There are NO really gross photos in this post. Promise.)

So I took a proactive approach to my nasty foot blisters on my long run this past weekend. I had planned to go 17, and it turned out to be probably more like 17.4 miles. First, to get ready for the run, I invested in a Fuel Belt:

I suddenly felt like SUCH A RUNNER with that thing on. It really did the trick throughout the run, but it moved around a bit when everything was still quite full and heavy. I’m a fan.

I went to Running Room on Grand Ave, and I talked to the lady who worked there for ideas on keeping my toes in better shape. She recommended Body Glide on my toes. And these things called Toe Caps. Here’s my left foot smeared in Body Glide, with the middle toe capped with a Toe Cap:

It’s like a mini toe condom!

And you know what? After 17.4 miles, my feet looked great! See?...

So here was my hilly, hilly loop along the Mississippi:

And my pace was strong. I ran the 17.4 run in 2:05:21. That’s a pace of 7:12 / mile average. And THAT pace is good enough to get me to break 3:10 in a marathon. Let’s see if I can hang on to that pace for a bit longer.....

In other news, I just “won” a Rudy Project aero helmet with my BfitBay Challenge. Here’s how the beast looks:

What? I always wear a nice shirt when biking.

Now, here’s the question: Should I try out this helmet this weekend at my first duathlon of the year? See, I’m not a fast biker, so I’m afraid that I’ll look like a poser if I get passed while wearing a sweet, sweet helmet. At the same time, it IS the first duathlon of the season in our area, so it’s a good time to try out new things for the upcoming season. Right? What do you think? Wear? Or no wear?

Three Signs of Spring

One: The bike rack found it’s way out of the basement:

Two: My (sorry attempt at a) beard is gone:

Three: My cats have started licking the sweat off of me again:

Welcome to Spring. Bring on the heat.

Things That Make Ya Go EEEWWWWWW!!!

First, a little training note to get us all up to date. Two weeks ago, I had a GREAT long run. I ran 14 miles in 1:36:41. I ran it well, I felt great at the end, and I was really proud of that run. Last week, I had a HORRIBLE 15 mile run in the rain/snow/slush. It took me 1:50, so it was quite a bit slower then the 14 miler, AND I felt like crap for the entire run. Here I am soaked afterwards:

You really can’t tell I’m soaked because I’m
just soaked through everywhere.

Yesterday, I had to run an 8 mile tempo run. This was going to be the redemption run from the shitty run of last weekend. I went out pretty hard, tried to keep it fast, and tried to negative spilt it. Mission accomplished - 24:45 first half, 24:20 second half, 49:05 overall, 6:08/mile pace. My “relf-esteem” is back on the way up (That’s short for “running self-esteem.” Think it will catch on? I don’t.)

There was one problem with yesterdays fast run: my middle toes were paying the price in my new shoes. The “little piggy that had roast beef” wasn’t happy. (Side note: Mmmm...roast beef.) My right foot started hurting 2 miles into the run. At the turn-around at mile 4, it was REALLY sore. After a few more miles, my left foot was hurting too. I just muscled through it. When I got home, before heading in for some Recoverite (which is like crack to me), I grabbed my camera. Here was my right foot, the sorest one:

I created a blister and rubbed it off during the run. My left foot, which wasn’t as sore, looked like this:

Yep, that’s a super nasty blood blister. And notice the REGULAR blister that had started forming ON TOP of the blood blister! It’s a 2-for-1 special!

I went inside and got ready to clean up. Here’s a nice close-up of the carnage:

The blood blister was super squishy, like a boob. And the regular blister on top of it was like a nipple on the boob. I’m not a scab-picker, but I AM a blister-popper, so I grabbed a little scissors and went right through the nipple and boob:

The 2 sets of fluid (from the regular blister and the blood blister) combined in a marriage of pusy goodness. It was like when you use Draino that has 2 separate compartments of liquid that meet up in your drain to do their job. It was just like that. Only it stung more than when I have to use Draino. I squeezed that sucker dry:

If you didn’t have a foot fetish before, I bet you have one now! Seriously, I have so many gross foot photos that I could probably start up some “gross foot photo fetish” website and make TONS of money. There HAS to be a market for that!

17 mile run on the books for this weekend. I’ve got plans for taking care of my toes. We’ll see how it goes!

Doughnut Run Results

Sorry this is so late...busy week. Anyway, here are the official results from last weekends EPIC 5K:

Time: 28:54
Doughnuts Eaten: 15
Doughnut Adjusted Time: 10:24
Place: 1st out of 300

I was shooting for a single digit adjusted time, but I underestimated how hard those last few doughnuts would go down. I had reached my limit, but was trying to force more inside of me.

And I want to thank you for all the SUPER FUN comments on my last post. You guys are all the best! Thanks!! More to come soon...

Doughnut Run Race Report

Or, “Swallowing Hard”

Or, “Return of the Yellow Shorts”

Borsch and I got up at the butt crack of dawn, and grabbed some breakfast at 4:30 am. Then we hit the road for a 3+ hour drive for a 5K. The directions were basically to hop on Interstate 35, drive south for 210 miles to Ames, and then turn right. Here was our route into Iowa:

We were only about a half hour from Ames, when I saw a cop. Yep. You know where this is going. I looked down and realized I was going a little fast. The next thing I hear is “License and registration please.” Borsch snapped a photo with his phone:

And then he snapped another when I was walking back to my car after signing the paperwork in the cop car:

Not a great way to start the day. Dang. I told the cop about the Doughnut Run, and he LOVED the idea. He didn’t love it enough to rip up my ticket. He said he was going to tell all the guys about it over lunch.

So Borsch and I got to the race, got our paperwork, and tried to stay warm. Shortly after that, I saw someone drive into the lot. It was Danielle in Iowa, who was the one that told me about this event. Shortly behind her, was Laurie (who I’ve met through IM WI events in the past), and suddenly we had a little meet-up!

So here’s how the Doughnut Run works: You run a normal 5K. But along the course, there are 8 “pit stops” where you can choose to eat Krispy Kreme doughnuts (but you don’t have to eat any). For each doughnut you eat, time is taken off your 5K finish time. Here’s how many seconds you can earn:
• 1 Krispy Kreme - 0:15 seconds
• 2 Krispy Kremes - 0:30 seconds
• 3 Krispy Kremes - 0:45 seconds
• 4 Krispy Kremes - 1:00 minute
(so if you eat 4, that’s a total of 2:30 off your time)
• Every Krispy Kreme after that is 1 more minute off your time.
• At certain “major” numbers (10, 15, 20, 25, etc), you got an EXTRA 2 minute bonus off your time.

So the idea is to balance speed with doughnut consumption. I could eat 10 and finish fast, but if someone finishes a few minutes behind me but they ate 15 doughnuts, they would have a better “doughnut adjusted” time.

So the 3 of us lined up (Laurie wasn’t there to run – she is the one responsible for all of the upcoming great photos!). They shouted “go,” and we were off. My goal was to TRY to eat 2 doughnuts per station, which would be 16 doughnuts. Here’s what the first “doughnut station” looked like before the race started:

Yep, that’s BOXES of Krispy Kremes stacked under the table

I was about the 10th one to the first table, but most of the people in front of me didn’t stop; there were a number of people that just ran a normal 5K (with those delicious doughnuts, I don’t know WHY). Here I am running into the first doughnut station on the far right:

I ATTACKED a box of doughnuts:

The first 2 doughnuts were inside of me. And I was going strong. Except for between stop 2 and 3, I was passing a group of women, and one leaned over and spit on me (accidentally). It landed on my arm. It was pretty hot. She felt sooo bad. I laughed it off, told her it was no big deal, and kept bookin’ it.

The “2-per-stop” race strategy was working OK until the very end. On the second to last stop, it took me 2:38 to eat 2 doughnuts. They went down hard. I had reached my saturation point. And I technically lost 38 seconds by stopping. So at the last stop, I was only going to eat 1 more, which would take my total to 15 (and that extra 2 minute bonus). So that’s what I did.

And the run from the last station back to the finish line was HELL. I nearly coughed a little doughnut back up, so I had to swallow hard to get it back down. Gross. But I crossed the line in 28:46 total, having consumed 15 doughnuts along the way.

Here are my, umm, splits:
Run: 3:09
Eat: 1:29
Run: 1:46
Eat: 1:01
Run: 1:52
Eat: 1:41
Run: 1:03
Eat: 1:25
Run: 1:56
Eat: 1:24
Run: 1:05
Eat: 1:25
Run: 1:49
Eat: 2:38
Run: 1:50
Eat: 1:00
Run: 3:04

Total: 28:46
Eating Time: 12:03
Running Time: 16:43

Don’t get too excited by my running time. It was like running intervals, so I could run pretty hard between stops, and then catch my breath while eating.

Intake: 3,000 calories consumed (15 Krispy Kremes)
Output: 350 calories burned (5K run)
Results: Ummm, I’m not good at math, so let’s just call it a wash...

Laurie snapped a photo of me all sweaty and hairy (and surprisingly glaze-free):

Have I mentioned I’ve started a little beard?...

Here’s my doughnut hand all “glazed-up:”

Then I saw how nasty my watch was from all the glaze. So I cleaned it up. With my mouth, what else?

Laurie and I hung around and watched Danielle and Borsch finish. Yeah! There was no puking! We looked for finishers that had ate a TON of doughnuts, but no one came in with any great numbers. So thought I might have a chance at breaking into the top 3! The 4 of us hung around and hoped to win something in the drawing. None of us did. But then something else happened. They listed off the winners. Guess who took first place. Come on. Guess.

Holy crap, they read my name!! I placed first, with the best "doughnut adjusted" time in the pack!

And I didn’t even need my secret weapon:

I was all ready to do Pepto shots if I had needed to...

Well, I have some photos (from Laurie) of Danielle and Borsch, and I’ll send them off to each of them so they can post the photos if they’d like. And the official results aren’t up yet, and I'll have those as soon as I can.

On the way back to the Cities, Borsch and I stopped in Albert Lea for a lunch at McDonalds with my folks. And yes, we both actually had a burger. We were feeling fine! It was actually kinda gross how not-gross we were feeling. We had a nice chat with the ‘rents (do the kids still say that now days?), and we finished the drive back to St. Paul.

What a day! What. A. Day. It’s the first 5K that I’ve run that I would consider to be “epic.” A 4:30 alarm, a 3 hour drive, a speeding ticket, meeting up with blogger buddies, running and eating like crazy, winning the dang thing, driving back 3 hours, and being treated to McDonalds by my folks: Yep, that’s an epic race day.

Now the tough decision: do I make that BORING drive again next year to defend the title? Thanks for reading everyone!!

Two Important Things

First, a big THANK YOU to everyone who voted for my video!! I finished solidly in second place, which I tend to do in online voting competitions (note the silver ribbon on the right side bar).

But I’m not going home empty handed. The winner gets a years supply of Drymax socks, and I’m going to get a half a years supply for coming in second! Don’t ask – I don’t know what a “half a years supply of socks” is either...

Anyway, thanks for all your votes, blogger buddies!

Secondly, I’ve been thinking about the Doughnut Run 5K this weekend (a 5K with 8 “doughnut stops” where you can stop and eat donuts – each donut consumed on the run subtracts time from your overall finish time). I’m TOTALLY doing the run, but I’m wondering how good of an idea it is. Case in point, the following is a poem that I posted nearly 2 years ago. It was my 11th post on my “new” blog. It shows how food and running don’t always mix. Some of you have read this, but many of you haven’t. Enjoy:

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

The following poem is a true story,
and I apologize if it gets a little gory.

I was happily into my 6.2 mile run.
I was having a good time; it was fast and it was fun.

At about mile 3, my stomach gave a twitch.
I shrugged it off; it was just a minor glitch.

Before mile 4, the little pain was back.
“Is this going to be a problem?” I thought as I clenched my crack.

The pain kept getting much worse,
And I was afraid that I was going to burst.

A few blocks from home, I started flipping through my keys.
I needed to get into the house fast and with great ease.

I picked up the pace; I was running with all I got!
It was either get home now, or duck into the bushes and cop a squat!

I was running so fast that I actually wheezed.
I didn’t think I was going to make it; my butt cheeks were squeezed!

Two blocks from home, my stomach really began to hurt.
And down my leg, I nearly felt a little squirt.

I got to the house just in the nick of time.
What I was about to do could probably be considered a crime.

Sprinting to the bathroom, I almost dropped to a knee.
I shouted to Sarah as I slammed the bathroom door, “Don’t stop loving me!!”

I had made it in time! I had made my goal!
And I concentrated hard as not to look down into the bowl. (gross)

It was a sad, sad sight: I had horrendous squirts!
It felt like the cast of Sesame Street was parading out of my ass, complete with Ernies and Berts.

What happened in there I can only describe as a gush.
It was such an incident that it called for a courtesy flush.

Had Sarah heard what just happened in the bathroom?
If she had, she is now reconsidering ever taking me as her groom!

But her love is unconditional, like the love a child has for her doll;
Outside the bathroom door sat a brand new bottle of Pepto Bismol.

The significance of this story holds true, whether near or far;
The moral being, “Ten minutes before a fast run, DO NOT eat a Klondike Bar!”

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

By the way, that poem is completely true. I DID shout "Don't stop loving me!" as I ran into the house, and Sarah DID have a bottle of Pepto waiting for me outside the bathroom when I was done. Oh jeez, what have I gotten myself into this weekend? Check back late Sunday or Monday to see how I handled the Doughnut Run. It might not be pretty...

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!

Jeez, I always feel like I'm asking everyone to vote for something that I've done. I guess we are in an election year...

Anyway, I was asked to be part of the "Drymax Challenge" where I test drive some Drymax socks. These socks are supposed to keep your feet dry and comfortable in ANY conditions. Here's my video submission (make sure to check out the 3rd test!):

The general public (AKA, you) can vote for your favorite. The person with the most votes will receive a YEARS WORTH of Drymax Socks!! Sweet! You can only vote once per computer, and you need to go to Wil's blog to vote. Voting closes on Wednesday so PLEASE go here and vote for Steve: http://www.throughth3wall.com/

Tell your friends! Thanks a bundle!!

Workout Updates and Upcoming Race

First, I have some people to apologize to:

If you were walking, running, biking, or driving down Summit Avenue this morning, I’m very sorry you had to see my pale, hairy chest. It was a HOT morning (49 degrees [shut up, that’s HOT here]), and I was running a fast 14 mile run - my long run for the week. Apparently, when it breaks 40 degrees, I start to burn up. I nearly had my shirt off 4 miles into my run, but I didn’t want to seem like a jerk. So I held off until I had about 4 miles left, and then it just HAD to come off. I’m sorry if I blinded you. So sorry.

My run was strong. I ran the first 7 in 50:44, and I ran the second half in 45:57 for a total of 1:36:41 for 14 miles (6:54 / mile). Good pace and nice negative split. I felt strong and the run felt great (I mean, it hurt - but it was a good hurt).

I brought along a PowerGel in my Under Armour shorts, and it lodged itself nicely in my thigh. I ate the gel with about 5 miles left. When I got home, I found out that the gel-pac rubbed a bit on my leg:

Oops. I’ll chalk that up as “lesson learned”

My speed work has been going well, too. I HATE running intervals, but I still look forward to running them and seeing what I can do.

All of this training is for Grandmas Marathon in June. I think it’s time to layout my goal. So here it is: qualify for Boston (sub 3:10). There. I said it. I’d love to break 3 hours, but that’s a little lofty. Breaking 3:10 is what I’m training towards.


In other news, I have just officially register for a race that I was born to run. Blogger buddy Danielle in Iowa told me about the Doughnut Run in Ames Iowa in 8 days (next Sunday).

Listen to this, and tell me that this race wasn’t MADE for me: it’s a 5K run that has multiple stops where you can choose to stop and eat Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Each doughnut you eat subtracts time from your overall race time. But it only counts if you don’t barf before you finish. Danielle joked that I could be the first to post a negative time, being I’m speedy and I like food (have you heard me rant about Chipotle, Pizza, York Peppermint Patties, and any kind of meat?)

Ames is a 3 hour drive ONE WAY, but I don’t care. I’ll be leaving home at 5 am for the 9 am start, running the race and loading up on doughnuts, and then I’ll drive 3 hours back to St. Paul. AND I’ll get to hang out with some bloggers while I’m down there, so it should be a great day!

I guess that poses this question: is 6 hours too far to drive for a 5K? I don't think so.

5K Photos and Awards

Some people have commented on my 5K win that the course was short. I don’t want to believe that. It may be true, but I have no idea. I actually talked with the race official at the start. He told me that the “actual” start line was about 10 feet ahead of where we were, but as long as we ran (in his words) “a 5K or MORE,” he would call it official.

Also, for what it’s worth, that time seemed about right for how I’ve been training. Four weeks ago, I had to do a 3 mile tempo run. I mapped out a course and ran it hard in 18:15. This past week, a few days before the 5K, I had another 3 mile tempo run on my schedule. I ran the same course as a few weeks ago, and I ran it in 17:15 - 1 full minute faster. So on the morning of a race, with extra adrenaline and extra excitement, I’m not surprised that I could pull out a 17:27 5K.

So, I’ll have to still consider that an official 5K PR time. So much controversy.

Oh, and about the “400+” people that ran the 5K: well, it was more like “around 300.” The number of “400+” also took into account the people that did the 1 mile walk as well. Here were the official results:

Here are some photos from the Charities Challenge site that Gary (president and founder) snapped during the event:

Gary labeled this one “Overall Winner Steve Stenzel Cheers On Others”


Here you can see Jon, Steph, and me on the left


Steph and my yellow butt

Joel, best friend of the late Joe Plant, contacted me and said he has to get me a prize for winning. I thought it would be something small. But because so many people in the Twin Cities know Joe Plant’s story, there were some nice donations. Joel told me that I won a night in a NICE Minneapolis hotel and a dinner at a NICE restaurant! I couldn’t believe it! So, to be fair, the first person to comment on this post wins a night with me in that nice hotel! Game on!

New Blogger Alert!!

Just a quick note: Jon Borscheid, the other fella in the photos from my previous post about the 5K, has just started blogging. In the blogosphere, he goes by “Borsch” and his blog is Du-Athlete in Training. He just got a bike, and between Pharmie and myself, we’re trying to rope him into the world of multi-sport!

Stop in on him and say hi! Tell him Steve in a Speedo sent you! (or not) You can always get to his blog from the "Bloggers I've Met" link on my sidebar.

Joe Plant 5K Race Report

Or, “Avoiding ‘Dingleberry’ Status”

Or, “Runnin’ On My Own In Short Shorts”

Joe Plant was a young marathon runner who was in training to fulfill his lifetime dream of becoming a St. Paul Police Officer. Joe and his friend, Joel, were known to run countless miles around Lake Phalen in St. Paul. Joe recently died in his mid-20s of heart failure. This run was the idea of his best friend Joel in memory of Joe.

Steph, Jon, and I hopped in the car early this morning, and headed out to Lake Phalen. Steph was going to cheer and lug our stuff around, and Jon and I were going for PRs. We got there, and got our race numbers:

They were HOPING for 150 runners, but they got over 400! There were a ton of police officers and groups of officers-in-training from the Police Academy. It was really great!

Let me explain this next photo: When I first wore shorts this year (just a few weeks ago), Bigun remarked about my apparently “long” shorts: “those aren't shorts...they are pants pulled up.”

And regarding my Ironman photos from last year, Kate said “I can't believe you ran a freakin' marathon in those shorts!” And the Dread Pirate said “Man, you look strong. Even in those shorts.” No love for my shorts.

So to show you all WHY I don’t wear short shorts, I decided to break them out today. Here you go, jerks:

See? SEE?!? This is why I don’t wear SHORT shorts! I’M PASTIE AND THIN! I DID have the modesty to wear my Under Armour (rolled up) under the shorts, just so my junk didn’t roll out during the run.

OK, onto some business. I had my traditional pre-race poop and was feeling good. Getting ready at the starting line, Gary (the President and founder of Charities Challenge) told those wanting to run a sub-20 to get to the front. I headed up with a few others:

Gary saw me and asked what I was hoping to run. I said “Around 18 minutes.” He wished me luck, and he started the race:

It took about 1 block for me to pull away from everyone else. After a 1/4 mile, I couldn’t even hear footsteps behind me. This entire race was spent out on my own, in front of everyone. The first mile was good and fast.

Mile 1: 5:38. Just around the first mile marker, I was coming up upon 2 ladies walking on the trail. In one breath as I passed them, I quickly said “There’s a lot of runners coming your way in about a minute.” They thanked me and I kept going. Steph said she could see me across the lake for most of the run, and she snapped a photo of me getting ready to climb a nice hill:

Can you see the sun glistening off my
white, pale, sickly-thin thighs?...

Mile 2: 6:04. Getting up to mile 2 was tough. We were running into the wind, and it was icky. This is where I start to hurt during a 5K. I was concerned that I was starting to crash. But I didn’t worry. I trusted my speed work, and I just picked it up and pushed hard...

Mile 3: 5:08. Sweet. It FELT fast and hard. PR, here I come. (mile 2 might have been a little long, and mile 3 a little short...)

Last 0.1: 0:35.

(passing some walkers finishing the 1 mile walk)

Total: 17:26
Pace: 5:37 / mile
Place: 1st out of 400+

I was hoping to finish in around 18 minutes, which would have been a 40 second PR. Instead, I took over a minute off my PR. And I remember my fastest 5K time in high-school was either 18:40-something or 17:40-something, so this is a TRUE PR! Sweet, I’m not a dingleberry!! (See previous post.)

A few minutes later, Jon came running through, with a new PR!!

As soon as Joel (Joe’s friend) finished, he came over and shook my hand and thanked me for coming out. Then, Jon and I cheered in the rest of the runners:

I went to say good-bye to Gary, and he set up one last photo. This photo is of (from left to right) Joel (Joe’s friend who wanted to have a race in his name), Joe’s Mom, me, Jeannie (who made this race happen), and Gary (president of Charities Challenge):

Well, you’ll have to excuse me now, but I have to stretch and get ready for a 10-miler. Marathon training awaits! And I’ll have more photos from today’s 5K shortly...

p.s. A big thanks to Steph for taking such great photos today! Thanks Steph!

I Think I’ve Settled On The 5K...

Weighing all the options and all of your feedback from the last post, I think I’ll try the Joe Plant Memorial 5K this Sunday at Lake Phalen. The biggest downside is not getting to meet Teacherwoman. Dang.

MissAllyCat was one of the people that voted for the 5K. She said it best when she ended with “PR that bitch!!”

Mister P made a good (but selfish) point. He told me to do the event that could lead to the most entertaining post afterwards.

Now, I HAVE to PR, otherwise I’ll feel like a total dingleberry*.

All of the local weather guys are predicting some rain/snow mix on Saturday night and Sunday morning. This would not help my case for my PR. I cannot slip and slide my way to a PR. We’ll see how this goes. Wish me luck!

* Dingleberry - noun.
1. That last little turd that just CANNOT be pinched off no matter the strength of one’s sphincter. It just hangs there, mocking its master. It will not join the other kids that have just been dropped off at the pool. “I pinched and I pinched, but I just ended up smearing that dingleberry all over my ass!”
2. A “Klingon” near “Uranus.”
3. Steve on Sunday if he doesn’t PR. “Steve finished 3 seconds slower than his PR - what a dingleberry.”

Help Me Choose My Event

This Sunday, before my long run for the week, I’d like to do a quick event. I have 2 in mind, but I don’t know which one I should do. Please help me out.

1. Joe Plant Memorial 5K, St. Paul

Pros:
- I’ve been getting fast since I’ve added intervals into my training, and I think I could really smoke my old 5K PR. I’m curious how fast I could run a 5K...
- It’s close to home and would just take an hour or 2 out of my day.
- With marathon training ramping up, I’m only going to start getting slower, so now might be my last time to shine.

Cons:
- Running is my strongest event of swim/bike/run, so do I REALLY need to be running 5Ks when I could be working on my weaker events?


2. Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon, Maple Grove

Pros:
- It would be a great brick workout.
- North Dakota Blogger Buddy TeacherWoman will be there, and we could finally meet in person. (Her blog was one of the first I started reading 2 years ago...)

Cons:
- It’s farther from home.
- And it will take more time out of my day.

Some of these pros and cons are bigger than others. Now, it’s in your hands, fellow bloggers. I need an outside perspective. What do you think I should do? Thanks all!