Grand Prix Standings Two Races Into 2013

I didn't run the Securian Run Half Marathon this year, but I posted a few photos on Monday. The updated Grand Prix results are in, and I'm down in 19th.

The big news is my former student (and 9-time 2012 Grand Prix race buddy) Jeremy is in FOURTH after running a 1:28 half PR!! Nice work Jeremy! Keep it up!!

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Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Fitness Fails

A lot of these are "treadmill fails" that I've shown in the past, but plenty of these I haven't seen before. This video makes me think I should wear a helmet every moment of every day.

I was pretty impressed by the guy on the balance balls at the 2:12 point (until he sucked it up, that is).

Semi-Related: here's a video from the same people called "The People vs Winter:"



"That was a bad idea."

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A Skin Tag on My Nipple (and Frostbite)

Let's start this with an up-to-date picture of my left nipple:

Yeah, I'm that hairy. Deal with it.

For the last 6 months or so, I've noticed a TINY skin tag on my left nipple. Well, technically it's on the areola (the colored skin around the nipple). It's TINY. We could be the most intimate of lovers, and you'd never see it.

But I've kept my eye on it.

I didn't want to pull it with a tweezers, because AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH... it's on my NIPPLE!

I didn't want to clip it with a nail clippers, because AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... it's on my freakin' NIPPLE!! But I knew I needed to do something.

Flash forward to about a week ago. I went on a chilly hour-long 8 mile morning run - I think it was around 10 degrees. It's great running weather, and I finished feeling fine. It wasn't ANYTHING like the time I slightly frostbit my penis.

Flash forward another 2 days. I was checking out my nipple, and I did NOT see the skin tag! There was just a TINY dark spot where it used to be! Here it is pointed out in the same photo from above:

I THINK MY SLIGHTLY MORE "EXPOSED" SKIN TAG GOT FROSTBITE AND "BURNED OFF."

I'm now "skin tag free!!"

Chalk this one up to "just ignore it long enough and it will go away."

Thanks Mother Nature!

(And you haven't read about the time I nearly froze my penis off, you might want to check that out. It's a good read.)

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Securian Run Half Marathon

Saturday was the Securian Run Half Marathon (AKA the "Winter Carnival Half Marathon"). This WAS my longest race streak - this would have been my 6th straight year doing this race had I raced it. But (1) Pharmie worked so I was hanging out with Henry all weekend, (2) I'm not putting any pressure on myself to race 10 Grand Prix races this year, and (3) I don't have a ton of recent longer runs logged - I could have injured myself if I had raced it. After all, this was the race that caused my big heel problem 2 years ago.

So, with no hesitation, I sat it out. I thought Henry and I might swing by the turn-around point to cheer on some race buddies! We bundled up because it was around 10 degrees:

Henry's boots are still comically big - they go up to his knees.
They're hand-me-downs from his cousin, but he still needs to grow into them a bit more.

We got to a side-street near the turn-around...

Minnesota is dead sexy in the winter.

... and I expected to see a FEW people running by. We were just after the 7 mile mark, and it was 9:40 (40:00 into the race), so we'd be seeing people who were running 6:00 / mile. But there still was no one in sight. The race must have started a bit late.

I wasn't going to wait in the cold with Henry, so we drove down the race course. After a half mile, we saw the lead cop car and the first runner in the distance:

He went on to finish in 1:12.


A pack of runners on the other side of I-35E.


I always HATED coming back up that hill on the way back to the finish.
(I'm sure I'm the only one...)




Getting more crowded near the grain elevator.


Long line of people coming out of downtown, with some cones marking the
turn-around of the 10K (and people running back towards downtown at that point).

(We slowed up to take those photos... Shepard Road was DEAD except for a lot of runners in 1 lane!)

So I DID sign up for the Grand Prix, but more as a show of support for the great organization known as the MDRA. You can see I'm in 6th after the Meet of the Miles track meet, and I'll fall farther back after not doing this race.

I'll probably update Grand Prix results after their races, but I'll probably only race 5 or so of the series races.

Check out my last post about my tentative 2013 race schedule.

Back tomorrow with a true story about frostbite and a skin tag. Really.

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Preliminary 2013 Race Schedule

We're nearly 1 month into 2013. And I'm finally thinking about what I might want to race. Sheesh.

First of all, I'll be RUNNING LESS this year. Last year was the year of the MDRA Grand Prix (running) series. This year, I'll still race a number of those races (like the Meet of the Miles track meet 2 weeks ago), but I won't try to race all 13 of them. No way.

Instead, I want to do MORE MULTISPORT RACES this year, and I want to do SHORTER MULTISPORT races. I might not do any Olympic distance triathlons. Keep it short, fast, and fun.


• Falls Duathlon, April 27th. We've taken a bunch of family to this race in the past, and we did it 3 years in a row (we skipped it last year - Matt was busy and I did the "Get in Gear 10K" as part of the Grand Prix series). Here's a photo from 2010:

• Cinco DU Mayo Duathlon, May 4th. I did this for the first time last year. Great race with 2 distances. This was the first time I LED a multisport race:

Leading near the end of the first run - finished the race 2nd overall.
(Best multisport finish ever!)

• Gear West Duathlon, May 19th. This one's a "maybe" for me. Pharmie would like to do it, so I'd like to be there. But Matt's running a half marathon that weekend, so we can't team up as "Team Happy Pants" and try to go for our 2nd win there! I have a lead on another speedy biker, and maybe we'll see if we can bust out a relay win.

Matt heading to meet me in T2 in 2011.


On the 2nd run in 2011 (our first relay win at the GW Du).

• Apple Duathlon, May 25th. This is even a bigger "maybe." If I did this race, I'd maybe do it as a relay with Matt - we could see if we could win a coveted red granite apple (the best multisport trophy in Minnesota).

The start of the 2011 Apple Duathlon (I'm on the left).

• Trinona Time Trial, June 8th. I did the Trinona Triathlon last year, and it was fantastic. But this year, Pharmie and I are thinking about heading down to Winona for the weekend so I can do the Garvin Heights TT and she can do the triathlon the next day. (Here are some photos from the 2012 Time Trial.)

With the "podium girls" after the 2012 Trinona Tri.

• Life Time Fitness MPLS Tri, July 13. Another "maybe." And again, if I did it, I'd probably just stick with the sprint race.

LTF MPLS Tri 2012.

Other events I'm thinking about:

Masters Swim Meet, University of St. Thomas, Feb 23rd. Right now, I'm in about the worst swim shape I've been in in the last 4 years, but I've been wanting to try a swim meet for a while. There will never be a "perfect time" for this, so it's on my radar for this year.

Lake Johanna 4 Mile, March 23rd. Last year, this was my first race with Henry.

Irish Run 8K (formerly the Human Race), March 24th. It's nearby, and it's part of the Grand Prix series. But I can't (shouldn't) do Lake Johanna one day and this race the next, so we'll see.

MDRA 7 Miler, March 30th. It's free for MDRA members (like the Lake Johanna 4 Miler), so we've been thinking about checking it out.

Pharmie's thinking about doing the Minneapolis Marathon on June 2nd. It's basically an out-and-back course that goes from Broadway and the Mississippi River in NE Minneapolis to Fort Snelling State Park near the MSP Airport. It's all along the rolling hills by the Mississippi!

Rice Street Mile, July 25th. Again, part of the Grand Prix series.

Waseca Triathlon, July 28th. My wife's been wanting to do the 1/3 Iron distance at this event. I'd just do the sprint. We'll see...

Lake Marion Triathlon, August 18th. Matt and I did this 2 years ago. Nice race in the southern metro.

USC Alumni Run, August. Fun 3 mile CC race with old buddies.

TC 10 Mile, October 6th. Our family didn't get in for the first time last year - maybe we'll put our name in the lottery again this year.

And then there's always the possibility of a few MDRA Grand Prix races in the late summer / early fall: the MDRA 15K, August 11th; the Victory 10K, September 2nd; the City of Lakes 25K, September 8th; and Rocky's Run 6K CC race, November 3rd.

You can find more about any of these past races in my "Event Schedule" on my sidebar.

And there's a bit more about some great early-season Duathlons in this article I just wrote. It's time to be thinking about multisport season!!

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Friday Funny 466: Week in Review

Here are some links to my favorite / funniest / weirdest posts from my tumblr page from this past week:

• An awkward guy climbs into a balloon. [VIDEO]

• Captain Picard is feeling sassy...

• Need a diamond-studded aero wheel? Cause I don't.

• Sweet mountain bike bridge.

• Some SNL Celebrity Jeopardy categories.

• If you bike, this is the story of your life. Or will be soon.

• How to workout with your cat.

• How many of us feel while swimming in a group.

• Do you have a date for Valentine's Day?

• I've been posting "Hard Bodies of the Day," and people seemed to like decathlete Trey Hardee. (I can't blame them.) I post men one day and women the next, usually in the late afternoon. Here's the "Hard Body of the Day" tag if you just want to see those posts. (Make sure to click the "read more" link to see all the photos in a set.) Fit bodies rock.

And have you entered the Injinji giveaway yet? I'll be picking a winner early Monday morning.

Happy weekend!!

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Friday Funny 465: Two Lance Funnies

There's just something a little funny about this playset. There's a biker on a stretcher hooked up to some drugs, and twice the word "ambulance" has been cut by the doors to say "lance."

Perfect. Amazing.

And I think a lot of you have seen this by now:

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Friday Funny 464: I Might Be Gay

p.s. Get "Friday Funnies" all the time at steveinaspeedo.tumblr.com.

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Friday Funny 463: Puns

I hate to admit it... but I'm kind of a sucker for puns and word-play. The cornier, the better.

(Just a little photo joke...)

Remember, if you haven't entered my Injinji giveaway, go here to enter.

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Freezing Polar Dash Photos

After seeing some of the photos from Wayne Kryduba at the MDRA Pizza Party (2 posts down), I wondered what races he'd photographed recently. I stopped by his website and saw his last gallery was from the Polar Dash 5K and 10K from a few weeks ago.

That day had a morning low of 5 below, so people were wearing a lot of layers:

At the start!

I loved looking through the frozen finish photos:

Steamy.




Crazy lashes.




Icy uni-brow.




I deem this one the winner!

Well, I thought I had a winner, but then I looked at the 5K photos. And I found this guy:

Topless start.


Topless (and windburned) finish.

Sweet.

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Injinji Giveaway!!

The folks at Injinji have just launched a new site. Check it out.

They also have a new line of Performance 2.0 toe socks, which I hope to be trying out shortly. I've become a fan of their gear - I've worn their socks for 3 out of the last 4 races: the Meet of the Miles, Rocky's Run 6K CC Meet, and my most recent "Kitten" Mile.

Here's a cute new video from Injinji:

INJINJI® Any Shoe Video from Injinji on Vimeo.

So they've asked me to show off their new website and to giveaway 5 pairs of their new socks! I'm doing this on my Tumblr page, and you have to be a "tumblr" to enter.

Just go to THIS POST OF MINE ON TUMBLR, reblog it and follow me, and BOOM... you're entered.

If you're not a tumblr, feel free to stop by my Tumblr page often for lots of "funnies."

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MDRA Annual Party and Some GOODIES!

Saturday afternoon was the annual "Minnesota Distance Running Association's" annual pizza party.

LOTS of Red Savoy Pizza! (Photo from Wayne Kryduba.)

Nathan (on the end in red in the photo above) was helping dish out pizza. He smiled and gave me the tiniest corner piece and said "THIS is for beating me in the series!" Then he smirked again, gave me a TINIER piece and said, "Oh, and THIS is for passing me in the final meters of the City of Lakes 25K!" Then he loaded up my plate with pizza, so I take it that all is forgiven. :)

Ice cream and toppings!


A full hall of MDRA members (not nearly all of the 2,400+ members).


The ceremony getting started (to the left).

There were a LOT of door prizes, but Pharmie and I didn't win any. There were technical running shirts, free race entries, running gear, etc. The "big 3" prizes were race entries into Grandma's Marathon, the TC Marathon, and the TC 10 Mile.

There were introductions of old and new board members for the MDRA.

Near the end was the awards presentation for the MDRA "Grand Prix" series for 2012. They first called up the age group winners. This 1 photo shows the butts of the 5 guys I was most concerned about after the first few races of last year - meaning they ALL won their age group in the series:

- Patrick is SUPER speedy but only did a few races.

- Scott beat me at most races, but he didn't get 10 races in.

- Ben was the one who would have owned the series had he done the last race.

- Kirt came in 2nd overall, and only started beating me later in the year. I think I've mentioned this before, but (as the legend goes) Kirt raced 100 races one year a few years back, and now he tries to race 1 more each year. He ran 110 races in 2012. ONE HUNDRED AND TEN! There are 52 weeks in a year. Think about that. Now ponder your own lame race schedule.

- And Michael (on the mic associated with the MDRA) was the one I was TRYING to catch at the Securian Run Half Marathon a year ago. Oh, and I guess he didn't win his age group - he was just helping present awards.

Then the overall female and male winners were announced: Lisa Burger and myself.

Lisa in the blue, and me just past her in red shoes.

Michael noted that he BEAT the winner (me) at the Securian run (which I wrote a lot about here), and he noted that I do a lot of duathlons and triathlons. And I LOVE that he pointed out that I did 1/2 of my 2012 miles with Henry!

All the winners! (Photo from Wayne Kryduba.)

Notice that there seem to be a lot of older people in that photo. The "open" age group is under 35, and then there are 5-year age groups going up from that (35-39, 40-44, 45-49, etc). So there are a lot of "older" and SPEEDY people up there.

All of the age group winners were given shirts, and I got a sweet Asics pull-over:

It's REALLY soft, and it's my first shirt with "thumb holes."
(And it still smells wonderfully like "Run N Fun!")


Close up of my boob / MDRA logo.

Everyone who "completed" the series (did at least 10 of the 14 races) got a double-walled tumbler with a cold cap (and straw) and a hot cap:

And for winning the series, I got $100 to my favorite running store:

Thanks everyone at the MDRA for the great pizza party, the sweet gear, and all you do for the local running scene!

Oh, and then RIGHT after the awards / pizza party, we all headed out to a yearly get-together of Pharmie's college friends and their families. Henry and I hung out in the kiddie pool for over an hour:

p.s. There might be a little giveaway this week! So check back!...

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