Women Rock... and Run

Enjoyed my second all-women running event of the summer, participating in the Women Rock 10K in St. Paul. This one was much cleaner than the Dirty Girl... except for the perspiration and, well, some almost dirty thoughts.

You'll see why...

Fellow Desperate Housewife Cindy and I hit the road Friday at 1 p.m. and drove to Eau Claire, where we met her sister, Dana. The three of us and Dana's co-worker Mary headed to St. Paul for the Expo-tique, which ran all Friday afternoon and early evening.

The Expo-tique was a chance for us to pick up our race packets, bib numbers, timing chips, cool swag and shop. There was plenty of women's racing gear for sale (didn't buy any), along with some eye candy.

The toga guys were with some wine or champagne company that was sponsoring the post-race bubbly today.

If they put a temporary tattoo on us we could have extra glasses of it after the race. I don't drink but I let Mr. French put one on me anyway. I said, "Just keep talking. About anything. I love your accent." He said, "I love yours, too."

Ya think a Midwestern accent is sexy, eh? Yah, sure, you betcha!

Part of the Women Rock event involves shirtless firefighters greeting you at the finish line -- and at the expo the night before. Well, this guy, (I'm sorry I didn't catch his name) is also on the cover of the Women Rock Firefighters Calendar. Sadly, they ran out of calendars. But I still got my picture with Mr. Six Pack Abs as a consolation! Do you feel bad for me?

Race day dawned early today. And we were grateful. With all the heat this week, they added water stations to the route and gave us the option to downgrade to a shorter race. We were running the 10K and we figured we'd stick with it.

The scene at sunrise. River Centre Park in St. Paul was a nice setting. The clouds cleared much too quickly, though, and it was warm and sunny with 96% humidity by our 7:30 a.m. start time.

I was ready to rock, though! We got to the park early for two reasons. One, we wanted to walk around and get some photos. Two, Cindy is still wearing her boot for her bruised tibia so we wanted to give her extra walking time. Our hotel was only 3 blocks away but that is still a hike for the boot-legger.

This was only the second year for the Minnesota event, but it draws runners nationally. They had flags from each state.

Found Wisconsin flapping in the slight breeze.

Our gang pre-race: Dana, Cindy, me and Mary.

Desperate Housewives of Blue Jay Drive by the water fountain. Poor Cindy. She did this run last year and really, really, really wanted to do it again!

Of the 8,000 or so women running today, 3,280 were doing the 10K. I have not run 6.2 miles yet this year and have only done 4-mile runs, but I felt OK going into this. Frankly, my main goal was to be triumphant over the heat, humidity and HILL -- and, if possible, not have to walk at all and still manage to finish with a time that averaged less than 11-minute miles.

Dana, Mary and I all ran together at the same pace. I can tell you, it did not take us long to start sweating! The first half is flat with areas going down hill. Not a big hill but looking at the facing "traffic lane" we could see it was going to FEEL huge coming back and going "up" for miles 4-6.

We had an OK pace to the halfway turnaround point. No pain. Breathing was fine. Just warm. My 4th mile dragged a bit but then, for some reason, I found a second wind (must have been my Red Bull breakfast kicking in) and I sped up for the 5th and 6th miles. I thought Dana and Mary were still with me, but I got ahead of them a little bit. Not much, but I was able to finish before them and tell Cindy, our handicapped photographer, that they were coming soon.

She was able to catch me at the finish, too. Ha. I am smiling. not because it was easy, but because it was over! And because I did finish better than I hoped.

Also, by coincidence, Mr. Six Pack was the one who gave me my goody bag at the finish line. OK, to be clear it is just a goody bag, not code for something else. And it had a beautiful silver necklace with a Women Rock pendant. Very cool.

We also got a pretty champagne flute and free drinks. My ginger ale looks like their wine -- and probably tasted better. Actually, water tasted the best. We were all so dehydrated!

"Cheers!" (or as they say in Minnesota: SKOL!)

There were so many other nice touches that added to the experience...

Cute centerpieces on the picnic tables in the post-race reception area.

Some inspirational signs... And a few customized shirts I really liked....

"Does this shirt make my butt look fast?" Ha.

A group of runners from Boston had this one made. Love it!

They also had some banners with all the names of this year's participants! Wow.

Good thing they were in alphabetical order so I could find myself and prove I was there.

Our post-race foot shot (with Women Rock timing chips). Our shoes look so clean compared to the Dirty Girl!

After our food and drinks and photos, we walked back to the hotel and showered and were on the road by noon. A woman can accomplish a lot in just half a day!

That's why we rock!

New Beginnings

The conversation on Carter's first day of school today went something like this...

Mom: Do you know you're going? Do u have your schedule? 

Carter: It's in my pocket. I was born at night, but not LAST night.

Introducing our sassy sophomore! At least he won't NEED me for anything. Except rides, of course. Oh, and money. Always that.
 

It's actually a pretty big day for him. And not just because he's starting 10th grade. He also started a new job tonight. He will be chief cook and bottle washer at The Ridges Golf Course. Well, not the COOK part. At all. Just bottle washer... and every other kind of dish washer.

Hey, we all gotta start someplace. I am hoping that he'll be able to take what he learns at his job and apply it at home. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Either way, it's going to be an interesting year for him. And us, no doubt. He'll only work Friday and Saturday evenings so this shouldn't interfere with homework.

Yup. First day and I've already got my nag on. Carter may have new beginnings this year but I just keep going with the same annoying thing. Think he'll listen this year?

Great Start

At 96 degrees, you knew it just had to be the first cross country meet of the season. Always a hot meet in Pittsville, where you just can't fight the hot August sunshine, but somehow hope to beat it.

Carter had one goal today and that was to beat his time from Pittsville last year. Spoiler alert: He did!

 There is always at least one other school from our conference running with their matching Royal Blue uniforms. Ours are so similar, that I almost didn't see Carter go by. He looked good, though. He wasn't huffing and puffing as much as last year.

 The impressive thing was that he had a good, strong kick at the end.

He sprinted hard to that finish line and finished in 21:31.00. That is nearly 4 minutes faster than his Pittsville finish from last year. And it was 2:15 faster than his personal record (PR) for all of last season! Way to go, kiddo! We are so proud.

 

My black-and-white artsy fartsy finish.

Here Dad gives him a well-deserved Gatorade or two while Coach P talks to Carter about his promising finishing time. It really is hard to surpass your best from the previous season -- especially at your first meet. It hopefully is a sign of things to come. Faster, hopefully pain-free, finishing times.

A little drop in temperature should help, too.

I'm sure Carter will just attribute it to his new spikes he HAD to have. Whatever it takes, I guess.

Should be a fun season!

Ice Cream Clone

Oh wait, I should have said CONE, but I did mean clone, after all.

Did you ever have one of those days you wish you could clone yourself so you could be at least two places at once plus get all the things done you need to get done in those paltry 24 hours we get in a day?

Sometimes you see it coming. You see it piling up before your eyes and you know you are going to reach maximum capacity with your stress level and capabilities. Other times, it just hits you. BAM! And you are overwhelmed and overstressed.

Although I allegedly thrive on deadlines -- being in a publishing career -- I sometimes forget how the extra little things can add up. Suddenly they are coming at you like a paintball machine and there is no escaping the hit.

Even though we have 5 days of work this week. With next Monday off for Labor Day, we have Monday things crammed into this week's schedule. Plus we have two extra magazines going to print and have a new e-system of sorts thrown at us editors. Oh, it's been fun. I can't believe it's only Wednesday. It has been a long week already. On the other hand, thank god it's only Wednesday. There is so much more to be done.

In the off hours, add in the random cross country practice schedule and it really comes down to this: Either I need to clone myself or Carter's needs his license ASAP. I'm not sure which would be scarier for society right now. But after a good night's sleep, I might not be in the lead on that one.

There's also a few other changes in the mix that I will have to comment on later. Right now, I gotta hit the hay early so we can go into work early and leave early for Carter's first cross country meet.

I'm just going to ignore the forecast for another 90-degree day of running. I can't do anything about it. And I don't need to add it to my pile of cone-cerns.

I mean clone.

I think.

Two-fer Tuesday

Just two quick notes today:

One: It took four pedometers and probably six batteries over the course of the summer, but I reached my goal for the Steps Challenge at work -- four days in advance! So no more talking about steps and faulty equipment, I promise.

Unless I win the Kindle Fire, of course.

Two: Just got the biggest chuckle today at the expense of my now 50-year-old hubby. We were going to pick up Carter from cross country practice but since we got to town a few minutes early, we swung into IGA so he could pick up some peas for his lunch tomorrow. (Yes, we have boring lunches at work.)

He comes out laughing to himself and here's why:

Look - he got a senior citizen discount!! And they didn't even card him! I realize it's only 13 cents, but every penny adds up, right?

When I look at it, the receipt is funny on so many levels. Just buy one item and it's PEAS? Not Budweiser or something exciting like my high-fiber cereal, but PEAS? Is he an old man who has to mash them to eat them or what?

OK, I won't pick on him any more. I actually am going to have to start using him for his discount. Five percent off can make a big difference on a nice juicy steak...

Or gallon of ice cream!

No Sweat?

It's easy to say "Don't sweat the small stuff" -- but hard to do. Especially when it's nearly 100 degrees.

I think it fell just shy of that in Minnesota and was about 4 or 5 degrees short of the triples here. That's fine. No one is looking to break records just for the fun of it. And anyone who works outside or exercises outdoors certainly isn't a fan.

The good news is that it was quite breezy so it really did feel like Mother Nature had a fan blowing. That was misleading, though. That and a wicked morning rain storm that seemed to cool down the earth. Instead, it sneakily got it steamy.

I went out at noon for a short run. I'm not crazy. The temperature on my computer indicated it was only like 74. There was a nice breeze and I thought I'd be fine. Well, the air was pretty darn heavy. And I was sweating big time -- even with that "fan" blowing. I was only too happy to make the turn for a 3-mile loop instead of continuing on another mile.

I was more concerned about Carter going later. His cross country practices falls right around the temperature peak of the day at 4 p.m. I guess it was a rough one. I am trying to drill in the importance of hydration but I know it's not easy for many of us to just drink water for no reason. But if we are thirsty, well, then it's actually too late. We are already dehydrated.

So why do it? How's this for logic?

That should be inspirational to any of you who ran today or worked outside or, heck, just stood out long enough to perspire. We're making progress, fellow foxes!

Honestly, with the 7-day outlook, it's not going to be that foxy. Just sizzling hot!

Carter will have to endure practices tomorrow and Wednesday -- then his first meet already on Thursday. I will probably just get one more run in on Wednesday or Thursday before my 10K in the Twin Cities on Saturday. All I can say is I am glad we are running early in the morning and that I did not sign up for the half-marathon.

I mean I do want to look like a fox, but there's a good chance I'd end up turning into bacon first.

Be careful out there!

Gathering Supplies

I swear that no less than 10 times this summer I have asked the teenager to look at his upcoming class schedule and determine what school supplies he needs. Finally, today, on the 11th try, we got somewhere.

Looking at the calendar, I realized that school starts this week! Where did the summer go? So I looked at Carter and said, "School starts Friday. We are going shopping now!"

Technically, I guess it's not really "last minute" shopping since we have a few days to spare. It was still plenty picked over, though.

We found what we (I mean HE) needed and after watching the dollar signs add up in the cart, I was quite grateful we don't have to mess with the markers, crayons, colored pencils, rulers, glue sticks and such, that always add up -- even though individually they seem like sweet deals.

Probably the major purchase was some khaki pants and jeans. Although his dress code allows him to wear shorts through October, there may be a day or two before then that he needs the dressier khaki pants. Or, if by some odd coincidence it gets chilly (unlike today's 95-degree heat), then he'll have the jeans for dress-down occasions.

School supplies look so funky cool these days, I'm kind of jealous. Back in my day (says old me), we pretty much got our notebooks and a new shirt and jeans. We'd get shoes if ours looked pathetically worn out from the previous year or, if by chance, our feet actually grew. The only purchase I can remember is my new lilac-and-white Kangaroo shoes with the zip pockets. Nothing was cooler. Ever.

I just hope we got everything a sophomore needs. Because if we go shopping again, I might just be tempted to get that Hello, Kitty mousepad. Just sayin'.

Girls' Day Out

I went Up North to visit my mom today. It still sounds so weird just to say Mom instead of "Mom and Dad." Although I'd seen her at my nephew's wedding and have talked to her on the phone quite often, I hadn't made my way up to Luck since the funeral.

Today, since hubby had to get Carter to cross country practice and time trials, I went alone. That ended being OK. It sort of turned it into a Girls' Day Out. And by GIRLS, I mean Mom and sisters Romey, Renell, RoAnn and Rachel.

We met at Romey's by Grantsburg and went to T-Dawg's for a late lunch. Here's Mom and me waiting for our food. She's looking pretty good and doing OK. Since it was "her" day, too, we all -- against our will, I'm sure -- went to a garage sale after lunch.

Well, it just happened that our cousins were having a moving sale just a few miles down the road so we had a mini-reunion there. And I think we all followed Mom's example and bought something. Against our will, right? Because this younger, smarter generation would never buy things we didn't need, would we?

After thrifting, it was back to Romey's for dessert, of course.

We decided to have carrot cake and ice cream in honor of our oldest sister's birthday this week. I had my brother-in-law Rick take a picture of us (should have showed him how to focus, whoops) so we could share it with Rayna. I know she was having a delightful day in Texas, but she might have been a teensy bit jealous. We sure had a yummy time celebrating for her!

Time flew and it was really late afternoon before the spontaneous party broke up. I was planning to drive back home tonight so when we got back to Mom's, I pretty much headed out.

I stopped at the cemetery to have a little heart to heart with Dad. Silly of me not to have Kleenex with me. Thankfully large leaves can double as tissues. We had a good talk.

I really miss him!

It was after 6:30 when I hit the road. It ended up taking me 4 hours to get home, despite the fact I had just bragged that it only takes 3 1/2 now with a new 4-lane road. Well that's if you don't stop for potty & a Red Bull, a "one hour to go, this will help me stay awake" ice cream cone and gas.

As you can see, I definitely had enough ice cream to get me back to Rapids. However, I did not have enough gas. Well, close enough. The gas light went on and I just prayed a lot during those last 15 miles.

I really didn't worry about it, actually. I had asked Dad to watch over me on my trip so I knew I'd make it home fine. He's probably shaking his head why I didn't get gas when I was getting my caffeine and cold treat. Not to mention the fact I would need ANYTHING after that sugar-laden carrot cake and frosting.

Whoops. Good thing he loves me.

I Scream...

I'm telling you right now... Ice cream wins every time! Whether it's putting the beat down on Mr. Fudgesicle or telling Mr. Bad Friday to take a hike, I will stick with ice cream every time.

By 8:30 a.m. I had already declared it a long day. And that was just silly because it was all over that stinkin' pedometer.

But wait, you say, didn't you get a new one yesterday? Well, yes I did. But the "new" one followed in the same footsteps (pun intended) as my dead one and hubby's dead one. It reset itself to some random time and I lost steps.

So after begging and pleading with the Steps Nazi, I got a replacement one to use for the next week. Or, in my case now, the next 13.86 miles. I swear, I almost ran a half marathon on my lunch hour just to get this darn thing over with!

I didn't, though, of course.

Instead I rewarded myself -- for not killing anyone -- by stopping at King Cone on the way home. Good thing my driver was so cooperative! I'm pretty sure he knew what would happen if he wasn't.

That really did the trick. And I am not just saying that so I can use that method of therapy again. Well, maybe I am, but since it worked, why change it? Isn't there something about not fixing it if it ain't broke?

I just need that big, tough ice cream on my side and I can handle anything. Or almost anything. This pedometer thing is pretty close to pushing me over the edge.

I better grab a spoon and hang on!

A Step Backward

Well I jinxed myself.

I shouldn't have even mentioned the downfall of hubby's pedometer. Not when I was this close to the end of this Steps Challenge.

What happens? Well, my pedometer died yesterday -- thankfully the day after Double Points Day. I took Jim's battery out of his dysfunctional one and put it in mine and that did the trick.

For yesterday.

Today, when I was on my lunch hour run, it suddenly reset to 12:25 a.m. so I lost all my steps for today. Including the first 2 miles of my run. Grrr. Since Jim's did the same thing before it completely whacked out -- including losing all of its 7-day history -- I quickly found our steps "coordinator" and had her record Monday and Tuesday's miles. I did not want to miss out on those since they were both over 8 miles.

So there I sat, realizing I am only 23.2 miles (and 9 days) away from my goal. So easy to obtain, yet impossible without a working pedometer. That's when the angel appeared. Well, first she appeared to Jim and gave him her unused pedometer. He in turn gifted it to me since I am in the challenge and he isn't.

I am extremely paranoid now and just want to get these 2 dozen miles in by Monday so I can just be done with it and, frankly, might just take a vacation from this bodily attachment!

Now, instead of worrying about whether I'll win the Kindle Fire, I have to keep my fingers crossed that this pedometer lasts long enough.

And if it does and I still don't win, they double grrr!

Refreshments Served

It hasn't rained in a month and when it does, Mother Nature goes overboard with it. Rain, lightning, thunder, the works. We already had one quick power outage so I am typing fast before another one.

After seeing that awful brown grass in our yard today, I was so grateful just to hear that rain pouring down. How refreshing for the grass and trees! They have to be soaking it up and loving it.

I think there is very severe weather headed to other parts of Wisconsin -- like where we work -- which seems typical when you have a storm after a hot and humid day.

Today Carter had two cross country practices so he could feel every every degree of that 90-plus heat and every ounce of that humidity. I doubt it can really toughen him up for those late summer, hot CC meets, but it does help to experience it and survive it without puking or fainting.

I realize that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. However, Carter seemed pretty weak when I picked him up each time.

I worked from home today so I could shuttle him back and forth for practice. It was even too hot for me to take a long break with Mr. Deck Chair. That is just about unheard of in my circle, isn't it?

We've got the air cranked in the house, so I am bundled up from head to toe and had my blanket turned on already. I just realized that shut off during the power blink, so now I have to stay up late until I have a warm bed.

Because I am a Princess.

And for today at least, Mother Nature "rains" as the Queen.

Double Points Day

Our work Steps Challenge is coming to an end in another 10 days. From June 1-Aug. 31, we earn a point per mile on our pedometer to be eligible for certain prize drawings at different levels.

I got off to a slow start. Right now I would have to walk an additional 10 miles each of those remaining days to qualify for the iPad. With just an average of 4 total miles per day, though, I will reach the points level for the Amazon Kindle Fire drawing. That is fine with me. I am very excited about that and hope a lot of people were far more dedicated -- or not as dedicated -- so they are in a different drawing.

Even when I am not committed to a cause, I am still competitive.

Today, to help out us stragglers, it is a double points day. So whatever miles I put on, we can double it. That will take off some of the pressure.

I did a 4-mile run at lunch. Well, a walk-run since it was 86 degrees and I don't do heat very well. Then tonight after supper, I took a walk. Add to that all the incidental walking around work and the house here and I am approaching 9 miles. Oh yeah!

Meanwhile, hubby's pedometer just went on the fritz and completely cleared itself. Good thing he is not in this challenge or he would be pretty upset right now. And that's putting it mildly. Of course, he probably wouldn't be counting on all these last-minute steps and miles to reach a goal. He'd be coasting by now.

I, on the other hand, am going to hope my pedometer stays functional for the rest of August. Then I might just take a month off. I'm kind of tired of being obsessed with getting enough steps each day! And if I don't win anything -- which is typical of my luck -- then I'll wonder if it was even worth it!

Of course, as a side effect, my pants have become a bit looser. So I guess I'm a winner either way.

I sure would like to give that Kindle a try, though!

Clean as a Whistle

Mondays sure seem boring when you sit at a desk instead of rolling around in the mud. And you are as a clean as a whistle. (Because apparently, whistles are clean.)

It was nice to feel like my old self. But I realized part of the impact of being my OLD self is that there are more wrinkles, cracks and crevices to hold mud longer. It really did take all of four showers and a long soak to get it gone!

I know. Too much information.

Now the only thing that is dirty is my mind and my house. And not necessarily in that order when it comes to quantity or quality. I'll have to address that at some point. For now, just getting through a Monday is enough.

Work was busy but did not have any surprise challenges, so I appreciated that. Got home and dropped the CRV off at the shop for some tire business and walked home from there. A nice, clean 4.25 miles!

Carter got his miles in today, too. He started cross country practice. I know -- what do they practice? Well it's pretty much conditioning, conditioning and conditioning. Sounds more fun to roll in the mud, doesn't it?

So today he had two practices --at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. -- so our neighbor dropped him off and Carter stayed at a teammate's house tonight so he can get to his 8 a.m. practice tomorrow. His schedule is pretty wacky since some days he has just one practice and it's not always the same times. Thank goodness for generous friends and neighbors who have flexible schedules. Welcome to the fall sports season!

Bring on the blood, sweat and tears... and mud. We'll be fine with just sweat, please. We've had enough of the others for awhile.

Here's the Dirt

Got some more pictures from our fellow Dirty Girls. This gives you a little more insight on the good, clean fun between the Start and Finish lines...

The starting gate. I think we were sent off in waves of about a hundred people maybe. And the waves were every 15 minutes over the course of two days.

 The first obstacles was an inflatable hill climb with big steps. Very big steps.

 On the opposite side we had to bounce down without breaking our wrists or our necks.

Seriously, there I am airborne! Advice: Laugh but do not bite tongue!

 When we reach the bottom we are already giggling. Hey it IS fun to be a kid again.

This was our first down and dirty obstacle. Crawl underneath in the mud. No way to avoid it. I am stepping out on the right there after a successful crawl.

Notice I am carefully checking my shoes so they do not get stuck in the mud! Even though I was going to donate them afterward, I did not want to lose them just yet!

 Niki and I smiling even though we know there is no turning back now. We are DIRTY!

 The A-MAZE Yourself obstacle was a fun way to get a bit tangled and loosen up some mud.

The horizontal rope crossing. The toughest one for me. It was like "planking" for 3 minutes. If you know what that is, you can sympathize.

Waist deep! Should have known then there'd be no salvaging my underwear! (I know. Too much information, right?)

 The climb up wasn't bad on the other side. The slide down was easy, too. And fast!

And dirty! I am on the left in case you didn't recognize me. That's where I landed on my backside and got head-to-toe mud.

 Climbing out like the creature from the black lagoon!

 Remember, this is a fun RUN! Here we are (me in the middle) running to our last two obstacles.

 This rope climb wasn't too difficult (me far left), but when you got to the top, it was too high for my liking AND you had to somehow swing your legs over CAREFULLY and climb down the other side.

I made it! Here I am on my last step down! How did my teammate stay that clean??

The last obstacle. We were suppose to crawl or something but the Wonder Women in back there all held hands and walked through to celebrate our finish.

Whoo-hoo! Who wants a shower???

Got home this afternoon and laid out the clothes in the back yard to hose them down. I was able to salvage my compression shorts, skirt and bra, but had to sacrifice the socks, underwear and, sadly, my Wonder Woman t-shirt. That was not a huge loss. I bought the t-shirt at Goodwill for $3.99 and made my own Wonder Woman iron-on for it. I can do that again if the need for my super powers arises again.

I did hose off my bib number and will keep that for the scrapbook. I may have to make one just for Dirty Girl runs... because you know I am going to recruit some of YOU for this next year!

Start thinking DIRTY...