Month: March 2016

“Love yourself, for who and what you are; protect your dream and develop your talent to the fullest extent.” – Joan Benoit Samuelson

Life throws many things at you:  joy, challenge, heartbreak, disappointment, success.  Through it all, it’s important to remember who you are and in what you believe.  It’s helpful to have a passion and to embrace something fully.  It’s critical to use your God-given talents. Running remained that passion for me post-college and to this very day. It is my most treasured talent.

The transition to road racing was a natural one for me.  I consider myself blessed to live in a state with access to so many trails, racing options, and running enthusiasts.  Luckily, many of those enthusiasts are in my family and circle of friends.  As I was already learning, thanks to my college experience, the longer the race the more I enjoyed it.  And, the better I seemed to perform.  With a solid running foundation established, I began challenging myself with new goals.  I had progressed from 5Ks to 10Ks, and found myself seeking a new race distance.  Therefore, one spring, I teamed up with a friend to tackle the Med City Marathon as a 2-person relay.  It was my first of many half marathons to come.  I grew to love, appreciate, and respect the distance.  Then in 2002, I finally achieved what I considered to be the highest accomplishment for a runner.  I completed Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth.  I remember thinking I only needed to do one marathon, just to prove to myself that I could do it.  I could hold my head higher.  I could check it off my bucket list.  I could take pride in how far my running career had progressed.  That theory held up for awhile, but the marathon bug would return… with a vengeance.  More to come on that.

In order to continually challenge myself, I did try other things.  I invested in a bike, which I was eager to use for awhile.  However, I just didn’t get the same satisfaction from biking that I did from running.  Sadly, I only use my bike now when I must (in other words, when injury forces me to cross-train).  One summer, I purchased golf clubs, even going so far as to sign up for lessons.  I enjoyed golfing.  For awhile.  The rollerblades that I’m lucky didn’t cause me any permanent bodily damage are sitting in storage (along with the golf clubs).  I really did believe that tennis could be my thing, something I could enjoy with my husband, Dan.  We were at the athletic club one evening years ago when I excitedly announced to him that I wanted to learn tennis, then we could play together.  Never one to diminish any of my goals, he seemed agreeable.  I still laugh when I recall how he went straight to the activities desk at the club and signed me up for lessons.  Apparently, he didn’t think it would be the best arrangement for him to assume the coaching role.  I gave tennis a try and enjoyed it longer than any of my other athletic attempts.  I even played in a league for a summer.  My latest attempt was yoga.  I really wanted to build some core strength and with yoga studios on every block, why not try?  Well, let’s just say that didn’t last either.  Did you know balance is a key component of being successful at yoga?  I think my niece scored the yoga mat and is probably putting it to much better use.  In looking back, I did really enjoy golf and tennis.  I just came to the realization that unless you can devote time and energy to practicing those skills, you will not be successful even if you only intend to play leisurely.  Since I wasn’t going to give up running, that left little time to work on building new skills. After each attempt, I circled back to running.  Through the years, running was the one thing I didn’t leave behind.  My running shoes have never seen the inside of a storage unit.

My less than successful attempts at other endeavors actually made me crave running more.  That meant more half marathons, an occasional 10 mile, a couple of 7Ks.  Then there was the Hood to Coast Relay, which turned out to be one of the most challenging things I’ve done.  A 12-person relay team runs from Mount Hood to Seaside, Oregon.  The 195 mile course is broken up so that each person runs three legs, ranging in length from 3.5 miles to 8 miles.  It doesn’t sound too bad, until you factor in little to no sleep and no showering.  Did I mention that you live in a van when you’re not running?  So yes, very challenging, but definitely an experience of a lifetime!

Then, there were more half marathons, more 10 miles, every once in awhile a 5K (if I was pressured by others to join in!).  A destination run in AZ.  Another relay event, this time in MN with way less exciting scenery but it was also less difficult the second time around.  Then, in 2012, I made my return to the marathon, this time taking on the Twin Cities.  The Twin Cities Marathon is truly an amazing event.  There are very few spots along the 26.2 mile course that are not filled with spectators.  With a 10 year gap since my first marathon, I wasn’t sure what to expect of myself. I was by then a more experienced runner, yes, but also that much older!  I was thrilled to run 4 minutes faster and though I didn’t know it that day, a Boston Qualifying time!

The marathon is such a remarkable feat.  After enduring months and months of training, you show up at the starting line on race morning with so much invested and the highest of hopes.  Despite all the effort, your performance can be affected by so many things outside of your control.  Then, even on the best of days, it’s a long 26.2 miles before you get to that finish.  Someone once asked me what I thought about during the miles, on what did I focus?  Well, I work on maintaining a sustainable pace, reminding myself how long the race is.  I spend a fair amount of time trying to calculate my expected finish time.  I work too hard staying away from those runners who spit constantly, thereby adding extra distance for myself but avoiding being spat on.  Every time I approach the porta potties, I debate if I should stop and use them.  I read the spectators’ signs.  I anxiously look for the mile markers, even though my Garmin displays the distance I’ve covered.  When I spot the race photographers, I try not to grimace when they snap my picture.  I think about the joy I will experience when I near the finish line, and wonder on which side of the course I’ll find my loved ones.  I think about how good a beer is going to taste.  So as you can see, there are plenty of things to occupy the time!

In the years that followed Twin Cities, I would run 3 more marathons including Boston (that was such a special event that I intend to devote an entire post to it in the future).  Currently, recurring injuries have caused me to shift my focus back to shorter races, leaving the marathon behind at least for the moment.  It’s hard to not just push through the pain when the desire to run is so strong.  I have to continually remind myself I want to be a Lifelong Runner.  That requires discipline and hard choices.  But it’ll be worth it, that I know.

“The miracle isn’t that I finished.  The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham

I spent my first two years of college at Rochester Community College (RCC) and I lived at home, saving on both tuition and room and board!  I kept up my running, which was now a great stress release for this college student.  I’d take to the roads in and around Elgin, getting in my miles when I could.  These two years further developed my discipline, seeing that I was now running on my own and for just myself.  There was no team waiting for me to show up at 3:30pm for workouts.  After two years at RCC and graduating with my Associate of Arts, it was time to move on to another school where I could finish my Bachelor of Arts.  I had chosen a small college in Northfield, MN.  St. Olaf turned out to be a great choice for me, and I was delightfully surprised that I had been paired up with a wonderful roommate with whom I hit it off immediately.  It was my first time living away from home with my first ever roomie!  Around mid-afternoon on our first day together, she announced she was heading to cross country practice.  I was thrilled; I found someone who shared my love of running!  I asked her how she got on the team and if she was recruited.  This was Division III, she explained, and the St. Olaf women’s team had a history of accepting runners of all talents.  There were no cuts, she further stated, and if I was interested, I should join her.  So, I did.

After struggling to make it on my high school team, joining a collegiate team was something I never expected to happen.  But it did, and what an experience it turned out to be!  We were a team of 60 women, coming from all across MN and the US, with one shared passion.  I was lucky to be under the guidance of yet another accomplished and determined coach, Chris Daymont, who pushed her team day-in and day-out.  She wanted all of us to be successful, to improve, to develop healthy bodies, and to contribute to the team.

One of our meets was held at the University of MN golf course, where coincidentally, the MN State High School meet was held back then.  I can remember the joy I felt warming up for my race that day.  I was a junior in college competing in a Division III cross country race.  I was an Ole.  And, I was finally going to race on that course.  But something else momentous happened that day.  I recall about halfway through the race, Coach Daymont was shouting encouragement and advice to her runners from the sidelines.  She instructed me to catch up to a certain runner from another team.  In particular, she said “push yourself”.  So, I did.  I can remember digging down deep that day, exhausting myself more than I think I ever had.  I remember catching that girl.  And most importantly, I remember being really proud of that race and realizing I could do better.

I truly think that was a turning point in my running career.  A point at which I wanted to work harder, push myself more, and see what I might be able to accomplish.  I didn’t have to settle for what I had accepted as the limits of my abilities.  Something more was there…  And, so I worked harder.  I felt myself getting stronger.  I felt my hunger to improve intensifying.  I also noticed that I thrived more running these longer distances.  Before I knew it, I found myself in the middle of the St. Olaf women’s pack, and when that pack is 60 strong women, that isn’t so bad!

Cross county went so well that when track season rolled around, I went ahead and joined that team as well.  My first experience with indoor track was interesting.  In the dead of winter, we distance runners trained outside.  While Minnesota was setting records for the coldest temperatures ever, without the windchill, we were outside getting in our miles no matter how quickly our eyelashes froze and every extremity went numb.  Competing in the 5K on an indoor track wasn’t for the faint of heart.  Imagine running in small circles with people constantly darting in front of you to cross to the infield, other runners lapping you, and struggling to keep track of how many laps remained (each runner, especially in smaller meets, was responsible for counting their own laps). However, because I was getting used to these longer races, I felt I was being punished if I was asked to run anything shorter.  Therefore, I learned to endure the added challenges of indoor season and worked to keep my spot in the 5K.

Outdoor track was much better for many obvious reasons.  In addition to being outside on a larger track, there were additional events from which to select and I found one that suited me:  the 10K.  On a 400 meter track, this equated to 25 laps.  As you can imagine, there weren’t a lot of people raising their hand asking to compete in this event.  Because of this, the 10K became “my event” and I was overjoyed!

I can still hardly believe I competed in two sports for my college, and remain thankful to this day that I had the opportunity to do so.  A couple of moments highlighted my career at St. Olaf.  The first one actually had nothing to do with any performance of mine on the course.  In the fall of 1995, the women’s cross country team had won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) for the 3rd straight year.  Thrilled to be a part of the team, though I wasn’t one of the scored runners, I celebrated the accomplishment with my teammates.  Later that week, the campus newspaper gave the top sports headline to the football team for winning a game- just a single, regular season game.  While I didn’t want to diminish another team’s achievement, I was outraged that the coverage of the cross country team fell much farther down the page with a much smaller headline and far fewer words.  I wanted to correct this injustice!  I decided to write a Letter to the Editor, expressing the imbalance in their reporting and using the opportunity to draw attention to my teammates’ accomplishments, as this was obviously missing in the article.  Well, the letter was printed.  My teammates and coach were so pleased with what I had done, they gave me a special award during that season’s awards banquet.  I had no idea my little letter would garner so much attention, praise, and respect.  It was such a special moment to me! I was proud to stand up for my teammates and give them well-deserved acknowledgement for their title run.  It also further exemplified how I was able to find my role on the team, whether it was on the course or off.

Another highlight came during outdoor track season.  I qualified for the MIAC meet in the 10K based on standard alone!  I was so proud to get into the meet based only on my efforts.  The qualifying race was held at MaCalester College while Hamline hosted the MIAC.  These two tracks hold a very special place in my heart!

Cross country and track turned out to be my saving grace for my two years at St. Olaf.  Don’t misunderstand, though, I loved the school and I am honored to call myself an Ole.  However, it was challenging transferring into such a small school as a junior.  My peers had established and cultivated relationships for two years.  I made a few friends, of course, and I treasure those with whom I developed lasting friendships.  However, I was devoted to my academics, had a work study, and wrote for the campus newspaper (beyond the previously mentioned Letter to the Editor!) in addition to being on the running teams.  Outside of the classroom, I spent a majority of my time with my teammates.  I am forever grateful for the friendships forged during workouts, in the weight room, at post-run dinners, at competitions, and on the bus to and from meets.

As illustrated from this post and the previous one, the things I treasure most from my high school and college careers are the relationships I built and the lessons I learned.  Every other accomplishment was just icing on the cake!  I will be forever indebted to the coaches that pushed me, encouraged me, and accepted my level of talent.  I owe my sincerest appreciation to Mr. Oven for introducing me to running, to Chief for helping me build a foundation, and to Coach Daymont for pushing me to reach higher.  Finally, no success would have been possible without the immense support system I had in my parents (but, that’s a whole topic itself!).

Degree in hand, I was ready to find my place in the working world!  And, I had only begun to understand what I could accomplish in the running world!

“The race is not always to the swift, but to those that keep on running.” -Unknown

At my aforementioned small school, high school was grades 7-12. For cross country and track (distance events), we had one coach that trained every athlete from the scared, out-of-shape seventh grader to the confident, varsity standout. Mr. Hasleiet, affectionately referred to as Chief, was a well-known and well-loved coach who had established a legacy of excellence at our school. Under his guidance, I grew to love running. Thanks to him, I became a runner.

It didn’t come easily, though. While I loved the sports I had chosen, I wasn’t necessarily successful. In fact, I struggled. I showed up every day, rarely missing a day of practice, but I hadn’t yet discovered how to push myself and that translated into less than satisfactory race performances. I found, as perhaps many youngsters do, that being around friends is part of the fun of being on a team. Some of us were having too much fun flirting with the boys to concentrate on running hard (cross country and track were two sports where the boys and girls practiced together). And, it was way more entertaining to play pranks and act silly than to take seriously our warm ups and cool downs.

But eventually, some level of maturity set in and so did my respect for the sport. And wow, I discovered what a privilege it was to be on a team… to be on THE Elgin-Millville cross country and track teams. We enjoyed many benefits. Our training runs took us off school property to the nearby park, all around the local community and, occasionally, the apple orchard where the owners allowed us to take an apple after our workouts. We got to embark on overnight trips for invitationals. Before big meets, we were treated to pasta dinners hosted by generous and supportive parents. And all levels of athletes trained as one team, so from an early age we had built in mentors and role models (and later became those mentors and role models).

My work ethic improved as well, once I discovered that this led to improved results (what a concept!). I still didn’t consider myself “good”, though admittedly I was often very hard on myself, especially at a young age. My school also had very successful running programs. Whatever my perceived deficiencies and obstacles, it was because of the depth and strength of our teams. At another school, I would have been a “better” runner and ran more varsity races. And the excuses went on. A typical teenage reasoning!

I did, however, experience some respectable achievements in high school. Here are the ones that immediately come to mind:

• In cross country, I mostly ran junior high/junior varsity every year but my senior year. Though my times were sometimes fast enough to earn a spot on the varsity squad, the coach left me on JV so that a senior could take their rightful and deserved spot on varsity. This was something I understood and was okay with, as I knew it was something that would benefit me when the roles were reversed. Being on the JV team wasn’t all bad. In fact, I ended up winning two races! I still chuckle when I think back to those races. I can remember nearing the finish line and seeing Chief wildly waving his arms in the air. At first, I thought maybe something was wrong, but I soon realized he was making sure I knew where the finish line was, seeing as that I was normally following someone! The trophies I earned in those two races are still cherished running keepsakes.
• When the varsity cross country team advanced to the state meet one year, I was asked to go along as an alternate. Though I wasn’t close to being the 8th or even 9th runner and it was very unlikely I’d be needed, my work ethic had earned me the honor of accompanying the team. It was one of the few times I was thrilled to be carrying sweats, because it meant so much more.
• In track, it was a big deal to me when I broke 13 minutes in the 2 mile, and ran under 6 minutes in the 1 mile (though it was just by a tick!). I recall the 2 mile accomplishment with extra fondness. Normally someone who liked to run alone, against every bit of advice from Chief, I stuck with two girls during this race. In fact, I ran so closely to them that twice the official told me I needed to back off a bit.
• I contributed to one track True Team Championship and one 2nd place finish by earning valuable points in the 2 mile.
• My biggest and most memorable honor, though, came my senior year. In addition to being one of the captains of the cross country team, I was also selected as MVP by my coach. Even in my senior year, I wasn’t the swiftest runner on the team and struggled to stay on varsity. But in Chief’s eyes, my contributions to the team were worthy enough of earning the highest honor (this would rank as one of those achievements I cannot think about without choking up). This award, too, is one of my most valued running possessions.

So as you can see, when I reflect upon my high school running career, I can only recall a handful of achievements. Being on these teams, in the end, was about so much more than any statistic or medal. It was always about the discipline, commitment, and team camaraderie. It was about sticking with something through good and bad. It was about respect- for the sport, our coach, our school, and each other. I ran with some of my teammates for six seasons of cross country and six seasons of track. That was a very special bond. It would be hard to leave that behind after graduation. However, after I graduated high school, I would discover an unexpected surprise was ahead for my running career…

“When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever.” – Dick Beardsley  

Since the age of 13, running has been a part of my life.  Actually, it’s been much more than that.  It’s been a major part of my identity.  Of all the things I’ve started and never finished in life, the one thing that has remained a constant is my love of and commitment to running.  It’s something of which I’m intensely proud and emotional.  Ask me about my life achievements thus far, and it’s guaranteed that I’ll mention a running related accomplishment and it’s doubtful I can speak of it without tearing up.  I think often of the decisions I made and those individuals who played an influential role in my life at an early age that led me to where I am today.  I am so thankful that I learned at age 13 what a gift this sport could be.

I went to a small school in southeastern Minnesota that, at the time, was called Elgin-Millville and my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Oven, was the head track and field coach.  A sports and running enthusiast, he spent a fair amount of time instructing his young pupils on the virtues of sports- the life lessons it could teach you and the discipline it could instill in you.  I can still picture the Carl Lewis poster that was draped across his desk at the front of the classroom.  It was a constant reminder of what we could work towards, aspire to be, and what we could achieve.  What would I pursue?  What would I be good at?  Mr. Oven reminded us on a regular basis that only a certain number of kids would get off the bench and get playing time on the basketball court or football field.  There were limited sports to select from at our school, due to the size, thereby further narrowing our choices.  However, Mr. Oven said if we pursued running, everyone would get to participate.  No one would be turned down or cut from the team.  An all inclusive sport?!  Sounds fantastic, but I was in the sixth grade.  I didn’t spend too much time pondering this decision.  There were way too many other important things for a teenage girl to consider, and the seventh grade seemed far off.  I figured I had plenty of time to determine what sports I wanted to pursue.

But then, sprinkled throughout the sixth grade year were various running activities with required participation.  We had cross country day in the fall and track and field day in the spring, not to mention other running related gym events.  I began to notice that I not only enjoyed these events, I was moderately successful at them.  While some of my classmates reacted with repulsiveness, I wanted to know when we could do them again.  Lacking natural speed, I embraced the distance events.  Yes, to a sixth grader, the 600 and 1600 were distance events!  I had struggled enough in gym class with soccer and football and even dodgeball to know that I liked running! Just running!  The seed had been planted…