May 10, 2017 - For Justin!

Today's run was sponsored by Justin! Thanks so much for continuing to help fund the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship Endowment. We're getting so close to fully funding the endowment, I appreciate your help! Soon, YMCA Camp Miller will be able to send a deserving camper to camp for free every year in honor of an amazing man.

Justin joined AES in August of this school year and has been a consistent running partner since. The thing you need to know about Justin, is that he's fast. And he runs far. You can check out his exploits on his blog - An Incondite Adventure. It's been good getting to know him and his wife Sarah, and the icing on the cake is that they'll be joining us in Minnesota this summer to run Grandma's and the Bjorklund with me, so the donation will personalize even more as they get a taste of Northern Minnesota and all it has to offer!

Since he is running the full, he's always looking for miles. I feel like I've been doing a good job of banking miles this training season, but I've neglected pace, speed and hills. So, when Justin started a Tuesday night text chain looking for a run, I figured it was as good of a time as any to recommit to some speed work. I promised a short, fast one and we took off at 5am.

Lately, I've been running miles that are over 9 minutes. When we left Gate 2 of the school Tuesday morning, the first thing that Justin noticed was our pace. The first mile was 8:04, but it felt even faster than that. I let him know that my plan was to run faster than normal and he pretended to feel like it was painful (but I know that he loved it). Mile two was even faster, 7:32. There was much grunting and groaning and even a "you know, we can slow down." But I refused. I had a few secrets. First, the route. I had planned a special route for Justin's run, one I'll talk about in a bit. Mile three was amazingly another negative split - 7:16. I was dying. I knew that I was going to conk soon, but my second secret kept me going. At the five mile mark, I was going to bail out and take an autorickshaw home. Mile four was finally a slow down and I had to walk. We had dropped to a 7:45 and as we started walking, Justin reached to pause his GPS. "Don't turn that off!" I yelled, potentially betraying the secret of the route. We had reached India Gate and we were making what Justin calls, "Jason Coleman lefts." I guess he thinks it's weird when I suddenly stop in front of him, or turn left at the last minute because I go the wrong way, or am about to make a wrong turn. Jeez. Anyway, as we ran from the center of the India Gate traffic circle back out and turned back in, he knew something was up. 

"The Shamrock!"

He was right, it was the run that I designed for him to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. As the officially crowned King of AES St. Patty's, he commissioned a run from me. I added it to my series of holiday runs, which I've included below. He hosted quite a fete on March 17 this year, but unfortunately, I was out of town and wasn't able to run it. The last mile and a half or the last two petals of the shamrock were significantly slower as we jumped fences, crashed through shrubs and tried our hardest to avoid standing "water" in the lawns of India Gate to complete the picture you see below.

Most of you have seen this, but if you haven't, these runs led to a feature the MapMyRun blog. Find it here - http://blog.mapmyrun.com/american-expat-maps-route-art-explore-new-countries/.

The Run, Run Rudolph Reindeer Race

The hard work and sacrifice ...

... yield great results. Turkey Trot 2016

I, as promised bailed out as soon as the shamrock was finished. Justin ran another 5 miles home. He swears to me that he slowed down, but I don't believe him for a second.

Riding home in style

RUN STATS

Distance: 5.55 miles

Duration: 42:18. Blistering 7:37 pace!

For Lynnea! - Lodi Garden

Lynnea is an old friend from Camp Miller. She was also close friends of Ty and she understands why raising the money for a recurring campship in his name is so important. If you want to see some crazy photos of her from back in our camp days, check out the Camp Miller Facebook Page. If you want to offer the opportunities that camp gave us to a lucky camper in the future, donate here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/.  Thanks!

Lynnea's dedicated run is a 6.5 mile loop that is terrain well-trod for our running group. We left this morning at 5:10am and headed out for Lodi Garden. I've written about Lodi runs a few times in the past - read about them here and here. In a great coincidence, another Lodi run was dedicated to Julie, another former Miller counselor.

SIDE NOTE: The group that ran this morning is most of my core support group. Of the five us that went running, these are the ones that are almost always up at 5am, ready to run. Of the five of us that went running this morning, four will come across the finish line in Canal Park this June. And that's something that I'm really excited about. This summer, four of my Delhi friends are coming to stay at our summer house for the race! 3 of them will do the Bjorklund and 1 will do Grandma's with me. I love it when my world's overlap. Hosting this group at the house, going for a pontoon cruise, playing some bags or horseshoes, hanging out in Murphy's on the Lake is something that I can't wait to share. I'm proud of my little piece of America and I love these people, so I'm expecting a good time. For Saturday night. Friday night we have to be responsible. Spaghetti and water!

I have to say, I'd love to host a Camp reunion at the house too. What say you Miller alum?

Back to the run.

I took the opportunity to use today's run as a pace training run for the marathon. Luckily, my friends were up for it. We picked up our pace a bit and cruised out of school. We were to the park before we knew it. It's hot already and we noticed. On the way, we passed Safdarjung's Tomb.

We can't see this view, but here's a shot a took several years ago.

The park was cooler, the temps always drop in the shadows of the lush, leafy trees, and we were grateful. I had one of those moments in today's run where you look around and even though you've been there a million times, everything seems different. A slight change in light, or visiting at a different time of day and the path seems different. Strange.

Wikipedia reports that Lodi Garden houses buildings and tombs from the 15th century. In those times, small villages surrounded the tombs, but the villages were relocated in the 1930s in order to allow Lady Willingdon the opportunity to landscape the entire area into a park. After independence, the Park was renamed Lodi Garden in honor of the original architects of the monuments. Speaking of architects, Joseph Stein, the architect that designed buildings at our school, re-landscaped the park in the 1970s and included a greenhouse.

That greenhouse is the first thing we see on our loop of the park.

As we continue clockwise, we can just spy a glimpse of the Shisha Gumbad, which was originally covered in shiny blue tiles. You can just make them out in this photo I took in 2011 (to the left).

Below is a shot from inside the walls of the park's namesake, Sikander Lodi. It's a popular spot for family photos, including some of mine!



The next landmark on the route is the Athpula or "8 Piered Bridge." It was the last of the Mughal structures constructed in Delhi. We often run across it, not wondering why there is a bridge in the middle of a park, seemingly going over a lake. A guest of the eighth grade a few years ago that came to talk to the students about water explained to us that at one point in history, there was a waterway that connected Lodi's tomb to the Yamuna river which is at least 3-4 miles away.

The loop off of the bridge brings us around toward the main entrance of the park where the Bada Gumbad and attached mosque dominate the scenery. There are always large groups of people in the grassy lawns surrounding the Bara Gumbad and this morning was no exception. Lodi is a magnet for the city's early risers.

The final leg of the loop passes the last tomb in the park, that of Mohammed Shah, built in 1444. This is the first time that I've done any research on the buildings in the Garden. I've been too many times to count, but seeing that date gives me a new appreciation for our running route. Also, the morning light at Shah's tomb is always great. The photo of Mohammed Shah's tomb below is from a group run in August of 2015.

After that, it's back to the glasshouse and out of the park. Then we zipped home.

RUN STATS

Distance: 6.54 miles

Duration: 57:04

Soundtrack: Joan Shelly, Over and Even

For Ty and the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship!

This run was for Ty Taylor (obviously). I'm proud to have had the chance to dedicate the last four months to the memory of a great friend and important role model. Over the course of my training, it was immense fun to remember Ty and talk about him to friends and family. I was able to raise $1750 toward establishing an enduring campship in his name. With the money that was raised when Ty passed away, there's almost $2500 in the account. We still have quite a way to go before there will be enough money in the trust to earn enough interest to send a kid to YMCA Camp Miller every year in Ty's name, but I hope to continue to help build the fund. Of course, you can still donate here! ;)

That brings me to the second dedication of today's run. It is with extreme gratitude that I dedicate my first full marathon to all of my friends and family who endured endless pleas for donations. Thank especially to Seth, Rachel, iBeck, Andrea, Bernie, Michael, Brian, Faze, Adam, Keir, Matt, Ben, Lucie, Marianna, Mrs and Mrs Doc, Liz, Julie, Ted, Michele, Lynner, Anonymous, Anja, Kathryn, DJ Boring, Skweebs, Heather, Lynner, Dr. A, Sara, Lacey, Chico, Rachel, Becky, Sandy and Lynnea for helping to raise money. It truly humbles me to know that you can be so generous. Thank you. For those that weren't able to help financially, thanks for the encouragement, the likes, the support and for reading this blog. You put up with me for four months and I appreciate it.

Finally, this run is ultimately dedicated to my wife, Kate. Without her support and encouragement I would have never been able to achieve this lifelong goal. I know my running took me out of the house a lot and that the long weekend runs made life with an infant and a dog challenging, but you wanted to help me and I appreciate it. To say thank you underplays how important your support has been, but thank you nonetheless. (Readers: if you  think you were bombarded with pleas, running stories, extended run statistics - you should spend one day in Kate's shoes). Thanks Mug.

THE PRE-RACE
No run Thursday, no run Friday. I picked up my bib Friday night at the expo and bought a new water-proof running belt in preparation for forecasted thunderstorms. I carbo-loaded with a pasta dinner, drank several glasses of water and headed back to the lake to get my gear together for the race. (I only had to stop once on the way home to pee!)

When I got back to the house, I was faced with the decision of what to wear. The forecast was for rain, and I was sad. I did not want to run a marathon in the rain. I would if I had to, but it was not my preference. As a result, I ended up packing a choice of a short-sleeve shirt, a long-sleeve and a running hat. I figured I'd choose my outfit at the starting line. I also brought an extra set of regular headphones in the case of rain because my flashy new Bluetooth headphones are NOT waterproof. I checked my bag over and over and kept adding things; running belt, shoes, socks, shorts, my energy blocks, a towel, a banana, Vaseline, pants, a long-sleeve to wear after the race, a winter hat, socks, car keys, driver's license, money, credit card...in the end I forgot a pair of undies to wear after the race. Shhhh, it's our secret. Whoever says, "You only need shoes to run" is nuts. Don't believe them. I made a playlist, set my alarm for 4:45am and made in bed by a reasonable 10:30.

RACE DAY
I slept much better than I ever have before a big race and was pleasantly awoken at 4:33 by my son. I guess he wanted to wish me luck before I left. He went back to sleep and I decided to get an early (12 minutes early) jump on my day. I drank a small cup of cold coffee from the day before to proactively discourage the caffeine-withdrawl headache that I've suffered on longer runs.

I was in the car and on my way to Duluth before 5 o'clock. It was cold, below 50 degrees when I arrived to the shuttlebus. It was foggy, but not raining. I boarded the bus and started what my waiter later in the day would call the "long drive" to Two Harbors. Long drive, you should try the run! The energy on the bus was great, and I was looking forward to running. We arrived to Two Harbors about an hour before the race started, so there was plenty of waiting time in the morning mist. I was finally overcome by the urge to use the littlest bit of my phone's battery, so I posted a quick update, took a few snaps and started my playlist.

The over-achievers (starting in front of me)

What am I about to do? Also-check out that other guy!

I decided to shuffle the list to keep it interesting and the first song immediately made me smile. It was "I Need a Miracle" by the Grateful Dead. Fitting, as I was putting on a show about knowing I could finish strong. A miracle might help. Fitting also, because Ty Taylor was the first Deadhead I have ever met. I was as intrigued by the dancing bears on the back of his truck topper as I was by the possibility that someone could live out of the back of his truck on cross-country trips from California to Minnesota. Man, I thought that was so cool!

THE RACE
I had two publicly-stated goals for the race.

1. Finish in less than four hours. 
2. Don't start too hot! At least three people had sent me the link to this comic from the Oatmeal giving advice for first-time marathoners. The first section is all about starting too hot. Trying to avoid this, I set myself up in the 3:35 starting area.  This would put me on about an 8 minute 12 second pace. I figured that would be a good start, not too hot. 

Waiting for the gun was excruciating. It was cold, I was nervous, I just wanted to get going. At the same time, waiting for the gun was great. Runners are fun people. Everyone's very social, cracking jokes and ready to start. Finally, the gun went off about 3 minutes late and we were on our way. We did the typical "brisk walk turns into a run-turns into a screeching halt-turns back into a run" start in the crowded chute. At this time, my playlist was on a mellow Oreja de VanGogh track, so an easy start was assured. (Good thing Lenny Kravitz was on as I waited!)

I tried not to focus on what was ahead of me and just enjoy the start. The number of people running a race like Grandma's is amazing. There were 6211 people running that day. The sounds of footfalls at the beginning of a race is out of this world. Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud. You can almost hear the miles and miles of training and effort in those thuds. It's one of the greatest sounds in the world.

Mile 1 came and went with a MapMyRun announcement of 8 minutes and some-odd seconds. I was on target and feeling good. There were plenty of race fans along the highway despite the weather and soon short-term goal (STG) #1 was accomplished. Water. The first water stop was at the three mile mark of the race. I had decided that it would be best to focus on small goals to help me get through the whole race. From here on out, water would be every two miles until Mile 19, when it would come every mile.

At Mile 4, I announced to the runners near me that we were just a 20-mile training run away from the end of the race. We all had a laugh and kept running. Then I did some quick mental math and realized that I'm a terrible subtractor.  I was called out as not being a math guy, announced that I was indeed a language teacher and was told by Pink-shirt Girl that she was too. "¿Español?" she inquired. "Yes," I responded. "Yo también." And race camaraderie #1 was born. Pig-tail Braids Girl and I had a laugh about how I was already delirious at Mile 4 of the race and I subconsciously picked up my pace. Because we were gabbing? Because I wanted to get away from my fact-checkers?

I'm not sure when race camaraderie #2 was born, but I soon found myself in conversation with another runner. 40 Before 40 Girl told me that she was working on her 38th marathon when I told her that I was working on my first. Her goal was to finish this one, then do two more before she turned 40 years old. We ran together for quite a while, chatting and absorbing the rare glimpses of Lake Superior in the fog of a cold and misty (perfect for running?) day. It wasn't long before Ms. MapMyRun announced a 7:30ish pace in my ear before I told 40 Before 40 Girl that I was going to hang back a bit. I felt good at that pace, but I knew that I had much more race to run.

It was somewhere around Mile 6(?) or 8(?) that my MapMyRun failed me. The miles suddenly weren't matching up to the actual mile markers of the race and my pace had jumped to sub-six minute miles. I knew that wasn't right, so I resolved to focus only on the split timings to try to keep to reasonable miles.

"Hey Beard Guy!" I heard from behind me. As I turned to see who was admiring the Samson-like source of my running acumen, I saw that I was Pig-tail Braids Girl. She had caught up to me. Presuming that she wanted to rub it in that we were now in fact, a 20 mile training run from the finish line, I put aside my pride grateful for some company. We chatted for quite a while, but I lost her in a water stop. I'm guessing she passed me. 40 Before 40 Girl was long gone.

Before I knew it, Mile 13 had come and gone as well. Half way done. My chip time was a little behind the gun time, so when I saw 1:45:08, I was over the moon. My PR for the half marathon is 1:35:47, so less than 10 minutes slower meant that I was holding a good, just over 8 minute per mile pace. I knew that I was going to finish a marathon.

STG #2 was soon met when I reached Mile 14 and kept running. My last big training run was a disappointment for me. I had to stop and walk at 14, so STG#2 was to keep running at 14 and add a few more. I can't remember exactly where it was that I walked through a water station, but I want to say that it wasn't until I entered the city of Duluth, so that would mean that it wasn't until at least Mile 19, but I think it was even later than that. 20 or 21 maybe? Anyway, I had made up my mind that I would walk through the water stations to give myself a little break, but also to give myself enough time to make sure that I could get enough water in my gullet to keep me going.

Entering Duluth is a lot of fun for me. Mile 6 of the Half Marathon and Mile 19 of the Full is Lester River. I grew up here, jumping from the railroad bridge and cliffs into the various swimming holes. My memories of my childhood flood back buoyed by the rousing support of massive numbers of people lined up along the street. This is where the race turns from scenic, wooded solitude to a route lined with screaming, supportive fans. "Go Jason!" people were yelling. "Wow! What support," I thought. "People love me!" Then I realized that my name was on my bib and I wasn't famous. But that's just another thing that makes marathons great. People make you feel so good, that it's easy to power forward, one step at a time. Memories of my Grandma, unrestricted summer bike rides, homes lived in and slumber parties on London Road made the three miles to Lemon Drop Hill a blur. At least that's what I'm saying now. The truth is, I was hurting, so I may have blacked out at some point.

It was time for STG #3. The 26.2 mile marathon had become a race of 2 mile increments. Crossing Mile 20 was a big milestone. That was previously my longest run. I was now breaking distance records with each step. At some point I realized this and started playing the "This is My Longest Run Game."

How to play:

1. Say, "This is my longest run." 
2. Run one step forward.
3. Say, "Now this is."
4. Repeat.

It got old quickly. Lemon Drop Hill was on the horizon.

My pace was dropping and I was starting to feel the burn of running a marathon. Lemon Drop Hill is an icon of Grandma's Marathon. Up until 1990, the hill was actually there. It was the "make or break" point of many races. Elite runners made their move on the hill, leaving competitors in the dust. Exhausted overachievers dropped out after spending all of their energy on the incline. Today, the Lemon Drop Restaurant is gone. The hill is a shortish slope of refurbished highway, but the moniker remains. It was just before Lemon Drop Hill that the 3:35 group passed me. Quietly, I packed away Secret Goal #1. I was hoping for sub-3:30 finish. When the 3:35 pace group passed me and I didn't have the legs to catch them, I knew I would have to "settle" for a sub-4 hour time. In reality, I was okay with that. I was playing the mental game and I wanted to finish. Period.

After Lemon Drop Hill at Mile 22, I knew Kate would be waiting with the boy child and her parents around Mile 24. I couldn't wait to see them. Two grueling miles later, there they were. I was so happy, that I ran over to them, grabbed the boy child and tossed him in the air. Hey, my arms were fine. It was my legs that were tired. A quick kiss for luck and it was only 2.6 more miles to the Finish Line.

I crossed Mile 25 and I knew that I would finish. I was going to finish a marathon. With the satisfaction of checking that item of my list of life goals, I kept going. Not fast, but I kept going. In fact, I made the conscious decision to not go fast. "Just keep it up and you'll finish," I told myself. In fact, I slowed down in an effort to not overexert myself at the end. It was my slowest mile.

Coming around the the DECC near the William A. Irvin oreboat a guy on a megaphone was color commentating and said something like, "Everybody's doing great, that guy with the beard is doing great!" I tossed an I Love You hand sign into the air and he mistook it for the Heavy Metal hand sign and said something else that I wasn't capable of transferring into any real understanding. I was hurting, but smiling.

The last little bit of Grandma's and the Bjorklund is so much fun. There are people everywhere and they are going nuts. When I ran under the overpass into Canal Park, I couldn't even hear my music. I have made efforts in the past to sprint the final piece, but this year I was content to trot across the line and hear the announcer call my finish - "Jason Coleman of Eveleth."

My lifelong goal of running a marathon was realized. I cried. I knew I would. It was emotional. I couldn't believe that I had done it. Running for a reason makes it extra special. This year it was for Ty. Last year it was for Ellis. The year before it was for my Mom, my Grandma and too many others that had suffered with cancer.

POST RACE
I didn't have to jump over anybody as I crossed the line. What a relief! I tried to stretch and couldn't. I got my medal and my shirt and headed toward the recovery area. I stretched a bit, drank some water and celebrated with other finishers. "Great race! Congratulations! Oh no, I dropped my shirt all the way to the ground! I tried to catch you and couldn't (said to me, ironically, as I watched 29 people pass me in the finish)." It was amazing. But, I was having trouble walking and feeling my legs.

I left to find Kate (my phone had just died) when suddenly my cousin Ben and his wife appeared out of thin air. It was great to see them. The conversation went something like this:

Congratulations!
Thanks!
How was it?
Pretty terrible. It's very hard to run a marathon. It's quite long.
Ha.
I need to sit down.
Sure. (awkward silence)
I need to stand up.
Okay.

Eventually, I got my stuff, found my family, had a celebratory beer and waited for my legs to come back. They eventually did and everyone spoiled me for the rest of the day.

Thanks for everything everybody. Every single one of you played an important part in this. My day was perfect in every way because of each of you and without a single one of you, it wouldn't have been the same.

RUN STATS:

Distance - 26.2 miles (That's a marathon!)

Time - 3:37:25

Soundtrack - See below

BONUS:
Race statistics (for my numbers loving friends)
Finisher video
Crazy expensive Marathon Photos. Note: These are all from the last few miles. None were taken when I was feeling good and strong.

It's go time!

Let's do this.

26.2

For Seth!

Today's run is for Seth! Not only did he donate, but he joined us on Monday for the US defeat of Ghana in Duluth! It was great to see him and catch up. He's not running this year, but for the past two years, he's run the Garry Bjorklund with me. We also ran the auspicious Gordon Good Neighbor Days 5K last year, and finished 1 and 2 in our age division. Just sayin.

Be like Seth. Donate here.  Thanks for the donation Seth, there's aren't too many days of donating left.

Seth's dedicated run was a family affair. Being home for the summer, we have a firm motto at The Crip Side - "We work hard at leisure." The current hard work involved the purchase of a bike and a trailer so we can all hit the road together!

Pictured: Enthused wife and chilled out baby.

The route was yet again the Murphy Cuatro. It seems to be the distance of choice these days. Only two more runs after this one until the marathon. During today's run, I kept telling myself that the race will not be a problem. I tried running my expected race day pace today, I hope I can keep it up for 26.2 miles. I usually start pretty hot, so that will be a big challenge for me on Saturday. I think it has been a major problem for me in the past. I wish I had Jess's (Team Tinto Shout Out!) negative split discipline.

The run was fun. It was so great to be out for a run with Kate. She's been my biggest supporter over the years and to have her along for a run instead of retelling it when I got home was really cool. The boy loves his trailer. I expect we'll go for lots of runs this summer.

We saw a deer and checked the mail on this run too. Getting it done!

This run belongs to Seth!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!

RUN STATS:

Distance - 4.02 miles

Time - 33:49

Soundtrack - No headphones needed, I had my family!

For Keir and Bernie!

The last Delhi Dedicated run of the year! This one has to be dedicated to Keir and Bernie, my faithful running buddies. Ted also belongs in this entry, but he got his dedicated run already.

These guys have been my rock during my training for Grandma's Marathon this year. They could easily be running it with me because they've run as many miles as I have. In fact, I usually end up following them, so it's safe to say that they would be ready for race day.

Sadly, Keir and Ted are leaving Delhi this year, so this run is my last with them for now. I'll miss you guys.

This morning's run was a surprising twist in my multi-year training program. Last year, my final Delhi run was in the Ridge, and so it was this morning. I didn't plan to end the year the same way, but since Bernie and I offered Keir the choice of routes the day before and vetoed him, we knew we owed it to him that morning. He looked at us with such disdain when we announced the wrong shoes. But sweet justice! Ted also has a pair of "Ridge shoes." Once congregated at the Gate, Ted ran back to his apartment to change and we set out.

There's not too much that would stand out in a dramatic, exciting blog post about this run. No dead bodies in the woods, no missing pirate ship, no flux capacitor. So instead of an action-packed summary, I'll opt for a mushy love letter to my friends:

Guys, thanks for:

1. Time well-spent. We always spend our runs chatting and laughing. It's pretty amazing how often I'm smiling during a grueling workout.
2. Being a great decompressor. This year has been stressful and having these runs has been a blessing.
3. Challenging me. Bernie created a course in the Ridge, but when we all run together, we don't compete. That said, the competition has been fierce this year on the courses that we run and like good friends should do, these guys push me to my limits.
4. The bonding experience. The shared memories that we have from countless runs has created an incredible number of in-jokes, anecdotes, close-calls and stories that will always connect us, regardless of friends that move away. For years hence, I'm sure I tell tales of Ted's fear of monkeys, and Keir's willingness to run straight into a pack of them. And I get to look forward to more runs with Bernie in August and beyond!
5. Sharing my passion. You guys all think the same way about running that I do. It's a chance to get out and explore, it's a way to stay fit, it's a chance to hang out...You get excited about MapMyRun statistics, crazy routes and talking about it all ad naseum. If it wasn't for you guys, I'm sure my wife would have shut me up long ago. As it is, I know I talk to her about this stuff too much, but she humors me.

Thank for everything.

Love,
jason



Obligatory blog entry pieces below, with one extra.

Did I say we don't compete when we run together? I didn't mean that.

This run belongs to Keir and Bernie!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!

RUN STATS:

Distance - 4.94 miles

Time - 39:11

Soundtrack - The Band, Greatest Hits. (Nice woods music!)

Pitter Patter, Let's Get At 'Er!

Back to blogging and back to running. Too many excuses have clouded my thoughts and mind. To help me get back on track, I've signed up to run my first marathon. On June 21st, instead of running the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, I'll be going all the way up to Two Harbors, MN and running the entire 26.2 miles to Canal Park.

In that spirit, two goals for 2014:

1. Run 800 miles (lessened from my overly ambitious 1000 mile goal from last year)
2. Finish first marathon


Secret goal for 2014:
1. Actually run 1000 miles in spite of my newly expectation-lowered goal of 800 miles.

So far, I've been back in Delhi for four mornings and I've been for three runs. I've done the Nehru Park Loop three days strong.

9 miles down, 791 to go.

I've got this.

ps. Despite the lack of posts, I did run over 150 miles including 1 10-mile race since the last time I wrote anything. As you can imagine, they were all very interesting and anecdote-filled.