Twin Cities Marathon!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TCM RUNNERS!

In the 10 mile...
Amy held back and met her goal of running SLOWER than 8:00 pace
Donna looked great in her TU pink jersey finishing at 1:18 (great job!)

In the marathon...
Mary Keilen blew by us so quickly that we hardly saw her...great finish at 3:30
Ann looked stunning in her TU pink. While she didn't hit her goal time, she toughed it out and finished at a great 4:01!

Congratulations to our TU runners!

Also of note...
Chris Grossinger, who at mile 25 looked like he had just jumped into the race
Nathan, who finished with a 5:30 minute PR and tears in his eyes
Jared, who finished first in his age group at 3:20
Steve English who passed us with a huge smile on his face (as always)
Nick Cross who did his best to block us out, but couldn't resist the cowbell.

Spectating...
Kirk, Mike and Marty who shamed at least 10 runners into abandoning their walk for a run,
Carolyn, who caught the eye of the Star Tribune reporter (look for her in tomorrow's paper)
Deb and I who worked the cowbells to exhaustion...my arm still hurts :)

A great day all around.
Great job to everyone!

Pre-race planning (for the rest of us)

There's a lot of planning necessary before running a marathon, but sometimes it's more difficult to plan how to WATCH a marathon.

We have two TU runners running TCM this year. Ann Choi-Roloff and Mary Keilen

Ann is planning on running a 3:40 starting with 8:20 miles, then dropping down to 8:10 miles. She'll be wearing the official TU pink sports bra.

I'm not sure what Mary's race plan is, but she said she will be wearing a light blue visor and sun glasses and probably light blue top with black shorts.

Other "runners of interest" running TCM events
Amy Smith - 10 mile, targeting 8:00 miles
Steve English - marathon
Nathan Campeau - marathon

One week after TCM a bunch of us are heading to Chicago...
The Chicago Marathon has a method to track runners, but to make it easy you should register ahead of time to keep track of everyone...

From the Chicago Marathon website:
Runner Tracking
If your family and friends would like to follow your progress as you cover the Chicago Marathon course, be sure to have them sign up for Online Runner Tracking. Spectators can electronically track multiple runners along the race course by receiving real-time updates via e-mail or text message throughout the race. Updates will be received as runners cross the 10K, halfway (13.1 miles) and 30K checkpoints, as well as the finish line. To register, visit chicagomarathon.com.

The TU runners (and some of their race numbers) are:

Amy
Anne 2427
Carolyn 5145
Carly
Deb 2819
Meg

And don't forget
Kirk 1030
Marty
Mark Johnson
and
Cory Smith

I'll try to get more race numbers for anyone who is interested.

Hello TU Runners!

Yesterday was the St. Kate’s 4k CC event. As I was driving to St. Kate’s, I was thinking about how happy I was that we had a full team to run this meet. I was planning to sit this one out since I felt I needed a break from racing.

It was a cloudy, cool morning, with a light mist, the kind of weather that truly signifies that the cross country season has arrived. Just the day before, Marty and I went to watch the Griak Invite and I could not help think about my college days running cross country. There is only one thing that comes to my mind about CC and that is PAIN! This was confirmed as I watched the Women’s Gold division cross the finish line. There was one woman that really stood out. Her face looked as though she just sliced her finger with a knife! One by one they came flying down the hill with expressions of sheer agony. I was in pain watching them! To make matters worse, as Marty and I were walking back to our car, the finish line appeared like a war zone. Bodies were everywhere. Some were flat on their backs in pure exhaustion. Some were still bent over and it appeared like they were not going to move anytime soon. Some appeared as if they were going to puke. In fact, I think I had the dry heaves more in cross country than any other event I can think of! Yes, cross country is painful!

I guess we all have our reasons as to why we put ourselves through such agony, but there is one thing that makes cross country stand out as a runner and that is the emphasis of team. It’s the main reason I ran the sport in college. There is a bond that is created in cross country that is very special. There is something magical about it. As I watched the college women warm up for the race, I noticed that each “team” warmed up together, stretched together, and cheered together and so on. When the race started, one could not ignore the sheer dominance of the U of MN women’s team. I was told they have 55 runners and I believe it! They ran in packs! It had to be very intimidating to the other teams! However, whether your are a team of 55 or a team of 5, the one thing that remains the same is the bond you create with each other. We are all in this painful event together.

As I was warming up with the TU team for St. Kate’s (Pam, Anne, Amy, Donna and Julia), I also knew cross country season had arrived since the ground was wet! I think it only took five strides before my shoes and socks were completely soaked! However, what I noticed the most was that the bond was starting. The TU women pulled together as a team. Everyone warmed up together, they went to the bathroom at the same time, they changed into their spikes together, and they all walked to the start together. As I was watching the team run the race, I have to believe that it made it just a little bit easier to be out there for each of them knowing their teammates were also out there suffering! It was great watching each one finish with such will and determination. Then everyone came together to share their experiences. It was awesome to hear the stories.

I then realized how much I missed not being a part of it and it reminded me of why I like to run cross country. So to Pam, Anne, Amy, Donna and Julia: You are warriors! I applaud you for your sheer guts and determination to run an event that to me is very painful. You pulled together as a team! I am so proud of you all! Team results are at the following link: http://www.usatfmn.org/usatf-mn-st-kates-2008

The next CC race will be a 5k run in Eagan on October 11th. The race starts at 10:00 am. Please find information at the following link: http://www.raceberryjam.com/wildcat.html

It will be a bit more challenging pulling a team together since many of us will be running Chicago. So please consider running this event if you are able. Also, recruit anyone that you feel would be interested in joining the team. So far, I believe Pam, Julia and Donna expressed interested in running.

I want to close with a statement made by Julia after her race, which was “I feel like I’m going to puke”. I could not help but smile when I heard that statement. Yes, cross country has arrived.

Take care,

Deb

A Return to Cross Country

From Team Unattached Running

Posted earlier today...Deb's recap of the Ft. Snelling 5X5

TU opened up its first race for the Cross Country Circuit with the Fort Sneling 5 x 5k. Everyone performed outstanding considering the humid conditions we all had to endure. A special thanks to Pam and Anne for running a double 5k. One was hard enough to run in that humidity, so I commend you both for stepping up and tacking the double! The team scored third in the open and second in the master’s divisions. We brought home some very interesting “Karate Man trophies”. Maybe Anne and/or Amy can give a better description of the trophies. I believe the feet and arms are moveable! CONGRATS to all and thank you for making the first CC run fun and eventful! Here is the link for the official results: http://www.raceberryjam.com/indexrr.html.

Our trophy, Pike Island Pete, will make the perfect companion to Golden Shoe Barbie.

From Team Unattached Running

Congratulations to everyone for a race well run!
As a result of her tough running at both City of Lakes and the Ft. Snelling 5x5 Pam is the recipient of Golden Shoe Barbie! Congratulations Pam!

Get in Gear Recap and TC 1 Mile Planning

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a race...if you normally run in Sibera! Runners of the Twin Cities annual right of spring were peppered with snow flakes and ice pellets AND got the chance to run into grueling winds on Ford bridge.

Mother Nature threw all she had at Team Unattached and we fought back! Running the Get In Gear 10k for Team Unattached were Abby Albright, Amy Smith, Carly, Carolyn, Deb, Donna, and Meg (Did I miss anyone?). From where I was standing everyone ran a great race. Women's Results. Congratulations to Team Unattached for another great race. Standings for the Race Series aren't posted yet, I'll update the blog once they are.

I was merely spectating yesterday but I was amazed once again by how great our pink singlets and NEW TU race t-shirts look! They look so good, in fact, that both got picked up in photos and posted on the photo pages at the USATFMN website. Notice Carly and Deb modeling their TU wear.

We can only bask in our successes for so long before planning for the next ones...
The next race in the series is the TC 1 Mile on Thursday, May 8th at 6:50 PM (although there are multiple waves...more on this later). This is really a great race. The opportunity to run through the streets of downtown Minneapolis doesn't come around very often and it's a great chance to get a good estimate of your fitness level. Plus they normally have really cool t-shirts.

Hopefully you've already registered, if not it's not too late! Click here for registration information.

There is a question I don't have an answer to. Which wave should we run? I don't know, but I'm going to find out and I'll let everyone know when I do.

If you plan on running, let Deb or I know. I'm hoping we can field a team for the race...

See you all soon,
Anne

by the way, I posted a Boston summary blog over at my personal blog... tvsnacks.blogspot.com for anyone interested...

Don't Mess with TU

*Thanks to Gene Neimi for the great photos!

Tough Run

Today I joined a few of the guys for a morning run at Fort Snelling. It was actually warmer out than I thought so I was looking to place my gloves in the pockets of my running pants. However, I came to a realization that I had my running pants on backwards since I could not find my pockets! I announced to a few of the guys that I had my pants on backwards as if I was just wanted to get it out there before any snickering began. However, I should not have said anything, because they probably would not have even noticed. I attribute this lapse in judgment and putting my pants on backwards to losing a few brain cells at my Saturday morning run.

Yesterday I went for a run in the Eagan/Apple Valley area with a few other TU runners: Anne, Pam, Carly, Janelle and Amy. We were all there to help Anne with her last 20 mile run in prep for Boston. Most of us met at Jensen Lake since we were going to run 15 of the 20 mile course Anne had planned for the run. I was excited because since I live in Apple Valley, it was a short drive; however, I also knew that the run was not going to be an easy one. This wasn’t going to be the nice, leisurely run you find on the parkways in Minneapolis/St. Paul. This run was going to be one loaded with hills. Not just little bumps like the hill between Calhoun and Harriet. We had a few that were almost a mile long. I wish I would have counted the number of times we were running either up or down hill.

Anne picked up Janelle and met the rest of us at Jensen Lake and we proceeded on our journey for the next 15 miles. Right from the start, all I could think about was how I just did not feel right and that this was going be one of those runs I just couldn’t wait to get over with. I was trying really hard not to focus on how I felt and the hills that were ahead of us. What helped me through it was the fact that I was running with some great friends who like to tell stories!

As we continued on our up and down journey, I was still feeling like crap and was doing everything I could to not think about it, but I found myself fixating on getting to the to that first water stop. Anne told us it would be at 6 miles so I kind of knew about where it would be, but it wasn’t getting to us fast enough. I was starting to get a little cranky. I finally saw a little blue cooler ahead that Kirk put out earlier for us (Thanks Kirk!) and it was like I won the lottery! I was so happy to just be able to stop for a few minutes and slam down some refreshing Gatorade!

I was content to just stay there a bit longer, but we were soon on our way. Once again, my first thought was the next water stop at Anne’s house, which would be at about 10 miles for most of us, about 15 for Anne. However, to get to that point, I also had to think about the monstrous hills ahead! The mile long hill on Diffley was daunting! I tried not to look up, but I did and immedailry became crankier. All I could think about was getting up that darn hill! Of course, you get to the top, you have a short rest and then you had another hill to deal with. This was the course we ran! There was never a reprieve from the hills! Crankiness settled in and consumed me.

We arrived at Anne’s house and I found myself smiling! The crankiness subsided as I was gulping down my nice, cool glass of water from the coolest pink glass that Anne handed me! However, it was very short lived since we were immediately out the door for our final 5 miles.

The “crankies” were back and at this point, I just wanted to get done with the run. I was feeling weak and tired and I knew that we had to finish going up about another ¾ mile long hill. As much as I wanted to finish, I also wanted to avoid that hill at the end! I was hoping Anne would steer us a different direction, but then it dawned on me, there was no other way, unless we went through the trails and that wasn’t going to happen since the trails are not quite ready yet. I just found myself consumed with thinking about the hill at the end.

I felt the pace quickening since I believe we could all smell the finish, but that also meant that flippin’ hill was quickly approaching ahead. Once we turned on Pilot Knob, you could see the enormity of it! I could sense that it was going to be a dash at the end and I did everything I could to stay with the gazelles I was running with, but my worn out body could not keep up. I just resorted to getting to the top at a pace I knew would get me there still standing. Once I got to the top, I knew it was downhill to the finish so I just fired up everything I could and started running like a mad woman down the hill. I got up to Carly and then we both dashed downward in perfect rhythm! We finally reached Anne and Amy right at the finish and I was never happier to be done with a run. WE FINISHED!!! As we all gave each other the “high five” and were telling each other what a great run it was, as I turned towards Carly, she had that look of a baby who was about to burst out into a hysterical cry! Then all of a sudden Carly blurted out “I hated that run! I mean I know it’s good for me, but I still hated that run”! I could not help but burst out in laughter since I knew at that moment exactly what she meant. That will be a moment in time I do not believe I will ever forget. I’m still laughing about it now! Thanks Carly for being so brutally honest! It was a tough run for me too!

What I have learned through my years of running is that sometimes you have those runs you absolutely hate and wish you would have stayed home and read a good book instead. However, it is the friends you run with that help you through these tough runs. I could not have made that distance on that course alone. So I say with all sincerely to my friends: THANK YOU for helping me through a very tough run. I will end by saying that we started the day supporting Anne on her 20 and to me it appeared Anne could run the entire course again. So Anne – You are ready to face the hills at Boston. We all wish you the best!

Have you met Golden Shoe Barbie?

Last fall we ran our first official race as the new Team Unattached. After the race Deb came up with the great idea of having a traveling trophy awarded to one of our team mates after each race. She dubbed it "The Golden Shoe Award" and asked for ideas for what the trophy should be.
A week later Carolyn presented us with the perfect trophy. Barbie dressed in our team colors!

Since then Barbie has been spending her time traveling between the ladies of TU. After each race the current holder of Barbie gets to make the very tough decision on who the next recipient will be. The decision is purely subjective, Barbie can go to a person with a big PR, someone who overcomes tough conditions to finish the race, someone who shows up when the team really needs them, the reasons go on and on. The only rules about awarding Golden shoe Barbie is that it must happen immediately following the race and you have to explain how you made your choice.

Congratulations to everyone on a great Human Race (see the next post for Deb's post race recap)! Keep your eyes on the blog for more info about our next race, the Earth Day half marathon.

Anne

Race Recap - The Human Race

Hello TU Runners!

We had a fabulous turnout at the Human Race this past Sunday and at the post race celebration at O’Gara’s! You all ran so impressively!!! I hope each one of you is proud of your accomplishment, and if things did not go the way you wanted, just know you are supported by your teammates and that things are OK. Racing is never an easy thing to do, but if you try and do the best you can, no matter how you feel that day, you cannot ask anymore from yourself. So hold you head high, think positively, and forge ahead! I also want to thank those who came out to watch and support us! THANK YOU!!!!!

It was awesome to see our team support for one another before, during and after the race. We were a sea of PINK! Wasn’t it awesome? I was very honored to be a part of it.

The Golden Shoe Award went to Carly Kohler for setting a huge PR!!! Congrats Carly! More importantly, I chose Carly because I happen to know personally that she has been working very hard for this race. So Carly-hats off to you!


For those new to the Golden Shoe, this award is given by the person who last received it to the person they choose at the next race. It is very subjective and it’s up to the person giving it to decide which person they want to receive the award. If you have not seen the Golden Shoe, I think Anne or I can get a picture out on the Blog.

The team results are out and I have attached the information we received from USATF below. TU took 5^th in the Open division and 4th in the Master’s Division. WAY TO GO TU!!! I'm so very proud of you all!

Next up we have the Earth Day Half Marathon in St. Cloud on April 19th. Please let Anne or myself know if you plan to run the race. Registration information is located on www.usatfmn.org.

My sincere thanks to all of you for a great kick-off to the season! I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Deb

Human Race Info

Hello TU Runners:

The 2008 USATF MN Team Circuit is about to begin! YAHOO! The first race will be the Human Race 8k this Sunday. I know a number of you have already registered, but if you have not registered, and plan to run, you can access the information by clicking on the "Human Race" link on the right side of the blog.

Please make sure you are also a member of USATF. You can get your USATF number at www.usatfmn.org.

The race start is 1:20 pm. Let’s try and meet as a team prior to the start at about 1:10 on the south side of Summit. This race usually has two start lines on Summit Ave. The women normally are on the right side as you face the road for the start so let’s try and meet at this location. The forecast is for a high of 41 degrees – partly cloudy. Perfect race conditions! For those that ran the CC circuit, I think we can get away with wearing our singlets with maybe a long sleeve underneath. I may wear longer shorts or Capri tights. We will have to see what factor the wind may play as well. For those new to the team, just look for the women in PINK!

After the race, I hope you will all join in the celebration at O-Gara’s Pub located at 164 Snelling Ave. in St. Paul. This will be a great opportunity to meet your teammates and celebrate our first race together as a team! Anne and I will talk briefly about the team and the race circuit and I will have the TU sport bras available. The cost is $18.00 if you want to purchase one (see photo below). There will also be drawings for some cool Nike Gear!!!

Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m looking forward to seeing you all Sunday!

Take care,

Deb

New Additions...

Not only is our team growing in leaps and bounds, the blog has a few new additions...

1. At the right you'll see a list of "who's on the team". While it's a very distinguished list, it isn't difficult to see your name in pink. Just register with USATF and send your number to Deb. Then she'll put you on the official roster and we can get you on the blog.

2. A Team Unattached mission statement. Deb worked on capturing what Team Unattached is all about. I see our team as a fun, encouraging atmosphere to expand your training and racing. A place to help you reach that new level while having a great time. Do you have any ideas on how to improve the mission statement? It takes all of us to make Team Unattached, I'd love to hear what others think the team is about...either send Deb or myself an e-mail or just comment to the blog with any ideas.

Don't forget to sign up for the Human Race. I think you save a few bucks if you register by March 1st. Make sure you plan to attend the post race team meeting at O'Gara's. First round is on me!

Welcome to the 2008 Road Racing Series!

Hello everyone!

The 2008 USATF MN Team Circuit is quickly approaching! I thought it would be a good time to send out some information about the circuit and to hopefully entice you to participate in some or all of the races.

To kick-off the 2008 Circuit, I first want to express my sincere gratitude to all those who participated in the 2007 USATF CC Circuit. I believe I can speak on behalf of everyone that it was an ABSOLUTE BLAST!!! Team Unattached performed exceptionally well considering it was either the first time some even ran cross country or it has been a LONG time since you ran on grass. TU has also started a fashion trend in team uniforms and I believe we currently are the envy of all the other racing teams.

Ok, it's time for some official business. USATF requires everyone to be registered as a team and as an individual. I have registered our team and we are officially registered as 30-408. You may need to put this number, along with our name 'team unattached" on some of the registration forms. I am an officer of TU, along with Anne Walztoni and we will take care of the roster and any communications with the USATF officials. You can access a list of clubs at www.usatfmn.org, click on clubs on the left and then club listing on the right. You will also need to obtain a USATF number, which can also be obtained on www.usatfmn.org. You will need this number to participate in the circuit.

The 2008 races are listed below. We can field open, masters and grand masters teams. If you are interested on how the scoring works, please go to www.usatfmn.org, click on distance running on the left, then team circuit on the right.

Now for the FUN! Anne and I want to invite you to our first meeting to take place immediately after the Human Race 8k at O'Gara's Pub located at 164 Snelling Ave. N. in St. Paul. It will be a great time to celebrate your race and talk about any other official business we have concerning the team and/or the circuit. The 2008 racing bras will be available for purchase if you are interested. More details about the racing bras will be made available soon. We will also be holding a drawing for awesome NIKE gear. You must be present to win so please come join us for the fun!

You do not need to make a decision for all the races right now. You can run whatever races fit into your schedule. However, I will need to know if you are planning to run the Human Race 8k on March 16. I will also need you to provide me with your USATF number. You will each need to individually register for the 8K and you can obtain the information at the following link

http://www.tslevents.com/TSL/Event/Default.aspx?EID=72 (You can also click on the races noted in www.usatfmn.org or listed to the right here on the blog to obtain information about registration).

Please let Anne or I know if you want to be a part of Team Unattached, even if you cannot make it to the first race or to our first meeting. We also encourage you to forward this to anyone you think may be interested in joining the team. We hope you will be part of TEAM UNATTACHED and we are looking forward to an awesome 2008!

Thanks everyone!

Deb and Anne