So Jordan picked running a Half Marathon as her Senior Project.  She asked Dr. Ray to mentor her… They are working out once a week – he gets to push her to her limits… then on the weekends, I run long with her.  Last weekend we did 6, today we ran 7.25 … over half way there now.  & She’s doing great.  I see that “why-the-hell-am-I-out-here-running-up-these-frickin’-hills-when-I-could-be-snuggly-warm-in-bed-all-morning-instead” look on her face as we run and it makes me smile – because I’ve been there more times than I can possibly count any more.  But she’s gutting it out.   I hope that she looks back on the experience when its all said and done and can find something about it that she’s enjoyed. Even if its just knowing she set a goal and got it done.   I know running is not her favorite thing & I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why she picked a Half as her project… but she’ll make it.   She picked Bozeman’s ‘Run to the Pub’ on St. Patty’s day – just a little over a month away now…

But regardless of how it all turns out…as I get my two Seniors ready to leave us next fall for College… I know that I am enjoying my runs with her on these crisp late winter Montana mornings.  Something I know that I will look back on and cherish.  

T.

 Well… I did it.  Flew to Vegas and ran the Rock n Roll Half Marathon… on the strip, at night.  It was fun.  Interesting.  The race itself was complete chaos.. so many things wrong with it logistically.. but I made it.  I enjoyed it and I’m glad I went.  44,000 participants.  A good majority of them pretty pissed off at the moment about spending $150 on a race and have it be so poorly managed.  But Oh well.  It was an experience.  Jordan was supposed to run it too but did not get her training done.  So she worked the medical tent.

So some of the things that went wrong? 

• corrals not managed… resulting in walkers in front of runners.
• marathon lane marked with small cones… so there was little to no separation – walkers & half marathoners kept wandering into their lane
• hidden porta-potties on the course.. couldnt find them.
• picture booth too close to the finish line so there was a huge pile up of finishers at the finish line.
• could not get to wraps & food at finish line due to pile up
• ran out of water & cytomax on the course at several aid stations
• unsanitary conditions at the aid stations with volunteers dipping water cups with bare hands
• cups not picked up at aid stations so we were running through several inches of slick cups.
• They ran out of medals at the finish.. I got mine but heard several thousand did not.

List goes on… my biggest problem with the race was the missing porta potties causing a 15 minute wait at one point during my run and all the walkers. Dodging the walkers probably added at least an additional mile to the course along with all the hazzards they caused – I tripped, bumped, ran into many that just cut right in front of me while taking pictures & texting & walking hand in hand/arm in arm 2, 3, & 4 abreast.   The walkers should have been at the back of the pack.  They really congested the already overly congested course.

Anyway… as I said… aside from all the race problems, I had a good time.  Not a great “race time” but oh well.  :)   I guess I’ll just have to find another one to run. 

T.

HAHA  :)   So we ran 12 the other day.  Ready for Vegas.  First cold weather run for this fall/winter.  We did something a little different this time.. we ran our long run on Friday afternoon.  Saturday was proving to be too busy to get the run in so we ran Friday afternoon.. hoping for the best.  Kind of a warm up to running the Half at night in Vegas…  :)

So….  We ran up 10th from Fox Farm… all the way to 57th, then shot over and picked up 38th out to River Drive North (oh yeah… I fell once along the way – luckily no blood this time!).  From there… onto the trail out to the 7.5 and back to the parking lot at the 7.  It was cold.  Windy.  Uphill (up 10th anyway) and now its over and in the books.  Thankfully.  We’ll shorten it up a bit this week.  Drop back.  Las Vegas is in just a few weeks.  I think we’re ready.  It will be fun.

Achilles are hanging in there.  I can run.  That’s all that matters.  : )

A few weeks ago we were running out on the trail and we passed a guy with a Vegas training shirt on like mine… made me smile.  Soo.. there will be a “Montana contingent” running there.  fun fun!

T.

Not sure I’m going to make this year’s goal, the way things keep going.  Add to my previous list of injuries/problems another round of surgery.  So I missed out on yet another day of running on Friday.  I wasn’t supposed to run till later next week but I couldn’t do it.  Couldn’t wait.  Had to get out there.  So I ran 8, holding my arm to my chest to keep things from movin’ around.  ;)  But I made it.  (albeit draggin a bit!)  & I’ll keep going. 

It was actually a nice fall day for a run.  Sunday afternoon.  Nice cool temperature.  It was cloudy and started to sprinkle just as we got done.  Very nice. 

And then?  I bought a Harley.  hahahaha…

T.

What a wasted summer its been for running.  Dang!  And after a great late winter & early spring start to the year.

I started off the year doing  fairly well – I had a goal of 800 miles for 2011.  I wanted to beat last year’s 750 miles.  In late spring I began building.  I was going along good… I registered for the Las Vegas Half which is on my birthday in December.  In early June I went about starting to condition for that and then… BAM!  or should I say SPLAT!  In 17 years of running I have never EVER had a bad fall.  Till June 2011.  & I sure made up for it.  Man.   A friend of mine said… “You’re not a runner till you eat pavement”.  I can now say with much bravado… I am a runner.   :)

7 miles into a 10 miler, my toe catches on a small patch of raised blacktop and the epic fall begins.  I was running with my iPhone in my right hand (it was protected in a wrap-around-the-hand type of case).  I was using it to track miles & pace.  Well as I started to fall, I knew I had to protect the phone, so I curled that arm & wrist in toward me.  As I went airborn…I felt my Ray Bans start to go..  I watched those hit the ground & skitter across the blacktop (ugh!)… RIGHT before my face hit the blacktop.  I slammed into the ground full speed – landing on my left eyebrow, then my left hand hit, then my left knee.  I rolled over… glanced down the trail to see if Coleen had turned around yet but she was still going…  I laid there for a few seconds watching her fade into the distance, then I sat up.  Well… that was interesting.  I sat up and the blood started running… blood everywhere.  For a moment I just sat there looking at my hands and couldn’t figure out where all the blood was coming from till I swiped at what I thought was sweat on my forehead.  Then I figured it out!   I was bleeding from my head the most of course, but also my hand, my calf where it was road rashed and then my knee.  I walked back to the Dog Park and got some tissue out of the outhouse, wet it at the water fountain & started the clean up while I waited for Coleen to finish her run and come back and get me in the car. 

Luckily no obvious concussion.. amazingly so.  Head of stone I guess.  :)  hahahaha!  And aside from the deep gash and subsequent large scab at the outside end of my left eyebrow, it produced quite the black eye which I then sported at Chriss’ Chief Recognition ceremony.  That was fun.  Pinnacle of my husband’s career and I show up with a black eye.  Awesome.  :)

So I recovered from that (though it has left me with quite a nifty little scar on my eyebrow &  a lesser one on my knee) only to attempt a Half Marathon about a month later on rough gravel road with lots of hills, in the heat of the day.  That left me with two achilles that were all done for the summer.  After that half, I could hardly walk.  I tried running a couple more times but it was no-go.  So I spent the next many weeks rehabing (or trying to) both sides from that. 

Along about mid August, I happened to receive an email from a ChiRunning instructor in Bozeman.  Damian Stoy.  He and I conversed a bit via email about my achilles.  He said he could fix it.  I signed up for his workshop and started reading the ChiRunning book.  Good stuff that!  :)

About 3 days before the workshop I had some minor toe surgery. I had to have my toenail removed.  The outter edge was rolling in,  most likely from all the times I’ve blistered it underneath the nail while running.   That was fun.  :)  Actually…. it didn’t hurt in the slightest.  Just looked/looks gruesome.  So I stuffed my mangled toe into my Mizunos and headed to the workshop in Bozeman.  I really liked it and the information was great.  The technique he showed me relieved the stress on my achilles as I ran and hopefully…. I’ll be able to run faster/better now (I already feel like I am).  

While Dr. Ray was removing my toenail, we talked about my achilles and he gave me some eccentric exercises to do to heal the achilles & strengthen my calves.  Told me to try some Zoot Tri shoes and go out & run, that they’d heal up and I’d be able to run the LV Half.

Well… as of today, I put in my first 24 mile week in WEEKS.  And I feel great!  The Zoots are freakin’ AWESOME shoes…  The achilles are still mildly painful (Dr. Ray said they would be but that was ok) but the exercises are helping along with the new ChiRunning techinques to keep the pressure off my lower legs. 

I did a great work out with the GrrrAnimals group earlier this week (that kicked my ass!) and did a 5 mile trail run today.  Both went very well.

Back to having a ball running… Seems like its been FOREVER!!!!

Now to catch up & make my goal for the year.  Even though I am right now about 42 miles behind last year’s total at this point, I should be able to make that up & meet my 800 mile goal… barring any further issues!!! 

T.

5 mile mark at end of 2010

Ok, so… Basically?  I’ve run from Montana to my home in Washington.  :)  That’s the significance of 750 miles for me.  I didn’t REALLY run from MT to WA… but I did REALLY put in 750 miles in 2010.  750+ I should say as it will be slightly higher than that by week’s end.  It has been a decent year of running… most of it was pretty tough… but I still got out there & put in the miles & got it done.  Slow as they may have been. 

750 + for 2010

That’s 750 miles mostly on the River’s Edge Trail in Great Falls. Sometimes monotonous seeing the same thing all the time, but mostly?  I enjoy running out there.  I ran a few races… crawled at least one very long one.  :)  Of course I didn’t set any land speed records but I did cross the finish line(s), mostly upright.  I ran in Seattle, Washington; Bozeman, Montana; Vancouver, Washington; Palm Springs, California and I ran across the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, California….   I ran on the beach, I ran in the mountains, I ran in the city and I ran in the country.    I ran on treadmills in the gym and hotel “workout rooms”, the RE trail, the streets, mountain trails, city sidewalks and dirt and gravel roads.   I ran in the heat, the cold, the snow, the rain, the wind, the ice and the sunshine. Most of my runs included my ever faithful running partner Coleen Stivers.  I’ve also run with Bob Paff, Lori Durocher, my daughter Jordan and Syd Rogers. 

Coleen at end of 2010

There were no major injuries this year… managed to get through the year with mostly no more than a few persistent aches & pains, an occasional sore this or sore that.   & If you know runners,  there’s almost always a little of that.  :)

So we will finish out the year this week with a few more short runs, unless the weather blanks us – which, with the forecast for the remainder of the week… is a good possiblity.  Then we will press on into 2011 with some new goal we’ve not managed to dream up and chart out yet.  Maybe the goal will be just to be out there.  Period.  But then I will look at my running log and realize I’m not “keeping up with last year” and off I’ll go.  Trying to catch up.  :)  Oh well, it gives me something to work toward.  I love being out there, regardless of how slow I go.  I still enjoy the occasional road race.  I still put on my race in October (What Women Want Fun Run), I still help others put on their races and I’m still working with RaceMT.  All of that will definitely continue.  What else would I do?  :) 

There’s a quote I found recently… I really like it.  I’m not part of anything where I think of myself as part of a group… a ”we” if you will…  Then I found this quote. 

“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

- John Bingham, Runner and author

If anyone out there is reading this.. anyone at all, runner or not, I wish you all a wonderful 2011. I hope you fulfill even one hope or dream in the new year and you do so in peace and happiness. 

Namaste’

T.

Running is going very well… we are increasing mileage.. preparing to run in the cold and just generally enjoying the heck out of our runs.  Which is a nice change of pace after a mostly difficult year of running.   It has been a beautiful Fall here in Montana.  With temps in the 60′s and 70′s.  I was still running in shorts through the first week in November…  highly unusual for me.  :)  But it was great.  Unfortunately as of Tuesday… that all changed… just like we knew it would.   Snow and cold are here. 

But, I’ll be out there.  Running.   As always.

T.

A few weeks ago, I found myself suddenly back home in WA again after losing my uncle.  It was good to be back with my family… though not for the best of reasons.  He will be missed.

While there… I took the opportunity to take myself out on a little running tour of Battle Ground. My little sister still lives there, so one morning I took off on-foot in the Washington sunshine/rain.  I ran past Rockies Pizza… where I’ve ingested a fair share of calories in the form of the best Pepperoni Pizza on earth.  From there, I proceeded on down Main Street – passing a sign that said “Jensen Family Reunion”.. which confused me because I thought we were pretty much the only Jensen’s in the area.  Who in my family was having a reunion without ME?!!   But then again.. my “time warped” mind still thinks its 1985 when I’m in WA… as long as I don’t look too closely at (or ADMIT to myself) just how much it has grown since then.  So after allowing myself to believe that there just MIGHT be other Jensen’s in the area now, I pressed on.  I got to 12th… where we used to have a house.  Except… the house isn’t there anymore.  Just the trees around it.  I’m not sure WHY the house isn’t there anymore… most of the others are.  Running down 12th… it seemed so much shorter a street than when I lived there.  It’s the street I lived on when I first taught myself to ride without training wheels.  (No…no dad running behind me with his hand outstretched to correct any imbalances or protect me from scraped knees… ).  I got to the end of the little street.. where the mountainous bark dust pile used to be which I drug my newly altered TWO wheel bike to the top of, hopped on & took off…. never looking back.  (So began my love affair with bikes.  I don’t think I got OFF a bike until I was in high school!)  As I ran back up the little street, I thought about the repair man who had found me sitting in my driveway with some kind of tool, attempting to take the training wheels off my bike.  I can still see his face as he bent down, smiling, to take them off for me.  I also tried to figure out which house it was that the neighbor girl had run their new snowmobile into the side of one night after we got about a milimeter of snow.  (as was normal for BG, WA in those days).  I saw the house where my friend Gayla lived… and tried to pick out the house where my friend Amy lived.  I remembered the night that we learned that Amy’s dad had died in a car accident. I tried to recall some of the last names on that street.  Gonzales, Lawrence, Blackman…

 I returned to Main and continued on.  Saw what used to be the “Swiss Miss” – similar to a Dairy Queen.. and the Minit Mart where I remember SOME of my friends attempting to coerce ilicit beer purchases out of entering adults.  :)   Saw an office with the name Sowards on it.. an attorney… I believe it must be the same Sowards I went to school with.   From there I ran past a McDonalds (which was NOT there in 1985!)  to my Intermediate school… which somewhere along the line turned into a “Middle” school. Lewisville.  I ran around & looked in all the classrooms where I lived out my “middle” school  years.  Heard the echoes of us on the grounds.  The school is not in use and mostly boarded up now.  Apparently used mainly for storage.  Kinda sad to me.  I left there, ran past my high school football stadium and through the HS grounds… looked at Central… which was where I went to K-2.  Its closed – has been for years if I remember correctly. Full of asbestos. I was one of only about 12 kids who went K-12 on those grounds.  Ran past Tiger Bowl.. where I spent time bowling with friends for a season.  Past my mom’s old office and the Library where we donated my dad’s western books after he died.  Past the old HS Horticulture & Shop buildings which have been closed since before I graduated. Then past our beloved Burgerville… where again.. I’ve ingested another good portion of calories from Double-Beef-&-Cheese-with-extra-spread-please burgers.  ;)  I continued back down main, returning to my sister’s house eventually.

It was a nice run.  Full of memories.  Its a nice town to be from…. 

:)~

T.

This past weekend, I got to run in a pretty spectacular place.  I ran the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  I only got to run one direction as we had very limited time and EXTREMELY limited

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco

parking (due to heavy traffic) on either end of the bridge… but I did it and it was WONDERFUL!!!   :)  The weather was spectacular… clear blue sky… the bay on my right and my Pacific to the left.  It was absolutely gorgeous.   I almost didn’t make it happen… we were running out of time.  But my good friend Kristina saved me and delivered me to the bridge, then patiently waited for me to get to the northern side.  Her parents live in the city.  Her and Max happened to be in town while we were there, so they picked us up and brought us to her parents house where we all had a nice visit.  It was good to meet her parents… people I’ve heard so much about over the years.  They were great to visit with.  Kristina then volunteered to take us to the bridge specifically so that I could run it.  Max was very patient driving in the holiday weekend traffic… of which there was a LOT.  I am very grateful to them for being such great friends to do me that favor.  I am so glad that I was able to do it.  I knew I would regret it if I didn’t take the opportunity to run the bridge in some fashion while there.  We had a great time in SF… its a wonderful place.  Lots of runners everywhere you look!  :)   I had to smile because one of the first songs I heard upon arrival in SF was “Lights” by my boys Journey.   OF COURSE!!

In incredible contrast to my run on Saturday… was our run on Tuesday evening here in Great Falls.  As is normal for spring in the windy city… a storm was brewing when we started out.  A few rain drops pelted us… but not enough to make us melt.  So off we went…  By the time we reached about 1.75 miles, we heard thunder… saw lighting.  A little further on the downpour began.  We ran to the Central Ave. bridge and stood UNDER it for a while as the storm played out.  We giggled about my two runs and how the views were “slightly” different.  :)  Then once the storm began to settle down, we proceeded back to the start of our run – splashing through some lake-like “puddles”.  Had a very good time.

& My shoes are STILL wet!    :)~

T.

I went out last night & ran while my daughter was at the basketball game.  It was a very nice night, not too much wind and a decent temp, 25 or so I think.  I was by myself, so I ran on the trail – the 1 to the 2.5 & back.  The trail is clear, not much ice to worry about and there was quite a bit of moonlight so it made for a pretty night.  There was just enough light out so that the inky black trail stood out against the white of the snow piled on each side… looking much like a black line carved into white stone or sand.   

I have a new playlist on my iPod – instrumentals only… which includes the Rocky Theme  (gotta have Rocky!) , Fanfare for the Common Man, Nessun Dorma (Chris Botti), Suite for Solo Cello #1 (Yo Yo Ma), Rhythm of the Horse from the film ”The Horse Whisperer”  and several other movie scores/themes.  It was a perfect fit for the run – in mood, tempo and length of the playlist.   I didn’t know or look at the total time on the playlist before I set out.  I remember worrying after starting that it would be too short for the run.  It always irritates me somewhat to mess around with the iPod while running – it is distracting to me.  But I brought the 5 mile run in at almost the same time the playlist ended and looking at the time tonight on the playlist in iTunes… I’m now pleased with my pace.  

:)

Some of my favorite running tunes – aside from just Rock songs… are instrumentals.  Here are some of my favorites:

• Blood Ritual – Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack – this one is probably the most fun to run to – perfect pace! (Klaus Badelt)
• Bari Improv – August Rush Soundtrack – very close second.  (Kaki King)
• Montana – The Horse Whisperer Original Score.  Its only about 1:24 long but it is absolutely beautiful and fits in well with my environment.   (Thomas Newman)
• The Fishmarket – The Prince of Tides soundtrack…  This is another short one.  I have always wished they had made this longer.  But the scene in the film is actually of the main character on a run through NYC.  The “mood” of this little piece is very much “Me”.  (B. Streisand/James Newton Howard)
• Road to Perdition Main Theme – Road to Perdition movie score – another piece that is “me” in its mood.  (Thomas Newman)
• The Wedding/The Passage of Time – Bicentennial Man Soundtrack.  Just  two beautiful pieces of music (a total of over 15 minutes of music between the two!) that take me to wonderful places in my heart.  (James Horner)

I didn’t get my run in today… that just means I will run alone on Sunday to make up for it. Its supposed to snow… so if it does… I will enjoy that.  :)   But we have our plan in place to run tomorrow morning.  It should be a relatively nice morning for a run.  Not supposed to be too cold…

So… until then…

T.