Get Lucky 7k (and 21k)

Team Ortho is sponsoring the Get Lucky 7k and 21k (half marathon) in Minneapolis on St Patrick's Day, March 17th. 

Team Ortho events have gained a reputation for premium race day swag.  In past races, participants have recieved Sugoi running jackets.

A handful of Fergus Falls runners are participating in the Get Lucky 7k this year.

Other Team Ortho events include the Polar Dash (half marathon, 10K, and 5K) on January 1, and the Monster Dash (half marathon, 10 mile, and 5k) around Halloween.

Runner Art

My six-year-old son colored a picture of a runner last week.  I thought the green headband was a nice touch.

Congratulations Princess Emily

Emily Borowski took her dad to Florida to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday.  It was her first half marathon.  The Princess and the Frog ran through the Magic Kingdom together along with 20,000 others for the sold out event.  Emily finished with a time of 2:17:59, edging out her dad by one second.  Congratulations Emily and Wes!

I thought I'd add a picture of Wes and  Princess Emily from a 5k race in Ashby in July 2008, in her early training days.

To Our Friends In Florida and the Carribean...

The weather is beautiful.  Wish you were here!

Saturday, we ran 10 miles from the Y, to Highway 210 bypass, through downtown, back to the Y, and through the State Hospital grounds.

Lynn at water break

Kristi and Lisa after indoor run at YMCA

Josh Mohagen running around YMCA track

Running To The Ends Of The Earth

Pat Farmer is an accomplished ultramarathoner.  He is a former attorney, and Member of Parliament in Australia.

On April 2, 2011 he left the North Pole.  Ten months and 13 days later he reached the South Pole.

He ran an average of 50 miles per day.  During his journey, he wore 20 pairs of running shoes, and 600 pairs of socks.

The run benefited the International Red Cross.  He was inspired to help the Red Cross after visiting Peru, Nepal, Egypt and Thailand.  His run has raised $115,000. 

Check out the web page about his run, Pole to Pole Run, and an article in the Sydney Morning News. 

Athletic Republic Run Is Open For Registration

Check out Athletic Republic Run's new website: athleticrepublicrun.com

The event will be held on June 2, 2012.

This year Athletic Republic Run will consist of:

• Half marathon
• 2-person Half marathon relay (new)
• 5k run/walk
• 1 mile fun run

Help make the 2012 Athletic Republic Run the biggest event yet.

Why I Run

"There is something unique that running brings to my life--a sense of community, connectedness and calm amidst even the most chaotic of days."

-Mary VanSteenberghe, Newberg, Oregon

My wife, Lisa, found this quote in the March/April edition of Women's Running Magazine.  It is a great magazine for women.

The Long Run: Recovery Nutrition

The following suggestions are from a book by Monique Ryan, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes.

Hard training runs require that you pay attention to recovery nutrition.

• Consume half a gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight immediately after exercise.
• Drink plenty of fluids for recovery.
• Add 10 to 20 grams of protein.
• Monitor weight before and after running to determine sweat losses.
• Consume 24 ounces of fluid for every pound lost.
• Consume sodium after training, particularly in hot weather.
• Continue to rehydrate the remainder of the day.

Lake Region Healthcare Men's Night

FFAR will be at LRH Men's Night event on April 12th from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  The event will be held at the new Fergus Falls Ice Arena.  Check back for further details.

Frozen Flagpole

Most mornings, the flag at the YMCA helps runners assess the running conditions, and helps them determine if an extra layer of clothing is needed for protection from the wind.  Tuesday, there was a 10 mph wind, but the flag wasn't moving.  The winter storm on Monday and Tuesday left Fergus Falls covered in a layer of wet snow and ice.

Common Nutrition Mistakes Made By Runners

An article in Trail Runner magazine, describes six common nutritional mistakes that runners make and quick fixes for the problem.

The common nutrition-related problems addressed in the article are:

Dehydration
Hyponatremia
Runner's Trots
Bloated Belly
Hitting the Wall
Nausea

The article is very practical and a good read for runners.

Chocolate Beet Muffins?

On Saturday, after the long group run, Lynn brought chocolate beet muffins for a post-run recovery food.  The recipe called for two cups of beets!  The muffins were surprisingly good.  I ate two.

This is now my favorite way to prepare beets.  Maybe beets aren't so bad.  They make great muffins.

Beautiful Saturday Morning Run

FFAR welcomed Mitch Wellman and John Ugstad on Saturday.  The conditions were perfect: sunny, calm, and dry roads.  The group ran 6 to 18 miles.  Lynn had a personal long distance run of 18 miles.

Titus cheered on his dad during a water stop.

Wes and Emily Borowski ran their last long run before their half marathon.  Stay tuned for more details.

John was frosty after the run.

U.S. Olympic Marathon Team

The U.S. Olympic marathon team consists of (left to right) Desiree Davila, Ryan Hall, Abdi Abdirahman, Shalane Flanagan, Meb Keflezighi, and Kara Goucher.

Two-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein narrowly missed qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team.  He is now attempting to qualify for the U.S. Olympic 10k.

Dathan Ritzenhein, Meb Keflezighi, Kara Goucher and Desiree Davila will run the NYC Half marathon on March 18th.  The winner of the NYC Half will win a record $100,000.

The 2012 Summer Olympics will be held in London from July 27 to August 12.

The women's marathon will be held at 11:00 AM BST (British Summer Time, or 5:00 AM Central Daylight Time) on Saturday, August 4.

The men's marathon will be held at 11:00 AM BST on Sunday, August 12.

The Olympics marathon course is similar to the London Marathon, however the course remains in central London (avoiding East London) and highlights the city's major landmarks more than the London Marathon.

Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie called for an earlier start to the race.

The Olympics Marathon will likely be broadcast on time delay, which may take some of the excitement out of the event.

Ben Is Back

After a weeks rest from a 135 mile ultramarathon, Ben returned for a group run on Friday.  The group ran a 5 to 11 mile run.

Race T-Shirt Etiquette

According to Bad Ben's Ramblings blog, there are rules that should be followed in regards to race T-shirts. 

Ben has 21 rules of etiquette.  A few of the guidelines are outlined below:

1)  A shirt cannot be worn unless the wearer has participated in the event.
2)  Volunteers have full T-shirt rights and all privileges pertaining thereto.
3)  Your t-shirt should be kept clean, but dried blood stains are okay.
4)  Never wear a T-shirt that vastly out-classes the event you're running. It’s like taking a gun to a knife fight.
5)  Never wear a shirt that has any sponsors on it that you don't agree with.
6)  Never wear a shirt that is so old, thin, and threadbare that you can see the color of your nipples or chest hair through it.

Check out Ben's blog for further details of the rules of etiquette.

Snowy Streets of Fergus

Fergus Falls was blanketed by heavy snow earlier this week.  The snow has affected road conditions and traction for running.

Coach Jenny Hadfield, from Runner's World, has published suggestions for running on snow.  Some of these suggestions include:

• wear trail shoes or a traction device (Yak Trax)
• choose fresh snow over packed snow or ice
• shorten your stride
• keep you feet lower to the ground
• throw your planned pace out the window

Mill Street

Coach Jenny stated that sore muscles may develop from stabilizing muscles that are typically not required when running in normal conditions.  She recommended focusing on a solid run, rather than running a faster pace and risk getting injured.

Runner's Plate: Oatmeal

Some members of FFAR consider themselves connoisseurs of oatmeal, and have sampled oatmeal from a number of eating establishments in Fergus Falls.  The consensus recommendation is that the best oatmeal can be found at two area restaurants: 

The Organic Irish Oatmeal at Cafe 116 is made from steel cut oats from Natural Way Mills in Middle River, Minnesota.  If you are more adventurous, try the farina.

McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal is also very good, but much sweeter than the oatmeal found at Cafe 116.

Normal People Don't Understand

Thank you Sheri for the insightful cartoon.  Feel free to join us for a run (the running times are posted on the blog).  Then we can go out for a cheeseburger.

Runners Like Beets

The results of the beet poll were disappointing.  Nearly twice as many people liked beets than didn't. 

Consider preparing some beets for your Valentine this evening.

Three American Records Fall In One Race

Three American records fell at an indoor 5K race on Saturday, February 11th, at the Millrose Games in New York City. 

But first a little background...

The Millrose Games began in 1908.  The event was formed by workers at the Wanamaker Department Store, who began the Millrose Track Club.  The Millrose Games were held at Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011.  This year, the event was moved to the Fort Washington Avenue Armory in Manhattan.  The traditional highlight of the event is the Wannamaker mile.

Bernard Lagat (previous 8-time winner of the Wanamaker Mile) decided to run the 5K event this year.  He ran a 13:07:15, beating the previous U.S. record of 13:11:44, held by Galen Rupp.

In an unusual conincidence, Galen Rupp beat Bernard Lagats 2-mile American record by two seconds on Saturday in a race in Arkansas.

Back to the American records...

At the same Millrose Games 5K race, University of Arizona trackster Lawi Lalang broke the American collegiate 5K record by nearly 10 seconds at 13:08:28 (formerly held by Galen Rupp.)

The American high school record also fell in the same race.  Edward Cheserek from Newark, broke the national high school record with a time of 13:57:04.

For more details, see the article in New York Daily News.  Thanks, Micah, for the lead.

FFAR Run For Sherry

FFAR gathered at the YMCA on Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 AM to run for Sherry Arnold.  The windchill was -28 degrees F, and the runners ran 8 to 16 miles.  For more information about the Run for Sherry, see a previous blog post.

To see pictures of other groups that ran for Sherry, check out this Facebook page (you'll see FFAR).

Wade's awesome sweatcicles

(That's Josh under the ski mask)

Twelve Reasons to Love Winter Running

  1)  Trail shoes
  2)  Wool socks 
  3)  Wind briefs
  4)  Yak Trax
  5)  LSD: long slow distance runs
  6)  Post-run sauna
  7)  P.F. Changs Marathon in Arizona
  8)  Balaclavas
  9)  Running Santas
10)  Frozen water bottles
11)  A profound appreciation for Spring
12)  Sweatcicles

The list could go on, and on...
I'll take any other suggestions.

A Brisk February Morning Run

5:00 am, -33 degree windchill, 4 upper layers, 2 lower layers, vaseline on the face, 2 face masks, 2 layers of gloves, 9.5 miles.

Run for Sherry

Steve Wagner's blog, Addicted to Running, describes a tribute run in West Fargo at 6:30 AM on Saturday, for Sherry Arnold, of Sidney, Montana.  Sherry was abducted and killed during a routine morning run in January.  Sherry was a math teacher at the high school in Sidney.  She was a high school classmate of one of my coworkers. 

Friends of Sherry are encouraging people to print out bibs and take a group run as a tribute to Sherry.  They would like to forward pictures to Sherry's family.  For more details see this blog post.

Red Beets: Gastronomic Delight or Lowly Root Vegetable?

a bundle of Beta vulgaris (red beets)

I don't like beets.  Never have.  Pickled beets, raw beets, canned beets...it doesn't matter.  People who like beets, tell me I'm missing out.  I disagree.  I've tried them.

To be fair, beets do have some nutritional value.  They contain relatively high levels of iron and vitamin C.  But these modest health benefits, don't make up for the beet's shortcomings in flavor and odor.

During the January Rock n Roll Arizona Half Marathon trip, the FFAR group was decidedly split about the virtues of beets.  To help us settle this disagreement, please answer the survey in the left column.

1st Annual YMCA Frozen 5k Results: 2012

1st Annual Fergus Falls YMCA Frozen 5k Run/Walk: Feb 4, 2012
Women's Results				Men's Results
Place	Name	Time		Place	Name	Time
1	Jill Iverson	18:11		1	Brittin Roberts	15:54
2	Bridget Leonard	20:41		2	Gabe Wicklung	17:29
3	Lynn Wolters	20:47		3	Jake Krohns	18:09
4	Deb Wellman	21:09		4	Larry Bethel	18:11
5	Karoline Gustafson	22:20		5	Jake Gustafson	18:42
6	Emily Borowski	22:35		6	JP Michaus	19:04
7	Nicole Bruns	23:16		7	Ed Newmann	19:10
8	Heather Young	24:00		8	Wes Borowski	19:16
9	Nicole Verhelst	24:09		9	Wade Swenson	19:32
10	Brenda Lindgren	24:31		10	Josh Tysver	20:19
11	Abby Dawkins	25:24		11	Keeler Johnson	20:20
12	Janet Schneeberger	25:35		12	Keven Crabtree	20:52
13	Karen Love Kugler	25:50		13	David Christenson	21:02
14	Corissa Hentzes	26:01		14	Lee Danielson	21:10
15	Amber Bladow	26:05		15	Scot Rownd	21:10
16	Morgan Sikkink	26:32		16	Steve Swanson	21:11
17	Gail Vamadeva	26:34		17	Mark Sikkink	22:15
18	Kim Olson	26:49		18	Leon Anderson	22:59
19	Kari Krein	26:49		19	Kevin Rogness	23:20
20	Jodi Johnson	27:07		20	Roger Hain	23:42
21	Olivia Becker	27:09		21	Dwayne Codner	23:44
22	Kathryn Crabtree	27:09		22	Ron Fricke	23:46
23	Sally Nelson	27:13		23	Ryan Olson	23:48
24	Marla Fricke	27:35		24	Logan Crowser	23:57
25	Miranda Nelson	27:38		25	Brandon Crowser	23:57
26	Kayleen Bengston	27:44		26	David Wieser	24:41
27	Ashlee Roehl	28:27		27	Mike Tenneson	24:56
28	Jasey Olson	28:27		28	Ken Heidorn	25:08
29	Melissa Rosentreter	28:53		29	Dennis Gerold	25:24
30	Dawn Graves	29:22		30	Josh Steer	26:45
31	Kristy Anderson	29:41		31	Ethan Wieser	27:48
32	Sharon Jones	30:17		32	Matt Olson	28:27
33	Kristine Bauer	32:38		33	Ben Bitzer	29:21
34	Amanda Graves	33:29		34	KrisStock	29:38
35	Terry Wieser	35:18		35	Greg Graves	39:33
36	Beth Roehl	38:13		36	Jerry Hendel	43:37
37	Sumor Wieser	38:14		37	Randy Stigen	50:44
38	Erika Boone	38:48		38	George Townsend	50:44
39	Rachel Boone	38:48		39	David Stigen	50:44
40	Jody Kalenberg	40:18
41	Mary Dolan	41:18
42	Myra Domes	41:22
43	Linda Hanstad	41:41
44	Helen Dysthe	57:37
45	Kim Weaver	57:37