if you want to run a marathon...

okay, well no one i know but 5 others want to do that.

if you want to *pretend* you want to run a marathon, but don't want to get sweaty, then come along with me.

click here before Friday at 6pm and follow the directions..

(only if you happen to be near a computer on saturday and wonder where i might be; if you have the day off, by all means go outside and play!)

i should finish around 12:40 CST.

that's just about 5 hours from when i actually intend to cross the start timing pad.

72 hours and i'm so done.

my world is so off kilter right now, it's not funny. i'm ready for it all to be the 25th.

see you on the other side...

yikes...

i'm off to run the longest run ever in about an hour.

on a beautiful rail trail that runs from st paul to stillwater.

today's mileage?

15.

next saturday?

16.

may 2nd?

17.

may 16th?

19.

may 30th?

22 miles up in duluth as a 'practice' run...all but the final 4 miles of the marathon route.

the weeks in between are 13 milers on saturdays.

i hear i won't die during thie process.

i'll believe that at the end when the medal is on my neck. until then? i'm pretty freaked out. and taking it one day (and yes, mile) at a time...

i'm now officially in the 'great unknown' of training. new mileage that i've never even attempted before. the folks who train for a marathon *alone* still blow my mind. they are superheroes. i am just as thankful to have a group that i know is there for me and will be counting on me to show up on these long run saturdays...so off i go...

have a great easter weekend ~

play first, then work.

so these will list this second, not first, but such is life...

it's thursday night and i'm still making my way through the DVR of Oscars....

because i was not around last weekend...I was up on the shore with David for our annual 'yes, sometimes boys and girls can actually be friends without weirdness' weekend....this was our 3rd trip, and we're already looking forward to next year with maybe a few more folks ~

here's a few shots...







we adventured into the winter like true minnesotans and had a blast...it was a gorgeous wonderland of white....

next year i want to know how to cross country ski...and snowshoe more...it's good to have goals.

we found an awesome set of trails to try out in a year...

work is still moving full steam ahead on the huge move and relocation for the next year...

mark's hugely busy as of late hanging out with the Brits who are in town for a concert with the Rose Ensemble this weekend. Today we got about 7 inches or so of fresh snow, and they are in Superior, WI tonight singing with Voces 8 in a spectacular church.

Grandma's Marathon training starts in two days. This has lead to a lot of schedule changes for me. A few of my phenomenal colleagues have gone out of their way to help my goal of becoming a marathoner come true by trading nights and weekends with me for the next 4 months...and i will gladly repay their kindness any way i can...

One of my latest changes hurts my heart some, in that I meant only to do good by starting a 3rd job, and had planned to leave the long standing wait job, but it just didn't play out that way. I'm not making as much at the lil cafe in Mpls as I do in White Bear Lake...so today I had to call my friend and boss, Gail and give her my notice. Which truly bummed us both out.

I know in my next life I won't be so damned attached to everything on earth as much as I tend to get. My passion for so much really leads to my downfall sometimes...

Anyway, is this post really still going on?? time to close...

If anyone sees spring, Minnesota is really ready for that season any time. Seriously. ~jd

maritza's post...

because she wanted to see and she's the furthest away from those i know that read my blog now and again...and she's a fellow runner girl...her bloggage is here...she knows allycat, one of my best friends and totally sporty spice :)

so, here you go miss maritza :) (some day i hope to meet you!)

this is my latest ink.

(yes, dad, i really did that. yes, it's right there for everyone to see. somehow i think the family might think this is a little *too* forward and i await the phone to ring with some kind of commentary...and yes, i am 35 years old, but parents are still parents with opinions they'll share...)

it's to get me through, well, life, but also? my first marathon....

june 20.

i registered this week.

so in all of the miles that i'll start hammering out on the 28th (yes the 16 week training program starts one week and one day from now...) i can look at my teammates, friends, and my own wrist, and do just what it says while trying to not lose my sanity or self worth.

this week, i also got the crud (cough cough cough) and i will blame the constant use of public computers for this. :(

but despite that, here i sit tonight singin' along (loudly and a little raspily) to this:

a country classic girl.. who died too young. but had a great great set of pipes...and good lyrics (with a really young willie helpin her with a few good lyrics...) i sang some patsy at karaoke last week, so i felt like some more tonight while mark is at rehearsal.

i'm tired, sad and wanting to be better...

time for some dinner, chores and a little bit of Things for the workland...

i have declared.

i will sign up, and barring any injuries or god's free will of kaboshing this plan for any reason, i WILL run the full 26.2 Grandma's Marathon on june 20, 2009 in duluth, minnesota.

am i freaked out? heck yes. i've gotten to the end of 13.1 miles pretty much staggering and feeling damn tired. so DOUBLE that? almost 5 or more hours of running? um....let's not talk about it quite yet. but if oprah, katie holmes and countless unknown novices complete marathons for the first time every year, well heck, i. can. too. i just have to work on it....and train. and train some more. and, that's right. keep on training.

and any and all friends, family or strangers who want to be there in the last 5-6 miles to help me get through it are welcome.

and if you seriously *do* want to come visit, you need to decide soon. lodging in the duluth area fills fast, and some places open reservations in january.

but first and foremost, i'm doing all i can to train my brain, along with my legs, that i *can* do this.

i absolutely can not thank enough allison, ruth, kim, karen, claudia, val and the rest of my run club teammates for helping me find my way this past year and become the runner and person i am now. And of course i thank mark from the bottom of my heart as well for supporting me along the way with my countless hours running and not being home on the opposite schedules that he sings around the country and world. i know we don't always see eye to eye on the topic of running, but i know he's proud of me...

and back to ally for a minute. THIS GIRL? she has really *really* made me believe. she keeps me grounded. she's honest. and she's run her first 3 marathons this year. grandma's being her first. and the 2nd two? within a WEEK of each other. one in san francisco, and one in wisconsin (how's that for a juxtaposition?) and she has become my role model. she? is magic. and a mere 10 months ago? we had not met. allison? you? are my runner girl hero. in true allison speak :)

peace & love through the miles...dream big. because if you do? anything is possible that you pu your mind to...
~jd

perspective...

it's sunday night. about 10:30...

this will be my earliest bedtime in about 4 days....

i spent the weekend with the runner girls at friend kim's family cabin about 100 miles north of here.

no, it wasn't on the north shore. yes, i love the north shore, but i do love exploring *different* areas if the situation arises....

there were 8 of us up there total most of the weekend, but ally, kim and i enjoyed the pleasure of heading up there on our own on thursday night, and everyone else joined us between friday & saturday evenings....

we had much girl bonding...(no, sorry, no pillow fights ;) including talk about running, next year's races, and more than anything *RELAXING*. we knitted. we watched 7 movies over 3 days. and yes, we ran. some of us a few miles more than others depending on how we felt. I got in almost 11 miles in, and for all the bitchin' and whining i did about it before hand, it went pretty darn well....(i can get whiney...is that a shocker?? hahaha~)

i am very very close to making it official that as of january 15, 2009, i will register for grandma's full marathon in duluth on june 20, 2009.

but i'm not quite there yet. i still can't put my head or mental prowess around just how long and taxing both mentally and physically that will be.

and, seriously, i have to talk to the workplace about this. training for a full 26.2 race WILL affect my work schedule, and for all practical purposes, i have to talk to the bosses about how to make this possible. if they say it just won't work, well, then i'm out...

i had an amazingly laid back weekend with the girls, and after all of the miles, sweat & tears we shared over the past 9 months of training, traveling and racing, it was soooooo welcome to just be together hanging out, talking, eating, drinking and being together (outside of a workout or two). i did miss mark, and it always feels weird to not have him around, but this weekend it was all girls all the time, and i counted my blessings to have such amazing friends in my life. not just in running, but on many fronts.

there's not a whole heckofa lot to blog about lately, so stay warm as winter descends upon us and if anything blog worthy pops up, i'll post it. but until then i think i might start a new diet of sorts...and limit my time online. believe it or not. happy november....~jd

drowsy sunday....

back briefly....so very tired though. that's what i should expect however when i stay up til 1am partying like a 23 year old with fellow runners, most of whom ran 26.2 yesterday on a beautiful day in duluth....i fininshed my 2nd half marathon successfully thanks in great part to awesome coaches and my teammate kim, who saved my sanity the entire race.

and i know i've said it often, and loud. i don't have any interest in running for 5 hours. i don't have any interest in running a marathon.

something this weekend, be it the lake, the company, the team, the event, the 'magic', changed in me.

if there is *ever* a chance i'll run a marathon, it would be Grandma's. we'll see how life plays out between now and next year.....i'm still not confident or trained enough but if i found the magic pacer, like i had in Kim, i just think i might try one.

holy frijoles. i never thought i would ever say that out loud, let alone in print. but there it is....dream big i guess ;)

quinn the dog is okay. still no idea what exactly is wrong, and he's on many meds and cost a staggering amount to not have answers, but he *is* home so fingers crossed we don't have any more relapses and that he only gets better.

a few pics below to share from the fabulous but fast weekend....


titled: "eating with greatness" these are kenyan runners benson and cyprian, who we just invited to eat dinner with us. benson, in the foreground, finished *third* in the marathon and cyprian finished 9th. incredible. for those not part of running, kenyan runners are the best on the entire planet. so meeting and talking with a few up close was really inspiring. and they loved every minute of it :)


kim & duana went on a walk with me at sunset to see my lake. i can't explain how just being up there heals my soul but it does. yes i would love to move there. if they ever need a librarian and a singer/manager, i'm done here in the cities....and will hope friends will visit :) but until those odds happen (very unlikely) i'll continue to visit often...


the fantabulous allison finishing her very first marathon....i have totally taken to this girl (and a few others) since we met running this winter...she makes me laugh like no other ~ and she shares a bed very quietly when we all have to cuddle up for 2 nights in a big hotel room :)


team short bus....on the way home from an awesome running/celebrating weekend...one of our runners owns this special bus, and this took most of our team up and back to grandma's marathon weekend 2008....

next up, the TC 10 mile, the Whistlestop Half, both in October, and 3 of us are 'in' for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN next APRIL. HOO-RAY for Nashville!!! Through random conversation i discovered i am *not* the lone country fan on our team. there are actually others :) who are willing to fly with me to TN to *run*.

damn this team makes my heart smile. thanks so much ya'll.....

time for some wine. i've earned it....~jd