Happy Gnome

I'm just going to keep it short by saying the same thing I've told everyone...COULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN IT ANY BETTER! Let me tell ya, I put absolutely zero emphasis on Grandma's Marathon this year but it turned out to be the best 26.2 I've run to date(not the fastest though). At the start line I met up w/Clint, Shane, Tony and a handful of new acquaintances from Canada to do this thing. Being open minded I chose to let the group determine my destiny. My fitness was really good currently and if I'd done more road conditioning the chances of breaking my PR of 2:57 were better than fair. However, power on the bike outweighs fleet feet over the pavement these days and hence my physique is less than ideal. Once the horn sounded, conversation flourished immediately as we all knew it's a long morning to stride from Two Harbors to Canal Park. Chatting a lot was a useful strategy to buffer the pace from getting too hot during the early miles. We all trailed right behind the dude carrying the 310 balloons as the posse around him swarmed too close for our liking as the masses came into aid stations. I was really impressed at how near perfect our splits passed by, 715 713 714 etc. As usual, my wrist was w/o a timing device but I heard the beeps of GARMINs all around me sharing the data. Just before Knife River I popped my first gel all over my forearm and shoulder which made for some good laughter until almost 10K. Tony Stenslund and I made the observation that we could recycle our electrolytes by licking the salt right off ourselves during the race. Cleaning myself up on the fly I would grab sponges to wipe the sticky residue off when it was no longer worth tonguing. Tony would jump off the front to pursue a sub-3 w/the rest of us knocking off miles as we were. Cruising down toward the Nokomis Restaurant @ mile 10 everyone began to go silent. This would continue until crossing the half marathon mat but the formation remained intact. I saw Andrea Johnson by McQuade Road and stated,"Clint should right back there" as I gave a wave but the look on her face told me otherwise. From 14 to 18.5 I would ease up some to assess how it was going for me as my main goal was to enjoy downtown!! Leaving the scenic to hop onto the expressway I was confident that there'd be no bonking or major soreness to ruin the day on this attempt. Guess third time is a charm won't be a fraud afterall. Lester River is exactly where it came undone on my two previous attempts on this course and I live right up 60th Avenue to make things worse. No worries though, I got encouragement from Jen and other friends in this spot and my race would commence. Progressively, each mile was stronger and my eyes opened wider as the crowds grew. Hearing a split by 24 had me thinking for a moment, "damn...I might have a shot to qualify for Boston!" Running thru the spectators along Lake Avenue had me feeling like I just started Fitger's 5K. Approaching the clock @ 25 I saw it tick over to 303 but it didn't matter all, I hammered out a 6:24 split w/1.2 to go and I was loving every bit of it!!!! Knowing I wouldn't cover the final real estate in under 7-flat my only mission was to high five cheering people and leave most of it on the field. My results were 250th place overall, time of 3:11:13 & my effort was a negative split by mere seconds if you go by gun time w/my last 10K faster than the first. Pure enjoyment throughout and weather that cooperated as well. Sun was hidden behind the clouds and a refreshing breeze in your face the entire way.

I boycotted the tents for this edition and went out to my buddy Pete's home where a nice gathering met for copious amounts of beer and grilling tasty fare. Out in the country on Fiskett Road made for a relaxing evening of swaping stories on the deck and watching Twins and golf.

Sunday, Jen and I went to Saint Paul in order to meet up w/a large group of friends at The Happy Gnome which is the shoving off location for a Pedal Pub that was arranged. If you ever get the opportunity then don't hesitate!!!!!