tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10922633028945646542024-03-13T02:10:07.714-07:00...mostly just runningMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-84725095956128208452020-05-29T14:38:00.002-07:002020-05-29T14:38:34.452-07:00back running againAt the end of March I started running since the gym was closed due to the pandemic. Since then I've run 193 miles which is more than any year since 2011. Good for me, I guess.Mark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-73643657319430046262018-07-21T06:52:00.000-07:002018-07-21T06:52:12.381-07:00Surprise...I ran 4 miles today for the first time in years. I decided to run on a soft trail to lessen the pounding on my knees and to add speed and variety vs running on a treadmill. I'm hoping that running will strengthen my knees over time.Mark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-12661142926815110292013-06-12T13:33:00.002-07:002018-07-21T07:45:19.869-07:00my first 6 mile run of 2013I have been running almost zero miles for many months. I'm feeling like running now so I wrote about my longest run of 2013 on tumblr. I've been doing more on tumblr lately but since this blog has been pretty much dormant for some time now, not sure of it's future direction.<br />
<br />
edit: I deleted Tumblr some time ago; now picking up this blog again in 2018.<br />
<br />
--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-72063092109289989962013-06-02T10:30:00.001-07:002013-06-02T10:30:25.979-07:00two good days in a rowYears ago I wrote down everything I ate and kept track of every last calorie expended during exercise. Without looking back, it seems like great exercise weeks were 5000 calories burned while I was doing intense fitness classes or 45 miles of running when I switched over to that activity.<br />
<br />
What I've just started to do a few days ago is record my diet and exercise and goals in myfitnesspal. I also wear my Garmin XT310 for running and have restarted my running for what seems like the millionth time. If I can get to running about 2 miles a day, almost every day of the week, I'll start staggering the 2 mile days with slightly longer days. I'd like to be able to run 6 miles a day, 5 days a week, my this Fall.<br />
<br />
To get my Garmin data into myfitnesspal, I use Endomondo as an intermediate app. Endomondo can pull my workouts from my Garmin and then push them to myfitnesspal. A little complicated but it works well.<br />
<br />
I have a 7 mile trail race in my sights for later this year.<br />
<br />
--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-51908205171397797382012-03-17T15:11:00.000-07:002012-03-17T15:11:19.889-07:002012 inaugural run todayNothing like waiting until the snow is gone before going on a run. Long story made short - I haven't run since last October. So, after 5 months off it was about time. I didn't want to hit pavement so I headed out to Lebanon Hills in Eagan. What a great afternoon! A summer-like 77 degrees on St. Patrick's day! The trails were in great shape and were quite dry, except for the South side of Jensen lake. I spent an hour out there and enjoyed every minute. Hope to be running out there again very soon.<br />
<br />
re: races. I don't have any races on my calendar for this year. I'm hitting yoga and cross-training pretty hard, and now I will get back to running, but it will be months before I have any speed back.<br />
<br />
Enjoy the early Spring weather everyone!<br />
<br />
--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-36096129558551041372011-12-30T08:22:00.000-08:002012-07-02T08:44:53.902-07:002011I've not been very careful of taking care of my plantar fasciitis this year. I looked back in my log book and saw where I wrote down signs that I was getting it as early as February. Well, now my running has dropped to a low...about 0.0 miles per week. Now I need to take measures to get over this injury.<br />
<br />
Here is what comes to mind about my 2011:<br />
<br />
1. I made a goal to qualify to run the NYC marathon and I met that goal in May at the Minnetonka Half Marathon. That was the first time I stuck to a pacer and he got me through. It was amazing to run with a pacer who could hold a rock-solid pace up hills, down hills, and in 30mph winds. 1 hour 39 minutes. Thanks again, Pacer Dave. I have no intentions to register for NYC but I am happy to have met my goal.<br />
<br />
2. I ran the Bighorn Trail Run 50K in Wyoming in June. I took the day as a way to enjoy being out in the beautiful scenery all day long. I walked up every hill and also down some of the steep ones. 7 hours and 44 minutes which was my slowest ever 50K. Loved every minute of it!<br />
<br />
3. I always enjoy the Door County Fall 50 team relay race. Third year in a row for me and had a great time. We had a little issue with our car at one of the exchanges. I didn't realize that laying down in the mowed brush at the edge of a field, to look under the car, would give me a nasty case of poison ivy. I get itchy thinking about it.<br />
<br />
Looking ahead to 2012.<br />
<br />
1. Swimming. I'm still on the edge of learning to swim freestyle and I have a goal of being a swimmer by Spring.<br />
<br />
2. Get over plantar fasciitis. My friends have given me a lot of information on the topic and some names of good Docs. I've been avoiding seeing an expert but it might be time just to do that.<br />
<br />
3. Volunteer at races. I would like to volunteer at some trail races this year.
4. Keep the race schedule light. I may sign-up only for the Door County Fall 50 (October 2012) and only add earlier races as my feet and fitness permit.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year, everyone! I look forward to seeing some of you on the roads or trails in 2012.<br />
<br />
--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-421666511889603592011-08-04T05:36:00.000-07:002011-08-04T05:59:44.524-07:00getting back on trackAbout once a year I get a into a stretch of weeks or a few months or so where I'm not really motivated to run. I don't mind if that happens in the Winter, but it's not great when it happens in the Summer.<br /><br />In May I had my mind into running and I was in good running shape. I ran a really nice half Marathon on May 1st in <a href="http://www.lakeminnetonkahalfmarathon.com/">Minnetonka</a>.<br /><br />In June I still had my mind into running when I ran/walked the <a href="http://www.bighorntrailrun.com/">Bighorn 50K</a>. I didn't train to race it but I did just fine with the plan and was completely motivated to finish while having fun.<br /><br />In July I ran the <a href="http://www.runthekeweenaw.com/">Run the Keweenaw</a> series in Upper Michigan. I was not in good running shape and my mind was just not into running. Evidently a continuous long-taper/long-recovery cycle doesn't help fitness if there is not much running involved! :-) I didn't even plan to do any running after the races while I stayed up there on vacation for a week. I finished all the races but I was very slow compared to last year. I just didn't feel like running.<br /><br />There are many reasons for my current state of mind and fitness, one was the stress of remodeling my house, another is work stress. I'm sure there are more reasons too but I just wanted to write that I'm back in the mood to run and I've added some non-running workouts on 3 days each week. Instead of finding an excuse to skip a workout, I'm looking forward to the workouts to come.<br /><br />It looks like my next and last race this year will be the <a href="http://www.fall50.com/">Door County Fall 50</a> relay. I have a 4-person team this year and I always love that race. I'm planning to have some running fitness and speed back by then.<br /><br />I was hoping to be able to run the <a href="http://surfthemurph.org/">Surf the Murph</a> 50M this year but I have other commitments that day. I'll shoot for 2012 to finish that one.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-3951426072227180002011-07-05T05:35:00.000-07:002011-07-05T05:54:48.615-07:00Heel lift or no heel lift experimentFor a few years I've been running with a 5mm heel lift in my right shoe and also Superfeet inserts. In March I picked up a new pair of shoes, the same brand/model/year that I had been running in. I also got a new pair of Superfeet at that time. What I forgot was to put in the heel lift and this launched the accidental experiment.<br /><br />I by the time I hit 200 miles in those new shoes, my right heel was causing me a lot of pain - plantar fasciitis. My left hip was getting sore too. I assumed the two things were related and decided to get a new pair of shoes. They didn't seem to help much so I started some plantar fasciitis treatments such as rolling my foot on a ball. That was making it somewhat better.<br /><br />Three weeks ago I was getting a spare pair of shoes ready for a race so I pulled my old Superfeet inserts of my winter shoes. It was then I noticed the heel lift. I had forgotten about the lift when I bought new shoes in March and hadn't been wearing it for almost 3 months. Since then I've been wearing the lift in my work and running shoes and my plantar fascittis is almost gone.<br /><br />So, for me, the 5mm heel lift can make all the difference.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-54976303885858504542011-06-26T06:25:00.000-07:002011-06-26T06:30:29.374-07:00Garmin 310XT againThe Garmin 310XT is advertised as one of the most water resistant Garmin GPS watches. I returned my original one in April as the display had a crack in it and it was fogging up inside. Twice during the Bighorn run a week ago I noticed condensation on the inside of the display. Today I contacted Garmin about returning it for repair (within the 90 day repair warranty). Maybe the third one will be a winner!<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-20863549218876951372011-06-21T17:10:00.000-07:002011-06-27T06:34:30.318-07:00Bighorn Trail Run 50K - 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyxgjFyeyc6aLyXg8P3kSG2Rl37M8sylJsYbo3W353ZEN_MrZrFE7MqA-Hl4w_2yG06V8AEI6Ki9VsmRkfpNhJ_nUENx43TmCUf0TLDvGGb3nrlZcSIkRsuCyTHlA5XRIo4ODWqUaZL8n/s1600/81196-120-029f.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyxgjFyeyc6aLyXg8P3kSG2Rl37M8sylJsYbo3W353ZEN_MrZrFE7MqA-Hl4w_2yG06V8AEI6Ki9VsmRkfpNhJ_nUENx43TmCUf0TLDvGGb3nrlZcSIkRsuCyTHlA5XRIo4ODWqUaZL8n/s320/81196-120-029f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621586623905562786" border="0" /></a><br />I've heard only good things about the <a href="http://www.bighorntrailrun.com/">Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run</a> and after I DNF the <a href="http://surfthemurph.org/">Surf the Murph</a> 50 miler last Fall, that I was running as a test for the Bighorn 50 miler, I decided that the 50K distance was right for me. Most of the year I kept up enough of a mileage base that it's not too difficult to train for a marathon. So far this Spring, I only had two road races - a 25K and a half marathon. Beyond those races, I was only able to squeeze in two or three twenty mile runs. I had zero trail runs this year and no hill specific training. Sounds pretty bleak for running a good Bighorn 50K. Well, it's all about the plan.<br /><br />My plan was to enjoy the scenery! In order to do that, I needed to finish and in order to finish, I had to take it easy. So, my plan was to walk up every hill and to run very easy down the hills so I didn't kill my quads. Also, I didn't know how the higher elevation running was going to affect me so I planned to keep an eye on my heart rate.<br /><br />Since I had never run the Bighorn, I wasn't sure exactly what to carry or pack in a drop bag. The race website suggested we carry extra socks and shoes and I also planned to carry a lot of water. I had my Nathan hydration pack which I filled with about 65 oz of water and a 22 oz handheld. With socks, rain poncho, S!Caps, a bunch of ShotBloks, and a headlamp in case I was out until close to the 9pm cutoff, I was set.<br /><br />Bighorn mountains and Bighorn sheep near the finish in Dayton.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNidJE4XjG0VLriEauijQRJHjddhFxdWy5DC5lduIw_LcaC4NRt2uYZdLbjzc6d0QyeyyTbYNnCUJ-UwlClib-6A_0_L5NuDdTP4yXAOOxKeDobqVSV8jf5WRjdvoWGSvqmQbRlbsEjvm-/s1600/251265_1891039953357_1162245741_31855954_5558586_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNidJE4XjG0VLriEauijQRJHjddhFxdWy5DC5lduIw_LcaC4NRt2uYZdLbjzc6d0QyeyyTbYNnCUJ-UwlClib-6A_0_L5NuDdTP4yXAOOxKeDobqVSV8jf5WRjdvoWGSvqmQbRlbsEjvm-/s400/251265_1891039953357_1162245741_31855954_5558586_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621825146101418674" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From the finish line in Dayton, Wyoming, many of us took the 6am bus up the mountain to the Dry Creek aid station. The starting time was 8am.<br /><br />Here the runners are checking in and getting ready to run!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7E4pnF3JDOPZ16GdOG4EjxJMmrahUfe7RlyKIWtgEZstxuHXzxAA6Ah1qwfEEOVs1I_O1eTvAcTyKJ2_0UPQM4Bn9Nouuk60Qp3vSubo4mHv-G_T01X2z92nZn9LM3pMuM1bEfkoCLq82/s1600/IMG_4704.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7E4pnF3JDOPZ16GdOG4EjxJMmrahUfe7RlyKIWtgEZstxuHXzxAA6Ah1qwfEEOVs1I_O1eTvAcTyKJ2_0UPQM4Bn9Nouuk60Qp3vSubo4mHv-G_T01X2z92nZn9LM3pMuM1bEfkoCLq82/s400/IMG_4704.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620834653495011666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsgzVJJgIneoeXQ9L6pOMmqmTOoRQM3TjOJ2o3Wi-at7RQY18d294iAQdsyZ885b_CfzV9gPgMGRtoO0Uxl7pYf4FW0tx2gz78LyzGgLpTF_ILb0hDvPJk23WZ8fZdqkMG04hDe7ZyMkr/s1600/IMG_4705.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsgzVJJgIneoeXQ9L6pOMmqmTOoRQM3TjOJ2o3Wi-at7RQY18d294iAQdsyZ885b_CfzV9gPgMGRtoO0Uxl7pYf4FW0tx2gz78LyzGgLpTF_ILb0hDvPJk23WZ8fZdqkMG04hDe7ZyMkr/s400/IMG_4705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620835051616520418" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The first 14 miles are an out and back down the valley in the pic above. The course this year was modified from the traditional course which usually starts with the runners heading up the hill (path to the left) in the picture below.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygHLh420wI25ixIWuzzDkOwJKjKmnQe04Ax91iYGIKV79hltPiISvczHlxFnEMw4irjDkafQT1bbyP2fuv3wTf9x4xD5xBB50eIBIz7NTqveyP7SDJrRS1GMfiBABFWOZi3gLQLjks10O/s1600/IMG_4706.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygHLh420wI25ixIWuzzDkOwJKjKmnQe04Ax91iYGIKV79hltPiISvczHlxFnEMw4irjDkafQT1bbyP2fuv3wTf9x4xD5xBB50eIBIz7NTqveyP7SDJrRS1GMfiBABFWOZi3gLQLjks10O/s400/IMG_4706.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620835584559171730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here is the valley where we would run out and then back up. The 'back up' is a killer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyzq0uRJF7PFGYKh8niOxjl74agyjDHTWnbvEkFehSUUVnCm932FJuZ_RDCqTVq_DT7o4WzhwauGNE-37adsiOmKn3M6nl3lPgO5-S9EDxFUDFS1LdhXzgELPZUEflkg94DYkD8sXajqB/s1600/IMG_4709.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyzq0uRJF7PFGYKh8niOxjl74agyjDHTWnbvEkFehSUUVnCm932FJuZ_RDCqTVq_DT7o4WzhwauGNE-37adsiOmKn3M6nl3lPgO5-S9EDxFUDFS1LdhXzgELPZUEflkg94DYkD8sXajqB/s400/IMG_4709.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620836044118624578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />At 8am it was time for the singing of the National Anthem. The man signing was a good singer, but in one part, he had problems and stopped to start again. Unfortunately, he had problems singing at the same part and stopped again. The runners took over singing and the man joined back in. It was an awesome experience and everyone applauded loudly when the singing ended.<br /><br />We gathered at the start and off we went, heading down the big hill at a pretty good clip. I noticed not too long after starting that my heart rate was sitting at about 160. Ugh. Too high as I knew a 160 heart rate would not be sustainable for the many hours I knew I was going to be out there. My main goals were to enjoy the scenery, not get injured, and to finish. I needed to meet all three goals for my day to be the best that it could be. I wasn't feeling great in those first miles but I hung in there. I walked up any incline and ran when I could. For this race, it felt like if I was running and hit a 160 or 161 heart rate, I better stop running and just walk. I would keep to that plan the entire day.<br /><br />Instead of writing a report mile by mile, I'll get this done in the next few paragraphs. After the out and back portion was done, I changed my socks, put the things I wouldn't need from my backpack into my drop bag, and then headed out 10 or so minutes later. It was finally now, after mile 14 that I felt great. I would feel great the whole rest of the day! I ran the downhills very gently to not wreck my quads. I walked at a normal pace uphills. I loved the stream crossings and how they cooled off my feet.<br /><br />This is me at around mile 8 or 9.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPNIJ1bHL-ssj-Pu_nXnRuDAmWmYkqC4rE-Yp_KyUPgCuf_YJttA_SVS4-3tkEwKWAZ1ijki6uAYySXqtZ3cqYOsDXELO5ZvjAJSPrPUqzKpe4Efqg9fpmfcnce01m6s3SIL0dI2JTxbV/s1600/IMG_4717.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPNIJ1bHL-ssj-Pu_nXnRuDAmWmYkqC4rE-Yp_KyUPgCuf_YJttA_SVS4-3tkEwKWAZ1ijki6uAYySXqtZ3cqYOsDXELO5ZvjAJSPrPUqzKpe4Efqg9fpmfcnce01m6s3SIL0dI2JTxbV/s400/IMG_4717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620846532394817746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For nutrition, I did some light snacking at aid stations and from mile 7, and every three miles after that, I had 3 ShotBloks and 2 S!Caps. I found that sometimes my 22 oz bottle was enough not between aid stations, sometimes I drank from my Nathan pack. Note for myself next year - just carry 2 bottles and forget the pack, it's pretty darn heavy.<br /><br />I ran in to the finish in 7:44. My conservative plan allowed me to enjoy every minute of my run, stop to take 100 pictures, and I never got tired or cramped-up! For those of you that have run any of the Bighorn races previously, some of the scenes below will look familiar. <span style="font-weight: bold;">For those who haven't run it yet, put this race on your 'must run' list. It's fantastic!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thank you, Race Director, for putting on an unforgettable event. Thank you volunteers and aid station workers for all the hard work you did to keep up runners safe and hydrated and well fed. </span>Note to self: Don't pass up the cold shrimp next year!<br /><br />I wore my Garmin 310XT and the data from my run is <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94015216">here</a>.<br /><br />Each of these pictures are worth more than a thousand words, so there's about a million words below:<br /><br />What you can't see in the picture directly below is the smell of bacon. Mmmmm....bacon!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJrKxG3AOg3cOuXC8eGaTqd-dJQxd7R6pHQlXzn8ekb90op6qQQkoVlp7Kk07FKj-Dtsy5cgJVOBqyGuGrCRTr8HMtzA5EP2aRj0OHSIFt0bLqvf9IAwwwK57UDYoHVdHQ2-bJ8xGKNh8/s1600/IMG_4711.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJrKxG3AOg3cOuXC8eGaTqd-dJQxd7R6pHQlXzn8ekb90op6qQQkoVlp7Kk07FKj-Dtsy5cgJVOBqyGuGrCRTr8HMtzA5EP2aRj0OHSIFt0bLqvf9IAwwwK57UDYoHVdHQ2-bJ8xGKNh8/s400/IMG_4711.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620856268390338306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10Z3zd7Y0g_RplsKxNOUhxbmPqOdNenwzKGY4pnVr9RBBWD-YhwcBSO_R_g81gaucO0lzxlEurX42SU1a85JGI2inHQsQCZYTjZI9phwn7M6CbquLnZWFDpY1YUkflMP1PVV4z1V83YEv/s1600/IMG_4712.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10Z3zd7Y0g_RplsKxNOUhxbmPqOdNenwzKGY4pnVr9RBBWD-YhwcBSO_R_g81gaucO0lzxlEurX42SU1a85JGI2inHQsQCZYTjZI9phwn7M6CbquLnZWFDpY1YUkflMP1PVV4z1V83YEv/s400/IMG_4712.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620856108540340338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLfUrRxTiE5z54IJ4u4cH47b158A4d634MshgxD0j4CF6OIrYifQJeINBBHSVqjpAvvEn6Td-M7XBLsNylhtQ-iI9umhjJCs4VVuC_HDAoOVxjzOApqZ-76Hi-jwnnT05bIH9-FrqwZK1/s1600/IMG_4713.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLfUrRxTiE5z54IJ4u4cH47b158A4d634MshgxD0j4CF6OIrYifQJeINBBHSVqjpAvvEn6Td-M7XBLsNylhtQ-iI9umhjJCs4VVuC_HDAoOVxjzOApqZ-76Hi-jwnnT05bIH9-FrqwZK1/s400/IMG_4713.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620855977339364882" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTNmV-NmwXElLac2tJv77DqmuDtYAY0S133uoYja0Jr03AFM78hECnTEsVPhzOGkHdrTVhUQ8F7u95QNr9udcx1O3SexSjTCzwFdwRFseSooxYh6VW-0sEGhJi7AfkB4TOoorwNMpTjNY/s1600/IMG_4714.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTNmV-NmwXElLac2tJv77DqmuDtYAY0S133uoYja0Jr03AFM78hECnTEsVPhzOGkHdrTVhUQ8F7u95QNr9udcx1O3SexSjTCzwFdwRFseSooxYh6VW-0sEGhJi7AfkB4TOoorwNMpTjNY/s400/IMG_4714.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620855822024955890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTge_1A8HPEiAAMjn09v-PhlYHFsP_0EnuY7LlZlbwaVxnRjzh4n7VA_HgLH20mShulKmTC1WSvWI1uTxyWcwDoeA-QU5Y0GYIalqzU1KvGCAPLPE7RoHD8q1D5WmrfKbseU_rP3c0SImA/s1600/IMG_4718.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTge_1A8HPEiAAMjn09v-PhlYHFsP_0EnuY7LlZlbwaVxnRjzh4n7VA_HgLH20mShulKmTC1WSvWI1uTxyWcwDoeA-QU5Y0GYIalqzU1KvGCAPLPE7RoHD8q1D5WmrfKbseU_rP3c0SImA/s400/IMG_4718.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620855667852488562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B2hLEf8ud6yc1g_0KEt7yXNUuO3OM1HWs45Jjk5WmL1CsRB3qRL1BYCHvH1T2MfGMxiwdmfV1bTlHnd53o4KC3rrGrGjuUaBngN9l4l4tVIDfjhJ_StuHHMMTUUyt04vafB2YyPyT5BZ/s1600/IMG_4721.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B2hLEf8ud6yc1g_0KEt7yXNUuO3OM1HWs45Jjk5WmL1CsRB3qRL1BYCHvH1T2MfGMxiwdmfV1bTlHnd53o4KC3rrGrGjuUaBngN9l4l4tVIDfjhJ_StuHHMMTUUyt04vafB2YyPyT5BZ/s400/IMG_4721.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620855538897955522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd3gEc9buGdKS2grd9N5eaxCMwJbVDVJs4iJimP5WdO-qJiY59ufTMLUMCA8E5NQdoho_XVGvttimo85dIqUxpOcXdW-svfb5PTIlIpZV_aJdkeQsEpRBp6GLAzkCvGimoDfrD5whWU13/s1600/IMG_4725.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd3gEc9buGdKS2grd9N5eaxCMwJbVDVJs4iJimP5WdO-qJiY59ufTMLUMCA8E5NQdoho_XVGvttimo85dIqUxpOcXdW-svfb5PTIlIpZV_aJdkeQsEpRBp6GLAzkCvGimoDfrD5whWU13/s400/IMG_4725.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620855308557167074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil0SrUz2iLa41aipSAsm_HpfVl7Clux16YT0_41LEXKoaYcKp7mid8NWNf6z7K9TMUAoCo6MG5HoMq-DvwPCQkLfyvkwcdsi4If1GCmxUmXQAehTWrcegdqdnLSKUtMkQ0KuYRxHpqHbk/s1600/IMG_4727.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil0SrUz2iLa41aipSAsm_HpfVl7Clux16YT0_41LEXKoaYcKp7mid8NWNf6z7K9TMUAoCo6MG5HoMq-DvwPCQkLfyvkwcdsi4If1GCmxUmXQAehTWrcegdqdnLSKUtMkQ0KuYRxHpqHbk/s400/IMG_4727.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620855177780728562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFGgv4YgJYg5zGPaZGLMXx7ZVZjDHJQyVh9g4qFD1yFDya4Px_ngmTEqp6uVf-ksBADzTIALYQfNsEqZBpzMUmnr_SObFoaqZjckyhmlPnX1Bse38lD6TiLGDw7O9TFLI_xh7THw81784/s1600/IMG_4728.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFGgv4YgJYg5zGPaZGLMXx7ZVZjDHJQyVh9g4qFD1yFDya4Px_ngmTEqp6uVf-ksBADzTIALYQfNsEqZBpzMUmnr_SObFoaqZjckyhmlPnX1Bse38lD6TiLGDw7O9TFLI_xh7THw81784/s400/IMG_4728.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620855043114480770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Did anyone else love the feeling of the ice cold water on your feet?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlR9nQ6q63MqJfvNwI1sTagSZaYrPVB07s93zyBfjpnihA53WghPBmmlCShL3F3lRMyJPGBa1fVNBaSV3ZK_JwZikZVzLT48FhqP2sqy8PhMuwfBYMmwXT686ILjmHXTAJMJ9ir4GnAb6g/s1600/IMG_4729.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlR9nQ6q63MqJfvNwI1sTagSZaYrPVB07s93zyBfjpnihA53WghPBmmlCShL3F3lRMyJPGBa1fVNBaSV3ZK_JwZikZVzLT48FhqP2sqy8PhMuwfBYMmwXT686ILjmHXTAJMJ9ir4GnAb6g/s400/IMG_4729.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620854920512781042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTVga7BmIGWDXA2G-gNIBQYaz2ma0FEBIlif3tK2X_hbDa6KG3Vj4wTIlFNlrC62q_TX4l3A-kaZiFnoK2jRINPx46L0yzDA99mmWPO4MexSTBh5y-lpi8lKqYwXp3PXurAcywZFpiBXh/s1600/IMG_4730.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTVga7BmIGWDXA2G-gNIBQYaz2ma0FEBIlif3tK2X_hbDa6KG3Vj4wTIlFNlrC62q_TX4l3A-kaZiFnoK2jRINPx46L0yzDA99mmWPO4MexSTBh5y-lpi8lKqYwXp3PXurAcywZFpiBXh/s400/IMG_4730.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620854809447270050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTjhBhQQqROJsJXhWqZBdbtR4A8g2vGiLMDw4qwTv5OGd8GE3woMzP9ZzlWReKs-SPGES8zG9TNYGJ3AQisPrmKUA6FopHNZXDWLi8kKWXyRY9KyF__YMlhzfdLSExcyweKp6NlXJQ5uR/s1600/IMG_4731.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTjhBhQQqROJsJXhWqZBdbtR4A8g2vGiLMDw4qwTv5OGd8GE3woMzP9ZzlWReKs-SPGES8zG9TNYGJ3AQisPrmKUA6FopHNZXDWLi8kKWXyRY9KyF__YMlhzfdLSExcyweKp6NlXJQ5uR/s400/IMG_4731.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620854614544775026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmMJf_KoxXLMLyJ9EoRMwbOpA91-MQeeCo7PJ7iMDFXT6Cid49n8rY4M7q4czODdypDWrxGHtZ7kbA4cWbggAjB1OJkIpU1y-6FpmDu0tIO3C8ShZNVRyn98k2fXU6Ju6WNKXQXS7nTI-/s1600/IMG_4733.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmMJf_KoxXLMLyJ9EoRMwbOpA91-MQeeCo7PJ7iMDFXT6Cid49n8rY4M7q4czODdypDWrxGHtZ7kbA4cWbggAjB1OJkIpU1y-6FpmDu0tIO3C8ShZNVRyn98k2fXU6Ju6WNKXQXS7nTI-/s400/IMG_4733.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620854480071142018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QcpKVMqmrNXkYrKAuNKQCvgYMtQcRYLNJBgKthXWmQcAyeWbLRlnQOlWXzhwajqalFd2cBGxWcCFA8Y6QN1Ls8cGRiezh53N7BfzQaZ2R9baprP_eb3HeriDi33M7JqBktBHiMo8UmXF/s1600/IMG_4737.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QcpKVMqmrNXkYrKAuNKQCvgYMtQcRYLNJBgKthXWmQcAyeWbLRlnQOlWXzhwajqalFd2cBGxWcCFA8Y6QN1Ls8cGRiezh53N7BfzQaZ2R9baprP_eb3HeriDi33M7JqBktBHiMo8UmXF/s400/IMG_4737.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620854363826145730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h1Ybg9DIL8X5OyTNCj8gHwzR6e0bOsWKXDBu3QAtQwURJZ9p_zohe3As511OGyJjG6nJ2FL7OJmLlK_d7Zi4QuNcJDXzE49bDHp8ZVbvOY8aYpXPxFVlUtCu3XCQnz_u5o2ER3uaOH83/s1600/IMG_4739.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h1Ybg9DIL8X5OyTNCj8gHwzR6e0bOsWKXDBu3QAtQwURJZ9p_zohe3As511OGyJjG6nJ2FL7OJmLlK_d7Zi4QuNcJDXzE49bDHp8ZVbvOY8aYpXPxFVlUtCu3XCQnz_u5o2ER3uaOH83/s400/IMG_4739.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620854240547715458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19RcDyS2UDOgfXKxId-k2_Xp5_xutT6gx2xwXKo1ppr6S9wEdlXZTstqp97wIpsVxRKWsofxxqXSRwoOzA0oSC-t187FSXX81q6_lrzbamoWfjS_p3I7KCyPQESoL42ilUiGZhtOQk0xH/s1600/IMG_4740.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19RcDyS2UDOgfXKxId-k2_Xp5_xutT6gx2xwXKo1ppr6S9wEdlXZTstqp97wIpsVxRKWsofxxqXSRwoOzA0oSC-t187FSXX81q6_lrzbamoWfjS_p3I7KCyPQESoL42ilUiGZhtOQk0xH/s400/IMG_4740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620854076033631874" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMPYpn74JzMdmD1yi8AmWIZDEGRwHJ4VD7YN6tCtjs4Y3eaN9AQSMGXepfvjP2muHy89vicmT3b9I70wzkwnYWw5oTlfPJ9TypF4pV-t1TCcPBWzpMLnAuZzcK7D6ua-78O_eFLwd8hvV/s1600/IMG_4741.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMPYpn74JzMdmD1yi8AmWIZDEGRwHJ4VD7YN6tCtjs4Y3eaN9AQSMGXepfvjP2muHy89vicmT3b9I70wzkwnYWw5oTlfPJ9TypF4pV-t1TCcPBWzpMLnAuZzcK7D6ua-78O_eFLwd8hvV/s400/IMG_4741.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853982623644658" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvj_fZe13H1GyPEKErmEP2Prk8lzSo3llsiys-OOn4tdEDG6rGYZhfKSr-DdGLJHmir8bK4vJIFexSruuPEEilsOuzkLZsUw9fhjGW-VF_eU8GPdB2ID35NGPr2VyS_Se7i7uvfo6oa_s/s1600/IMG_4742.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvj_fZe13H1GyPEKErmEP2Prk8lzSo3llsiys-OOn4tdEDG6rGYZhfKSr-DdGLJHmir8bK4vJIFexSruuPEEilsOuzkLZsUw9fhjGW-VF_eU8GPdB2ID35NGPr2VyS_Se7i7uvfo6oa_s/s400/IMG_4742.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853836678826690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDR1p4ra-jb0-TKWuwWR7tnJH1XGTr19kQ-_dE1m88AGn8lUzAYAZbuzNI6OlUQZMHEJgv0LYh_9YlGmIvD9YXQxE-g-kwZSPskvjTL89keuMY9NMPo_e3EWobqkrYy5xbphfbcenpMBk/s1600/IMG_4744.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDR1p4ra-jb0-TKWuwWR7tnJH1XGTr19kQ-_dE1m88AGn8lUzAYAZbuzNI6OlUQZMHEJgv0LYh_9YlGmIvD9YXQxE-g-kwZSPskvjTL89keuMY9NMPo_e3EWobqkrYy5xbphfbcenpMBk/s400/IMG_4744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853729889540946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOTKYAHPH7JsPXuI0LQWeci3IWPyGUOOjbQ7wedqAUiM7tysCw_GyDic3Ao8qec3Dj0yKHX0XmXvJNX3NYFKvw5I9SHgb36BqVJIQu7_jGYw3zFd8YqYuWqgskEXSn3bc86zRAOQytSj9/s1600/IMG_4745.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOTKYAHPH7JsPXuI0LQWeci3IWPyGUOOjbQ7wedqAUiM7tysCw_GyDic3Ao8qec3Dj0yKHX0XmXvJNX3NYFKvw5I9SHgb36BqVJIQu7_jGYw3zFd8YqYuWqgskEXSn3bc86zRAOQytSj9/s400/IMG_4745.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853590499143858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht44umF49fK3qQhs7wSNBvLgC3_bjx2iwrR3WzK62ciXFKbhu7YotwtVnFc75JnedVvB-yjgWLp8deS0VZhc1a0Jygmhm8hVZwZL1bJb69Tez4qbTBKGHTC_exDB-4Th0eJIY1Bs3Tm2Cr/s1600/IMG_4746.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht44umF49fK3qQhs7wSNBvLgC3_bjx2iwrR3WzK62ciXFKbhu7YotwtVnFc75JnedVvB-yjgWLp8deS0VZhc1a0Jygmhm8hVZwZL1bJb69Tez4qbTBKGHTC_exDB-4Th0eJIY1Bs3Tm2Cr/s400/IMG_4746.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853469109633650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuRzZoDcZEXo5316-DZfsKIh6Cco4jmUClZzOkFXG4Bd_9wquPnXEoDViyNPAuIZdys0Bc4odu80mqBlclaOAGbUOAIwcXHlkvFVbG0IrLf4AjCUlMJ5NYbPS5yHfL_OmEAIrZQ4Ghd26/s1600/IMG_4747.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuRzZoDcZEXo5316-DZfsKIh6Cco4jmUClZzOkFXG4Bd_9wquPnXEoDViyNPAuIZdys0Bc4odu80mqBlclaOAGbUOAIwcXHlkvFVbG0IrLf4AjCUlMJ5NYbPS5yHfL_OmEAIrZQ4Ghd26/s400/IMG_4747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853320073805650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qYDj0Gwn5EaKiqAe9-TmIJmJ-eYaPSYhdYcf-m8UiX3QWYoCK6cEsvKISK8lKkWhyphenhyphenvdhB-o3ub2pHzVTfJJTNw_hxVID4vNEbE-xng5AqiqQJfkDtS1oljxJ6lxZcOOaSv6aKLIOn0oy/s1600/IMG_4748.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qYDj0Gwn5EaKiqAe9-TmIJmJ-eYaPSYhdYcf-m8UiX3QWYoCK6cEsvKISK8lKkWhyphenhyphenvdhB-o3ub2pHzVTfJJTNw_hxVID4vNEbE-xng5AqiqQJfkDtS1oljxJ6lxZcOOaSv6aKLIOn0oy/s400/IMG_4748.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853191185950690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVYV3AR2sbglvPp4ZJd41QPGCd5HVUYzZoDDoSLV8v_7qjZmQdRoTGu6jNrO7ga1uMSbjpplwHx7GZe1GtlHWa7R3Sa56stejFutT9v7PRvT5yyVONkJNlGOEDxDlBMarB4wU6X185wDd/s1600/IMG_4749.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVYV3AR2sbglvPp4ZJd41QPGCd5HVUYzZoDDoSLV8v_7qjZmQdRoTGu6jNrO7ga1uMSbjpplwHx7GZe1GtlHWa7R3Sa56stejFutT9v7PRvT5yyVONkJNlGOEDxDlBMarB4wU6X185wDd/s400/IMG_4749.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853050711160498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVO8FzvfoSsyv48x0s2DEXoS5KQhBvhUUYIY_V-CDfpkxtxPBQj56LfRe8zSX7WDKRGUwAteNdIjXoawB7FjR1mOntOM4BIjVCdztbTl3XsedIarCeMGM2at5c8gINlOV20XeGnkF-92B/s1600/IMG_4753.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVO8FzvfoSsyv48x0s2DEXoS5KQhBvhUUYIY_V-CDfpkxtxPBQj56LfRe8zSX7WDKRGUwAteNdIjXoawB7FjR1mOntOM4BIjVCdztbTl3XsedIarCeMGM2at5c8gINlOV20XeGnkF-92B/s400/IMG_4753.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620852918090575410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHXlh5FVtfx134k3fjr1rMY1lUlPaz3QhnQu-uTY9tmitpHAZu5I9T0hUZigQp0nmQDkux3VRuTjZF9qFsE9Ld4-CONz3OhT0_6w-re2FfDQ9fi-_z4eFYAYoZFbnREx8-WeF3srYDNDX/s1600/IMG_4761.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHXlh5FVtfx134k3fjr1rMY1lUlPaz3QhnQu-uTY9tmitpHAZu5I9T0hUZigQp0nmQDkux3VRuTjZF9qFsE9Ld4-CONz3OhT0_6w-re2FfDQ9fi-_z4eFYAYoZFbnREx8-WeF3srYDNDX/s400/IMG_4761.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620852779886708322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CTy_LUlxeR-tdkH4req4w03y3gqPd6yuVBIy3SyXUKIhYlmQqzlMXs5HgalhCACJF8S9qmQ6KK5BBbvFDvE9dlN2Kf48XJtPQA3HmQ5sv_cv4e0I-TvctkPpgU3n1b13QPU3asXERPwn/s1600/IMG_4763.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CTy_LUlxeR-tdkH4req4w03y3gqPd6yuVBIy3SyXUKIhYlmQqzlMXs5HgalhCACJF8S9qmQ6KK5BBbvFDvE9dlN2Kf48XJtPQA3HmQ5sv_cv4e0I-TvctkPpgU3n1b13QPU3asXERPwn/s400/IMG_4763.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620852643394185602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtGx06QI3NBiZXFovvctQvyzlDaJ7GgyobCBOMvmGOXGN6QTvBUxnJM_vu1TvwivMAHTk8EzhFjsxuxjYLAeIUr0ZuLfz0C11WLhSDEC8Ey5z69oLPKNKRqIZ-t0-CgrB91NikGs1-rkm/s1600/IMG_4765.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtGx06QI3NBiZXFovvctQvyzlDaJ7GgyobCBOMvmGOXGN6QTvBUxnJM_vu1TvwivMAHTk8EzhFjsxuxjYLAeIUr0ZuLfz0C11WLhSDEC8Ey5z69oLPKNKRqIZ-t0-CgrB91NikGs1-rkm/s400/IMG_4765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620852487729724930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDdCYmUDaAVQrD3Rzp266Kly53dmesZvY_T922UYnsrAtPVjmzB_sXa0-kBXhfZvQS_QQ8di-5-9cjOoweADNzcKvSZWPIbs6bytCant9KdeX2Sm_7C5DSZE8VNx0zhisa3wZIMQ5YkQb/s1600/IMG_4766.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDdCYmUDaAVQrD3Rzp266Kly53dmesZvY_T922UYnsrAtPVjmzB_sXa0-kBXhfZvQS_QQ8di-5-9cjOoweADNzcKvSZWPIbs6bytCant9KdeX2Sm_7C5DSZE8VNx0zhisa3wZIMQ5YkQb/s400/IMG_4766.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620852312723577570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfL74sD_Lkj_KaVzeM4uBayUZE7qHfsfpUYurYYkfM_F3fgmvfD8Dq82JHVoGszZP4XlMKikMPrqnIZSxynEJUypnljfbaD0XMCzKWxoanKF5wzGPxzZVZ3KfQ6LRhmRgntlhhrvVH36X/s1600/IMG_4767.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfL74sD_Lkj_KaVzeM4uBayUZE7qHfsfpUYurYYkfM_F3fgmvfD8Dq82JHVoGszZP4XlMKikMPrqnIZSxynEJUypnljfbaD0XMCzKWxoanKF5wzGPxzZVZ3KfQ6LRhmRgntlhhrvVH36X/s400/IMG_4767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620852068666099234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1hyfe9c-D7rLXNob-z4YuaqcTr-fayWr-vsBicDToaMpKCh1Y3hCCz1JCXB9jYgfapaUd52r6ZGaBk04Ev3vBgcrlU_KzHwVCBNUdyrUf0e5MvidGc12DhyphenhyphenivdtwBaq4ebCS0POaVpxr/s1600/IMG_4768.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1hyfe9c-D7rLXNob-z4YuaqcTr-fayWr-vsBicDToaMpKCh1Y3hCCz1JCXB9jYgfapaUd52r6ZGaBk04Ev3vBgcrlU_KzHwVCBNUdyrUf0e5MvidGc12DhyphenhyphenivdtwBaq4ebCS0POaVpxr/s400/IMG_4768.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620845938874415922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Kv8-G9y68YRaAIq4IQMUGtBHVrMeRfEEUcL85mBW5k4Il8aFNzXpmn85QUFptZxLFfCmws-3ybGptkaMlU8rtjgEugZOjSHnUhspKbZzDIRfVt3Dsvqp6mci8CqfStFgm8nfYplgU_2P/s1600/IMG_4772.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Kv8-G9y68YRaAIq4IQMUGtBHVrMeRfEEUcL85mBW5k4Il8aFNzXpmn85QUFptZxLFfCmws-3ybGptkaMlU8rtjgEugZOjSHnUhspKbZzDIRfVt3Dsvqp6mci8CqfStFgm8nfYplgU_2P/s400/IMG_4772.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620845790077989458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCCeHk-LVhDn693SU4nTabU5nwv4Gf1kvcuw4YUNIpBCFcKrtCGeIcKK0jbz_gDEqvIt4VZvxsCNW41k3Go7eijZeov32qFdFnPVr-ICLq2rNbqtfrtlo9yDaAJ5TgAkLxcCQd2JO4DE-/s1600/IMG_4774.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCCeHk-LVhDn693SU4nTabU5nwv4Gf1kvcuw4YUNIpBCFcKrtCGeIcKK0jbz_gDEqvIt4VZvxsCNW41k3Go7eijZeov32qFdFnPVr-ICLq2rNbqtfrtlo9yDaAJ5TgAkLxcCQd2JO4DE-/s400/IMG_4774.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620845673195418098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_8GzJpFWC_Y95uhKmZZW_SR_qg2G2u8iqQvM71bqnFmIecEupmG-UMgo0WBn1feM0eeTPOwpoURLqmL_6foK2ZWMrisiZUhx9IPztVA2G0bZ_9-4eY77tNPbuCOZOCWlV5rAMZ4cp0mK/s1600/IMG_4775.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_8GzJpFWC_Y95uhKmZZW_SR_qg2G2u8iqQvM71bqnFmIecEupmG-UMgo0WBn1feM0eeTPOwpoURLqmL_6foK2ZWMrisiZUhx9IPztVA2G0bZ_9-4eY77tNPbuCOZOCWlV5rAMZ4cp0mK/s400/IMG_4775.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620845542489425538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvnftMfd76dulb2byq94yKPxiCUi-hjvJ2yvoKFkX4ROyJI_l2ha9OLhtTvfRais7iZ-RzahUcOWpXLZNTBM7_er65etKDLXG8Gw_lrBwYJCsL0BN7pERqjNVAy_vg-ICtr1Qt3q7VQV-/s1600/IMG_4777.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvnftMfd76dulb2byq94yKPxiCUi-hjvJ2yvoKFkX4ROyJI_l2ha9OLhtTvfRais7iZ-RzahUcOWpXLZNTBM7_er65etKDLXG8Gw_lrBwYJCsL0BN7pERqjNVAy_vg-ICtr1Qt3q7VQV-/s400/IMG_4777.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620845358653338466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_-0XiHOjlVsRfExUyjz9de54YVdP9hDF2D6TYmluScEW8svBIOTvk6Lql6P4dFqKwI_gaVWIfr1bQjafPOyfTlqnNrBjPWTS5VvhDMthXyF1FPuEszwk3zTkF_OXRYuYNxay_PAI4QBl/s1600/IMG_4778.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_-0XiHOjlVsRfExUyjz9de54YVdP9hDF2D6TYmluScEW8svBIOTvk6Lql6P4dFqKwI_gaVWIfr1bQjafPOyfTlqnNrBjPWTS5VvhDMthXyF1FPuEszwk3zTkF_OXRYuYNxay_PAI4QBl/s400/IMG_4778.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620845211369504738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Vazfd2Ua3BYmQ5uVHYOzH3lvZ4cns3rEwDBy8k6OyK2NxE1CcYFRS0AOSz-3lTfAdtiPMqO9OT21_1y9Jcol56rX_EnIYFWKLuFbkKiA-oiDfJcqwKcP0NJZ1V40jmBGDJFyukhnRm-f/s1600/IMG_4780.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Vazfd2Ua3BYmQ5uVHYOzH3lvZ4cns3rEwDBy8k6OyK2NxE1CcYFRS0AOSz-3lTfAdtiPMqO9OT21_1y9Jcol56rX_EnIYFWKLuFbkKiA-oiDfJcqwKcP0NJZ1V40jmBGDJFyukhnRm-f/s400/IMG_4780.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620844993607542706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg528M4HDhJLRGlRoLuk9nPwe4hMY9OiaV3-duHsSWxnkEUTuPmWb69t4HdsvVWAqzUZ5BLuPYgNcUKjcUgj3C0BRM3eFB8q6QectObs9IqAGTDS48DBNdhSytSphpRB-QGGIJxwitQ_K-R/s1600/IMG_4781.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg528M4HDhJLRGlRoLuk9nPwe4hMY9OiaV3-duHsSWxnkEUTuPmWb69t4HdsvVWAqzUZ5BLuPYgNcUKjcUgj3C0BRM3eFB8q6QectObs9IqAGTDS48DBNdhSytSphpRB-QGGIJxwitQ_K-R/s400/IMG_4781.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620844849822360146" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV5h9-7TEUgSeHCxOwNMMG-dnpqlK8VgFDgPK9lVhY6onFgfD-Pqa-dzKqZZ9-dplkm8cRFUCf1epcvo3Heq9jjh2jbByE8_dC4xXSJWIFmR4ILYimMDjnWlvpUWlhb8m4gdz0nHIqoZ1/s1600/IMG_4782.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV5h9-7TEUgSeHCxOwNMMG-dnpqlK8VgFDgPK9lVhY6onFgfD-Pqa-dzKqZZ9-dplkm8cRFUCf1epcvo3Heq9jjh2jbByE8_dC4xXSJWIFmR4ILYimMDjnWlvpUWlhb8m4gdz0nHIqoZ1/s400/IMG_4782.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620844696971454162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pi7y2IOvqHh0YfMtelIBfebdILNdQcG_pG2CuTp-UsF7TA6Stj90dy5xSD0dul1Ygod_dV5F5oUuZ98xTCHwe0_7gehvT2wHYRphMhBDzn1Khyb3OYPIyvff1SKqYzs5FdAnrq8uQCVf/s1600/IMG_4783.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pi7y2IOvqHh0YfMtelIBfebdILNdQcG_pG2CuTp-UsF7TA6Stj90dy5xSD0dul1Ygod_dV5F5oUuZ98xTCHwe0_7gehvT2wHYRphMhBDzn1Khyb3OYPIyvff1SKqYzs5FdAnrq8uQCVf/s400/IMG_4783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620844581232597010" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR6ghHbD7ltoOhnhv59BRW9VWdBkv_whYJ8rXhbHCfzPgXSjJ3pMbP3eg8lL27F5k-PwV1DoG9FGljQDbUOUbnlNa8bHqdgiIxfSxsXhbr0AmB4GOPxhXbdSpCD3rw19sVc6QeDGqKrgi/s1600/IMG_4784.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR6ghHbD7ltoOhnhv59BRW9VWdBkv_whYJ8rXhbHCfzPgXSjJ3pMbP3eg8lL27F5k-PwV1DoG9FGljQDbUOUbnlNa8bHqdgiIxfSxsXhbr0AmB4GOPxhXbdSpCD3rw19sVc6QeDGqKrgi/s400/IMG_4784.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620844424308233746" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPXL8SUwt3kPGb38frkiGyYRoaxKhgcEVSHURqUnstB3rYLMVrINQSdQrvV61TFErG5L8vExDSO9wIOTOyyDKTrHxzCIeV_FM_CBwSz1FmDFT_1zuVS6p_YGDPNFqA89JTRD3FEwKDKHV/s1600/IMG_4785.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPXL8SUwt3kPGb38frkiGyYRoaxKhgcEVSHURqUnstB3rYLMVrINQSdQrvV61TFErG5L8vExDSO9wIOTOyyDKTrHxzCIeV_FM_CBwSz1FmDFT_1zuVS6p_YGDPNFqA89JTRD3FEwKDKHV/s400/IMG_4785.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620844247521052386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhYKWxSJD3PUrFdlA03nFEno1pSnNfa_zApYVNtHlF37gQSfsBWl0_Cl3DgwKiXIdLZBIYHyfwCKwGrx22Fl0xqtNLB0CYkEa2CJkmY10Wsx3iRnC7ZO-X7x5IumL-4sW9NFowxkvEHxh/s1600/IMG_4788.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhYKWxSJD3PUrFdlA03nFEno1pSnNfa_zApYVNtHlF37gQSfsBWl0_Cl3DgwKiXIdLZBIYHyfwCKwGrx22Fl0xqtNLB0CYkEa2CJkmY10Wsx3iRnC7ZO-X7x5IumL-4sW9NFowxkvEHxh/s400/IMG_4788.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620844083839598418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ahsQBYOcUNh2hnvfC7Bwt7gc8mwXdek6lkVYELHr77eeMNTKeQ8_jw6QJxk9JVZzQrttD8Z0UqUu4OnTA9Gh2M8yj6UYPxFWH6jcNBN_DAAKErjT0AhKNW-H5Eyq5VpHZ1Ba-YP0j-a/s1600/IMG_4789.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ahsQBYOcUNh2hnvfC7Bwt7gc8mwXdek6lkVYELHr77eeMNTKeQ8_jw6QJxk9JVZzQrttD8Z0UqUu4OnTA9Gh2M8yj6UYPxFWH6jcNBN_DAAKErjT0AhKNW-H5Eyq5VpHZ1Ba-YP0j-a/s400/IMG_4789.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620843910155509634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8qbTaEceF20wFRrkyKvSwpZVHnM7ly83GQEdab4vB1PH4o_HiGTPoR3LYUtMlyoN-WxPctnv0b_WKc1cM3A8S-Iqc0BH9cezjHL2ib1xvKmLBVeNuSiswXl5fTV9cVeqNs0EMSzmVS2R/s1600/IMG_4790.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8qbTaEceF20wFRrkyKvSwpZVHnM7ly83GQEdab4vB1PH4o_HiGTPoR3LYUtMlyoN-WxPctnv0b_WKc1cM3A8S-Iqc0BH9cezjHL2ib1xvKmLBVeNuSiswXl5fTV9cVeqNs0EMSzmVS2R/s400/IMG_4790.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620843770474674418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-md5DvqAVWylMZAvcwau9232zqIiIl8TI73HeJzsOzcWvwJjFKa1U8csQYQJtNxCtmoR3XAy5PPX3dA4mayWkfg9H0te9c3fLB1wGntbeVvMw9BveYUlA468c_Io6nixyrNoUoy_WhOpD/s1600/IMG_4791.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-md5DvqAVWylMZAvcwau9232zqIiIl8TI73HeJzsOzcWvwJjFKa1U8csQYQJtNxCtmoR3XAy5PPX3dA4mayWkfg9H0te9c3fLB1wGntbeVvMw9BveYUlA468c_Io6nixyrNoUoy_WhOpD/s400/IMG_4791.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620843630052924162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEO61HaiXj6PtbmRH2tp1MBS0oeY6esMCw8W12H-z8gq3F4w6DMkiPWose0PBen9fQ2gZSipG3s2OY4LrVgGiOgR9pfOqdMrZ31MhAFqsa-3aTWAXJcvZ_-c_ORAYROKQ72vIHjNqLr8O/s1600/IMG_4792.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEO61HaiXj6PtbmRH2tp1MBS0oeY6esMCw8W12H-z8gq3F4w6DMkiPWose0PBen9fQ2gZSipG3s2OY4LrVgGiOgR9pfOqdMrZ31MhAFqsa-3aTWAXJcvZ_-c_ORAYROKQ72vIHjNqLr8O/s400/IMG_4792.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620843485058378162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplHBUEH-78l5rjE68aqFbhn_5qeNNAbjBlW40lj-GN7AET9Bcv5gLm7nbKk1JDAk2gGBpJqXvVfnkWUO8faWUziv1YOiQcB3tFArfboWNZIL02dICNGWWTYaAaJfDZMHNRWvr8yih4wdE/s1600/IMG_4793.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplHBUEH-78l5rjE68aqFbhn_5qeNNAbjBlW40lj-GN7AET9Bcv5gLm7nbKk1JDAk2gGBpJqXvVfnkWUO8faWUziv1YOiQcB3tFArfboWNZIL02dICNGWWTYaAaJfDZMHNRWvr8yih4wdE/s400/IMG_4793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620843353777172050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAkLbItD44MYpke7QpNHBHeEW6TaHJ_b7pVMVuexUIjPhigecZBAbgJXzOz4fvSj_bzMVtvsSR2Xh-BPFeKqsyE2MqKGwlBsUclU9jLtcH6SO3ofJwiVOFJ2wJ5ydDvKV_XREPUG-_KX5/s1600/IMG_4795.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAkLbItD44MYpke7QpNHBHeEW6TaHJ_b7pVMVuexUIjPhigecZBAbgJXzOz4fvSj_bzMVtvsSR2Xh-BPFeKqsyE2MqKGwlBsUclU9jLtcH6SO3ofJwiVOFJ2wJ5ydDvKV_XREPUG-_KX5/s400/IMG_4795.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620843215528062930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5l97Hni9cCTKhsdLkUSlg_BwqkxrjkBl_BD5xhsJ-VVKKP9NmuXCMXV9UkJ9mKkm2IkQLAZW3kuzas3odcMLp9MrYcwuqydgamM6sCJSdC6hamYIo38LuMSt26cLFFAXqiuQY8BJg_H-/s1600/IMG_4796.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5l97Hni9cCTKhsdLkUSlg_BwqkxrjkBl_BD5xhsJ-VVKKP9NmuXCMXV9UkJ9mKkm2IkQLAZW3kuzas3odcMLp9MrYcwuqydgamM6sCJSdC6hamYIo38LuMSt26cLFFAXqiuQY8BJg_H-/s400/IMG_4796.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620843082861002194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dvFOntgmgRlOlvG3C_ZlYVVPXgtKu_l7yICjWQsVajicc5sgR4IEtj9db3vajbENq5cJTdrmCf7K_bjy5S1Q477F8orQQAqb27mBBEIgvFNZu79RB5xdMnAXZzpoe8D0zFtaFkhLempj/s1600/IMG_4797.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dvFOntgmgRlOlvG3C_ZlYVVPXgtKu_l7yICjWQsVajicc5sgR4IEtj9db3vajbENq5cJTdrmCf7K_bjy5S1Q477F8orQQAqb27mBBEIgvFNZu79RB5xdMnAXZzpoe8D0zFtaFkhLempj/s400/IMG_4797.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620842939415756018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xMcr_kNywO_NW8I5pkGIcP-kw6YzBe4UB4tvONZk8ELK8YEwdMVU0IA9ltznVyW-rnpOnUpjHQEiUhLp2O647C8_BB34dJefkaUcYBV-G0G0wMYA18-75wvPE8QZAXpW1bem1rRHWgqz/s1600/IMG_4798.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xMcr_kNywO_NW8I5pkGIcP-kw6YzBe4UB4tvONZk8ELK8YEwdMVU0IA9ltznVyW-rnpOnUpjHQEiUhLp2O647C8_BB34dJefkaUcYBV-G0G0wMYA18-75wvPE8QZAXpW1bem1rRHWgqz/s400/IMG_4798.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620842730079804498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhkSV0oEh103qBqCXdQoeV2FqWtOXLn5Xw3TI5-SIKbMrtTddb3NoRXOnOzS2d2bYLBgiafy06PqEqO4glmT1gBylKgQbVMVed03UdP8jMPE_-Gq9_640BQxiunO6VyIRqnUkZainzxcx/s1600/IMG_4799.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhkSV0oEh103qBqCXdQoeV2FqWtOXLn5Xw3TI5-SIKbMrtTddb3NoRXOnOzS2d2bYLBgiafy06PqEqO4glmT1gBylKgQbVMVed03UdP8jMPE_-Gq9_640BQxiunO6VyIRqnUkZainzxcx/s400/IMG_4799.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620842559609775618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0otCZtmkOHo_sbGEDozoijr-mhCaNE1tI8LAgv7_d0_7x2gniZMr-7NopT_orshl_aUD2Wx0r91nDkzbLDfkWcTKrSeMTrLDg0JuIykZyG4eoUX0VVr_SGCjnFjw1bRcKBOPYm_20YXKH/s1600/IMG_4801.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0otCZtmkOHo_sbGEDozoijr-mhCaNE1tI8LAgv7_d0_7x2gniZMr-7NopT_orshl_aUD2Wx0r91nDkzbLDfkWcTKrSeMTrLDg0JuIykZyG4eoUX0VVr_SGCjnFjw1bRcKBOPYm_20YXKH/s400/IMG_4801.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620842432204155442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0gYsASsdzX1J6OKuPk69aptk8S9Dy1F4gQWqyUzvcrSF1wz442SdQRoFeA4q55_GLz03cmNG1_QIYbJYl0GNlRsMfgLhGLisKRYLnOopu_6K1iRuL5KexXrCtvhenEdxkGVtnZM_yunw/s1600/IMG_4802.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0gYsASsdzX1J6OKuPk69aptk8S9Dy1F4gQWqyUzvcrSF1wz442SdQRoFeA4q55_GLz03cmNG1_QIYbJYl0GNlRsMfgLhGLisKRYLnOopu_6K1iRuL5KexXrCtvhenEdxkGVtnZM_yunw/s400/IMG_4802.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620842167214384114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsnwTM51_f3Kn_LmAen-08r2pjA_5OynaXHQc38HA2-GUkeZj4NYl7lHQo9uSlUWYSUbnpOloUZYG3BJLR3JXl0y3tqKmP145RpXUef2E-FjyjdXiduVlHXGwd2EVGWOLXRmrT7-IwyyJ/s1600/IMG_4803.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsnwTM51_f3Kn_LmAen-08r2pjA_5OynaXHQc38HA2-GUkeZj4NYl7lHQo9uSlUWYSUbnpOloUZYG3BJLR3JXl0y3tqKmP145RpXUef2E-FjyjdXiduVlHXGwd2EVGWOLXRmrT7-IwyyJ/s400/IMG_4803.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620842028392282290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ59vP4VjDhdmoA5qV_BoPacFn9TfZCm85A_ZW0C-RakUqXImwa6cHuNocXo3I8OAq1-gs2vHpl8pbu7wlfMXZIU53pzyl_iMZV9T7L-P91RtXm9TNjKcISK8koZcyH549FSO9Oy0oL63_/s1600/IMG_4804.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ59vP4VjDhdmoA5qV_BoPacFn9TfZCm85A_ZW0C-RakUqXImwa6cHuNocXo3I8OAq1-gs2vHpl8pbu7wlfMXZIU53pzyl_iMZV9T7L-P91RtXm9TNjKcISK8koZcyH549FSO9Oy0oL63_/s400/IMG_4804.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620841859439220258" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWN40rIDrPhrSZAKvJK_oBdYWmGWGTn_iMpIhkwVKm-JyzqwSVu5xjDawvl_pd3w8fP5PEYJkDCeZrwshyhmei05j4yiB09EJpSIEmJgjzVkCr2aXStZeg1VrCeOw6Y3Q-tT-B5D7kIfe/s1600/IMG_4805.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWN40rIDrPhrSZAKvJK_oBdYWmGWGTn_iMpIhkwVKm-JyzqwSVu5xjDawvl_pd3w8fP5PEYJkDCeZrwshyhmei05j4yiB09EJpSIEmJgjzVkCr2aXStZeg1VrCeOw6Y3Q-tT-B5D7kIfe/s400/IMG_4805.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620841702951202386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscQj35t761OQ2WpMZZggVjI_XHLt0EL43AVBNV9RnKrLjTDl4ftJB9-riZn8GZzJZqI3ir-iNrV2h33Im5HJLT9M6Fv1QqVqywvdRy2BNqVCFsURyaqElKv7Z-6_6EuOJe5PFXsLzhggJ/s1600/IMG_4806.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscQj35t761OQ2WpMZZggVjI_XHLt0EL43AVBNV9RnKrLjTDl4ftJB9-riZn8GZzJZqI3ir-iNrV2h33Im5HJLT9M6Fv1QqVqywvdRy2BNqVCFsURyaqElKv7Z-6_6EuOJe5PFXsLzhggJ/s400/IMG_4806.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620840883483892674" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Maybe my best picture for last. Now it was time to turn the camera off and finish this run!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegOsMBMux5jlCurQ_IKEBapFE7ayXAUv5eWwNlmWomkhGOuN1alX3XOuDOXIt6SkmRSLPD7jdiZvEyQ_2Mq3O5OzQV-E4GQjlROWHxJgqSb79pQzxybV5n94Et1qm1AJ34OUcK4p6TPzl/s1600/IMG_4807.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegOsMBMux5jlCurQ_IKEBapFE7ayXAUv5eWwNlmWomkhGOuN1alX3XOuDOXIt6SkmRSLPD7jdiZvEyQ_2Mq3O5OzQV-E4GQjlROWHxJgqSb79pQzxybV5n94Et1qm1AJ34OUcK4p6TPzl/s400/IMG_4807.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620840734320482882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />--Mark Hanson<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">photo credits:</span> <br /><br />1st photo taken by race photographer - I purchased the 'Web Resolution Digital Image' version from Action Sports Images LLC for use here. <br /><br />I took all of the other pictures and you can download them for your personal use.Mark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-9167561141990686862011-05-02T16:22:00.000-07:002011-05-03T06:01:47.780-07:00Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon 2011This was the first time I've run the <a href="http://www.lakeminnetonkahalfmarathon.com/">Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon</a>.<br /><br />I know several people that have run it in the past and they all thought it was a great race. It was a Sunday race which worked great with my family schedule this year so I signed up several months ago. When I signed up, I also set my goal time. For 50 year old men, a sub-1:40 half marathon is a New York City marathon qualifying time. I probably won't run the NYC marathon, primarily due to cost, but I still want to meet the qualifying goal. Also, I have a heck of a time qualifying in a marathon (I'm batting a zero) as I can't quite run fast enough for that long. I'm better in shorter races.<br /><br />So, I have my goal, and my race picked out. Fast forward to the end of April. The weather is looking really bad for race day. Cold and windy. The day before my half was the Get in Gear race series at Minnehaha park. Cold and rainy and windy too. I was happy that the forecast for May 1st was just showing cold and windy with NO rain! I planned my clothes - Race Ready long distance short shorts, TCM '09 long sleeved shirt, souvenir Boston Marathon cotton gloves that my running friends game me, Afton Trail Run cap, my Nike dry-fit socks, and my new favorite shoes, the ASICs Gel Landreth 6's.<br /><br />Race day was here and I picked up my packet and changed into my racing clothes. I was happy that I wasn't the only one wearing shorts. There were other fools there too! I run best when I'm on the edge of freezing so this seemed to be perfect weather for me. I met my friend Julie and her friend Michelle before the race. They would be running together. I waited for the race to start mostly in porti-potty lines. I drank maybe a little too much water that morning so I waited in a line 4 times - once inside and three times outside. While waiting outside I knew for sure that I was not going to overheat in the race.<br /><br />After my last porti-potty visit, it was 5 minutes to race time. I was carrying 2 half-packs of 3 shot-bloks and 4 S!Caps. I also had spares of both in case I dropped some. I figured to take 3 shot-bloks and 2 S!Caps at mile 7.5 and again at 10.5. I planned to also take just water at the two earlier water stops. Knew for me, I decided this would be my FIRST TIME using a pace group. Pacer Dave was the 1:40 guy and I lined up near him, but not close to him. I was maybe 30 feet behind. I figured that I'd have time to catch him soon enough.<br /><br />The race started and off we went! After maybe 100 feet we ran between two race start signs. Where was timing mat? There was none but I started my Garmin anyways. We had some type of timing chips built into the race bibs and I didn't know whether or not signals were picked-up near the start markers. I was wrong. Some time later we crossed the timing mat. What the heck! Everyone around me was ticked because we all started our watches too soon. I heard a guy near me say we were 26 seconds off. Oh well. Pacer Dave was ahead of me and he would keep me on track. That was my plan.<br /><br />Well, I was not running as fast as Pacer Dave. He was getting away from me. I thought: "This sucks. We're about a minute into the race and I can't keep up with the pacer." I usually warm up for a few miles a slower pace and then pick it up. That is not how Pacer Dave was doing things. He was starting out at goal pace from the first footsteps. And, the biggest hill of the entire race was within the first mile. I got myself together and picked up my pace. I caught Pacer Dave and kept with him up the big hill. I wasn't warmed up but I'm pretty good with hills and I was very happy that I didn't let him slip away. Over the hill I caught my breath a bit but it would be another mile or so before I was running comfortably.<br /><br />We were moving right along at a 7:30 pace. 7:30 up the hills, 7:30 down the hills. Seemed like we had no breaks. I like to slow down up the hills and run like the wind going down. Today it was all running into the wind. 30 mile per hour wind. The wind was blowing so hard I had to keep my head down most of the time so I wouldn't lose my hat. I think the scenery would have been beautiful in warmer and gentler weather, but I was watching my step the entire race, and making sure my hat stayed on. I didn't look at any scenery.<br /><br />Pacer Dave also doesn't slow down at water stops. I was wondering how I was going to keep up with him through the stops. I always run around to the end of a table, stop and drink two cups of water and then take off. So, as we approached the first water stop, I ran like heck to get some distance ahead of the group. Then I got my water and didn't have as far to catch them. This strategy seemed to work well.<br /><br />The rest of the race was really just more of the same. Run like heck and count down the miles. I tried to stick right beside and behind Pacer Dave. One disadvantage of being with a pace group is the close proximity to other runners. There were four times that I felt someones foot hit the bottom of my back foot as I was lifting it off the ground. I am so happy that I was never tripped or fell down. I did exchange some accidental elbows bumps with a gal but if she wanted to run on the other side of me, she should say something instead of pushing. Ugh.<br /><br />I also kept to my nutrition schedule. Around mile 7 I felt like I needed a little energy boost but I hung in there until 7.5 as planned, and I knew I would be energized by 8.5. Yup! Good plan. Not once did fatigue or heaviness set into my legs. I felt good the whole way and stuck to my plan of keeping with Pacer Dave. At mile 12 Pacer Dave told us that we could take off if we wanted to. I thanked him and off I went.<br /><br />Mile and pace<br />1 7:30 <br />2 7:34 <br />3 7:28 <br />4 7:31<br />5 7:27 <br />6 7:27 <br />7 7:32 <br />8 7:30 <br />9 7:28 <br />10 7:29 <br />11 7:36 <br />12 7:37 <br />13 7:26 <br />last 0.33 in 2:16 (6:56 pace)<br /><br />My Garmin data is <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/83123383">here</a>. Ignore my heart rate at the beginning - it's not correct.<br /><br />You can see that Pacer Dave did a great job holding pace and after I took off at mile 12, I ran my fastest mile and then the last 1/3 mile in under 7's. My finishing time was 1:39:08.4! Could I have run a faster race without a pacer? I don't know. All I know is that I met my goal while running at a hard, but not too hard, effort.<br /><br />I enjoyed running this race and hope to run it again another year.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-58871000840922445602011-04-05T11:37:00.000-07:002011-04-05T11:51:27.488-07:00Garmin 310XT - returning for repairWell, my Garmin 310XT lasted 21 months and 1518 miles of running in 234.5 hours. That's an average 9:16 per mile pace. It is what it is.<br /><br />When I've had the Garmin out in cold weather lately, the display crystal has been fogging up somewhat and it looks as if there is a crack in it. When I go inside and it warms up, the fogging is gone and I also can't see any damage to the display. So, apparently the near-invisible cracks are letting water vapor in. Since I'd rather not wait until water damages it permanently, I sent it back to Garmin today. I will get some other refurbished unit back in about 2 weeks. Until then, a digital watch will do just fine.<br /><br />I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the refurbished Garmin is a 'good one'.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-44621439238026846982011-04-04T10:22:00.000-07:002011-04-07T12:36:48.925-07:00Ron Daws 25K 2011Last year this time I learned that cross-training is not the best for ME as a runner. I had cut down my running mileage and number of days I ran weekly, and added a couple of days of cycle classes every week. I ran a 2:14 at the Ron Daws 25K last year. I believe that I just didn't put a hard enough effort into those cycle classes and lost running fitness instead of maintaining it. <br /><br />This year although I had some very low mileage weeks in January and February, the past 4 weeks I averaged 47 miles weekly. Most of the miles were run at 8:45 to 9:15 pace and the long runs were averaging closer to a 10:00 pace. This was a mini-experiment of running slower, for me, but with nice weekly mileage.<br /><br />My goal for Ron Daws was to run it at an 8:00 or better pace at an average heart rate of 160 or lower. I wanted to see how close I would be to hitting a sub 1:40 in the Minnetonka Half Marathon coming up on May 1st. A 1:40 half equates to a 7:38 average pace.<br /><br />The course was different again this year due to snow on the sidewalks. No matter, we had a 2-loop full 25K mapped out for us. I met some friends there and lined-up for pre-race instructions and off we went. I settled in running with my friend Aileen and in a few miles we caught up with our friend Jim. Although our first mile was slow, we seemed to be running at around a 7:45 average pace. I was really happy with that but inside I was wondering when it would all go badly. I was think I could hold that pace until mile 8. <br /><br />If I remember correctly, we had water stops at miles 4.5, 7.5, and 11.5. I planned on just getting water at 4.5, taking 3 Shot-Bloks and an S!Cap at both the 7.5 and 11.5 stops. That plan worked great. Jim and I held on to our 7:45 pace and Aileen, as usual, seemed to be barely breathing. By mile 11 we were talking that we didn't see a sub-2hr finish happening and Aileen left us in the dust. An advantage of her youth, I suppose. Jim and I slowed slightly the last several miles.<br /><br />As Jim and I approached the last mile, we were eyeing a guy ahead of us. Could we catch him? I'm thinking sure, why not. I started running fast and Jim held on, just a bit behind me. At around 500 yards to go I'm thinking 'Man, what's that guy got in him?'. My Garmin was reading a pace of the low 6:20's for the last half mile. Ugh. At the finish, the guy in front of me said he ran the race too conservatively, You think? I may have run it a little conservatively, too as I had an average heart rate better than plan of 158 and my average pace was 7:46, according to my Garmin.<br /><br />My Garmin data with course map is <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76905443">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.runmdra.org/index.php/mdra-races/7-races/94-ron-daws-25k-results">Results here</a><br /><br />I really like this year's course a lot. Even though it was a new route, there were plenty of hills to run. I'm looking forward to the Minnetonka Half next, a sub-1:40 is within reach.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-7651489924883494502011-03-21T06:50:00.000-07:002011-03-21T07:28:40.267-07:00Spring!The Winter seemed pretty long to me but now Spring is here. I can't say that we won't get any more snow, but the paths I run on were clear this morning.<br /><br />My training was not strong in January and February. Mid-January I had LASIK eye surgery. During the initial recovery, I took some time off working out and then I avoided running outside on the cold days. My motivation to run was gone, my weight increased, and my running fitness disappeared. <br /><br />Around the end of February, I got my motivation back and I am running as many miles as I think I can handle per week, but at a pace slower than I would like. I figured it was best to increase miles for a month before increasing speed significantly.<br /><br />Having events scheduled and goals usually help me stick to my training. My near-term goal is to race the Minnetonka Half Marathon on May 1st. I have 40 days to get to 1:40 half-marathon shape. 1:40 - that's my goal.<br /><br />My next goal after that is to finish, in fair shape, the Bighorn Trail Run 50K in mid-June. I'm running 50+ mile weeks right now which is a good start. I have 3 months to go. <br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-72813133234072348962011-02-13T10:39:00.000-08:002011-02-13T10:49:51.832-08:00registered for a few events1. Minnetonka Half Marathon<br /><br />I've never run this Half but it is a popular one. This one will give me a good reading of how my fitness will be 6 weeks before the Bighorn run. I should be in good running shape by then.<br /><br />2. Bighorn Trail Run 50K<br /><br />I'm very excited about this run, also one I've never run before. I plan to enjoy the beauty of the course every step of the way. I most certainly will not be in shape for this one as far as altitude goes. Physically, I plan to be in marathon-shape by then which should get me to the finish. <br /><br />Spring is on the way! Enjoy the warmer days as they come.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-84968887805085268852011-01-29T15:39:00.000-08:002011-01-29T15:55:45.307-08:002010 thoughtsI missed writing an end of the year wrap-up post. Oh well.<br /><br />Here are a few things that come to mind. <br /><br />1. Coca Cola is a good thing to drink in ultra-marathons. Peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches are good to eat in ultras too. <br /><br />2. I need races on my calendar or I slack-off and gain weight. 'On my calendar' means that I've registered for them, not that they are just on my list. I'm at a 7-year high for weight right now. It is what it is.<br /><br />3. I have a stronger draw towards trail runs than road races. For 2011 it looks like I will have most of my racing miles on trails.<br /><br />4. This is my favorite thing about running a race. I start my race day with a 'blank picture' in my head of the race about to happen. The entire race experience provides paint for that picture - the people I meet, the things I see, how I feel, how I perform, my whole experience. At the end of the day I have a complete, painted picture of the race. That's what I like. That wasn't new for 2010, but it's one of my favorite thing about running races.<br /><br />5. Races. I REALLY liked the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon. I will always like the Keweenaw trail series in upper Michigan. Also, the Door County Fall 50 team relay is a favorite of mine. Those are my key races for 2011 in addition to the Afton 25K or 50K that I love to run.<br /><br />That's it. Have a great 2011 running year, everyone.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-48519607080287733872010-12-31T07:43:00.000-08:002010-12-31T08:11:08.500-08:00Vibram Five Fingers KSOI've been reading about the Vibram Five Fingers and it's about time I picked up a pair and started getting used to wearing them. So, how do you pronounce Vibram? Maybe I've never heard anyone say 'Vibram' outside of my family but we all say vIbram with an 'i' sound, not veebram with an 'e' sound. I'll just stick to my old ways and say it with an 'I' sound. Don't ask me how to say 'Sorel', as in Sorel boots. I was never sure.<br /><br />Back to the Five Fingers... I picked up a pair of the KSO model in black-camo a week or so ago and tried them on with Injinji socks. I plan to wear them with the toe socks so it made sense to wear them when I figured out what size was right for me. My second toe is longer than my big toe so that's what drove the size. I ended-up in a size 44 and I usually run in a size 11.5 road shoe. That's what works for me, maybe not for you. <br /><br />I'm taking it slow getting used to wearing them. Every other day I'm walking a mile and then running a short amount. I started with a half a mile and I'm up to 1.5 miles, which is what I ran this morning. The KSOs are very comfortable and based just on feel, I'd much rather wear them than regular running shoes. My plan now is to do 3 short runs a week in them during the winter to supplement my outside running. Hopefully by next Summer my feet will be quite a bit stronger than they have been. Ideally, I will be less susceptible to the minor foot injuries I get from time to time during hill running or long races.<br /><br />So far so good in the KSOs, but since my feet feel so good now as I'm writing this, they will surely hurt like heck when I wake up tomorrow morning. Things like that usually happen after I write something. :-(<br /><br />Have a safe and happy New Year everyone!<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-83726046981707082402010-12-27T08:16:00.000-08:002010-12-27T08:41:40.516-08:002011 prelim plans againIt's been several weeks before I first thought about what to run in 2011. I have a short list of my old and new favorites plus a 50K trail race and a half marathon that will be new to me. <br /><br />I'd rather run on trails than on the road for races. In 2010 I ran a mix of races and ended up with 72 road miles and 110 trail miles. With my plan below, I'll have 38 on the road and 106 on trails. As always, my plans are subject to change due to family activities but here's my current plan:<br /><br />4/2 - Ron Daws 25K<br />4/15 - Trail Mix 4-person Team run (12.5K per person)<br />5/1 - Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon<br />6/18 - Bighorn Trail Run 50K<br />7/2 - Afton 25K<br />7/9-10 - Run the Keweenaw 3.5M/11K/25K series<br />9/24 - Birkebeiner Trail Marathon<br />10/22 - Door County Fall 50 team relay<br /><br />I think that's about all I want to squeeze into 2011.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-5563351198026043062010-12-08T15:01:00.000-08:002010-12-08T15:23:12.402-08:00foot painIt figures. In my post on Saturday I wrote that I was "Injury free. Knock on wood." Well, the knocking on wood didn't really work. Tuesday morning I ran on a chunk of hard snow and my left foot rolled outwards. Ugh. I immediately got a sharp pain just forward of my ankle bone at the left side of my foot, maybe an inch up the side of my foot. <br /><br />It hurt some while I finished up my run. I'm glad I had no more than three miles to go when it happened. Even today it hurts a bit (sometimes) when walking. I won't be running at all now until Saturday so hopefully it will be mostly healed by next week.<br /><br />I would rather not 'whine' about an injury but I'm recording this info here so I can go back later to see what happened. At the Surf the Murph, I had a similar injury and walked it off for an hour and then ran another 10 miles. The next day there was no pain or sign of the injury. The injury from Tuesday happened and there is still slight pain today. Never any swelling or bruising. <br /><br />On some internet searching the injury is in the same area of where 'Peroneal Tendonitis' injuries occur. I'm <span style="font-style:italic;">not</span> assuming that's what I have. Whatever I do have seems like it's minor and should fix itself soon.<br /><br />What I do know is that I really need to get back on the wobble board again and then get some Vibram Five-Fingers to use as a tool to get my feet stronger. <br /><br />My only bright side of all of this is that I have done well in daytime trail races where I can see my footing. If my steps are carefully placed and I don't roll my ankles, I'll do just fine. With unsure footing that I can't see well, that's when I have a problem. Ugh. The reason I'm thinking about this is due to my plan of running the Bighorn 50K next Summer. I think if I'm careful with my foot placement, I'll be fine. Knock on wood. haha<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-62637106645217807702010-12-04T09:25:00.000-08:002010-12-04T09:45:20.795-08:00misc - shoes/crosstraining/winter<span style="font-weight:bold;">shoes</span><br /><br />My new ASICS shoes are working out great. I have 125 miles on them and they feel great and I'm so glad to be in these new shoes. They even felt great with Yak Traks on them for my 25K at Afton (Pederson Benefit Run) last weekend. I better buy some more pairs of them before they're discontinued, if that hasn't happened already. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">crosstraining</span><br /><br />I've been adding some crosstraining the last two weeks. My new Mon - Fri workouts, at Lifetime Fitness, will be something like this:<br /><br />Mon - run 6 then Yoga<br />Tue - run 6 then Total Conditioning (Strength) class<br />Wed - run 6 then Kickboxing<br />Thu - run 6 then Strength training <br />Fri - I do cycle class and just move my legs for an hour with almost no resistance. I'm the ultimate slacker in this class.<br /><br />The first week of the added crosstraining was tough. I found a lot of muscles that are not primary muscles used for running. Soreness was the norm for week one.<br /><br />Sat & Sun - I have a goal of running 12 to 20 on one day and also trying to get around 40 to 45 weekly miles.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">winter</span><br /><br />I also want to do more snowshoeing this winter. I'm going on a snowshoe hike with my wife tomorrow but I would like to substitute those weekend miles with TBD hours of snowshoeing whenever I can this winter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Injury free?</span><br /><br />I'm injury free. Knock on wood. I've not had much for injuries for quite a while. Keeping my miles under 45 per week helps a lot and I've added crosstraining to get other muscles stronger again and also to help strengthen my feet.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-21474293159141603392010-11-06T13:57:00.000-07:002010-11-06T14:18:48.534-07:00New shoes - making the big switch from Brooks to ASICSThe Brooks Glycerin 8's that I've worn lately are not for <span style="font-style:italic;">me</span>, and I've been a Brooks shoe wearer since my first day of running in 2005. I took my running totals at the right side of this blog and my total is 5,999 miles in Brooks shoes. That's it. <br /><br />I went to see Wendi at Gear West for a Gait Analysis today. I've seen her previously and had good luck getting fitted into the right shoe. I told her how my current shoes didn't feel 'right' but they felt great with 300 miles on them. Really helpful, huh? I also said that near the end of long runs my calf muscles were sore and that hasn't happened in other shoes. I didn't tell her that I wanted lighter and more flexible shoes in order to strengthen my feet even more than they are now. They felt very strong in July and are strong again now due to increased trail running this Fall. <br /><br />Wendi determined that my feet are indeed very strong now and I need to get more flexible inserts and more flexible shoes than what I'm wearing now. Just the news I wanted to hear. She said my feet don't need the support they were getting and it's time for them to get even stronger. I ended up in ASICS Gel-Landreth 6 shoes with Blue Superfeet inserts. They feel great and Wendi said my form is perfect while running in them. Now I need miles on my feet to see how well this combo works. If everything goes well, I'll need to stock up on a few more pairs as I hate it when the shoe models get 'improved' for the next model year.<br /><br />Wendi also said that although they aren't for everyone, I am a perfect candidate to run in the Vibram Five Fingers. She said that if I run in them, I should use them as a 'tool'. I didn't ask but I assume she meant part-time and as a way to improve my foot strength. <br /><br />I'll be wearing my new ASICS tomorrow when my running odometer crosses 6,000.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-74016248504917946462010-11-02T05:46:00.000-07:002010-11-02T06:14:47.497-07:00Surf the Murph - 3 days after plus misc ramblings<span style="font-weight:bold;">Surf the Murph follow-up</span><br /><br />It's not productive for me to go over in my mind all the "what if's" from Saturday's race, so I won't do that. On Sunday and Monday all I did for exercising was walk 15 minutes and then stretch. Not once did I feel any pain in my foot since I dropped-out after two laps of the race on Saturday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">My first run</span><br /><br />This morning was my first run. A 6-miler. The first two miles, as I had expected, my legs were heavy and dead. The second two miles my legs were warming up, and the final two miles I could move right along at a good pace. I was very happy to get this run in and I feel great right now. The best part is that my foot pain was still gone so what happened on Saturday was a minor issue that resolved itself quickly and on its own.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">50 milers in my future?</span><br /><br />Although for a few hours after the Surf the Murph I was thinking that 50K distance was where I would draw the line for future races, I have changed my mind. I like being out on the trails so much, I would not hesitate to register for 50 milers in the future, just so I can be out on the trails all day long.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Weekly training</span><br /><br />I will continue training during the week on the Mississippi River paths from Ft. Snelling up to Minneapolis with my road-loving friends. On weekends I'd like to do long runs on trails. The main thing is I love trails, as you can tell. The second thing is that it will help strengthen my feet which is one of my weaknesses. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stretching</span><br /><br />Last night I purchased a foam roller and a wobble board. My wife and one of my girls are also having some foot problems right now and the wobble board will be good for us all. I never stretch after races so now, with a foam roller, I can do that too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Clothing</span><br /><br />Since I will go back and read this sometime in the future, I want to note something about running clothes. Normally, I love running in cool weather and I'll wear as little as possible. Saturday I had XC ski pants and a long sleeved shirt with a short sleeved shirt on top. Of course I was completely sweaty after loop 1 on Saturday. The temps were in the 40s and normally at that point I would be wearing short shorts and a sleeveless shirt but I felt if I changed into those clothes that I would freeze. I think I would have been ok dressing light if I would have had a beach towel with me to completely dry off first and get into all dry clothes. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">BENEFIT RUN FOR LARRY & COLLEEN PEDERSON </span><br /><br />What's next? No more races this year but I am looking forward to the <a href="http://pedersonbenefitrun.blogspot.com/">Pederson Benefit Run</a> at Afton State Park on November 27th. There is nothing better than raising some money for them and spending the day running with friends/new-friends in the park. I'll be there if I can.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-78984815606816323802010-10-31T07:45:00.001-07:002010-11-01T05:43:12.847-07:00Surf the Murph 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWWp0YVTWy-VPMY3h-8Cwznu1cTz2kkf4yl-99qKH0OQNcMvEoSqmjoGnIsE5RDpwPh13EV2IPxNQHl_DK63cwgCo2LCIv80hcaVwEG8OZ_DOEJSHGuwcZJJR7a8e_IvM0VfzsnM_Ifs5/s1600/IMG_4165_stm2010a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWWp0YVTWy-VPMY3h-8Cwznu1cTz2kkf4yl-99qKH0OQNcMvEoSqmjoGnIsE5RDpwPh13EV2IPxNQHl_DK63cwgCo2LCIv80hcaVwEG8OZ_DOEJSHGuwcZJJR7a8e_IvM0VfzsnM_Ifs5/s400/IMG_4165_stm2010a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534222671142886754" /></a><br /><br />I signed up for this race to see how I can handle a 50 Mile trail run. One of the runs I was planning to do next year was the Bighorn 50 Trail Run. If I can't run a 50 here, I sure as heck can't run one out there. After my Birkebeiner Trail Marathon in September, and how the small rolling hills just hammer my calf muscles, I knew at that time the Bighorn 50M was not for me. <br /><br />Until a month ago, I had never run at Murphy-Hanrehan Park and fortunately I was able to get out there twice. I ran once with a friend from my health club and the second time with Katie Thompson who I met there by chance. It was really helpful to have a general idea of what I was in for. I was well trained for a marathon and was excited to see what the day was going to bring.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Race Day</span><br /><br />I packed a million things into my drop bag and headed to the Park. The weather looked to be perfect for running. I decided to wear cross-country ski pants and a long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve shirt on top. I also would be wearing my Nathan hydration pack. I was going to also carry some Shot Bloks and a lot of S!Caps.<br /><br />This run was three 16.8 mile loops for the 50M. I was wearing my Garmin 310XT and had decided to stop/restart the Garmin with every loop. That way it would be better for recording the route and my paces.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Loop 1</span><br /><br />Loop 1 Garmin data <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54894302">here</a>. 16.86 miles.<br /><br />We were given instructions and told that about half the runners got off-track last year. I couldn't understand this as all you need to do is keep the flags to your left. How hard can that be? Pretty hard, if you asked me now. :-)<br /><br />I fired up my headlamp and at 6:00am (exactly) off we went. I think I was roughly in the pack where I wanted to be, between the top third and top half. There must have been almost 40 runners in the 50 Mile event. It wasn't too long before Katie ran up to me and we started to talk. Unfortunately, Katie's headlamp had almost zero light output. Her Ragnar Relay run this year had drained it. Ugh for her. My light was bright and Katie and I ran together to share my light. I learned that I really should have turned my ball cap around as the bill shadowed the ground in front of me, which doesn't make for the best running conditions. Oh well. At the first aid station the woman there (I should know her name but don't) lent Katie her headlamp which was a super-nice thing to do. Katie and I continued to run together. Every aid station was great. I just drank water at the Horse Camp station and when we got to Lisa/Helen/Katie's-aunts station, Helen gave me a handful of jelly beans. Yum. I must have run with a mouthful of Jellybeans for a mile after that. :-) The sugar was hitting the spot. <br /><br />Earlier in the run I stepped on a few stick and rocks with my right foot but none of that seemed to bother my running. Somewhere between Lisa/Helen's station and the starting point I ran on top of a baseball-sized rock. This one really rolled my foot/ankle. Even so, that didn't hurt either. <br /><br />Oh, I forgot, around mile three my intestines started to gurgle. Oh no. That was not a good sign for the day. My GI issue continued the entire first loop. Katie said she had packed Immodium-AD in her drop-bag. I told her that I didn't want to take any and that I'd be OK. Before we finished the first loop I changed my mind. I also said that I was planning to drop back a bit from her and start lap 2 alone. She is a very strong runner and I knew my pace was not going to match hers on lap 2. <br /><br />We completed loop 1 in a very good 2:56. My body (except for the GI issues) felt great and my muscles felt great. Katie gave me 2 Immodium-AD and I told her I needed a restroom stop and was going to take a few minutes before started lap 2. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Loop 2</span><br /><br />Loop 2 Garmin data <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54894292">here</a>. 19.13 miles (oops).<br /><br />I got some water, made my restroom stop, had some food at the aid station and took off running. Oh no! I had a sharp pain in my right foot. The kind of pain where you can't run without a limp. I walked a few feet and tried again. Pain. Now I'm about 100 feet into loop 2 and I'm thinking about the 33 more miles I need to cover. Ugh. I considered turning around right then and there and calling it a day. If it had been like Tuesday/Wednesday with the rain and horrible winds, I would have quit. But Saturday was a beautiful day so why not just have a great walk in the park. That's what I did. My goal now was to walk and try to run once in a while. I wanted to get to the North aid station and then to the Horse Camp where I would then come back to the finish on the road and trails to wait for Katie to finish lap 2.<br /><br />So now I'm mostly walking but running short distances, with pain. I made it to the North aid station and had some Mac and Cheese and hung around there for a while. I talked about my plan to drop and was offered a ride back to the start. No thanks, I was going to work my way to the Horse Camp station. It was enjoying my walk so much and then I started out again. It was such a surprise when the pain was gone. It had taken about 1h15min for the foot/ankle to loosen-up and it felt great now. Well, there was nothing left to do but run! At the Horse Camp station I was still considering dropping at some point but as long as I felt good and knew I wasn't damaging my foot, I was going to continue.<br /><br />I was running well now and chatted with Daryl and a little later, Lynn. Lynn and I chatted until we arrived at Lisa/Helen's aid station. They had Arnica Gel and Lisa rubbed some onto the spot where I had pain. There was no pain now but I'll take all the help I can get. I think this is where I met with Maranda. Maranda is a young woman also running her first 50M race. Maranda was looking for some energy and I gave her a serving of Shot Bloks. Maranda and I started running together and she complained about an upset stomach she was having so I gave her an S!Cap too. We separated and met again at the Horse Camp station. I asked Maranda if she needed anything and started to take out more Shot Bloks for her. She said, No, the other things. Oh, S!Caps. I gave her a bag of S!Caps and she told me that the one earlier had instantly soothed her stomach. That's what I like about these races too, people working together to get each-other through. It was here that I told Londell to cross me off the list. I was feeling a small amount of pain increasing in my foot and I was doubting I was going to do another loop. I also told him that if I did do the third loop I would let him know on my next time through so he could un-cross me off. :-)<br /><br />Maranda and I would run together from here to the finish of loop 2. You know how all you need to do is keep the flags on you left? Well, Maranda and I were running and it seemed like the final part of the lap was taking too long. Things were looking too familiar. It was really eerie and kind of like a nightmare in the daytime. Of course, we had already run the full course once but we were seeing parts that seemed like we had just seen a short time earlier. I kept saying that all we needed to do is keep to the right of the flags. How could we have gone so wrong? This surprises me as it will most of you that were out there, but we had run right by the three flags and the 'Fun Zone' sign and repeated that entire 'inner loop' area in the North Portion of the run. You can see where we doubled-up on the run if you open my Garmin map for loop 2 and zoom in a bit. Oh well, what's an extra 2+ miles? hahahaha <br /><br />How about my foot? At around mile 28 there was some light pain creeping back in but I was still running well. When we were running and I'd glance down at my Garmin, we were always going at around a 10:20 pace. Not bad, I thought. I was super happy that my mind was still very clear (except for missing the Fun Zone), and my legs still felt great, and my stomach felt awesome. It was a great day to run. Only at around mile 35 did my legs start to feel tired but that may have been after we climbed Pike's Peak.<br /><br />Maranda and I finished loop 2 and then I went back to the timing table and dropped out. I loved every minute of the day except for the very beginning of loop 2. I felt great but I decided to be conservative and not stress what may/may-not be wrong with my foot. I got a long-50K in for the day with a time of 7:40. I was very happy to be on my feet that long without hitting a wall like what can happen when running a marathon. Maranda met her boyfriend after loop 2 and he went out with her to run to the horse camp and then from there to the finish (well, that was her plan). I hope she finished well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Loop 3</span><br /><br />Loop 3 wasn't for me today. I dropped out to ensure I didn't damage my foot.<br /><br />I got something to eat and drink and then went back to the timing table to see how my loop 1 partner, Katie, was doing. She was rocking! Our loop 1 together was 2:56. She ran loop 2 in 2:50. At that rate she would be done at around 9 hours. Awesome. I decided to wait and watch for her finish. Katie had a fantastic loop 3 of 3:03 and ran a 8:50 for the female win and it was her first 50 mile race. Congrats, Katie! The second place woman would come in at 8:54.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The next day</span><br /><br />This morning I have the expected overall muscle soreness and a bruise on my right bicep. How the heck did I get that bruise? I'll never know. I went on a 15 minute walk to warm-up slightly and stretched my hamstrings, calf muscles, and quads. That felt good. Now I need to schedule a massage, sooner rather than later! <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Next year?</span><br /><br />I think I would run the 50M next year. This year I had the bad luck of stepping badly on something with my right foot three times which ended up being the major topic in my run as you all know now. The race was great. The volunteers were great. I love the shirt too. Thanks to everyone out there and I'll see you next year!<br /><br />Oh yeah, I now know that the Bighorn Trail Run 50K is the one for me. I hope that I'm able to make it fit into my schedule next year.<br /><br />--Mark<br /><br />additional notes:<br /><br />I almost drained my Nathan 70oz pack on the two loops and I only used it to supplement what I got at aid stations. After the first few stations, my favorite drinks were 2+ cups of Coke plus a cup of water. I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches best and always enjoyed a few potato chips. I may have only consumed 6 Shot Bloks total as the aid station food was hitting the spot.<br /><br />I took 2 S!Caps at a time but only when I 'felt' I should have some. That worked well. After the race I took 2 right away and then 2 more when I got home. My legs never cramped at any time.<br /><br />I think a belt pack with some storage would be ideal for me in this race next year. It's such a pain in the @SS to fill the Nathan I never wanted to do it. Those 22oz bottles are easy to fill but I don't think I'd want to carry one for 10+ hours. Putting one in a belt looks like the way to go.<br /><br />My feet were very strong after running a bunch of trail races in July. They have weakened as I have noticed later in the Summer. I think I need to change at least two of my long Saturday runs to trail runs. Also, since three of us in my house have weak ankles I am going to shop for a wobble-board. Londell took a picture of me running. My foot strike is obviously on the outside corner of the heel. What the heck does that mean? My shoes are neutral but does that mean I should have a different type of shoe?<br /><br />My last thought is that I wonder if I should get 'trail shoes'. I run everything in road shoes.Mark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-22940613577067065552010-10-25T16:24:00.000-07:002010-10-26T06:21:30.748-07:00Door County Fall 50 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7nT9ZMXbavwU3BWnhqA0GX_dm7kj3zoexOWOMCko98WMQguX_m30MDRF891BH5btgiRN0b8L1ZEfXWxzQuts03_XVufnaaASQTxNLEFfg555QSfZAwNuEyR4FGz6z2C6wsWFwKbY8zT-/s1600/IMG_4158.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7nT9ZMXbavwU3BWnhqA0GX_dm7kj3zoexOWOMCko98WMQguX_m30MDRF891BH5btgiRN0b8L1ZEfXWxzQuts03_XVufnaaASQTxNLEFfg555QSfZAwNuEyR4FGz6z2C6wsWFwKbY8zT-/s400/IMG_4158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532132767720757378" /></a><br /><br />I ran the team relay race at the <a href="http://www.fall50.com/">Door County Fall 50</a> again this year, my third consecutive year. This year I was on a team of 5 including Dave, Brendan & Miaja, and my wife, Kathy. Kathy made a good effort this Summer as a beginning runner and we had run a few races together. Pain caused by a bone spur cut her running carrier very short (about 3 months). So, this year we ran as a team of 4 and our team name was "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out". The team name was a line from the movie <span style="font-style:italic;">A Christmas Story</span>. All it takes is "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" boxer shorts, being worn in public at our health club, combined with a 'wardrobe malfunction', to provide inspiration for the team name. Brendan would wear those boxers in the Fall 50 this year but we made sure he had the fly pinned-shut. :-) <br /><br />You can find my previous race reports by clicking on <a href="http://run-n-workout.blogspot.com/2008/10/door-county-fall-50-team-race-report.html">2008</a> or <a href="http://run-n-workout.blogspot.com/2009/10/door-county-fall-50-2009.html">2009</a>. There are many more pics in those reports because of the rainfall this year, I kept the camera in the car most of the time.<br /><br />Friday night we drove to Sturgeon Bay and stopped at the Ladder House for packet pickup. Packet pickup went smoothly and I said hi to John Storkamp who is one of the top solo runners. John is the race director for the <a href="http://www.aftontrailrun.com/">Afton Trail Run</a> which is a great trail race in the Twin Cities area and it's a can't-miss race held in the peak of the Summer heat. We also ran into Kristen/Karl/Paul that I know as they're friends I run with sometimes.<br /><br />We had dinner, the same as last year, was at the <a href="http://www.innatcedarcrossing.com/">Inn at Cedar Crossing</a>. Unlike the fantastic dinner we had last year, this year's dinner was ordinary. The restaurant was very busy and maybe it was an off-night as far as cooking goes. Of course, this is my opinion.<br /><br />Saturday morning I got up for breakfast and we were ready to head for the start at 7:30. We had a 9am start time based on our Team's overall pace. Since Kathy dropped from our team, we would have a faster pace than I originally estimated. Before we left Minnesota, I filled out a spreadsheet that showed each of the legs of the race and when we expected to have a runner start from each exchange. I just entered what I guessed our overall pace would be - 8:30 per mile. I tell people that I'm good at guessing a team pace. Last year we were 3 minutes and 7 seconds faster than what I estimated. I guess with confidence!<br /><br />Kathy also asked me if she could volunteer at the race since she wasn't running. What a great idea! So, I used my chart of when we would be at the exchanges and decided that it would work out best for Kathy to volunteer at the Exchange #3 food/water station. We dropped Kathy off on our trip to the start and we were getting more excited by the minute.<br /><br />At the start, Brendan got prepared, went to the starting line and in a few minutes the horn sounded and he was off. I somehow didn't see him run by so I just took a picture of strangers (not posted here). I was happy that we had warmer temps and no cold wind blowing on us like last year, and maybe the year before. The weather seemed perfect for running. Not wanting to be last to Exchange #1, we headed down the road. <br /><br />I was scheduled to run leg 2 and I was ready to go. When Brendan handed me the wrist band I took off and was passed by a runner after about one minute. Ugh. What a way to start the day. Oh well. This darn leg starts on an uphill. I ran hard and fairly fast and after I got to the top it was time to fly (this is all relative). I had expected to run at a 7:30 average for the day but I was runner well today. My Garmin data for this 6.4 mile run is <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54281650">here</a>. I was very happy with a 7:09 average pace for that run and very happy that I ran the hills.<br /><br />I won't speak much for the other runners but I handed off to Miaja for leg 3 and we headed to Exchange #3. There we chatted with Kathy and picked her up at the end of her volunteering shift as Dave waited to start. I love running leg 4 and it was Dave's turn to run that leg this year. If your team run this race enough years, I highly recommend that all runners get a chance to run leg 4 through Peninsula Park. It's my favorite segment of the race. I believe Dave ran very well at just over a 7:00 pace. <br /><br />Leg 5 was my turn again. 4.8 miles and this is the leg that had a healthy switch-back thrown in. Nice! I ran this leg at an 7:17 pace and was happy again to run the whole thing - even the switchback. You can see my Garmin data <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54281642">here</a>. Due to the difference between the actual distance and what the Garmin reports, the paces I list here don't match the Garmin. I used the recorded time along with the published leg distances. My day's average pace was 7:13 for 11.2 miles and I am very pleased with that pace. The cooler weather and rain helped me run fast. After I was done with this leg I was done with the race! In addition, I was at the half-way buffet and was ready for some soup. Yum!<br /><br />The next legs were run well by the team with Brendan running legs 6 and 7, Dave running leg 8, and Miaja running legs 9 and 10. That seemed to be a good way to split up the legs for 4 runners and we each only had to run twice although two people ran back to back legs.<br /><br />We went to the finish and waited for Miaja to come into the park then we crossed the finish in 7:07:09. My guess of an overall 8:30 pace would have put us in at 7:05:00 so we were just 2:09 over. This puts my two-year combined estimated finishing times at only 62 seconds slower than estimated for 100 miles. I'm predicting this will end with a total.pace-guessing.failure next year. :-)<br /><br />The test party was great as usual but we left just before the awards were announced to go back to the hotel and get cleaned up. Later, some of us headed across the street and got a little more food and some beverages before heading downtown like last year, we hit some fun places downtown and a few of us stayed out dancing until after 1am. I'm convinced that 2 or 3 hours of dancing is awesome for recovery. My legs feel really good today, the second day after the race, and I think it's mostly because of that late night dancing. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWz8TLKZT0aVDzMtjEZD8jnpfqnAxTueMuZpqpBa8nFllu0T8hd5NRjy9QMvF8VJ5cw6p0n7uaV0T9TNCkvNFiRCgVZbcrWbqY8mAFwfSA8uhMawGa1XQ7b-UTIccn5gyc9rbSRqC2qSZ/s1600/IMG_4143-1.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWz8TLKZT0aVDzMtjEZD8jnpfqnAxTueMuZpqpBa8nFllu0T8hd5NRjy9QMvF8VJ5cw6p0n7uaV0T9TNCkvNFiRCgVZbcrWbqY8mAFwfSA8uhMawGa1XQ7b-UTIccn5gyc9rbSRqC2qSZ/s400/IMG_4143-1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532137212674315650" /></a><br />me (Mark), Dave, Miaja, Brendan<br /><br />Although I have one more race this year, I can confidently state that the Door County Fall 50 is my favorite race of the year for the third consecutive year!<br /><br />See you there in 2011.<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092263302894564654.post-23466260687639921642010-10-17T12:45:00.001-07:002010-10-17T13:15:18.132-07:00Door County Fall 50 and Surf the Murph 50 coming upThe <a href="http://www.fall50.com/">Door County Fall 50</a> is my favorite team race. This year my team has 4 runners in the 50 mile relay. We'll each run twice for about 12 miles total for the race. This race doesn't need any special training for me since I finished a marathon about a month ago. I can't wait!<br /><br />The <a href="http://surfthemurph.org/">Surf the Murph 50 mile</a> run is a different situation. I've never run a 50 mile race and have never been to the Murphy-Hanrehan Park until Saturday, just over a week ago. That was my first training run there. One of my running friends met me there to give me a tour. I had a course map and we roughly followed some of the course. It was in the mid 80s for temps that day and we had a tough slow run. 13.3 miles in 2:40. Ugh. After that run I changed my 1st-loop race-day target from 3 hours to 4 hours. October 30th is going to be a long day.<br /><br />Yesterday I went to Murphy-Hanrehan Park again for more training. Just as I was entering the trails from the parking lot, a woman was hitting the trails too. She was running about 30 yards ahead of me for the first mile and while walking up one of the big hills, we met. She was out there training just like me. The 30th was going to be her first 50 mile race too and we set out to run a loop together. Just like at Afton, I can be holding a map in my hand and still not be able to follow the route. Even so, we got a good feel for the course. There was an area, in the far South-West of the park, where we tried to figure out where the course went. We just couldn't figure it out. We decided to abort that little expedition and I guided us across a dry swamp. Based on all the cuts I got on my legs from the nettles, raspberry bushes, and thorny shrubs, I hope my new running friend didn't get cut up too much! Sorry KT! Finding our way to a trail again, we ran most of the remainder of the course and finished with 14.6 miles in 2:28. Not too bad in that terrain but I was definitely going too fast for race day.<br /><br />The Door County Fall 50 will be a day of fun and the Surf the Murph 50 Miler will be a day of endurance and testing limits!<br /><br />--MarkMark H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06652763440178970374noreply@blogger.com3