i was happy to be running at all, today. between an injured ankle, a wakeful toddler, and getting my period yesterday...i was still debating downgrading to the 10k up until the time we got to the race. still, i really wanted to run the 1/2 and felt up for it. the weather was amazing today! i had a goal of finishing under 2:15 given my condition and the fact that its a very rough, technical, hilly run. i was very happy to finish in the time i did. nearly 14 minutes off my time from last year. just like last year, several folks were injured on the trails. sprained ankles, abrasions. saw several people with dirty or muddy backsides (and not from kicking up stuff...more from sliding down hills on their tail ends!). i tripped on roots or rocks thrice, but managed to stay upright.

this is a tough question for this race. i wish i could have trained more for this race, but if i had, my ankle may have been worse off and i wouldn't have been able to race. as usual, i probably started out too fast, despite putting melllow music on the mp3 player for the first 20 minutes (this was the first race ever where i used my mp3 player. i felt it was okay having done the race last year and knowing that there are stretches when you are virtually alone on the trails).

stretched. lots. nursed fi. heard all about the kids race i had missed while i was out running. went into the church for the free lunch - a peanut butter sandwich, some alphabet soup, and cookies. collected my door prize (some homemade grape jelly), bought some cupcakes at the church bake sale, and headed back to the car. had a good soak in the tub when i got home, and bill has promised a leg massage later on. may take some tylenol to head off any ankle pain.


sore ankle, period, lack of sleep, lack of training.


i love this race. its funny - grandma's marathon in duluth advertises itself as a big race w/ small town charm. THIS race would have a better claim to that title. the race is put on by a small church and there are little old women everywhere, cooking and helping out. there's a bake sale. for schwag i got a shirt and a jar of homemade grape jelly. we parked in a mowed down corn field (last year it was the unoccupied half of the local cemetary). do i need to explain more? it is a low-glamour, low-image event...and all the better for it. that, and its a wonderful place to run! the trails can be tough at times, but it just keeps it from getting boring. i much prefer this one to the bjorklund (which is awesome and i want to do again). both are scenic, but the big woods is just glorious. last year it was beautiful and the weather was yucky. it was that much more beautiful today since the weather was flawless. through one stretch, i was listening to one of my favorite bjork songs and looked up into the canopy of glimmering lime green and pale yellow leaves. i stretched out my arms and felt i could fly right up into them. it was just as dreamy as last year. i also saw two different deer busting through the woods at separate points in the race. bill and the girls also had a good time - a better time than last year since it was nicer out and there was also a kids race. the girls both got race numbers, shirts, and handmade necklaces w/ a little angel (made from a paper binder, some beads, and some string). hope i'm fortunate enough to be able to do it again next year.

pictures (next year i should bring a camera with me on the trail!): ella racing (pink fleece coat), bad racing shot (had to share), post-race stretching with the girls.