Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

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Triathlon Talk » Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

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mnflyfish

2006-02-02 10:06 AM

Regular

178

Mound, MN

Subject: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

Hey guys, I've been away most of the winter with hunting season and all, sorry I haven't been a good contributer. That said, I have kept up my running and was all set to buy a new bike when I dropped the transmission in my truck on a winter trout fishing adventure. So, the bike will be a long time coming. That said, I've deceided to focus my training on the Twin Cities Marathon. As part of my ramping up to that kind of mileage I want to run a 1/2 in May or early June and wondered if anyone had any advice on a good one in or around the Minnesota area. The Twin Cities would be the first choice to avoid a hotel bill, or the BRainerd Lakes area, have a cabin there so again avoiding the hotel.

Also, like I said for the cost of the transmission I could have bought two QR's but now that's off the table for a while. Does anyone know of a large frame road bike (61cm) that someone doesn't want to end up in a landfill? I'm looking for something I can add ebay components to that will get me across a finishline or two later in the summer. I haven't signed up for any Tri's 'cause my only bike option is my wife's (she's 5'6" and I'm 6'4" and like my knees) or my 6 year old's barbie bike. If there is a place I could find a cheap frame, between what I have and ebay I think I could build up a bike that would get me through a sprint.

Thanks in advance for any insite!
Jay

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norakraemer

2006-02-02 2:22 PM

in reply to: #337193

Master

1506

Minnesota

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

welcome back!

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lincsguyus

2006-02-14 1:30 PM

in reply to: #337193

Expert

786

Princeton, MN

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

May or june is a bit early for a marathon plan unless you're ramping the miles upwards.
The Mora classic half marathon is August 19th http://www.morahalfmarathon.org/
They always tout that as a well placed race for your TCM training. I did it last year. Nice race. Flipping hot though until the rain came through

Ian

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autumn

2006-02-14 3:34 PM

in reply to: #337193

molto veloce mama

9311

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

the bjorklund is mid-june, but the deadline to request an entry may have passed. check the website to be sure:www.grandmasmarathon.com.

as for a bike frame - i will ask my husband. he is tall too and has been able to find some old road frames to turn into commuters. are you looking for something used but on the newer side, or something inexpensive in the right size?

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autumn

2006-02-14 6:48 PM

in reply to: #345847

molto veloce mama

9311

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

the deadline has NOT passed, but get in your request soon, since registration begins in about a week, with lottery drawings. its a wonderful race, but difficult to get in. here's some more information:

http://grandmasmarathon.com/races/gb_half_marathon.php?page=registr...

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autumn

2006-02-14 9:55 PM

in reply to: #345847

molto veloce mama

9311

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

me again. i talked to my husband bill, and he recommended the following shops for finding a larger sized, good condition used road frame that could be built up:

one on one bicycle studio, minneapolis (check the basement): http://www.oneononebike.com
express bike shop, st. paul: http://exbike.com/home

here are two shops that have mostly whole, ridable used bikes, but could be stripped down and rebuilt:

sibley bike depot, st. paul: http://www.bikeped.org/Depot.html
sunrise cyclery, minneapolis: http://www.sunrise-cyclery.com

of course, if you end up deciding to buy something new, here's where you should go:

county cycles, roseville: http://www.countycycles.com
hiawatha cyclery (open soon): http://www.hiawathacyclery.com

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mnflyfish

2006-02-15 9:43 AM

in reply to: #345725

Regular

178

Mound, MN

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

It wasn't so much about the race in relation to the TC but I was trying to avoid the heat of the summer. That said, I ended up signing up for the Heart of the City Half Marathon in Burnsville on June 3. It was cheap ($35), close to home, and fit into the calendar with kid events and all.

I just want to get a half under my belt for confidence. I won't really start ramping up the mileage until later in the summer to prepare for TC. I will tke a look at Mora though, spend a lot of time up that way in the summer.

Thanks,
Jay

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mnflyfish

2006-02-15 9:48 AM

in reply to: #346105

Regular

178

Mound, MN

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

Wow, thanks for the info! That's a great place to start. I was all excited to go and pick up my new bike in March, then on a little fishing trip to SE Minnesota I lost the tranny on my truck. Thankfully I hadn't signed up for ny Tri's yet so I'm not in panic mode. I would like to have a bike and race in Brewhouse so building up a used bike might make a fun project, and fit into that time frame.

As I posted earlier, I ended up signing up for the Heart of the City 1/2 Marathon in Burnesville on June 3rd. I'll have to post a roll call and the link. Looks like it should be a fun race with a post race party at some bar with Boogie Wonderland. Nothing like a little disco after 13+ miles to keep you moving.

I'll check out those links. Thanks again!
Jay

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sparco

2006-02-20 9:13 AM

in reply to: #346346

Pro

4541

A farming town in MN

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

Dennis,Sorry, the links didn't transfer over, but they are on my blog page...New Prague Half Marathon 5/13/2006 in New Prague, Minnesota...This one is a nice course. Runs through downtown New Prague and then out into farm country, then back into town on Hwy 19. I will never forget the last time I ran it. As we were running through New Prague, 3 guys leave the course and run into the local bar for drinks! Medium uphill for about a mile at mile 11 or 12 marker. You get a cotton T-shirt and good company...Heart of the City Half Marathon 6/3/2006 in Burnsville, Minnesota...First year's course was horrendous! Ended on an uphill. They've since changed the course. Starts at Burnsville, follows a path along I-35 N and then runs along the river out to about Cedar Road. Last time I ran this, they had screwed up on the mile 9 marker, so I slowed down thinking my pace was a little fast. Ended up missing my PR by 25 seconds. Oh well....I plan on running about an 8:15 min/mile pace, but we have a wide variety of times that the folks in my running group run it in, if you want someone to keep you company. 8 min/mi up to about 10 min/mi pace. Feel free to PM me if you've got questions...

Edited by sparco 2006-02-20 9:22 AM

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norakraemer

2006-02-20 11:39 AM

in reply to: #337193

Master

1506

Minnesota

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

Autumn - thanks for the links. I'll look into those.

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ScotInMinnesota

2008-02-08 1:03 PM

in reply to: #337193

Veteran

245

Eden Prairie, MN

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

The Lake Minnetonka half marathon is on May 4th. I've heard it's a pretty good race.

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TriJedi

2008-02-08 2:05 PM

in reply to: #345990

Veteran

458

Minnesota

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

autumn - 2006-02-14 6:48 PM

the deadline has NOT passed, but get in your request soon, since registration begins in about a week, with lottery drawings. its a wonderful race, but difficult to get in. here's some more information:

http://grandmasmarathon.com/races/gb_half_marathon.php?page=registr...

The Garry B Half marathon lottery registration begins Feb 20. This year it will be on-line registration only, so you don't need to (and can't) request an entry form. It is a great race, but along with a tough lottery, it is very expensive to stay in Duluth.

trigirlkris

2008-02-08 5:26 PM

in reply to: #337193

Extreme Veteran

506

Twin Cities, MN

Subject: RE: Any Advice on a 1/2 Marathon in May or June??

For those who are interested, there is a 1/2 marathon in Maple Grove on May 17 as well. It's brand new this year so I can't say anything beyond the date and the fact that it overlaps with the Autumn Woods Classic course. I'm planning on it since it's in my backyard...

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mndiver

2008-02-08 7:51 PM

in reply to: #337193