It's official...

I'm sad to report that for the first time ever, I've been beaten in running by a girl.

I know... though to believe. I'm trying to block it out of my memory but this time there's proof. Check out the paparazzi shots here. They caught me in a very surprised state as Kris pulled ahead of me in the Heart of the City Half Marathon and handed me a new one. Check it out.


Maybe it had something to do with the fact that my shirt was off and my skin is whiter than snow. Who knows. But I was skooled last weekend! Maybe next time I decide to be a Shirtless Wonder I'll do it in the comfort and solitary confinement of my back yard.

Heart of the City Half Marathon

Today is Kris' birthday so to celebrate she and I ran the Heart of the City Half Marathon in Burnsville. It's a very beautiful course which starts at the top of the hill in Burnsville and runs down to the Minnesota River valley. It really is one of those very beautiful runs. Too bad it was hotter than the fires of hell and damnation itself. But Kris and I still managed to make a good run out of it.

The course is below. Check it out.

Happy birthday Kris!!!



p.s. Now I'm off to do the most insane thing I've done yet: 8 hours of straight running from midnight to 8:00 a.m. Wish me luck. My friend Tim (who's running 24 hours of this thing) will need the most of the luck.

[UPDATE: I couldn't do it. I'm WAY too tired. After one lap, I called it quits. I just can't stay up late any more. Even for something I WANT to do.]

Maple Grove Half Marathon

It's been obvious to a lot of people that I overdo my working out. I know that because they're very blunt with me (Note to women: I do NOT pick up on hints. Not in any form. If you drop a hint and get ticked off that I don't pick it up, I don't care. I'm telling you right now. Don't do it.) It is now obvious to me that I overdo it.

Today was the first ever Maple Grove Half Marathon. They did a good job for a first time too. There were, of course, some things that could have been handled better. But all things considered, everything was handled well. This is definitely one to keep your eye on for next year. They're already off to a great start and it can only get better from here.

As for my workout today, I'm still in no-buying-gasoline mode so I hopped on the bike at 5:00 a.m. and headed over to Maple Grove (see map below). It was... a hard ride. I had an hour and a half to make 20 miles and I did it with about 15 minutes to spare. Talk about timing. I hopped off the bike, changed clothes, got in line and headed off to start the half.

The course itself (also below) was challenging. It was very challenging. Check out the elevation map to see what I mean. This course would have been tough even if I didn't bike there. My quds were tight and my calves were impossibly sore and hurting so I gave up running for time and decided to run for fun. This is of course entirely my fault since I ran a marathon last weekend, had a hard week of training, and biked to the event.

Enjoy the course. I'm heading for bed. It's been a long day and the one thing I need right now is some sleep. A massage wouldn't be all that bad either though.