Marathon # 7: 2011 Twin Cities Marathon

Alright people, I just added another notch to my marathon belt after completing my seventh this past Sunday morning running from downtown Minneapolis to our state's capitol building in St. Paul: The 2011 Twin Cities Marathon. And man, what an up and down race it was!


The pros to this year's 26.2-mile adventure:

• Running as a local elite athlete and receiving those perks.
• Starting temperature was a perfect 46 degrees. No need for a hat or gloves.
• Physically and mentally felt very relaxed, ready for a great run.
• My parents drove from home to cheer me on despite dad feeling miserable.
• My girlfriend joining them to help navigate the roads and cheer me on.
• Seeing and hearing cheers from so many familiar and unfamiliar faces along the way.
• Feeling GREAT running the first half, averaging 6:35/mi.
• Taking in the beautiful scenery that is fall in the Twin Cities.
• Being inspired by so many runners to push on no matter how difficult it was.
• Glad I was able to pick up the pace a few times after hitting a couple walls.
• Finishing the race by sprinting by several people the last 400 meters down Cathedral Hill like there was no tomorrow to try to break 3:10 for another Boston qualifier.
• Knowing several of my friends finished their first or second marathon.

The cons to this year's 26.2-mile adventure:

• Running as a local elite and, I'm pretty sure, being the last of those around my age to finish.
• Ending temperature feeling a bit on the warm side at 65 degrees. Not as bad as 87 like I experienced at Grandma's Marathon in 2007 though.
• Physically breaking down at mile 16 and then again at mile 22.
• Going from averaging 6:35/mi first half to 7:55/mi second half - DAMN!
• Mentally battling what felt like annoyance from people and music cheering me on when I felt horrible. (Turns out, as I already knew, it eventually helps.)
• Not recognizing some faces on the sidelines cheering me on who said they were there.
• Totally forgetting there are small ups and downs along Minnehaha Pkwy that can drain your legs quickly if you're moving too fast.
• Letting too much time slip while I ran-jogged-walked along Summit Ave trying to figure out if I was going to break 3:10 for another Boston Qualifier.
• ** Turns out I did qualify for Boston with the +59-sec rule, but the 2012 race is sold out and the rule does not apply in 2013, unfortunately. I can now say I've run five Boston-qualifying marathon times. **

For you major running nerds out there, I was sure to clock all of my mile splits along the way so we can see which I ran stronger as opposed to those that were abysmal: 

6:24, 6:36, 6:36 (20:02 5k) 6:31, 6:37, 6:34 (40:39 10k) 6:23, 6:33, 6:31, 6:34, 6:32, 6:52, 6:50 (1:26:19 Half) 7:15, 6:38, 7:19, 7:38, 8:12, (2:08:27 30k) 8:48, 7:58 (2:19:10 20mi) 7:33, 8:10, 8:11, 8:45 (2:52:11 24mi) 9:05, 8:52 (1.2mi) = 3:10:10 (26.2mi)

And here are my overall results:

3:10:10 -- 382/8535 Overall (Top 4%)

104/911 Age (Top 11%)

329/4857 Males (Top 7%)

Overall, I'm happy with the finish considering how my training went this summer after getting back from my year in Alaska in May. Next up, I'm going to focus on getting in some half marathons, 10k's and 5k's over the next several months to focus on improving my uptempo stamina/lactate-threshold while strengthening my muscles by doing hill repeats and hopefully a semi-religious core/plyometric routine a couple days a week. My next marathon could quite possibly be the 2012 San Francisco Marathon in July, Chicago Marathon in October, or NYC Marathon in November. We'll see how it all plays out.

I'd like to congratulate everyone who participated in this past weekend's Twin Cities Marathon Weekend Activities (TC10k, TC5k, Family Mile, Half Mile, Toddler Trot, and Diaper Dash). This includes you Mark Waller, Bri Rohne, Paul Sanft, Adam Hanson, Eileen O'Toole, Joe & Nikki Dockendorff, and my random #runnerd Tweet peeps who I just recently became acquainted with. 

I'd also like to thank my family, friends, and everyone who has helped support my running endeavors as well as Twin Cities In Motion for being such a great organization to be a part of. With each of you constantly asking, "When's your next race?" there really is no end in sight. The perfect example of this was when I passed Joe & Nikki cheering for me on Summit Ave and said, "Oh man! I'm pretty sure this is my last one." To which they replied, "HAHAHAHA!" - hinting at the fact that they know it's only a matter of time before I end up running my next marathon. See? Some people can really see through your colors when you're at your worst. :)

I'm already looking forward to being behind the scenes of next year's TCM production back on the Media Committee and volunteering at their other various events throughout the year. In the meantime, let's all stay healthy and race fast!

Graham O'Brien - 'Live Drums' Review

Graham O'Brien - Live Drums

http://grahamobrien.bandcamp.com/

Ladies and gents, I give to you the link to either DL (free) or purchase ($2-plus) this one-of-a-kind, great, debut album by No Bird Sing's hip-hop drummer, Graham O'Brien.  I stumbled across the write-up and link on Empty's Tapes blog and completely agree that it's mos def worth giving a listen - or two or three or ten.  The sampling, drumming, and guest appearances by other Minneapolis greats Kristoff Krane, Adam Svec, Alicia Wiley, Eric Blair and DVS offer a solid mix of instrumental, experimental hip-hop I've never heard before.  In fact, I'd have to echo what City Pages' said back in September 2009 review of NBS' debut effort by calling their and Graham's albums "groundbreaking".  

The sounds and rhythms he produces on this work of creative genius are excellent.  The album (click for promo video) does a great job of floating back and forth with rap, hip-hop, and just a smidgen of indie rock beats and well-placed instrumental interludes.  I can't wait to get back to Minneapolis to perhaps land a show with him and/or NBS again.

Support The Fresh Air Fund!

I was contacted by a representative of The Fresh Air Fund the other day after she came across my posts about running this weekend's Equinox Marathon as a charity and my volunteering for Fairbanks Counseling & Adoption's Street Outreach & Advocacy Program.  The first is related to my love of running marathons while the other is related to my volunteer year of service to the at-risk youth homeless population within Fairbanks, Alaska.  I want to take a moment to challenge you to take a deeper look into non-profit organizations like The Fresh Air Fund and leave it up to you to make a difference in disadvantaged communities in your local area or elsewhere.


The organization's "About Us" page sums up what they do perfectly: 
Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend Fresh Air Fund camps.

How could I not help spread the word in a great cause.  This fall, The Fresh Air Fund has teamed up with the 2010 ING NYC Marathon, which is being run on November 7th.  They are currently looking for participants and volunteers to be a part of one of the greatest races in the world.  Consider helping them expand on their huge success from earlier this year in March's 2010 NYC Half Marathon where they raised $100,000.  Over the past four years, they've raised over $400,000.  Amazing work is being done by amazing people.  You can be amazing and help, too.  Just e-mail kbrinkerhoff@freshair.org or call 212-897-8890 to learn more.

VISTA Update!

It's fall in Fairbanks!  Included, are a few pictures I've taken over the past couple weeks of Alaska's changing colors.  The rest can be found on my Facebook profile.  To go along with these, here’s a quick update with what I have going on here within my VISTA role as well as outside of work:


1) I had a blast attending the RHYTTAC Conference with my colleagues in Anchorage last week where we came up with some steps to start a statewide network of agencies improving the at-risk youth population.  During my visit, I was able to hang with Hannah Torkelson and Hannah Albazari, two other VISTAs in Anchorage.


2) I’m in the final stages of starting up an exclusive art club for my homeless youth drop-in center with a local business called Chartreuse that will feature creative arts in sculpture, painting, sketching, and construction.  The first project our client participants will work on is a rather large, public Haunted House to be featured at the end of October in Chartreuse’s basement.  This will get our clients involved in their community, help them expand their creative skills, and learn new skills pertaining to future jobs they might encounter.

3) I’m in the final stages of starting up an exclusive radio show for my homeless youth drop-in center with UAF’s radio station KSUA called The SOAP Opera.  (SOAP stands for Street Outreach & Advocacy Program.)  We’ll be on the air Wednesdays from 2-4pm and can be heard on 91.5FM in the Fairbanks area or online worldwide at http://ksua.uaf.edu/.  This will help our clients explore their creative side, provide publicity for SOAP and awareness of their population, and expand their job skills training.


4) I’m running the Equinox Marathon this Saturday morning - yes, all 26.2 grueling miles of it.  It starts at UAF, runs along miles and miles of ski trails, some local roads, then 4000 feet of total elevation change up/down Ester Dome before heading back to UAF for the finish.  I’m doing the race in memory of my cousin Joe Vogel, who passed away to cancer a little over a month ago and has been a huge inspiration in my life and others.  You can read my cause and story here: http://runningforjoe.weebly.com.  Donations are gladly accepted, as well.  This will be my sixth marathon since 2006.  I’m looking for a top-10 and sub-3 hour, 30 minute finish, too.  :)

I’m loving living in Fairbanks and Alaska in general. It’s far from Minneapolis, but there’s enough similarities in nature and personality here that it feels like my home away from home.  As much as I’m not really looking forward to the -40 degree temperatures and winter darkness, I’m thinking the amazing northern lights and endless xc ski trails will completely make up for it.  Maybe check back with me in January and ask me that question again, haha.


I hope everyone else is doing well!  Until next time, peace out.

My Crazy Fast Minnesota Adventure

Last Wednesday, I took a red-eye flight overnight back to the great city of Minneapolis to see a couple of my best friends get married.  This wasn't your normal, late-summer wedding that took place.  The groom is the guitarist in my band Paragraphs, a best friend, and pop culture extraordinaire.  The bride is a crafty, animated, law school graduate friend of mine, as well.  Together, they knew how to throw one of the best weddings anyone's ever experienced.

Free pop, popcorn, and noisemakers, The Heights Theater, a close friend officiating the wedding, Jax Cafe, staged performances by Humor, Paragraphs, and Until The Tape Runs Out, free milkshakes and movie-sayings buttons, and props to dance with.  These are all critical ingredients to pull off the wedding of a century.  Also, a big shout out to Sean Horkheimer and Mark Phillips in creating some great short videos for the couple at the ceremony!

After sifting through all my pictures from the crazy day, I'll leave you with this one of my friend Chad, getting his groove on the dance floor with a horse prop.  Thanks for putting on such an amazing event, Chris and Jess, and I'm so glad I made it back home to witness the beginning of your lives together.

Ride it, Chad!  Ride it!

Aside from the weekend's main event, I was happy to be greeted and hosted for the weekend by Ms. Brittany Burris at the airport on Thursday morning.  Paragraphs practice was at noon, then we did some driving around Minneapolis before meeting Chris and friends at Chatterbox in St. Paul.  Friday morning consisted of a long-awaited reunion with my Auggie distance runners and a decent 10k run down on Pike Island.  Brittany and I picked up some things needed for a killer fruit pizza for the couple's wedding BBQ that evening.  The aforementioned wedding events all happened on Saturday, and I was happy to see about 20 of my family members on Sunday afternoon at the new Uptown Cafeteria restaurant on the rooftop for a nice brunch on their rooftop patio.  (Highly suggest the shrimp pita there for sure!)  Sunday evening consisted of Brittany and I meeting up with quite a few friends at Town Hall Brewery, including a few I haven't seen for a long time even before I left for Alaska in April.  Oh, speaking of, thanks Chris for the bells (gift for being the wedding guest who came from the furthest away), haha.  So thanks to everyone who came out to Town Hall.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend with nonstop action.  I think I literally had less than two or three hours of downtime each day, of which I chose by staring into blank space, trying to watch Overboard with Brittany, and hilarious people watching out of her Uptown, street-corner, studio apartment.  To cap it off, we stopped by Lake Calhoun quickly on our way to drop me off the airport on Monday afternoon.  I'll leave you with a pic from there.  Until my next adventure or thought-provoking post, be well.

Nice shades, B.  : )