2015 Races

Saturday, April 11th
Goldy's Run-10 Mile
Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 3rd
Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon
Wayzata, MN

Saturday, June 6th
Lola's Half Marathon
Waconia, MN

Saturday, August 1st
Minnesota Half Marathon
St. Paul, MN

500 Miles Down, 500 To Go: Training & Fundraising Update

What in the world has ol' Jiles been up to the past few months?  Did he get mauled by a puma on a trail run?  No, I've been b, to the busy!  My days, which turn to weeks, which to months, have been consumed with work, then running, then parenting, brief husbanding, sleep, repeat.

For those of you that don't know, I am training yet again for the Twin Cities Marathon on October 5th.  Last year was a good baseline year for me where I proved to myself that I could go from casual, low mile runner, to semi-serious, mid-range mile runner, to marathoner without serious injury.  I took a couple months mostly off and then got a much earlier jump on training this year, beginning in earnest in January.  Here we are mid-July and I just crossed the 525 mile mark for the year and doing quite well with another 500 to go before October.  (I ran about 500 miles all of last year, including the marathon itself!)

Why am I so motivated and enjoying myself so much?  Three reasons:

1)  I am much stronger and seasoned than I was last year, so I (usually) feel like I'm running my workouts; instead of my workouts running me.

2)  I am having a blast with one of my best old buddies and 2014 training partner, Double-J.  We meet up for runs, chew the fat about running, and egg each other on via Strava.

3)  MOST IMPORTANTLY, I am running this year to raise support for the folks in Thailand that are very close to our heart, Friends for All Children, which includes the foster home in Chiang Mai, that....I can't begin to tell you my feelings about.  Marathon training can be a lonely endeavor at times, but it has really touched me to know I'm not alone out on the path, and that so much love comes along with me.

Fundraising is going well, we are almost half way to the goal of $2620 (get it, 26.2?).  Much has come directly via mail, and some has come via the secure online option GO FUND ME.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to ALL who have given!  It means so much to our family.  Please go to the Go Fund Me page to read more of the story if you're interested.

Peace on the Path,
Jiles

Make Your Own "Stick Rolling Massager" for Running Recovery for Under $8

What you'll need:

• 24" or longer piece of 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC Pipe--$0.95
• 8- 3/4" PVC couplings--$0.24 x 8 = $1.92
• 2- BMX Bike Grips--$4.99

Step 1:

Wet one end of the PVC pipe with soapy water and slip on a grip.

Step 2:

Slide 8 couplings over PVC pipe.

Step 3:

Cut PVC to length and slide remaining grip over end.  Bammo.  You're done.  Enjoy!

It works great for:

Quads & IT Band

Shins

Hams & Calves

What I Learned From My First Marathon: Body & Nutrition Edition

Last year I upped my season total to 500 miles, culminating in the running of my first marathon in October.  I did all of this on a plant-based, vegan diet.  Needless to say, I learned a few things as my body rose to the occasion, though not without its bumps and bruises.

Bones, Muscles, Skin, and Sinew

Lessons:

• The body can really grow and change in a short amount of time, but there is always another level available, and a marathon definitely requires another level.  As my miles increased in August, I started to neglect other aspects of my training, like strength, speed, and hills.  My longest run was 20 miles and I realize now I was only conditioned for it, not 26.2.  As a result (not counting the lingering bronchitis) I finished the marathon, but I certainly didn't race it.  Sustaining a strong pace for 26.2 requires a core of endurance and strength that I didn't have...so I just endured the last 5 or so miles.  My energy was good enough, it was simply a matter of bones-a-burn'n.
• If you're only a casual runner, like I was, you can't expect to excel too much your first marathon/training season.  There is no way to go from couch (or even 10 miles a week) to high performance in 6 months.  I now see my first serious running season as a base for future running--a base of miles, harder bones, tougher sinews, more vascularity and muscles, that can be a spring board for future race training.  Serious goals should be set in years, not months.
• As Sage Canaday says, it is better to be 90% trained than 101% trained.  There is a mysterious tipping point when the body has just had enough and can't perform to it's potential--on the other hand, if you under-train, you won't meet potentials either (like me).  I learned alot about the balance between pushing through new levels of pain/growth, and the need to rest and recover--both are necessary for marathon training.  In the end, I think I could have trained harder, but I don't regret listening carefully to my body this first season as I established a good sense of baseline to push past next time.
• I found it helped to not take any Advil or painkillers.  Mostly because I didn't really need them, but also because it helped me tune-in to what was really going on in my legs.  I think this helped me avoid injury.
• Taking advantage of rest periods is just as important as performing during a workout--the body can recover very quickly if you let it.
• As for the marathon itself: I definitely learned to not get caught in the back of a corral.  I spent so much energy weaving and stutter-stepping in traffic that I otherwise could've used for endurance.  My Garmin said I ran an extra 1/3 mile laterally!  Alot of people are really slow and the start is really packed.  Next time I will do all I can to get some open road in front of me.
• Wear 1 inch round band-aids on nipples for all runs over 8 miles!

Nutrition

Lessons:

• There is no way to overcome a bad diet with any amount of exercise--this is where The Biggest Loser and other TV shows mislead the public, in my opinion (especially coupled with their calorie restriction approach to nutrition). I did the math for my season: 500 miles ran x 100 calories per mile = 50,000 calories burned over 6 months = average of 278 extra calories burned per day. That means 3 extra bananas a day would more than replace the calories burned during marathon training! Lots of people gain weight during training because they don't realize that even that intense level of exercise isn't even close to enough to overcome their food intake.  The biggest performance and safety enhancer for me, beyond diet, is to carry less weight.
• Given that, the main benefit of exercise for fitness is not calories burned during exercise, it's the adaptive gains that happen in metabolism, vascularity, etc.  Exercise is important, but not critical for weight management. 
• I have learned 2 major benefits of plant-powered running from other runners and my experience.  First, the food provides the best nutrition with the least amount of digestive energy strain--like fresh high octane gas in the car vs. sludgy old gas.  This frees up tons of energy for the running itself.  Second, and more importantly, a high-nutrition/low-burden diet both gives the body what it needs to recover as well as frees up energy to tend to recovery--quicker and better recovery = more training = better fitness.
• I'm very sensitive to sludgy blood.  All animal fats and oil (yes, even olive oil) raise the body's Clotting Factor 7 roughly equally.  That means the blood is thickened up with fat and less oxygen can be processed to tissues.  For me, a very low fat, low protein, whole-food high carbohydrate diet is the key to getting abundant sugars, nutrients, and fiber without over-burdening the body.  3000 calories of mostly fruits, veggies, grains, and beans provides about 8-10% of calories from both fat and protein, and 80-84% carbohydrate--more than enough of carb, fat, & protein, even during marathon training.  I find these optimal ratios take care of themselves when eating foods in their whole state, but quickly get skewed with processed foods (almost always toward higher calorie density and fat than is found in nature).  I did eat the occasional avocado and some nuts.
• Not enough carbs means hitting the wall.  The only possible way around fueling the body without ample carbs is an Atkins or Paleo approach, but this is unsustainable, potentially damaging to major organs, creates systemic acidosis (kidney and bone issues), and almost always requires supplements and stimulants like caffeine (or worse).  It just doesn't sound right to me to purposefully and perpetually replicate cellular starvation in order to bring about the body's survival Plan B (i.e. Ketosis).  No thanks, give me the fruit!
• As for the marathon itself:  I think I drank way too much water and Powerade.  I felt water logged and sloshy toward the end and could tell I had taken in more than I needed.  Energy was sustained with about 2 large Medjool Dates per hour.

2014 Races

Saturday, May 10th

Maple Grove Half Marathon
Maple Grove, MN
Results

Wednesday, July 23rd
Torchlight 5K
Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis, MN
Results

Saturday, August 2nd
Minnesota Half Marathon
Saint Paul, MN
Results

Sunday, October 5th
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
Results

2013 Races

May 16th

29th Anton Boisen 5K Fun Run
White River State Park, Indianapolis, IN

June 16th

Father's Day 5K Annual Celebration of Generations
Lake Como, St. Paul, MN
Results

July 17th
Torchlight Run 5K
Stone Arch Bridge, Mpls, MN
Results

August 14th

Endless Summer Trail Run Series-Lebanon 7 mile

Lebanon Hills, Eagan, MN
Results

September 14th

Bear Water Run-20 Mile

White Bear Lake, MN

Results

October 6th
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

Results

My First Marathon in Pictures

The day finally arrived, October 6th 2013, the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon--my first marathon!  I was still under the weather morning of, but I took in a 5:30am nebulizer treatment and crossed my fingers.  I met my Team Worldvision mates in the church parking lot as AC/DC blared out my '87 Chevy S10 speakers.  We gathered for one last pep-talk before loading into 2 vans and heading to Minneapolis.  There are some very inspiring people in that group!

Though church is a mere 4 miles from the finish line, we left the comforts of home in St. Paul to traverse the Mighty Mississipi to start at the soon-to-be-demolished Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Downtown Minneapolis.

After a brief early morning church service at First Covenant Minneapolis (next to the Metrodome), I parted ways with my church friends and began enjoying the perks of corporate sponsorship--my other team is my employer's Allina Health Run Club.  I met some nice folks along the way until finally the gun sounded and 12 minutes later I crossed the starting line.  Within 1/2 mile I new it was going to be a long day because I was sicker and weaker than I had hoped.  Regardless, I moved along at a decent pace, through incredible traffic, until the first highlight of the run at Mile 8.  Kelly, Piyada, and my mother-in-law Lori devised a meticulous plan to cheer me on from three different locations, and it worked, and I needed it!

Off I went with fresh energy.....but then, I think my medicine from 3 1/2 hours earlier began to wear off.  I started wheezing and getting fatigued from expending lots of energy trying to breathe what were ultimately low quality breaths.  I stopped around Mile 14 to take 2 good puffs of my inhaler and I was off again, though at a slower pace.  Thankfully 4 miles later I saw my cheering section again!

From there I was on my own to trudge toward the finish.  When healthy I was aiming for a finish time between 3:30 (best case scenario) and 3:45 (good, but realistic).  Well, at Mile 16 I was still very much in the neighborhood of my goal.  Strava shows just how things shifted at Mile 16!  Call it hitting the "wall" with a big viral, asthmatic cherry on top.

Click for Mile by Mile data

The dreaded Summit Ave hill from miles 20-23 kicked my already kicked butt.  It was nothing but willpower from 23-Finish.  I made a point to not quit a single training run early this entire year, because I knew that if I set any precedent for puss'n out, it would certainly want to reemerge on Summit Ave.  Lets just say I wasn't waving at the fans and doing cartwheels, but....steady....forward....progress.  Eventually, I passed the Governor's Mansion, James J. Hill's Mansion, and the Bishop's Mansion at Mile 26, and it was all downhill from there, literally.

Piya waiting for me to come down Cathedral Hill

The Finish Line with MN State Capitol in background

And finally I arrived at the finish satisfied to not be at United Hospital on a ventilator and to have finished under 4 hours.  Here I am passing Mile 26.  I'm the guy behind the shirtless guy.

Here is a video of me crossing the Finish.  My first marathon, of hopefully many, was in the books!  And the celebration ensued.

Stay tuned for a "what I learned" post and much, much more.  Including a preview of Grandma's 2014:)

I am Under the Overcast Weather!!

I just got home from the Health & Fitness Expo where I picked up my race bib, timing chip, and lots of free junk!  I attended the press conference where the elite runners shared their hopes, and some "citizen runners" shared their amazing stories.  One guy fell 37 feet and broke his back in March, and is set to run on Sunday.  A woman told how she just got off the couch two New Year's Days ago, started running, lost 80 lbs, and is now running her first marathon.  Very inspiring folks.

The first lady I ran into on the street was wearing a No Meat Athlete t-shirt like mine.  I couldn't believe my eyes, so I stopped and we talked vegan running for 15 minutes!  A funny, cool lady.

So how am I doing with 1 day to go until the big run I have prepared so hard for all Spring and Summer?  Well, I am under the weather, and the forecast calls for possible "lingering showers" at the starting line!  Ug.  Can you believe that as soon as our taper-week started, 6, SIX members of my church team got sick!  Double-Ug!  I have something that I've had many times, a reoccurring bronchitis.  Only this time, thankfully, so far, it is just a minor cough.  I have nothing really to "produce" with said cough, since my animal-induced systemic-inflammation is gone:)  But, still, I'd rather be 100%.  I have no concerns with my body and legs, but I am mildly concerned that the combination of cold wet weather, fall allergies, and asthma will keep me from running my potential.  By the way, I have never made public my goal time for the marathon, but all the data says it is possible, on a good day.  I will be very happy if that still becomes a reality, given my pulmonary situation.

On a spiritual note:  After many miles I ran my last 4 yesterday at Lake Phalen.  I was not "training," just enjoying how far I've come this summer.  I found what I hope to be my primary marathon pace and just cruised, smooth, controlled breathing, cranking out the miles.  I came to a stop, reluctantly, with no hard breathing (a good sign given my virus), took a body inventory with no pain or anything but satisfaction for an amazing summer, enabled by God's gift of health, supportive loved ones, and the privilege and freedom to do it!  I was almost laughing as I walked, praying, thanking God for all the riches!  So I'm not 100% and it might rain on Sunday--I am still so very blessed!

No Animals Were Hurt in the Making Of This Marathon

I was running the other day thinking about all that has gone into my marathon training, and what has not gone into it. It was a very encouraging and gratifying review. I have run over 350 miles since going 100% vegan 3 1/2 months ago. In that time, not a single animal was killed or used to fuel my running. I've come a long way since thinking plant food was meant to accompany meat, and could never be enough to sustain health on its own, let alone something like marathon training. Where would I get my protein!? :) I thought of the small barn that would have had to be set aside just for me to run and live for 3 months had I been eating meat & dairy. "Kyle is tying his shoes to go run again, please hand me another chicken" (if chicken harvesting were really that quaint and personal).

It was really cool to realize that all I needed to run and be healthy was my body, lots of water, and all sorts of plants that come from the earth--just me and the earth were enough to travel 1/10th of the width of America with zero injuries. It was really, really cool to realize that I didn't just scrape by, but that I got fitter and stronger, didn't get sick or injured, slept better, breathed better, pooped better, had more stable moods, on and on and on. I can't help but start to get pretty passionate about this "experiment." The physical results are so convincing to me, not to mention the ethics, and potential that plants have to help us with our unsustainable eating habits. Here is what has gone, and not gone, into my vegan marathon training:

Calories from Plants (approximate, 3000/day for 100 days) = 300,000
      75% Fruit, 25% Grains/Beans/Potatoes/Veggies
Calories from meat, fish, eggs, dairy = 0
Protein powders and other supplements = 0
Injuries = 0
Advil  or other painkillers = 0
Soda = 2 cans of Diet Coke
Caffeine = 90mg (2 cans of Diet Coke)
Coffee = 2-4 cups of decaf per week
Water (approximate) = 100 gallons

My First Trail Race

I had a blast running the 7 mile course of Lebanon Hills Regional Park the other day!  It was a big race of about 355 men and women.  We went from a slow, blobby start, to peaceful single-track over about the first 1/2 mile in.  I chased a guy for 4 miles and another guy chased me--we all finished in order.  A pack of elite runners finished way ahead, and I finished 34th overall among the average Joes & Janes.  The night sure gave me a hanker'n for more trail races...but it also contributed to a 6 day hiatus as my ankle was tweaked pretty good.

 Here is Piya and me pumping up the pythons before the start.

and my route and data according to Mr. Garmin

I Ran With My Favorite Olympian Today!

...Sort of.  I was get'n after it on mile 4 of 13 this morning when who did I spy approaching me on the trails at Fort Snelling?  None other than Carrie Tollefson, 2004 middle-distance Olympian! Carrie is a leader in the Twin Cities running community via her camp and great videos on CTolle Run.  I'll admit it was kind of cool to share a trail with someone who has ran at the highest level in the world!  So, technically we didn't run together, per se, but she did wave....after I waved:)  I need all the encouragement I can get training for my first marathon!

Reasons you should be a fan of Carrie:

• She is from the farmland of Central MN like Kelly and me
• She is a great runner!
• She invests in youth
• She is a good example of being a fit and active parent
• Informative, entertaining videos with a touch of dorkiness
• Though an accomplished runner, she has never run a marathon.  Her first will be this year's Medtronic Twin Cities, with me and all my pals!  You can follow her training here.

Nature's Candy Bar--The Perfect Food?

I will run the Twin Cities Marathon in my penny loafers if anyone can beat a blind taste test comparing a soft, gooey Sugar Daddy candy bar and a soft, gooey Medjool Date.  Holy cow these dates are delish!  A pure shot of sugary goodness.

I have been experimenting with different sugars during my long runs, and dates are quickly earning the go-to status.  This week I ate a bowl of oats and a banana an hour before my run, then I hammered 2 plump dates 45 minutes into the run.  These plumpies are each 70 calories of unrefined sugar.  They also have a good amount of minerals and fiber, and zero fat or cholesterol.  Seriously, eat 2 of these bad boys and your brain will be convinced you just ate a Snicker bar, except all the calories are from sugar not fat.  You won't even consider fat-dense foods the rest of the day...and if you do....hammer another few dates!  2lb tub on sale at Sam's Club now for $8.

How I Learned to Run

I ran on the Track & Cross Country teams for a few years in Jr & Sr High School, but I never really learned how to run properly.  Each year I'd hit the path in the spring and have to take a break by fall due to shin splints or other various leg pains.  I never really got faster, but just plodded along.

As I set out to run more miles this year than any previous year, I took it upon myself to learn how to run.  I started with an evaluation from Courage Kenny's RunSmart program.  They recorded me on the treadmill, tested strength, etc.  I got the same advice from them that I have gotten from every other experienced runner since.  Turns out I was over-striding and heel-striking like crazy.  This was sending a shock up my legs with each stride, not to mention it was terribly inefficient.

I am now over 250 miles into my training and my legs are only getting stronger, with less soreness, no pain, and quicker recovery.  I attribute this to technique and also to eating 100% whole plant-based food..  It feels like the only thing my body has to do each night is recover my muscles and harden my bones, because it is no longer burdened with toxins, digesting dead animals, and general malnutrition.  Already this week I have a 92-minute 12-miler under my belt, followed the next day with 4.5 miles on the trails....all with no pain.  It's a miracle!

Here are the basics of what I learned:

• Keep stride short and quick (160-180 strides/minute)
• Strike foot underneath my body's center of gravity
• Land on midfoot or forefoot, not heel, and roll forward into next quick stride
• Stand up tall with slight lean forward from ankles, not waist
• Find "sweet spot" between leaning too far forward and leaning enough so that gravity pulls me into next stride

That's it.  This video is the best I've found to summarize and show what I'm talking about.  This was, and is, a make it or break it year that will determine if I can be a "real" runner, or have to pull pack due to injury and breakdown.  So far, I am very encouraged and grateful for good advice and a willing body.  I pray it continues.

Let's Engage in Some Cardiovascular Fitness Unto the Lord!

I have Found My Cross-Training Workout!

Over the Hill Friday's

Friday is my hill training day as I move my way toward the Twin Cities Marathon starting line.  Last week I did 4x up and down the "high" Smith Ave Bridge in St. Paul.  That sucker is about .4 miles long with a steep, steady climb and a heckuva view of the Mississippi River and downtown SP.  My job is nestled twixt some serious hills with the river on the south and the elevated Cathedral Hill neighborhood to the north.   Today I ran 3 laps of the course above.  Starting at the hospital, I ran up Ramsey Hill, (which climbs 110 feet in less than a 1/4 mile, seen in purple on elevation graph), then down Summit Ave past Cathedral, and returning on Kellogg Ave.  Ramsey Hill is a heart thump'n, "I'm fit'n'ta puke" kind of hill.  Running it 3 times over 5.5 miles was a new way to "do hills" for me.

There are only so many ways to build the VO2Max necessary for sustained marathon paces--unfortunately few workouts beat wrestling with gravity.  To those interested folk on my running teams, I'd love some company for what is likely to be the pukiest 40 minutes of your week.  Next Friday at 2:30.

Thoughts on a 100% Vegan Year

I have decided to move from a roughly 90% whole food, plant-based diet, to 100% for at least the next year.  Why?

Reason #1:  Food!

I love to eat food, alot.

I love to be healthy.  

Plants allow me to eat alot and be healthy.

Animal products make them mutually exclusive.  

Everything good that I need to feel great, run far, and be healthy is found in plants.

Meat and animal products offer nothing additional that I need, but instead add calorie density and excess animal protein--with NO fiber to digest it all.

Reason #2:  It's Working!

My body responds very well to a high carbohydrate*, low fat, high fiber, complete plant protein, high water diet.  I cannot eat animals for even 10% of my diet without feeling sluggish, bloated, and tired--my allergies get worse (rhinitis), mucous increases, I don't sleep as well, I crash in the afternoon, and I run like a sloth.  Do I have an abnormal sensitivity to animals?  I don't think so.  I had all sorts of symptoms before, but I thought they were normal, as many people I see at the hospital do.  Now I realize I don't have these common symptoms unless I eat animals.  

*Simple and complex plant sugars:  Fruit, fruit, fruit, fruit, fruit, brown rice, oats, beans, quinoa, Ezekiel Bread, etc.

Not refined sugars:  High Fructose Corn Syrup (which is in alot of stuff), granular sugar, "white" floury foods, etc.

Reason #3:  Feast not Famine

All other "diets" tend toward restriction and restriction never lasts.  This even applies to vegans that are carb-fobic and end up eating high oil/fat vegan pseudo-foods.  This high-fat, high-protein, high-calorie, low-carb approach inevitably leads to binges and throwing in the towel--like many "paleo" dieters who are under-carbed.  I want to stuff my face with foods that satisfy and nourish--nothing accomplishes this like tons of watery, sugary, fibery fruit!  Embracing the fruit.  Spiritually, a lifestyle with restriction and control at the core is not life-giving or sustainable.  Spiritual vitality is about abundance, freedom and feasting on goodness.  The only reason to count calories on a whole foods plant-based diet is to make sure you're getting enough calories.  Carb up, I say!  No one ever got fat eating fruit!

Reason #4:  So why not 90%?  Why the need to go 100%?

If my 10% non-whole foods intake right now was lean fish and egg whites, for example, I wouldn't be writing this post.  But it ain't.  I have a couple bad habits that in themselves aren't the end of the world, but they serve the function of keeping other incongruent practice's feet in the door.  For example, I drink a 20oz bottle of zero-calorie soda most days.  That false sweetness confuses my brain and body and makes it much easier to grab junk on impulse.  There is no purpose for the 10% of non-whole calories I eat many days.  For example, if I'm running at 2500 calories a day and I eat a 250 calorie Milky Way, 10% of my intake did nothing for my nutrition, but instead confused my otherwise thrilled and thriving brain and body.  I am 10% mal-nourished (mal=bad).

"So just eat junk once in a while as a treat.  Why you gotta be so hardcore?"

I can't.  "Once in a while" means nothing to an addicted brain.  "Once in a while" usually means, "whenever it is readily available."  And junk is everywhere.

I do well with goals and clear areas of sobriety.  Unlike alcohol, I need food.  The foods to me that are analogous to alcohol, that I can totally live without but don't control well when consuming "once in a while" are all the pseudo-foods and rich animal products....all of which are foot-held by seemingly unrelated habits like soda drinking.

Reason #5:  It's Really Working!

I've been contemplating a thorough, year long experiment for some time now, but the news I got today confirmed it!  Each year at Allina Health we get a full workup in partnership with Life Time Fitness.  This is required if we want health insurance and it can lower our premiums depending on our score.  Last year I scored 84, being deducted 8pts for high body fat % and 8 pts for high Triglycerides/fat in the blood.  I got the full dollar credit, but still this was alarming.

Today I got a score of 100!

• Weight dropped 37lbs from a lifetime high to my weight of 15 years ago
• Body fat dropped 8.7% into the low risk range.
• LDL/HDL Ratio dropped by .2:1
• Total Cholesterol dropped 25 points to 121
• BP dropped from 131/88 to 121/71
• Triglycerides dropped 109 points from 200 to 91!
• Glucose dropped from 87 to 80
• Resting Heart Rate dropped from 69 to 56

This will be an adventure.  I'm glad I have a base of knowledge, recipes, and habits that will make this last 10% doable.  Still, it will be a challenge, mostly socially I suspect.  But, what the heck, we only live once.  Enough writing.  Where's the watermelon!?

The Master Manipulator

I love massage, but I really love Thai massage.  Yesterday Kelly treated me to a trip to Northfield to get a 60 minute massage from Gam (Nangnuch Prathueng), a well respected Thai practitioner in Minnesota.  Holy cows was it ever awesome!  I've probably had 10 massages in Thailand and one other in MN from a Caucasian lady trained in Thailand--Gam's massage was the best I have ever had!  I can't believe I now have the full Thai massage experience 40 minutes from home, and for only 10x the price as in Thailand, ha.  I was fresh off a 5 mile trail run and my muscles were calling for some attention.

Ready for massage, Chiang Mai, 2011

I highly recommend making the trip to see Gam if you're from the Twin Cities and doing any measure of training.  She did wonders with a combination of pressure, stretching, and body manipulation.  If you've experienced typical American massage high up on a table, in your skivvies, with lotion/oil and mostly only the fingertips/hands of the therapist---then Thai massage will be an interactive, full-body, wrestling match of an experience.  Here is her website.

Indy's Most Famous Race!

Okay, well not as famous as that 500 mile car race held in 10 days.  But 20 CPE Supervisors "racing" a 5K at 7am is a close second in fanfare (i.e. zero fans).  After a long winter, it was good to feel some sticky humidity this morning as the sun came up in Indy.  I ran the 29th Anton Boisen 5K as part of our ACPE Annual Conference.

We had a scenic course along the White River.  I placed 3rd with a time of 21'34", behind my buddy Kyrre from Norway--he won the race by about a minute.  Those Norwegian military chaplains are hardcore, he runs like an Arctic Lynx and sweats ice drops.  I edged out my other buddy Stephan, but he was gaining quick....I mean I was dying fast....another 1/4 mile and I would've finished 4th for sure.


Stephan & Kyrre

These deer gave me an awful fright!



Me, stinky & ready for breakfast

Where the Streets Have No Name

Short POV video from the trails of Battle Creek Park.  I only saw one bunny....which was fine with me because I just heard today that coyotes have been spotted on these here trails.  Attacking, killer, coyotes!

http://youtu.be/fpkF5gBpqVI

I Couldn't Help Myself

Today was my 1st scheduled run on my road (at times literally) to the Twin Cities Marathon.  It was supposed to be 3 miles...but I thought, "The weather is so nice, I'll do an easy 5".......I finished 7.3 miles later!  I had an absolute blast.  The slingshot was loading all winter, and it was released on this beautiful day in MN.  I had my 1 month PRK appointment at "The U," (healing is on track by the way), and K and P are visiting my mother-in-law, so I had nothing better to do than enjoy the day.

Don't get me wrong, I am unapologetic and occasionally obnoxiously St. Paul biased.  Yet, I must admit that today was a scenic day around campus and along both sides of the "Big River"--though I never actually talked to any humans.

 I started at Kelly's alma mater

Past the Weisman Art Museum

Over the Stone Arch Bridge into downtown

Here's a brief video if you want to know what it feels like to be my brain on a run

St. Anthony Falls were roaring

On past the Guthrie Theater

The Stone Arch Bridge from whence I came

Under the 35W Bridge, built following it's predecessor's collapse in 2008

I tipped my hat to my ancestors at Bohemian Flats

Ran along the river and through the woods

Climbed the river bank to be greeted by this beauty on Mississippi River Blvd

Thanked God that I wasn't driving in this!

I finished by stretching on my back, enjoying the sky and clouds

I'm sorry Minneapolis, but I must return to St. Paul if I want a great post-run, spiceeeey, Thai papaya salad

Thanks Supatra!

Yes, day 1 was reckless and to excess--it's not the first time in my life--but I just had to celebrate sharp vision, an able body, beautiful weather, and the second best town on the Mississippi.  Rest tomorrow.