Short Distance Summer, Race 1: Father's Day 5K

We're among the first to arrive at packet pickup. As the five of us make our way to the tent, I tell Matt that it isn't a good sign if I'm already out of my warmup jacket before I actually begin my warmup. There's a light haze in the air, one that often welcomes the most humid of days in the Upper Midwest. The hour before a race always goes by far too quickly. Before I know it, Matt and I are warming up.

We discuss our goals for the morning. Due to a tweaked muscle in my lower back and at the urging of my chiropractor, I spent most of the week resting. At least my legs would feel fresh, I reason. The state of my back would be determined once I'm out running at top speed. As a river of sweat pours down my back, I assume that the real limiting factor would be the temperature. I'm just not used to running when it's 80 degrees and there's no way to fake acclimation. As we make our final trip to the restroom, we happen by the awards table set up at the finish line. Trophies for first, second, and third overall and medals for age group winners. Even if I have a terrible day, I assume that this small field would net me some sort of bling. What it would be is yet to be determined.

I kiss Matt good luck as he takes his place with the fast guys at the foot of the timing mat. Then I survey the competition. There was an older woman eyeing me up while I was stretching. I can tell from her sinewy leanness that she could be competition. Her teenage daughter looks like she might have the fast genes too.

Suddenly, we're off. With a slight tailwind and downhill in the first mile, everyone goes out too fast. It takes forever to reach the first mile marker and I can tell that I'm already overheating. Yay.

Mile 1: 6:38

We make a quick turn onto a bike path through a park. The tailwind is now a headwind. I'm already out of gas. I know I should be able to hold this pace. Grr. First race of the season and I am. not. doing. this. right. I hate 5Ks. Despite my best effort to push as hard as I can, I realize that I'm in second place. My pace slows even further. Then another girl passes me. Now I'm third, I count to myself.

Mile 2: 7:38

I try to bolster my spirits as I make the turn from a bike path to cement roadway. Thinking back to the trophy table, I look over my shoulder. That masters runner I noticed before the race is there. From what I can tell, she's probably twenty seconds behind me. I turn up the intensity as high as it can go. My head is throbbing, my legs don't want to move. Oddly enough, my back is the least of my complaints.

It's one more turn and I pass the starting arch. I know all I have left to do is enter the school parking lot, make a lap around the track, and I.am.done.

I pass two more guys en route to the stadium. Then I look over my shoulder once again. I'm completely gassed, but all I can think of is that darn trophy. I regularly place overall in my club runs these days, but we are pretty old school and don't give out any awards at all. WANT TROPHY.

Mile 3: 7:20

My pace isn't much faster than through mile two, but I can tell that the heat is getting to everyone because somehow I've slowed down a ton and am still passing people. I hit the track and the flat rubbery surface feels familiar. I'm used to running fast here, I tell myself. Let's kick! It's here I realize that I've put enough distance between me and the woman behind me that I don't need to worry about her anymore.

Somewhere on the final straightaway I pass someone in a familiar t-shirt. As I go by, I turn to notice it's Greg, my sister's boyfriend. When I originally signed up for this race, I knew that the two of us run similar 5K times and one of my goals was to beat him. I didn't think I'd find him in the last tenth of a mile!

Greg is the one about 20 feet back.

I pick up the pace the best I can, surging ahead. Then my final mission is to keep him behind me. I'm so ready to be done that I use it as my fuel to finish strong. There's the finish! Get there and you can stop!

Mile 3-finish: 56 seconds, 6:19/mi.

22:16
3rd female overall

I stumble across the finish line, dizzy and exhausted. I have never pushed so hard in a 5K before. I give Greg a high five as I collect myself. Matt meets me at the end of the chute and we head for the water. I drink an entire bottle before beginning my cool down.

I even look like it was too hot.

We set off along the course to find my mom and sister. Greg turns around to walk Emily in, Matt and I continue to find my mom. We chat while we walk. Mom's goal is to break an hour. Since this is only her second 5K since a hip replacement last year, she thinks she'll be close. At first, she tells me my walking pace is too quick. I slow down to stay with her. Then I notice she's picking it up and almost leaving me behind. I look down at my watch as she enters the stadium and tell her that she's going to beat her goal by several minutes. Then I rush over to snap a couple photos of her finishing.

Matt took third place too because we are physically incapable of doing anything without the other. Hehe.

For as much as it hurt, this day was so much fun! It’s rare that I get to share races with my family so when I do, it makes my heart so happy!

Madeline Island, Sea Caves, and the Trail That Went Nowhere

After too many hours in the car, the lake finally came into view as the road we were on intersected with US Highway 2. I grew up just two miles from a different spot on this same highway and it always makes me a little nostalgic. For as familiar as it was, my family didn't really do a lot of camping when I was a kid, so when I do get back to the area, I've taken to exploring a new place in the region I called home for so many years. This view of Lake Superior was my first glimpse from the Wisconsin shoreline.

We quickly passed through Ashland and headed north on the peninsula that juts out into Lake Superior. When we finally met up with Joel, we made quick work of hitting the grocery store for provisions and setting up camp. Just as our burgers began to sizzle, rain began to fall. We retreated to the car for some dessert beers.

Eventually the rain tapered off enough that we decided to venture out for a hike back in town. We weren't sure what we were going to find or how long the hike was but we set off on an impressive series of boardwalks and bridges climbing through a ravine. When the boardwalks ended, a small social trail continued. Thinking this was a trail that would lead us to a view overlooking the bay, we climbed even further up through a sketchy mess of tree roots before reaching a clearing.

It was the school. No views for us.

We retreated the way we came and then set out on foot to explore the town. The sun was just about to set when we arrived in Bayfield. The best view of the day came about a hundred yards from where we parked the car. Oh well. After a long day of driving, it was nice to stretch out our legs.

Then my camera battery died

The next morning, we were up early to board the ferry to Madeline Island. We weren't quite sure what to expect, wondering if it would at all be like the touristy Mackinac Island the three of us visited as children. It was not. It was calm and peaceful with a few amenities but minus the noise of the more famous tourist island in Lake Huron.

Without a camera, I don't have much to show for the day, but it was gorgeous. We rented bikes, rode practically the whole length of the island and were treated not only to beautiful views of the lake, but miles and miles of multi-colored lupine lining the roads. We even passed a huge snapping turtle crossing the road. Thoroughly exhausted by midday, we pedaled back on our cruiser bikes, with thirty miles on our legs for the day, ready for lunch. I enjoyed a delicious BLT sandwich and a milkshake. Then we visited the museum. I always love learning more about the history of the places I visit and the museum was the perfect size to get a feel for it without being overwhelmed.

I had planned to make a quick trip to Ashland to buy a camera charger cord but eventually discovered that the one for my tablet would work too! I saved myself two hours of driving and instead sneaked over to an electric hookup at a nearby RV site steal some power.

Huzzah! Charge little camera!

The next morning, we were once again up with the sun. Normally, we'd go for a run, but Joel conveniently (haha) forgot his running shoes at home so we did this as a hike instead. The trail was just south of town and made for a pleasant walk through the woods. With a fully charged camera battery, I was finally able to get some shots of the wildflowers.

Then we returned to town, refueled with some hot coffee, and headed to what drew us to the area in the first place: a kayak trip!

While perusing the internet deciding what place to visit, the idea of a sea kayak excursion intrigued me. I had to see all of one photograph of a tiny kayak cruising through a huge sandstone arch to sell me on the idea. Normally, I'd figure out a way to make this trip happen on our own, but the caves looked just dangerous enough that I thought it would be better to use a guide than take on Gitche Gumee on my own.

Since this trip was geared for first timers, our excursion began with a lesson about paddling. They told us to paddle in a synchronized fashion so we'd want to be friends after we got out of the boat. That part always makes me laugh because Matt's parents say the closest they've been to a divorce is the day they rode on a tandem bike. We squeezed ourselves into wet suits (eeeewww, did not love) and pulled up our spray skirts.

Then we set out. It took awhile to reach the caves, but once we did, each team of two took turns paddling through holes both large and small. The weather was about the most peaceful and warm I've ever seen on Lake Superior, so that was nice. The sun even came out for a little while.

Joel, our odd man out, got to ride with the guide.

A photo similar to this one is what sold me on this trip.

We stuffed ourselves in cracks I didn't think were big enough for a kayak. Some places required us to flatten ourselves down onto the deck to squeeze through.

Our trip was considered a full day excursion, so of course it included lunch. I was expecting something along the lines of PB&J, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was handed a fancy sandwich, homemade cookies, lemonade, and hummus crackers with white fish. A+.

That evening, we arrived back just in time for a summer concert in the park. We made sure to grab ice cream on our way there. Since Mackinac Island Fudge, my favorite flavor, isn't available in California but found just about everywhere here, I didn't have much trouble deciding what to order. The sunset and ice cream was better than the concert so off we went back to camp.

The next morning, Matt and I said goodbye to Joel. He had to get back to Lansing for work the next day and was staring down something like a twelve hour drive back home. Matt and I took advantage of the trail we hiked the previous day and went for a nice hour long run.

Campground amenities

While this trip didn't include any mountain vistas or alpine lakes, it was nice to enjoy a bit of summer and a different section of the Lake Superior coastline.

Family Time: A 5K, Billy Joel, and a Wedding

Wisconsin in June is perfect. It's not too hot yet, which keeps both the mosquitoes down and those pesky tourists from the south. Originally the trip was planned around my brother's wedding at the family island in northern Wisconsin. The trip soon ballooned to add another week when we heard Billy Joel was coming to town. Add a few days here and there for travel and suddenly a quick weekend trip turned into ten days for me and almost twenty for Matt. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

How a weatherman spends his summer vacation: chasing hail

One day in mid-June, Matt and I kissed Zoey and the chickens goodbye and headed east. It's always a full day adventure and we never know if we'll make it the day we planned. Some people have fantastic travel luck and never experience a major delay. We are not those people. Instead of lamenting a thirty minute delay here or there, we are pleasantly surprised when we arrive the day we were originally scheduled. That happened to be this trip. No delays, no turbulence. Yay!

Post run stretching on the dock. Oh yes.

My mom took a few days off of work so she could hang out with us at my sister's place. Adding my sister's boyfriend to the group, all five of us ran a 5K in the sweltering morning heat (race report coming soon) of Appleton, Wisconsin. I've never pushed so hard in a 5K and seriously thought I'd collapse at the end.

That night, we had a date with Billy Joel at Lambeau Field. I'm pretty sure I began listening to Billy Joel's music in the womb. I grew up singing along in the car and later bonking out tunes on the piano myself. It was so perfect that my mom and I got to share this experience. The concert was incredible and I'm so happy we made the decision to add a full week to our trip for this!

The next morning, the heat wave broke. The entire next week was cool and rainy for our camping trip. Of course it was. We grabbed a rental car and pointed ourselves north to Bayfield, a small community nestled on the Wisconsin shores of Lake Superior. We spent three full days there with a college friend before rejoining our family. (I hope to write more about this later too. So much to catch up on!)

Dinner and Leine's  in the car.

Well into her ninth decade, my grandma is still living at home and spunky as ever. We joined my dad at her house for a quick overnight visit. When I got up the next morning at what I thought was an early hour, she was already in the living room, pedaling away on an exercise bike while saying the rosary in her nightgown. I want to grow up to be like her. :)

Since our trip was the day before a big family reunion (my dad is one of twelve kids), we were able to visit with a few of my favorites. When my cousin Shaun (we lived with him and his wife in Alaska when we first moved to Fairbanks) came over with his family, he plopped down in the chair next to me and asked, "Karen, do you want to go with us to Dairy Queen?" I knew there was a reason he's my favorite. We were able to sneak away before a hundred other family members descended on my dad's poor unsuspecting hometown.

Cousin Sami, Grandma and I making PB Banana French Toast.

Already a week into our trip, we finally came to the main event: my brother's wedding. It was a busy and stressful few days like every other wedding, but Matt and I managed a little time to ourselves to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary the day before. Ten miles with my forever running buddy was the perfect activity for us!

We made too many trips across the lake shuttling supplies and people, but in the end, it was a perfect day. The rain even stopped for a few hours so Chris and Monica could have an outdoor ceremony and photo shoot.

It was a beautiful ceremony, officiated by my mom herself, and now I've got my very own sister-in-law with whom to share embarrassing Chris stories. I'm sure we've both got plenty!

Siblings.

They just moved to Oregon so I'm very excited! :)

Floating toast to the happy couple!

Before I knew it, I was stuffing myself in another tiny airplane seat and headed back west. Matt stayed in Chicago for another week to visit with his family and I returned to Zoey. Family time always passes too quickly!