Monday, December 22, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to one and all! I have reached my first Christmas break as a teacher and the break really feels like one! It feels weird that I don't have work or schoolwork of any kind to have to do and I can truly relax. It has given me plenty of time to go running but of course this cold weather and snow has provided its own challenges. I've had many of my students and fellow teachers look at me out running and just call me crazy.

Winter running provides a unique challenge. The weather is the greatest foe and with snow covering everything, many of my favorite grass and dirt trails have disappeared. Running through the snow is a great workout though and at the rate this snow has been coming I can tell I'll be having plenty of runs in the snow over the next few months. This will be my first winter of preparing for a marathon throughout the winter season so it'll be a big test to see if I can do it.

I begin my marathon training shortly after the new year to get ready for the Fargo Marathon in May. Everyone enjoy the Christmas season. In Minnesota it'll be another white Christmas. Enjoy your time with family and friends.

- Brandon

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Update...It's Been A While

Well, I haven't posted since mid-October so I decided it was about time. I certainly have been running since then, but it's always a challenge to keep running when there isn't anything specific to be training for. I just decide at the time of the run how far to go and how fast to do it. However, it has been nice to just enjoy running.

On Thanksgiving, I did get into a race, the Turkey Day 5K in downtown Minneapolis. I didn't run any spectacular time but I certainly don't have much for 5K speed anymore but I had a lot of fun and still averaged under 6:00 per mile. My girlfriend and her mom both ran as well as my buddy Justin and his girlfriend Kristen. I gained a little motivation from it as I will be running another fun event this Saturday, the Reindeer Run out at Lake Harriet. This will be my 4th Reindeer Run in 5 years and I'm hoping for good weather. My first year (2004) was in the mid-40s and beautiful, the second year (2005) was blizzard conditions and I ran my slowest road 5K ever! My most recent Reindeer Run was 2006 when it was about 5 degrees above zero. Any kind of weather is possible and I'll certainly be ready for whatever comes.

Also on Saturday, my friend Justin will be running a 50 miler out in River Falls, WI. I will be joining him for part of his run after I am done at Lake Harriet.

The other major update for me is that I have registered for what will be my 7th marathon. I will be running the 5th annual Fargo Marathon on Saturday, May 9th, 2009. It's a flat course and they are roads I know well. A fellow teacher I work and run with will most likely be attempting his first marathon that same day (he hasn't decided between doing 13.1 or 26.2 yet) and a high school teammate of mine will be running as well as my girlfriend's mom will be running the half-marathon there. I'm excited for it and it will be interesting to see how my body reacts to some serious and hopefully consistent training throughout the upcoming Minnesota winter.