Saturday, May 8, 2010

What Inspires You?

With this blog I have always talked a lot about what is going on with my running, racing and a little about life in general. I have many times mentioned some of the things that get me excited about running, what motivates me to keep going and what inspires me in life. As I begin to shift some of the focus of this blog, I am going to occasionally post a question looking to find out more about who reads and follows me on my blog.

My 1st question is: WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

It could be about the things that inspire you to run, or it could be the things or people that inspire you to get through each day of life.

Here are a few things that inspire me.

I am inspired daily by the students that I get to work with in my classroom and out on the track. They keep me feeling energized and upbeat even when I often don't feel that way when I show up to start my day. I am inspired every time I go to watch a marathon. When I see so many people pushing themselves beyond what they thought they could have done and getting excited about doing something most people would never dream of doing, I get inspired to continue training for marathons myself. But the thing that inspires me most is the relationship I have with my family and with God. They mean everything to me. They encourage me and keep me positive when so many others wouldn't do that for me.

There are countless other things that keep me going, but what about you??

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Lake Minnetonka Half-Marathon

This past Sunday I ran in the 30th annual Lake Minnetonka Half-Marathon that run from Wayzata to Excelsior. It was a beautiful morning for a race and lots of people ran great races that day. I ran the race as a pacer for the Minnesota Pacers Pace Team. My goal time was 1:40:00 and I came to the finish line at 1:39:47. It was a lot of fun to run in this race and it was great to help lead a bunch of people in my group to personal best times!

This was my second race as a pacer and I enjoy it a lot. I have two more races I will be pacing this month: the Northern Lakes 30K in White Bear Lake on Saturday, May 22 and the Stillwater Marathon on Sunday, May 30. If you are running either of these races, come and join us.

My other focus for running right now is figuring out my summer races as I prepare for the 2010 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in October. I'll be running a pair of half-marathons, a 10 miler, and a 5K. I am also excited to be doing a small road race in Baldwin, Wisconsin in early June. I'll be doing a 5K or a 10K, or possibly both. I'm looking forward to it as Baldwin is the town where my entire family came from and I have a lot of great memories in that town.