An unexpected twist

Well, I typed in the title for this post with the intent of remarking on the state of my back, but instead let me just get out of the way the sad tale that I twisted my ankle on Sunday when taking Haley the dog (my phone ALWAYS wants to autocorrect that to Janet!) for a walk in the woods. It wasn't a bad twist but I definitely lost my balance and I made a big "oh!" noise. I am trying to be very careful about uneven surfaces as I enter the last 1/3 of my half-marathon training.

And now, like any good, old person, let me tell you about my back, and my sciatica, and my bunions. Just kidding. But. The "twist" is that my back has been bothering me a lot for the past few days but oddly it felt better after I rode my bike tonight! What a turn of events! I have never spoken these words before! 

Sadly this was only bike ride #2 of the season, but I got to check out the flood conditions. Lilydale Road is solidly under water, as is most of Fort Snelling State Park and Hidden Falls Park. I wonder how long it will take the water to recede. I hope the displaced animals are sheltered enough. I was freaking out a bit on my ride, thinking it would get dark and I didn't have all my lights, so I'd have to pedal quickly. I then realized it is the freaking end of April (despite the weather conditions, still) so it is very light out at night. I then dawdled to look at the rivers a lot.

I now am scanning the weather report for the next few days to decide which days between now and Saturday I will do my scheduled 6 and 10 (gulp) mile runs. It is supposed to remain 45-50ish and drizzly, although tomorrow looks nice. 

We escaped reality for a day last weekend and went to River Falls, Wisconsin, for a bluegrass festival that featured a band I really like. I drank beer throughout the day. While I was never even tipsy, it was like lead in my body by the end of it all, so I think I will be pretty abstentious for the next month. It's hard enough to pick up my body on each step as it is! (Biking was glorious!)

Anyhow, if you're inclined to help with my fundraising goal to support the MS Society in its good work to help keep others moving, here you go: 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

This weather is bullsh*t, but...

So, yeah, it continues to be cold, wet, and windy and not very pleasant (e.g., snow) after a few bizarrely hot days last week. 

However, I still managed to run 8 miles again today, in between rain showers. The first time I ran this far on my life was five days ago after recovering from my shingles shot. Today didn't feel as good, but I also ran 3+5 miles in the intervening days and it was cold and damp. So I'm not being too judgey of myself.

Also, there is a lot to be thankful for despite the weather, our climate, and current events.

1. I am physically able to attempt starting running at age 50.

2. Phones, earbuds, and podcasts exist.

3. I have a job, spouse, and family situation supportive of me just going off and doing things pretty much whenever I want. Within reason.

4. My running shoes are amazing and my orthotics top notch. 

5. I have good insurance that mostly paid for my orthotics, and income to pay for the rest. 

6. It isn't great biking weather so although I'm missing biking, I'm not holding a grudge against the need to go for runs. Biking will follow.

7. I live near water that I can run by and see animals and be soothed by water.

8. I am not the subject of the podcast I am listening to, which has so far focused on a cult, a plane crash, and a serial killer. 

9. I literally have a dog at my feet. And she currently is snuggling rather than barking. 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

Spring?!

Well, well, well, here we are. It is still cold and today was windy with flurries, although we've had some days of melty warmth here and there and some rain tossed in. Facebook memories are taunting me with photos of pleasant-weather bike rides in March and April in past years. 

I wore my cross country
skiing clothes for today's run.

On the bright side, I've been able to find some non-icy spots to run during a time when I probably wouldn't be able to get out on my bike anyhow. This will prove to have been important, I think, for the half marathon I signed up to do in May. I still will need to get some bike riding in to train for our hilly ride in Belgium in June, but apparently this was a good year to decide to do a running race (due to poor biking conditions thus far)? 

I am halfway through week 5

I have been following the training plan perfectly so far, which is akin to the commitment I put in to training for my very first BikeMS ride over a dozen years ago. I've had to use my inhaler more for exercising outside post-COVID, but am feeling pretty good, especially after I got new orthotics and new running shoes. I'd appreciate any support you can provide - good wishes or donations to the MS Society (https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023). 

You can also show your support by giving me a few suggestions for my running playlist! I learned when running 6 miles last Saturday that podcasts are going to be my thing for long training days, but I would like a fun fresh mix of music for the day of the half marathon. Help me build it!

Oh, you may be asking, "Maggie, but didn't Minneapolis get nearly 9 inches of snow on Saturday, despite it being April? Isn't this the third snowiest winter in Minneapolis ever in recorded history? How did you accomplish this feat?" 

This gave me something to ponder

March 11 - I thought this was going to be the last
of the cold weather. Ha! The trail was pretty empty at least.

I was in California with my sisters, my stepmom, and my brother-in-law, and ran three times in the mild temps and then rewarded myself with fresh grapefruit from my sister's backyard. Two a day! And I brought two home with me. Yummmm. 

I'm still not a master of selfies, but like this photo
nonetheless. We had lunch by the beach after I ran 6 miles
for the first time in my life. I'd done 5 several times
in high school, but never 6. Pretty soon I'll be
doing double that. I guess.

In any event, it looks like it will be warm this weekend and the snow may finally melt once and for all. Bike riding on my non-running days seems like it will happen. Wish me luck in avoiding all the debris that was hiding under the snowbanks for 5 months, not falling into any of the many deep, wide potholes while biking, and not getting sideswiped by cars avoiding said potholes. 

I'm exciting to try out the new biking things I got for Christmas, finally!

(Also, many apologies for accidentally bolding this entire post and being unable to revert it to normal. I don't know what is going on. But I will use italics for extra flair, I guess.)

I Been Everywhere (and am going some other places)

"And so I climbed into the cab, and then I settled down inside

He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand

And I said, "Listen, I've traveled every road in this here land"

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Of travel I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere"

Well, from 2022 through January 2023, we sure made up for lost time for doing next to nothing from March 2020 through December 2021, and racked up some airline miles. There are bigger stories, like how I ordered the wrong travel insurance for seeing Wilco in Mexico, how cold my LA-area sister's pool was in February, my fear of heights in the Grand Canyon, how closely I piled in a trip to Cleveland with dogsitting in the 'burbs with getting on a plane to Germany, the fun craft projects with my sister and her friend Kate by the beach, seeing Jason Isbell in Nashville, then cramming in Wisconsin, St. Louis, and San Diego trips, seeing my mom and stepdad in just before my birthday, and then celebrating my 50th birthday in DC with friends from work and friends from home, regrouping and then seeing Dan's family in South Carolina, before visiting my stepmom. 

Throughout all that hubbub, I managed to stay healthy. And now, today, weeks after traveling, I have COVID, which is preventing me from going to DC for a work trip tomorrow. I'm sad not to go because I like DC and it will be a good meeting. But also, it will be nice to rest since I'm sick, of course.

I'll spare you the logistical details of what it took to do all this, including the $$$ spent on a dogsitter and dogwalkers.

January	Mexico
January	Wisconsin
February	Southern California
March	Baltimore for work
April	Grand Canyon
May	(just a multi-day work meeting here)
June	Wisconsin
June	New Orleans for work
July	Weeklong bike ride/North Shore
August	Wisconsin
August	Cleveland
August	Dogsit at my brothers
September	German
September	DC for work
October	Northern California
October	Atlanta for Work
October	Nashville
November	Wisconsin
November	St. Louis
November	San Diego
December	Wisconsin
December	DC for work and birthday
January	South Carolina
January	Wisconsin

Here are a few representative photos! https://photos.app.goo.gl/rT28hAWRJN3mDGNu8. I decided to not do my typical "what I did last summer" blog post with 75 photos.

So, what's on deck for 2023? I have two other work trips and a couple of fun trips planned. My sisters, stepmom, and I are meeting at my sister's and brother-in-law's house in So Cal again this spring. My California nieces may join us. And then in the first part of the summer, Dan and I are going to Belgium for another bike+beer tour. This one is different, though - there are hills! Road bikes! Pedals that you clip into! We will need to do some training, which will be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing another part of Belgium and working hard to earn some beer.

So, what does that mean for my BikeMS fundraising? I'm only planning on doing a short, one-day ride in May, but am still funneling all of my fundraising dollars toward the weeklong ride in the event I can get away for a day and ride part of that route in July. I can't do the full week of riding, since I'll have recently returned from Belgium.

So where is the challenge you've come to expect? The hardships and tales of woe? It is hard to gather much sympathy for any "pain" I suffer while training for a biking vacation in Belgium.

Well... here it is. As I just said, I'm still going to ask people to contribute to the BikeMS ride: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023. It is a great cause and I want this event to continue to be a success so I can do it in future years. But, I seem to have lost my mind and have signed up to run a half marathon in May. Exactly... WTF? I'm not a runner. I hate running. It is painful and boring. I got some new prescription orthotics, I got some new running shoes, and I got a new Garmin watch. Yesterday was warm (28 degrees!) and I went to the one paved trail I know of with no ice or snow and I ran to test out all these things. It felt good and I ended up going too far, so I was kind of sore this morning. But then I got distracted by my positive COVID test result.

So, I'll keep you in the loop on my biking adventures, because that's what I enjoy, but I'll also keep you in the loop on my running progress so that you have no doubt of my commitment to the MS Society. Only a person who should be committed would do running races. :-)

I have a request: because running is so boring, I'll need a new playlist. Please let me know your top two "active" or heart-pumping songs and I'll add them to the new playlist. Thanks for all your support in the past and the future!

Not Ignoring Real Horror

When we were in Germany in September, we visited the Dachau concentration camp. Unlike Auschwitz, which was an extermination camp, Dachau was the "model" labor camp. Make no mistake: the Nazis had no qualms about exterminating these prisoners, including to "set the tone" in the camp, but the primary goal was to work them to death while providing inadequate shelter and food, and conducting medical experiments on them. 

I bought That Was Dachau from the store at the memorial site/museum, started reading it on the plane ride home, took it to DC, San Fran, and Atlanta, and finished it in Nashville. It was written by a man who was imprisoned there and became a historian later in life. It was a very well-researched book and he complemented the documented record with some personal observations ("I saw that," or "Here's an example of what some of us did"). 

It was well worth reading, even if it was dark. An abbreviated version of what I've been thinking about:

- There are parallels between Hitler's rise to power and today's GOP gambling on Trump/Trump allies. Republicans: hold your ire. I am not alleging that Trump himself wants to exterminate entire groups of people (I think he's not that committed to anything other than himself.) But the political tradeoffs we're seeing for the pursuit of raw power is frightening.

- Tons and tons of people, unfathomable numbers, really, were cruelly murdered - both quickly and slowly - way more than we'll ever know. 

- A lot of people had horrible, cruel, sadistic motives. It was not just a few bad actors.

- The Nazis weren't just interested in killing people who were Jewish, Roma, gay, Polish, Russian, Czech, political adversaries, etc., but wanted to set up a system of sustained enslavement to benefit German society in perpetuity. 

There's a lot more than that. And, it is a very accessible account, if you can avoid dwelling for too long on the actual people being mistreated or killed. I highly recommend reading it. I think our future demands that we understand events like these.

My TRAM Week - In Haikus

[Sunday]

Proctor fairgrounds camp
Speedway hid sounds at setup
Beeping noise 'til storm

I pile all the things on the couch and then
decide how to fit them into 2 bags.

I camped next to this fitness center's abandoned van.

Dinner in Duluth the night before we started riding.

It wasn't supposed to rain Sunday night.
On the bright side, the wind, lightning,
thunder, and rain blocked the
noise of whatever alarm beeped every
seven seconds all night long. Something
we couldn't anticipate when we set up 
camp during the very noisy speedway races.

[Monday]

84 miles
Mostly straight and flat 'til end
Chisholm camp was great

My friend Steve and I were the last two to leave
on the first day. Probably not the best way to
kick off an 84-mile ride for the day. But we caught up
to people and weren't the last ones into camp.

Fantastic camp behind the museum. They
left the back door to the museum open so our team
could use flush toilets and sinks - not biffies - 
for our two nights in Chisholm.

The front side of the museum (apologies for
the video screen shot).

In Proctor and in Chisholm, I had daisies under
my rain fly. Cute way to start the morning.

Kellie and I dubbed this the Titanic Schoolbus. 

Deb was a willing participant.

Who can resist a thing like this?

Travis, Deb, Steve, and me on our way back from dinner
on the patio at Jim's Bar.

[Tuesday]

40-mile loop
Mesabi Trail to Hibbing
Same hills: felt okay

Pretty mining pit lakes up there.

Stacy's Cyclers Mon-Weds (Keisha and Kim
joined us for Thursday and Friday).

The absolute cutest girl fortuitously had
a lemonade stand out on this country
road in the middle of nowhere. Hundreds
of riders stopped to buy a glass.

Chisholm waitresses
Worked their asses off for us
Good place to visit

[Wednesday]

Beautiful trails
Downhill beyond Virginia
Wind to Biwabik

From the new bridge in Virginia, MN

Steve and me. Proof!

The wind was nice until we had to
ride into it.

It also misted on and off. Not sure what Steve
did with his camera to make it look like I'm
riding a kid's bike! It's hilarious.

63 miles
Cute little town, nice people
Good band in the park

Lily Tomlin?

Keisha and Alicia joined us Wednesday night,
after setting up their tents.

Kellie taught me the art of holding
my phone upside down for photos like this.

This was my third time staying in Biwabik on a
BikeMS ride. Each time has been great, and with good music!

[Thursday]

70 miles
Scenic route, fast, smooth shoulder
Two Harbors; last night

Major tailwind and smooth roads made for a day of
fast, fun riding in a beautiful part of the state. I lingered
a bit at rest stops to stretch (and goof off).

Better camp than past:
Shore of Lake Superior
Oh! Black flies, black flies!

Lake Superior from our camp.

Two Harbors is a little sheltered, so the lake
is calmer. It is still freezing cold water, though.

Steve and I took the scenic route to go skip stones
with the others on the beach. Partly because it was fun,
but partly to escape the murderous biting black flies.

Escaped to taproom
Back for team competitions
Smaller than years past

Deb and me, two teens on their devices. Trying to
see if black flies were better on pavement than in the grass,
after the always-fun team song and jersey/t-shirt competitions.

Two Harbors camp. My tent is the yellow one.

[Friday]

39 miles
Along the lake 'til the hills 
1600 feet 

Me, making coffee for Alicia in the morning.
I like to make coffee for people. Many thanks to Deb for bringing 
a stove and fuel.

Lake Superior along Highway 61.

Requisite "bike porn" photo.

View from Enger Tower Park, about 2/3 of the way
up the hills from the lake back to Proctor.

Cool walkway gazebo thing and Enger Tower.

I didn't climb the full tower. I was too
busy eating Fritos and slamming a Coke.
The hills to get up there were pretty serious...
for Minnesota, anyhow, on the fifth day of riding.

A great week away
Riding for friends with MS
Thank you for support!

Stacy's Cyclers in blue (other than Travis, who is a safety dude
for the ride). Kellie and Gregg are in yellow. They're from
the team MS is BS, but they're our friends and they
camp and hang out with us, which is fun. Friday
was Stacy's birthday, so she had a special bday t-shirt.

Found this at the fairgrounds.

Time to start putting sunscreen on
under my watch, where the holes are to hook it on?

I was one of the top fundraisers in 2021, even though I had to
skip the official ride. (I did 3, 100-mile rides on my own.) Thank you!
My donors have contributed $4,760 so far this year - fantastic!

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2022