Run Happy, Run Strong and Run Free...

 After 18 weeks of training, Twin Cities Marathon weekend was finally here! 

The weekend started with the expo. 

 

Amy and I 

 Carey, running the Loony Challenge, a 10K, 5K, and a 10-mile race. Eli is running the 5K Amy and I are running the 5K and the Marathon. 

Saturday, we got up bright and early for the 10K and the 5K race. 

Carey crushed the 10K, finishing it in 54:31, a PR! 

Eli running the 5K, finishing it in 31:24, also a PR!!

The River Valley Running group after the races

Saturday night, my daughter Cassie hosted us for a pasta supper. 

Sunday was the big day!!! 

I was so emotional all weekend. We had all worked so hard to get here. It was just so hard to believe it was finally here. 

Chelsea and I at the start of the race. Chelsea has been part of the group of us first-time marathoners who have been training together. We decided to run together at the start so we could pace each other. 

We ended up running the whole race together. 

Amy was not far behind us. 

The race course was so beautiful and so full of spectators cheering us on! 

We had SO many family members there cheering us on!!! My sister and her husband even came down from up north to surprise me. Having all of them on the course, cheering us on, meant the world to us. They ran a marathon just chasing us down so they could see us for a couple of minutes as we ran by.  Every time I heard them call to me and hold up the signs the grandkids made, it made me tear up. So much love and support from them.

Members of the RVR team after we completed our races. 

My running partner, Chelsea, and I after we finished the race. I can not tell you how good it was to run with Chelsea. We supported each other throughout the race. When it got hard, we cheered each other on. By the end of the race, the most important thing to me was that we finished together. We were a team for 26.2 miles. 

I cannot express how much running this marathon has meant to me. For years, I have wanted to run one and always talked myself out of it. I told myself my body could not do it. I had not yet learned that I was strong enough to do it. 

This year was different. I put in so much work to run it. In the 18 weeks of training, I ran 489 miles, 87:31 hours of running, averaging 6.6 miles a run. Every Sunday was a long run ranging from 5 miles in the beginning to 20 miles in the end. I trained with the best group of women ever, Sam, Chelsea, and of course, Amy. We ran so many long runs together. We spent hours and hours together and helped each other become stronger. And of course, the River Valley Running group was instrumental in my training. So much support from the whole group. 

On race day, I was not nervous at all. I never had any doubt that I could do it. I was so excited. My goals for the race were to have fun and to have a smile on my face. I was not worried about my finish time; I just wanted to enjoy the race. 

And that is what I did! I felt so strong throughout the whole race! I enjoyed every step I took. I was filled with the joy of running. When I crossed the finish line, I was crying with joy. I put my body to the test and I did it. 

When I found out the results of the race, I was so excited with how I had done. I ended up in 8th place out of 45 people in my age group! 

These are the two people that I have to thank the most for being there on this journey. First, to my daughter Amy. Without her encouragement, I never would have joined the River Valley Running group, where I have met so many wonderful people whom I now call my friends. She was the one who told me over and over again that I could run a marathon until I started to believe it. Without her push, I never would have signed up for the race. We ran so many training runs together and so many races. Running was our life this summer. It would not have been nearly as fun without her by my side. 

And then there is my husband, Rick. He has put up with so much running talk this year. I lived and breathed running all summer. Every Sunday, I would abandon him so I could go on a long run. He would drop me off or pick me up on those runs. He sat through my nonstop talking about running and listening to me as I debated which race I should or should not run. He would rub my legs when they hurt, whenever I asked him to. He came to so many races and cheered me on. He cooked a million meals for me. He never complained when I came home with another pair of shoes. And most of all, he believed in me. 

Without their support and countless other people in my life, I could not have done it. 

Running is and has always been my therapy. It makes me happy, makes me strong, and makes me free....

Let the training begin for the next race...

Sharon

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this." - Terry Pratchett

 

Meet Finnegan!

We are excited to have Finnegan as part of our family. We have been wanting to add a new cat to the family since Morgan passed. Otis, our dog, and Rainy, our cat, are great companions, but when we take Otis with us, Rainy is very lonely. So I have been browsing for a new cat. My only criteria is that it must be an orange cat, because everyone knows that, next to black cats, orange cats are the friendliest. 

Mr Finnegan has quite the story. He was a stray cat that was turned in to a shelter. From there, he went to Carver Scott Humane Society. Once he arrived, he was taken to the vet to be neutered and to get all his vaccinations. After his recovery, he was sent to prison! Yes, that is right, he went into the Oak Parks Correctional Facility, Whiskers of Hope program. Below is a description of the program from Caver Scott Humane Society: 

Whiskers of Hope: Fostering Cats in Correctional Facilities, in partnership with Oak Park Correctional Facility. 

This innovative program is designed to do two incredible things at once:

Give cats a calm, consistent environment to decompress and receive one-on-one care. 

Provide incarcerated individuals with emotional support, a sense of purpose, and the opportunity to give back by fostering animals in need. 

Each participating individual lives in the mental health unit and has earned the opportunity to be part of this program through positive behavior, leadership, and responsibility. Cats live with their assigned caregiver in a private room, with access to shared enrichment spaces and regular oversight from both facility staff and our team. Our first cohort features calm, social cats-each receiving daily enrichment, love and individualized care. In turn, the program offers therapeutic benefits to the people involved and helps prepare each cat for a successful adoption. This is a pilot program with big hopes for the future. If successful, we'd love to expand it and give even more animals and people a second chance. 

Together, we're creating a more compassionate world, one paw and one person at a time. 

       It is an amazing program!

Once Finnegan was paroled from Prison, he was taken to Chuck & Don's in Savage, MN, and put up for adoption. This is where Cassie comes into Finnegan's story. She went to Chuck & Don's for her pet supplies and saw Finnegan. She tells me she immediately knew he was the cat for me. I was running, and my phone started exploding with messages from her. I received photos, videos, and links to apply to adopt him. Once I was able to look at everything and show him to Rick, we both agreed that he sounded like a great cat. But we were leaving for vacation the very next day. I told Cassie that we would think about it, and when we got back, if he was still available, I would put in an application for him. 

Of course, Cassie went back to visit him with Larina and Nash. I got more pictures and videos, and was told they all loved him, and I must get him. On Sunday, I got another message-they'd received an adoption application for Finnegan. Cassie was insistent that I still apply for him. So while still on vacation, I put in an application. 

Carver Scott Human Society has a first-come, first-served policy. So I got an email telling me that I was second in line if the first family did not work out. I figured I was too late, and it was not meant to be. Cassie was devastated. She said she knew in her soul that he was the cat for me. 

Three days later, I got another email telling me that the other family did not work out, and if I was still interested in Finnegan, we could start the process of adopting him. The cat universe had spoken; it was time to add Finnegan to our family. 

After a screening phone call, we were invited to meet him. We went up to Savage on Friday and fell in love. Cassie was right, he is the perfect cat for us. 

He is the most gentle, friendly, and just chill cat. He is a big boy, weighing 10 pounds. They estimate him to be about 2 years old.

When I put him in Rick's arms, he just curled up on him. Rick was smitten.

So Finnegan came home with us.

Rainy was not pleased with the new invader in her space. Since we got her when she was just a tiny kitten, she has not been exposed to any other cats, only dogs. I am pretty sure she thought she was the only cat in existence 😂.

We had a lot of hissing and stand-offs. Finnegan, on the other hand, didn't seem to care at all. He just walked around her as she hissed at him.

Otis and Finnegan got along right away. He was happy to have another playmate.

After a week we are making great strides. Rainy and Finnegan now spend their days playing together. They are becoming best friends.

Thanks to Cassie and the Universe, we are a complete family again...

Sharon

“Of all the path’s you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt” – John Muir

 

For years, Rick and I have wanted to bike the Sparta Bike Trail, and it has never worked out. When Jeff and CJ invited us to tag along on their vacation to the area, we jumped at the chance, thrilled by the opportunity for adventure and quality time together.

We stayed at Goose Island County Park . It is great county park right along the Mississippi river in La Crosse. We had a great campsite at the end of the campgrounds. It was huge! 

The first night we were there we went for supper for CJ's birthday. When we got back to the campgrounds the police had the entry blocked off and we were not allowed back in! Apparently a man had robbed a gas station and then after a police chase he ended up running into the backwaters of the Mississippi right by the campgrounds! 

We all decided to wait it out at the local bar. Rick practiced his pool skills. After about an hour we were allowed back into the campgrounds. The man was finally caught the next day full of bug bites 😂

The next day CJ's dad took us all out on a houseboat ride. Rick got to be captain for a little while. 

It was a relaxing and pretty trip on the river. 

Saturday was Sparta Trail day! 

This is the whole group of us that went. Rick and I were the only one that did not have E-bikes. So we had to work extra hard to keep up. 

It was so humid that day, you can see the fog coming out of tunnels. It was kind of creepy. 

Rick and I bike about 18 miles and the rest did 30! We turned around early because I need to save my legs for my run on Sunday. It was so pretty! We will definitely be going  back to do more of the trail. 

Sunday was run day for me. I got up early to hit the trails. I had 15 miles to get in and it was going to be another humid day so I wanted to get going early. I got about 5 miles in and the rain came. Luckily the storms went around us and I just had a nice cooling rain for the next 10 miles. Rick road his bike behind me for most of the run so I was not alone. It made the miles fly be having him there to distract me. 

I weaved in and out of the campground, ran most of the trail and went on a couple roads in the park.

It was a great run, and having Jeff and CJ waiting for me at the end of my run was such a boost! 

After the run and a few more rain showers, we went for a boat ride.  

   Being out on the water, surrounded by nature, and spotting eagles... it doesn’t get much better. 

It was a great weekend spent with some of my favorite people. 

Enjoying life

Sharon