Maroon and Gold Fun Run Race Review

Saturday morning I kicked off my Fall Racing Season with a strong showing at the Maroon and Gold Fun Run in Havre! I ran the 10K distance. This post is my official review/recap of race day.

The Maroon and Gold Fun Run was in its first year this year as a fundraising event supporting the new MSU-Northern Men's and Women's Cross Country teams. I am all about growing and promoting the sport of running, so as soon as I heard about this race and knew that I'd be free on August 22, I signed up. They offered 1-Mile, 5K, and 10K events. I trained for the 10K and I wanted a new PR, so that's what I decided to do!

The other extra-cool thing about this race is that a local girl who I know fairly well, a recent North Star graduate, Alissa, is running on the new Cross Country team. I was beyond thrilled, first of all, to hear that she was running for Northern, and extra excited to run the race, knowing I'd be supporting someone I know! :)

With an 8:00 a.m. start time in Havre for the race, and an approximate 60 minute drive time for me, it was an early morning on Saturday. I got up around 5:30 to make sure I'd have enough time to get dressed and have breakfast before making the drive to Havre. I had laid my outfit out the night before so I wouldn't wake Jeff and to expedite things. The weather was cool with temps in the 40s and windy with chances of rain, so I opted for long pants and a long-sleeve shirt with my Team Beef jersey.

It's a lot of bold colors and patterns... Pretty wild!

Race Day Outfit:
KC Tights from Oiselle-- first time wearing these for a run or race!
Purple Turtleneck from Columbia
Team Beef Jersey (My Oiselle singlet should arrive in September sometime)
I also wore an earband and a hat because my ears are SUPER sensitive to cold.

Race events were staged out of the MSUN gym. It was a perfect spot-- easy to find, great parking, plenty of space to warmup in the gym or run around campus, easy access to bathrooms. And, since it was cold and kind of crummy weather, it was nice to be inside some before the race started. I arrived at around 7:20 and picked up my t-shirt and race bib. I also received an Asics training journal for being an early sign-up for the race. Then I took a 10 minute jog around campus and did some form running and dynamic stretching. With the cool weather, I wanted to make sure I was extra warmed up.

First time I have been in the gym at Northern. Not bad!

People were still arriving and registering as 8:00 a.m. rolled around, so the race started just a little bit late. I didn't mind though. I was really excited for them that they had more people than expected! They had 130 participants in all three races in the end, and 50 volunteers. Pretty great turnout for a first-time race in a small town!

I lined up with some other women near the start line who I noticed were doing the 10K and made polite pre-race conversation. People in Montana are SO nice and friendly! When the race started, I went out with a little speed and left most of them behind. This actually really surprised me and even made me a bit nervous! Was I going too fast? No, I reassured myself that I was feeling strong and it was OK to go out a bit fast and feel a little uncomfortable. Most of the first mile was down hill and I got to the first mile marker and looked at my watch--7:22!! Probably my fastest first mile in a LONG time, maybe ever.

Race routes. 10K in yellow. 

Just after that, we turned a corner and faced a long, long, long uphill. I knew I'd have to back off the pace a bit, but I didn't let myself totally lose sight of my goal, and tried to keep it somewhat steady. I ended up passing two other girls on the uphill. Somewhere in mile 3, another woman about my age ran up ahead of me and passed me. After a little bit of back and forth, she ultimately stayed ahead of me, but I stayed with her for the rest of the race. There were many more hills to climb in this run and she ended up being stronger on the uphills than I was.

Maybe half-way through the longest uphill climb ever at this point. 

There's blue-shirt gal!
This part of the course was really exposed and it was WINDY!

The race course for the 10K was really nice, even despite all the hills and exposure. It included sections of gravel/trail, asphalt bike bath, and streets. I appreciated that it ran around the outskirts of town, rather than wholly on the city streets. I really enjoyed the views of the hills on the south side of town, even as the wind whipped in my face. Plus, now I know of some great trails I can use if I ever need to run, bike, or walk the dog in Havre! A few other big plusses were that the course was very well marked with orange spray-painted arrows and volunteers were stationed at every corner to make sure people were going the right way, and to cheer us all on. I tried to say thank you to each one that I passed. They also had each mile clearly marked with signs, which is handy for those of us without GPS watches. :)

Hey! It's blue-shirt gal again! :)

As I coasted downhill in mile five or so, looking at my watch I thought I would have a really great chance to get my PR, and really tried to stay strong. My best time in a 10K was actually during a virtual run I did at home, so I don't know if it counts, but it was 54:01. My best official 10K time came at Governor's Cup back in June: 54.54.24. My very first 10K ever was just about a year ago at Kickin' Asphault and was exactly 60 minutes. Either way, I was shooting for under 54, just to be sure I nailed a new PR.

Me and Blue-Shirt Gal, finally cruising down some downhill back into town.

The hardest part of the race was running back up a steep hill to the finish line on the quad of campus. It was the steepest hill of the whole course and came right in the last .2 miles. A real challenge! I was right with the same lady I'd been behind most of the race. She had a great kick at the end, too, and we finished very close-- me just behind her crossing the line. I gritted my teeth and thought of that PR dangling in front of me, ripe for the picking, and crossed the line with a finish of 52.97! Yay! I did it! I didn't just make a new PR-- I crushed it! A full minute off the Virtual Run time and about two minutes off Governor's Cup. No question about this one!

I found the lady I had ran with the whole race and we chatted a bit afterwards.  I congratulated her on a great race and complimented her for killing it on the hills. Maybe having her there in front of me kept me going strong to get that PR? :)

Race Bib from Maroon and Gold Fun Run.
Lucky number 13?

My Race Splits:
Mile 0-1 -- 7.22 Starting FAST and downhill!
Mile 1-2 -- 9:40 (I hit my split button a little late, so this one may be closer to 9:20 or so) BIG HILL!
Mile 2-3 -- 7.56 (Again, this one's probably actually more like 8:20) Slightly downhill.
Mile 3-4 -- 9.10 More hills, and WIND!
Mile 4-5 -- 8.12 Loooong downhill! yay!
Mile 5-6 -- 8.51 Flat, but with the killer steep hill right at the end.
Last .2 -- 1.44 Trying to finish strong...
Total: 52.59
Overall pace was 8.32 per mile. I'm happy with that!

I stuck around to watch the rest of the 5K and 10K finishers come in. Being a local race, I knew several people who were competing and it's always great to cheer on people you know. I think the best part of this race was the huge grin on Maria's (Alissa's Mom) face. Every time I looked at her she seemed so happy and proud. You could tell that she was just overjoyed about her daughter running cross country, for the support of the people who ran, and for the overall success of the day. She probably thanked me for coming five times or more, at least, as did Alissa. Pretty cool. This is what it means to "Grow the Sisterhood," people. :)

Photo credit: Melissa K.
L to R: Melissa, Alissa, Shayla, and me.

There were only 23 scored participants in the 10K and I was 11th. I have no idea where I finished among the women, but I *think* I was third. The Cross Country team itself was split into two groups- a Maroon Team and a Gold Team and they also had to run the 10K, competing as teams against each other, but they weren't included in the 23 scored participants. So, overall it was probably closer to 40 runners in the 10K. In case you're wondering, the Maroon Team won, with a lower average time of it's members. :) They did prizes for the first-place male and female finishers in each age group and each distance, I think. The prizes were vintage MSUN Track and Field apparel. I definitely coveted the throwback jerseys, but alas, it wasn't in the cards for me! I'm more than satisfied with a new PR though!

This was the race t-shirt everyone got. Not bad! 

If anyone's interested, I was really happy with how my Oiselle KC Tights performed in the race. I was exactly right temperature-wise and didn't even notice the pants as I ran. They were very, very comfortable. I was worried that with no drawstring, they might slide down a bit, but they didn't-- they stayed put. They are definitely a wacky, bold design and are a bit of a departure from my normal solid-color running apparel, but I got several compliments on them and one girl came up and asked me about where I got them. It was awesome to have the chance to brag up Oiselle!

Overall, the Maroon and Gold Fun Run was a challenging but fun event supporting a great cause. It was well-organized and well-run. I'll look forward to keeping this one on my calendar to do again in the future!

Alissa and me, post race. Big smiles! She's the sweetest. :)

Goldstone Loop Run and Fall Racing Schedule

Harvest has been at a stand-still since it rained last Friday night. It has rained a few more times since then and has been cool and humid. Too wet to finish cutting our spring wheat. Harvest is the only time when we don't really want any rain.

While the cold front hasn't been good for harvest, it has been GREAT for running! I've been having so many great runs lately out here on the gravel roads by my house. Good solid effort in training over the summer is making me feel pretty fast and like I hopefully have some PRs in me for the fall racing season.

In today's post, I'm going to intersperse some of my photos from what I'm calling the Goldstone Loop Run in with my tentative Fall racing schedule. The Goldstone Loop is a four mile box located just a bit north of my house. It's a great training run because it's a route I don't do very often (as in, this was the first time. But it won't be the last!!), it has some hills but none that are completely demoralizing, and it's a four-mile box-- one mile on each side. Perfect square. Great for breaking it down or changing speeds each mile, comparing times, etc.

Harvey and I are at the start of our Goldstone Loop run.
He did not feel like cooperating for a photo and instead was investigating a hole in the ground.

Fall Racing Schedule **Denotes a "confirmed" race, meaning I'd have to come up with something pretty serious to miss this one!

August
**22- Maroon and Gold 1-Mile/5K/10K, 8:00 a.m. Havre, MT. I'll be running the 10K.**

Where the Rudyard Road and Goldstone Road intersect.

September
5- Big Dipper Last Chance Road Run 5K, 8:00 a.m. Helena, MT (not likely to do this one, but there's a chance. You never know)
**12- 5K On The Farm. 10:30 a.m. Bangs Family Farms, north of Inverness, MT. I'm the race director and it's being held on my own farm, but I still plan on running. Of course I plan on running!**
26- Squirrels in the Headlamp 5K Trail Run 8:00 p.m. in Great Falls. This is the evening after a Bobcat game in Bozeman. Again, not likely to actually run in it, but still want to keep it on my radar.

Goldstone Road and Road 105 North intersection. Harvey takes a break (and so did I).

October
**3- Family Violence STOPS here 5K Fun Run/Walk, 10:00 a.m. Havre, MT.**
11- Helena Sun Run, 1:00 p.m in Helena ~OR~ Moose Run, noon, in Livingston. More likely to do Helena on the way home from Bozeman.
**17- Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp Harvest Festival 5K Fun Run, Lakeside, MT. This is happening!**
24- Scheels Pumpkin Run, 9:00a.m. Great Falls. 5K or maybe a 10K? If I can sneak away from MFU Convention for a little while in the morning. We'll see.
Also in October but date unconfirmed as of yet is Run for the Roses in Bozeman, which is a family tradition we'd like to carry on if possible.
Super sad to probably miss the Opera Run in Bozeman this year. Always one of my favorites!

And we're done! 

November
Hoping for a Big Sky Wind Drinkers run in early November like the one I did last year. Dates unconfirmed as of yet.
**26--Huffing for Stuffing 10K in Bozeman ~OR~ Burn the Bird 5K/10K in Great Falls** I'll do one or the other depending on where we are for Thanksgiving.

What's on your fall racing schedule?!

Also, in case you missed it, check out the Top Ten Reasons to sign up for 5K On The Farm below! If even ONE of these reasons connects with you, please consider signing up for 1-Mile, 5K or VIRTUAL RUN!

TOP TEN REASONS why YOU should SIGN UP for 5K On The Farm!
10. It's inexpensive-- only $20 and for everything you get for that $20?!?! Are you kidding me?! Add up what it costs to buy a day pass at a gym, a hamburger lunch somewhere else, and a t-shirt, and then tell us what's the better deal. ;) **But don't delay- price goes up to $25 after September 5, including race-day registration! 
9. Fitness and farming CAN go together! 
8. There is a distance and speed for every ability. Run or walk either one mile or 3.1 miles with us on Race Day. Don't tell us "I'm not a runner..." because you don't have to be a runner to enjoy being outside. Sounds like an excuse to me! If you can walk for 20 minutes, you can do 5K On The Farm in the 1-mile distance and be just fine.

Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities can participate!

7. There is a place for every participant! Can't make it to the farm? Sign up for Virtual Run and get your fitness on wherever it's convenient for you.
6. Helping rural economies! Race proceeds are going to help fund leadership and education opportunities for rural women, so the positive ripple effect of community strengthening and growth can continue throughout Montana! If you believe in strengthening rural communities, then this is a cause you will want to get behind.

Women helping women and strengthening rural Montana communities!

5. Race Swag. We're going to have really awesome goody bags and race tees! Just you wait and see!
4. Exercise is good for you! But you already knew that, didn't you?
3. Hanging out with friends. Get a group of friends together to do the race. Walking or running together is a great way to catch up and spend time with friends and family!

2. Truly unique race venue. How many races or runs have you done on a farm!? You can't beat the view of the Sweetgrass Hills from here!

Looking west toward the Sweetgrass Hills.

1. HAMBURGERS! Every participant who joins us on race day gets a free hamburger lunch with their entry fee! Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?!

Thanks everyone! Stay tuned tomorrow for Thankful Thursday and Friday for Oiselle Flight Friday post number 1! :)

A Busy Weekend!

Our speed trip to Bozeman for the Bobcat home opener started off on Friday with some business meetings in Havre.  Since we signed the new farm lease, we had a few things to get in order before progressing to much farther with farming the new land.

First stop was FSA so Jeff could sign the necessary paperwork there.  I actually was not present at that meeting (I just dropped Jeff off and ran another errand) so I am not one hundred percent clear what he accomplished, just that he did what he needed to do.  I think just letting them know that we will be farming this land now.

Next, we visited with our insurance man.  We applied for crop insurance (on the wheat we haven't planted yet... kind of crazy, but hey I guess that's just how this all works) and got a pretty good guarantee there.

Third stop was the banker, who approved us for a loan basically of the same amount as our crop insurance guarantee.  This will be our operating money we will use to farm the new land-- buy seed, fertilizer, herbicide, etc.

Last, we visited with an accountant to see if we need to form a corporation yet or not.  At this point, our operation is pretty simple and straightforward, so we are better off not forming a corporation.  But at some point, it will be necessary.

All in all, there were no surprises anywhere, so I took that as a successful morning.  I learned a lot at each of the meetings and feel like I'm getting a better understanding of the business side of farming.  Credit is also due to Jeff and Tom for patiently explaining how things work, even after I probably ask the same questions over and over.

After we were done in Havre, we headed south to Bozeman.  Friday night, after stopping in at my old stomping grounds in the mall to see my former co-wrokers, was the Montana Brewer Association Beerfest, which was really neat.  Since I was still not feeling 100% better after being pretty sick earlier in the week, I didn't drink more than just a few sips of the beers Jeff really liked.  All the same, it was fun to see some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Saturday, the Bobcats took the field against UC Davis.  The first home game this season, and with the stadium expansion, it was an easy sell-out and attendance record.  It was really cool to see all the fans so supportive of the team! Our season tickets are in the newly constructed end zone seating area.  It's a great place to sit to see plays develop.  I found that I liked the seats better than I anticipated.  The Bobcats won easily.

After the game, Jeff, Tom, and I left immediately and drove home while Carol stayed in Bozeman for a wedding.  I am spending today getting caught up after our short trip and watching football.  Tomorrow will be my first day at the new job!

Havre Book Exchange

I love a good book store.  Even better is a book exchange where you can bring in volumes you have already read but don't necessarily want to keep in your permanent collection, and earn credit towards new purchases.

Yesterday on my trip to Havre, I stopped in at Havre Book Exchange to make my first trades.  I brought in 5 or 6 paperbacks and one hard cover.  For paperbacks, you get credit towards 'purchase' of any other used paperback in store.  I can't remember what the ratio was, but it was something like one half of the original value, and could only be credited towards used paperbacks.  Hard Cover earns you one quarter of the original value, but you can spend that credit on anything in the store.

Only one of the books I brought in was denied for trade, and that was because they already had several copies of that book.  Everything else was approved.  After my trade, I came away with three used paperbacks:

Moo, by Jane Smiley
The Runaway Jury, John Grisham
The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly

I also picked up Blind Your Ponies, a New paperback, by Stanley Gordon West.  It is a novel with the small town of Willow Creek, MT at its core.  Looks pretty good.

I'll keep you all updated as I finish these or other books.  I don't review everything I read, just books that I think deserve a few words.  I've got enough to keep me going for a while, now, though.

Out of Town!

Today we are again off to the big city: Havre! We have important business meetings to attend with FSA, our insurance agent, the banker, and possibly an accountant.  All relating to the lease we recently signed. It's pretty exciting!

Then, this afternoon, we are headed to Bozeman for the MSU Bobcats home opener football game against UC-Davis!  We have season tickets this year in the *NEW* end-zone seating area.  After what feels like a long slog of hard work without too many breaks since we got back from Colorado in July, we are excited for a few days away!  I will be sure to update more on Sunday after we return!

Peoples of Havre

When we want groceries, we drive either 45 minutes (to Chester), or an hour (to Havre). Today, needing to stock up upon returning from our Denver vacation, I chose Havre (prounounced Hav-Er-- not to be confused with the French city of Le Havre, which is pronounced much differently.)  Havre is a city of roughly 10,000 inhabitants, though its shops and businesses serve a broader community beyond residents of the city proper.   Havre is where country people in North-Central Montana go to do business and run errands.  You can find anything you should require in Havre, and if you can't find it, you probably didn't need it anyway.  Thus the unofficial city slogan of, "Havre Has It!"

One thing that Havre does have is diversity.  Four distinct groups of people that I notice when I go to Havre are: Town People, Country People (I guess that's me now), Hutterites, and Native Americans. I suppose a lot of Canadians go to Havre as well for shopping.  Town People and Country People can be difficult to distinguish, but Country People tend to be forming a line at the parts counter in the local implement dealership (yes, I have already found myself there more than once!), and are often dressed in their 'work' clothes-- straight from the farm.

Hutterites are a religious denomination, who, from what little I have learned, are similar to Menonnites. They are easy to pick out due to their distinctive way of dressing.  As a former textiles and clothing major in college, I am very interested in their clothing.  Women wear dresses and keep their hair covered, and men wear dark pants with patterned shirts and suspenders. Often, men have beards.  Sleeve styles for both men and women are slightly leg-of-mutton, and most things look to be homemade.  I would like to learn more about Hutterite dress.

Havre is very close to two of the seven Indian Reservations in Montana-- Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy. Because of this, it is extremely common to see Native Americans around town.  In Iowa, we have extremely low numbers of Native American population, so it still catches me to see so many around Montana, and especially in Havre.  I am not very knowledgeable at all about Native American history and culture at this point, but I am very interested in learning more.

(Photo taken from Wikipedia)

Home Again

Sorry for the hiatus from writing! I hope I haven't lost too many of you in the week or so that I haven't been posting. My husband and I got back late last night from his cousin's wedding in Denver-- I am still pretty tired from the busy week and from the long day of travel yesterday.

We had a great trip overall. It was nice to be back in the "guest" roll at this wedding- only about five weeks after our own! We were able to relax and enjoy the ceremony and reception and catch up with family members we didn't have much chance to visit with at our own ceremony in Bozeman.  Since meeting my husband's family, I have been so impressed by the willingness of everyone to travel and be together.  There is a definite sense of family pride and togetherness, and that's a wonderful thing.

Denver was an enjoyable city. It is big enough that you definitely feel like you are in a city, but small enough that it still feels comfortable and friendly. It is easy to get around by car or light rail.  We enjoyed driving through many different neighborhoods and suburbs, visiting the Nature and Science Museum, and attending two Colorado Rockies vs. Atlanta Braves baseball games at Coors field.  Though I enjoyed being in Denver, I found myself comparing it to Chicago or New York and feeling like some sort of vibrant multi-cultural aspect was missing. It almost felt a little too clean and organized I guess.

It was a fun trip, but we are glad to be home. Hay season is pretty much wrapped up, and now it's time to start thinking about Harvest. Tomorrow I will run to Havre (about an hour away from where we live) to buy groceries and supplies with harvest meals in mind.