Running, 2016 Goals, and #RunLoveChallenge

Time to talk about running. Or rather, write about running. :)

Even with all the craziness of the last several months of 2015, one thing that remained fairly constant for me was running. I did a few races in the early part of the fall-- a 10K in August, 5K On The Farm in September, and then another 5K in October. I actually got new PRs in both distances at the August and October races. My 10K PR is now 52.59, and my 5K is 26.10. Since both of those races, I've just been working on trying to maintain consistency in running, mainly in terms of frequency. With everything going on, simply getting out for a run of 2-3 miles a few times a week was enough and I feel like I have maintained a fairly good fitness level.

Now that it's 2016, it's time to focus on new goals and challenges for the new year. My main running goals for this year are as follows:
- Sub 25.00 in 5K (So, a drop of over one minute)
- New 10K PR

Other goals I'm contemplating include:
- Beginner-level sprint Triathlon
- Possibly a late summer/early fall Half-Marathon

Thanks to my spots on two running teams, Team Beef Montana and Oiselle Volee, and of course with the tremendous support of my husband, family, and friends, I'm confident I'll have plenty of support in whatever my goals may be. I may not be the fastest person in the race, but I do keep plugging away and dropping little bits of time here and there.

The first challenge and inspiration of 2015 is coming from Oiselle-- the #runlovechallenge! 


For this challenge, participants are to partner up and pick a mutual goal with their partner. I was so thrilled when a fellow Oiselle Montana teammate, Wendie, asked me to be her partner! Our goal is pretty straightforward-- simply increase mileage until we are able to complete a 10K (6.2 mile) run, by February 14. Wendie is just picking up her running again after having her second child, and, well, my mileage could use a boost, so this is a perfect goal for both of us. All we have to do is keep each other accountable and cheer each other on!

I created a calendar to track my mileage and break down each week with a mini-goal of achieving more distance on each week's "long run." It doesn't need to be done on any certain day, just to reach that mileage goal sometime during that week. I find that if I make too rigid of a schedule for myself and then I falter off of that schedule, I'm more likely to get discouraged and give up. For me, simple weekly goals that allow for flexibility work best.

Here's the calendar I made to keep track of my progress. Primitive, but effective. Something about using real paper and a pen or pencil to record things... magic. :)

I'll sprinkle in more runs each week, too, working in hills and speedwork. And let's not forget cross-training! I'm loving yoga lately, and of course, PLENTY of skiing! We've had such a great start to winter for cross-country skiing on the farm! I hope the snow never goes away!!! Right now, it almost feels like my running is cross training for my skiing hobby... I love it!

This past Sunday, Jeff and I spent almost three hours skiing on (or next to) Sage Creek, which runs through our pastures. Here, we're paused next to a spring in the creek. 

Another goal I have this year is to be more organized about blogging about my fitness. I'm going to try to do a weekly recap of my mileage and training each week. I know that some runners find it helpful to read what others are doing (I know I learn a lot by reading other runners' blogs) but mostly it'll just be to help me process what I'm doing each week and what's working, or not. Stay tuned for the first weekly recap coming up this weekend!

And with that, I'm off for a run! Wish me and Wendie luck with our #RunLoveChallenge! I'll be sure to keep you all updated on our progress! :)

All dressed for tonight's run out on the chilly arctic tundra just a few miles south of Canada. 

One last thing, just for fun, I present you with this image-- because deep down, I really do enjoy a good taco!

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. :)

Welcome to Oiselle!

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had an announcement to make, and today is the day you'll read all about it!  I joined the Oiselle Volee running team! (There's supposed to be an accent over that first e in Volee, but I don't know how to type that in...) I am so excited and honored to be part of this group of fast-flying, strong women from all over the country! Read on to find out more about Oiselle and what being part of this team means to me, and to read my review/love affair with the Distance Shorts, which is the short that started it all for me!  

If you haven't heard of Oiselle yet, you definitely haven't been reading my blog for very long! I've been pretty much obsessed with this brand since I first discovered them about three years ago while trolling through the Zulily sales one October day. That's when I bought my first pair of Distance Shorts and the day I fell in love with this company.

Pre-Race family photo from Dawson's Run back in June. Brett (he's not actually family, but he feels like he is sometimes!), Katie, Josh, Tom (holding Brandon), Me in my hot pink Distance Shorts, and Jeff. Carol is in front with Harvey.

Oiselle (Pronounced Wa-Zell) is a women's fitness and running apparel brand that's relatively young, but is committed to designing quality running clothes that FIT a woman's body. And they do not mess around with this mission! The first time I tried those Distance Shorts on, I was completely smitten and have recommended them over and over since then. They are currently my go-to summer racing shorts and they never fail to perform.

Pre-run planking in my Distance Shorts (with a non-Oiselle top).

Just the other day, I actually had all my Oiselle running clothes in the dirty laundry so I ran in an old pair of (Big Name Brand) Tempo shorts. Man... I never realized how poorly they fit until after I've been running in Oiselle! I mean, the crotch area has a pooch of extra fabric as if they should fit a man! A lot of other running and active apparel companies unfortunately have the design model of taking men's styles and just recreating them in "feminine" colors. In the industry, this is known as "Shrink it and Pink it." (I should know thanks to my degree in Apparel Design and 10+ years working in active apparel retail!) That is why it is SO REFRESHING to see styles from Oiselle that are specifically designed by and for women athletes.

Distance Shorts (again!) with Verazzano Bra from Oiselle.

And they do not settle for anything less than perfect! Take the example of the newly released Bra-Zen style they just put out. Oiselle has offered a few styles of sports bras and has done a really great job with them, but to be honest, they're more for smaller-cup ladies. Ladies who are blessed with bosom have requested over and over a good, functional sports bra to give them the support they need, and preferably with the same awesome Oiselle style. Oiselle heard them and spent a long time perfecting the new Bra-Zen style. It had to be just right before they'd release it! I haven't tried it, but I do love my Verrazano Bra and my Traction Bra. All the reviews I've read about Bra-Zen are RAVING, so I'd say it's probably a smashing success!

Bra-Zen bra from Oiselle.

Ok, so enough about the clothes. I mean, they are fabulous and functional, but what really kept me hooked on this company is the culture it fosters. Oiselle is all about empowering women to be the best versions of themselves. Take this excerpt from the Flight Manual (sort of a company manifesto) for example:
"We are not building a single sport, or a cause, or even an idea. We're building a new kind of family. One that is strong, supportive, passionate, and all-in on a woman-up world." This is an idea I can get behind. It's a better-stated-than-I-could-ever-come-up-with reason why I coach track. It's why I run. It's why I strive to support and inspire.

So who are my new teammates on the Oiselle Volee team? They are women from all walks of life, every corner of the country, and every level of running ability. From someone like me who is middle-of-the-pack at best in the local 5k Fun Run all the way up to Elites like Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman. This team encompasses everyone and is full of positive and encouraging people who just want to help one another. It's like when I saw Heather Lieberg at Governor's Cup and she was so friendly and gracious. I feel lucky and proud to be part of this group, and to know that when I race in my Oiselle singlet (coming soon!) I represent this company and this body of outstanding people.

Now, I'm teammates with Heather Lieberg as a part of Oiselle Volee!

My perks for signing up include extra discounts on Oiselle clothing and gear, and freebies and opportunities throughout the year. I'm not a paid member or sponsored athlete by any means, and I didn't join for clothing discounts. I joined to be part of something bigger. Isn't that what being part of a team is all about? I did get sent some cool items right away, including my new bright Oiselle Orange spike bag, some temporary tattoos, and a copy of the Flight Manual. My singlet will be here sometime in September.

New swag from Oiselle, since joining Volee!

There are only a few other Volee members in Montana, but Montana is a really big state and we all live in opposite corners, it seems! So, it's not likely I'll see or network in-person with other Montana birds, or anyone else, very often. That means, in order to continue to feel connected to my teammates, I'll be trying to stay active on the Volee Facebook group, Instagram, Strava, and Gametiime, in addition to reading/commenting on other birds' blogs. Maybe when I travel I can get in some runs with other ladies from around the country. Who knows?!

Don't worry--I haven't given up on Team Beef Montana for joining Oiselle Volee! I'll still be wearing my Team Beef jersey at select races throughout the year and will continue to be an advocate for beef as part of a healthy diet to fuel the run and recovery. I mean, we're serving hamburgers after our 5K On The Farm, for Pete's sake! Now, I just get to represent TWO different teams instead of just one! Kind of nice to have options, right? ;)

In order to really kick off my new membership with Volee, I've decided to start a new series on my blog. I'm calling it Oiselle Flight Fridays. Each Friday over the next seven weeks, I'll be taking one of the seven "Principles of Flight" from the Flight Manual and writing about it. What that principle means to me and how I can challenge myself to fly with it. For a teaser, here are the seven principles:

1. Build the Sisterhood
2. Set a Goal
3. Own the Journey
4. Fly With the Winners
5. Feed the Machine
6. Be a Superfan
7. Believe

I'll be mixing in my own stories and experiences when introducing each of those principles, and probably showing off some of my favorite pieces of Oiselle gear along the way. I hope you'll check back on Fridays to read more about what this awesome company, my new team, is all about! 

New spike bag from Oiselle.

Stay tuned for more Oiselle posts! And remember- Head Up, Wings Out!

Starting Harvest

It is *officially* harvest!

We started cutting winter wheat on Monday afternoon. That morning, I helped Jeff quite a bit with all the very-last-minute preparations. We cleaned out a grain bin and swept out a truck. I washed all the windows on the combine, even the ones inside the hopper. 

This is what the inside of a grain truck looks like. 

 The sky was a bit broody on Monday, but no storms that night. This year, we grew winter wheat, yellow peas, spring wheat, and barley. After we finish cutting the winter wheat, we'll probably move on to barley, and then finish on spring wheat. We're actually not cutting our peas at all this year, but that's a topic for a separate post.

Each morning, to start the day, the combine is serviced and gassed-up, and the windows are washed. This is just to hopefully maintain smooth operating with this beast of a machine. Daily greasing and cleaning keeps it running as efficiently as possible.

Jeff gets into one of the hard-to-reach places on the combine with a grease gun, while Harvey looks on.

 Also, just because it's harvest doesn't mean that other farm work can be completely neglected. Jeff has been getting up very early every morning to spray while the wind is down. Then, he'll spend a full day on the combine or driving truck. He had been spraying our peas (again, it's a long story for another post, perhaps), and then this morning began spraying the fallow fields. I could probably do an entire post just about spraying-- why we do it, pros and cons, etc. So, that's another one that could be coming down the pike sometime, folks! But this post is about harvest kicking off, so let's continue with that!

I took a break from cleaning the windows and mirrors for a photo op. 

 Harvest is easily the busiest time of year for us. Remember that we spend an entire year planning and working just for this season, to harvest our grain. A significant portion of our income is based solely on how the crop does. I always like to make the analogy that harvest for us is like tax season for an accountant, or like Black Friday in retail. This is when you hope to make it into the black, so to speak.

I'll be doing several more posts as harvest continues on about how it's going, so stay tuned for that. I also want to give a big shout out to my friend Christy. She lives and works on a big beef ranch and dryland farm, similar to our operation only they're bigger on cows and less on crops while we're heavier on crops and less on cows. Christy is a very active member of Team Beef Montana and has a great running blog with many, many followers. We met in person at the Montana Farmer's Union Women's Conference last spring and she stood up during a goal-making session and said she'd like to spend more time on her running blog educating her readers about her farming and ranching lifestyle. She is definitely making her goal a reality! She has a really fantastic post today about her family's wheat harvest, which is also underway, and I highly recommend you check it out: You Like to Eat, Right? Learn A Bit About Your Food!

Golden winter wheat under that big Montana sky!

Happy harvesting, everyone!
If you are a farmer, how does harvest typically go for you?
If you're not a farmer, what would you say is your busiest, most important time of the year?

Thankful Thursday ~ What is a Trophy Worth?

**Today's Thankful Thursday post, a day late! I had it done yesterday, I swear, I just didn't get around to publishing it!! **

Yesterday was the Montana 9C District Track and Field Meet, and the North Star Track and Field Teams, of which I am an Assistant Coach, performed very well. Our Boys team earned the First Place Team title and the Girls earned Second Place Team. Some new hardware will be added to the trophy case at school, continuing the tradition of excellence for North Star Track and Field. While pretty, shiny objects in trophy cases are cool, I think the greater story is in the the life lessons learned on a day like yesterday. When talking and writing about my own running, whenever I win a medal at a race, I like to think about how that the medal is important, but what it symbolizes is the culmination of hard work and personal growth that took place in the days, weeks, and months leading up to the receipt of that medal. It's no different for a track team earning a trophy.

These kids worked their tails off yesterday. For the first (and likely only) time this season, each student-athlete participated in five events during the meet, which is the maximum number of events an athlete is allowed to compete in. Every individual on the team had a season best or all-time-best performance in one or more of their events. Some kids even made very courageous personal sacrifices to participate in some very challenging events for the first time all season. For example, two of our boys competed in the 3200 meter run (approx. two miles), having never competed in that event before. Others made similar commitments to participate in events they may never have done, putting the team ahead of themselves. When it comes to winning a track meet, every point counts, which means that each athlete's individual efforts are important. Our head track coach stated to the team prior to the meet, "Your individual successes will lead to team success." His statement definitely rang true yesterday as individual efforts all day long added up, leading to team trophies.

As the meet began, I had the chance to watch one of our standout Senior athletes compete in her first event of the day, Long Jump. Right away, she popped out her season-best jump and as she got out of the sand pit, she had a huge smile on her face-- grinning ear to ear. I knew from that moment and from her expression that it was going to be a great day. Her jump was a great jump, but it's still only a jump. One jump out of many she has taken and will take, and it could symbolize any number of different types of "jumps" she'll make in life, metaphorically speaking. Her response and positive attitude was contagious and she carried it throughout her day. She affected every other athlete she encountered, and in the end she was nominated and won a Sportsmanship Award for her actions (as well as four First Place finishes and one Second Place finish, and several PRs!) It's a great reminder that our actions and attitudes affect everyone around us.  She wasn't the only athlete who let a smile lead the way yesterday.

Results of the Girls' 100 Meter Dash.

My own responsibilities at the meet yesterday kept me off the track for most of the day, but when I could sneak down and watch the athletes perform, I was continually blown away by the positive attitudes of each individual I came across. All day long, our North Star kids were smiling, laughing, cheering each other on and celebrating each others successes. I saw kids running across the infield to congratulate one of their peers for making it to Finals for her event. I saw two athletes give each other high-tens after their race, because they knew they had crushed it. One girl, who all season long has been nervous and very hesitant before her races approached the start line in the 800, her most difficult race and was smiling before the race even began-- and when she crossed the finish line, she had a new PR to show for her efforts.  All of us coaches, parents, and fans who attended the meet could add our own stories of positive energy that we witnessed to this list. All of this goes to prove that when we're having fun, we're relaxed, and we perform better. In life, when we're having fun and are relaxed, we are the best versions of ourselves.

This is only my third season coaching and already I have seen some outstanding individuals go through our program in my previous two years. Outstanding as athletes and as human beings. This year's crew was young. We started off the year having lost a number of talented leaders from the previous season. This year, it took us a long time to figure out who we were as a team and what we were made of. We began the year as a gathering of individuals who happened to be wearing the same blue and black uniforms, trying to figure out if and how each fit in with each other. As coaches, we spent a lot of time talking about how to motivate individuals, and also just simply figuring out each of their personalities. We also spent a lot of time thinking and talking about what events each kid would do best in personally, and how they could help the team. It took each and every practice, each and every meet to get the kids to where they are now, to be a TEAM. The credit doesn't go to us, it goes to them- the student-athletes- for putting in the hard work and recognizing their own positive results. A team is more than a uniform, and yesterday, our athletes were a TEAM in every sense of the word.

What our team learned about is what a team trophy is worth. More than anything else yesterday, they learned about the power of unity, encouragement, and positive attitude. Track and Field is just a sport, and trophies are just engraved bits of metal and wood, but what these athletes learn by participating in this sport are life lessons that will stay with them for years to come. To learn to give your best effort, even when it's challenging or scary, is not easy. To learn to put others before yourself can be monumentally difficult. To learn to be positive and celebrate the successes of yourself and others graciously is an art. More than winning races, jumping or throwing far, the team trophies the kids earned yesterday are celebrating each of those skills. That is how to earn a trophy, and that is what a trophy is worth. I hope that when they look at their trophies in the case, they remember their own individual events, but also what it felt like to be part of a team, part of something bigger than themselves.

North Star Boys Track and Field, First Place.
Congratulations, men! Looking forward to many years of continued success. :)

North Star Girls Track and Field Team, Second Place.
Congratulations on a hard fought battle, ladies! 

Should go without saying at this point, but I'm pretty thankful to be a Coach of so many fine young men and women, and to witness and be part of their personal growth and positive Track and Field experience. It's an honor and a privilege, and one I don't take lightly.

What are you thankful for this week?

From Track Meets to Food Tasting!

Yesterday was a jam-packed day for me. My day began with the track team at our first meet of the season, and ended with hundreds of Hi-Line friends and family at a local event called Men Who Cook for Women who "Wine." Long, busy day, but so fun! Read on!

Track Meet: Cut Bank Booster Club Invitational
Yesterday was our first track meet of the season. We woke up really early (for me, the alarm went off at 4:15 a.m.) and drove on the team bus to Cut Bank, MT for the meet. The North Star contingency included 16 student-athletes, three coaches, and one bus driver. Believe it or not, we are actually a large team for Class C in Montana. We were actually missing four athletes yesterday, too, including three seniors. We got to Cut Bank at about 7:30 a.m., got camp set up, and got the team warmed up, then pretty soon the meet was underway.

The wind was blowing when we got camp set up, but not nearly like it was blowing when we took it down later!

When we began competition, there was a steady wind but it wasn't too bad. By about noon, the wind had picked up considerably to about a constant 40 mph with gusts up to about 60 mph (I learned this from watching the news later. I don't just innately have a feel for wind speeds....)  We ended up leaving the meet early around 1:15, with several events still left. Our head coach decided it was just too windy and no one was likely to have a good performance in those conditions. We all agreed and packed up as quickly as we could.

Team warmup. :)

Even though the conditions were not ideal all day long, and we ended up leaving early, I think it was still definitely worth the trip. We had some really great performances, and even some All-Time-Bests for a few kids. I really have to commend our athletes for their positive attitudes all day long, too. I didn't hear much complaining at all. In fact, several people were so excited about some of their successes, they wanted to keep the success rolling and they were disappointed that they were not able to compete in some of their later-on events. It's a pretty good group of kids. One that I am inspired by every day. Next meet is in Cut Bank (again) on Thursday, if the weather is good.

Sweet swishy-sweats!! 

Men Who Cook for Women Who "Wine"
Typically referred to simply as Men Who Cook. This is a unique annual fundraiser wherein groups of men have booths of food they have cooked themselves, and wine and beer are also served. The cooks are all locals to the area and are competing against one another. Attendees sample food from each booth and can vote on their favorites. There are also games such as Bingo and Heads or Tails, door prizes, raffles, and live and silent auctions, with all the prizes and auction items donated by local people or businesses. The event is held in the Hingham Gym and typically draws a big crowd. I think last night there was probably at least 500 people, but that's just a guess. The money raised goes into a fund to help cover costs for families and individuals who have to travel for cancer treatments.

Jeff and I go to this nearly every year, as do Tom and Carol, and many, many, many of our Hi-Line friends. Stephanie joined us this year, too. It's a fun, social event that brings many people together each year for a good cause. And the food is really good, too! Even though I was pretty tired from getting up so early and being out in the wind a track meet all day, I was able to rally and put on my game face for Men Who Cook. There was some really great food this year and nice auction items. It was fun to see so many people! And this is an even that is so unique, I feel. We had a great time!

Photo by Stephanie. This plate is showing two different kids of mac and cheese, the cucumber and tomato items I described above, something that was sort of like a smokey jambalaya, a lemon souffle, and a coconut almond item...The Chinese takeout box had some fried rice and a sesame chicken wing.

 We had to get two plates FULL in order to try everything!!!

Featuring another type of chicken wing, stuffed chicken and pork roll-ups, a few types of bbq/smoked meat dishes, and a sausage and grapes soup-like dish, shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushroom caps... more items that weren't even in this picture! Sooo much food!!!

In my opinion, some of the best food items this year were the small bites that Justin Miller's group made, including a cucumber-smoked salmon bite, a tiny caprese salad tomato bite, and a Moose Drool (beer) chocolate truffle. I also really enjoyed the prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin with apple chutney, and some of the many smoked and bbq meat options. 

Even though it was a long day, it was a good day. Also, on Friday, Jeff, Tom, Carol, Stephanie, and I ran in a little Family 5K. I'll do a separate post on that soon! Stay tuned!!! 

Thankful Thursday ~ I love Track!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Yes, for the second straight week, I'm delayed in getting my Thankful Thursday post up on the blog. But, you'll live, right?

In case some of you didn't already know this, I am an Assistant Track & Field Coach here at our local high school. Track season officially began on March 9. I had a few days of practice before whisking off to Wichita. This week has been really great for getting into the rhythm of track practice as a part of my day.

With the track season upon us, I am super busy and my days are lengthened by about two hours each day for practice. It would be easy to look at practice as another commitment, another thing I have to do that takes time away from being home. But that's not how I see it. I love running and I love track. But more importantly, I love spending time with the wonderful young adults I have the privilege of coaching. I try to find some time each practice to tell at least one athlete that I'm glad they're there, thank them for being on the team, and tell them something specific that they do or say that brightens my day.

I think this positive energy returns back to me, and to all of us on the team.

Last Wednesday, when I arrived back from Wichita, my flight had landed at 1:30 p.m. and I was tasked with driving back to Rudyard (about a two hour drive) and hopefully making it in time for track practice. I found out via email earlier that day that our Head Coach and another Assistant Coach were both unable to be at practice that day, and that our third Assistant had a meeting after school and wasn't sure if he'd be there either. Our Junior High Head Coach had said he was going to be there, but then within minutes of practice beginning, called me and said he probably wasn't going to make it either.

So there I was, after a long day of travel, feeling tired, grumpy, and let's be honest, really kind of just wanting to go home, but knowing that I couldn't skip practice. I was the only coach who could be there.

I walked into the school, and immediately bumped into about three of our track athletes. Right away they called out to me, "Hey Coach Bangs!" "We missed you!" and "Are we doing yoga today? I hope we're doing yoga today!"  I couldn't help smiling and immediately my grumpiness and sleepiness waned. Their friendly hellos reminded me that I was there for them.

Not a practice has gone by since that day when at least one athlete hasn't specifically smiled at me, or asked me how I  was doing that day. One girl seems to have made it her goal to specifically give me a huge smile and wave right when I walk into practice each day. It truly makes my day every time.

These kids are so, so friendly and they work so, so hard during practice. As their coach, I'm proud and honored to be part of the team and to get to spend time with each of them for a few hours each day. I think having a good, positive, healthy coach-to-athlete relationship benefits all of us and the team as a whole. If we're invested in the coach/athlete relationships we have and if the athletes are invested in the relationships they have with their teammates, they'll continue to want to work hard for each other, and for their coaches. In turn, I continue to want to work harder to be a better coach for them.

We have our first track meet tomorrow in Cut Bank, MT. The weather is supposed to be iffy but the kids and the coaches are excited and ready to start competing! Wish us luck. Today we handed out our team uniforms. I was reminded of this quote from a fierce female runner that I love, Kate Grace:

A team is more than a uniform. It's encouragement and support before and after competition. It's frequent interaction, about running, but also just about the daily grind. It's friendly competition - pushing each other to the next level in workouts. It's running together, cheering on friends together at the water-stop. - See more at: http://www.oiselle.com/blog/open-letter-flock#sthash.rFwCPCm1.dpuf

Those few sentences sum up our track team pretty well, and I couldn't be more excited or thankful to be part of this group now for my third season of coaching.

Taking a stretch break after running timed 400s. 

Even though track season is a long season and huge time commitment, especially when one lives as far away from town as I do, it's something I look forward to each year. I'm grateful for the people I get to spend my time with after school at practice, on long bus rides, and at some of our marathon meets. These kids have a positive effect on my outlook and they teach me something every day. If you're a past or present track athlete that I've worked with, thank you for being you! Keep being awesome!

Who are some people who have a positive impact on your daily outlook? Who inspires you to work harder? Who can brighten your day with a smile and a wave?