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!!! 

RunLove

Thanks to my membership this year in TEAM BEEF MONTANA, I have had reinvigorated enthusiasm for running and racing. It is a sport I have always been into, since I began participating in Track and Field at Ames Middle School in 7th grade, but I'll admit that I have gone in waves of varying degrees of fervor toward the sport since my high school days. It's hard to stick with running through college (if any of my North Star tracksters are reading this, take heed!), especially when one is a natural sprinter, such as myself. Transitioning to running longer distances was a challenge for me, as someone who never ran longer than a 400 meter race in her Track career.

Ames is such a strong running community, however. There were always races in town or in nearby Des Moines a person could get excited about. Thankfully, too, I grew up in a household where I watched my parents regularly fit running and workouts into their very busy schedules . I had a great example for planning and training for races by watching them over the years. When I was in college, I did make the transition to running 5Ks, often with my parents participating in the same race. When Ryan was around or available, he joined us, too. What a great family tradition! I had a great group of active friends in college, too, who were often looking for races and events to train for. By the time I was a Junior or Senior in college, I had made it my goal to race in one 5K each month. A goal I was largely successful with.

Upon moving to the West in 2007, I had a harder time sticking with running. Races were much fewer and farther between, and often greater distances from my house than I might have been comfortable traveling. Without races to train for, my motivation to run slipped heavily.

Then, in 2009, I had what seemed like a minor skiing accident, but resulted in ACL surgery. During my recovery was when I realized how much I actually missed running. It felt like since I had the option of running taken away from me for the better part of a year or more(knee surgery combined with several related-to-knee-surgery foot injuries), that suddenly running was what I wanted to do most of all. Even more than get back on the ski hill. Luckily, by this time I had moved on to Bozeman, where there were a few more 5Ks and other races available, and I was able to pick back up with a sport I had truly grown to miss.

Now, I am finding more and more races in Montana all the time, and even some in faraway lands that I can do when I travel, such as the Beat the Deadline 5K that I'll do in a few weeks in Washington DC! I have also decided to take a risk and sign up for my first ever 10K, The Kickin' Asphault Half Marathon and 10K,which will be this September 13 in Great Falls. Moving up from 5K to 10K is a big deal for me, but it's going great so far! Just this morning I knocked out 5 miles on the dreadmill (outside running was not possible due to muddy roads and no access to pavement at my house), and I feel pretty good.

Sometimes it's hard to keep motivated to run, especially as the distances get longer and the workouts harder. These days, I am constantly inspired by the kids I work with at school and those on the North Star Knights track team I am fortunate enough to coach. I think sometimes when I tell them that they inspire me every day, they think I'm full of it, but I truly mean it. Nothing makes me want to work hard like seeing how hard those kids work for me and the other coaches.

Additionally, my husband has been such huge support for me and my running hobby, and has gotten into it a bit himself, signing up for 5Ks with me, when his schedule allows. I love that we can be fit together and I love sharing a sport that I love with someone I love.

One last little bit of motivation/inspiration, is running clothes. I was a Textiles and Clothing major in college, and still believe, to an extent, that the right outfit can help you go far. Here are some recent additions to my running-wear stash--

Picked up this super cute, soft t-shirt on a trip to Missoula earlier this summer.
I don't actually wear it to run in because I prefer a quick-dry athletic-material top and this is just a t-shirt, but it's so comfy and soft. Makes a great pre-or post- workout shirt. 

These shorts were on the sale rack at our local sporting goods store and I couldn't pass them up. I haven't decided if the text is a description of how I feel when I am running, or if it's more like a mantra to remember when the run is challenging. Either way, they're great, and super comfortable.

These socks were a recent gift that I tried out for the first time today. They couldn't have been more perfect in message, especially in light of THIS recent post I did about confidence. I am pleased to report that they were cushy, wicking, and kept my nagging blister from flaring up. Perfect!

I'll let you know how my two upcoming races turn out! In the meantime, thanks to everyone who has ever encouraged me or inspired me to keep running. Truly, thanks. :)

March 2014 Roundup!

Did you notice that I included the word *Roundup* in the title of this blog post? Those of you who have been faithful followers of PrairiePonderingsMT for a while have probably noticed that a *Roundup* post typically follows a long drought of posts and allows me to briefly update readers on some of what's been going on lately, why I've been busy and haven't written much. I have heard through the grapevine that one or two of you have been going through withdrawal (KenmoreJim!). Thanks for sticking with me! Enjoy the March 2104 Roundup!

Calving
Calving is actually nearing its end at this point. We're probably about 80% finished and definitely tapering off. Overall, it's gone very well so far. We had one still-born, but had a set of twins to match one up with the baby-less mama so as of yet we're still 100% for calves. Now the calves are mostly out in the large pen where they have room to romp around and hop and play. They're pretty cute. I'll try to get some photos soon. As of now, Jeff and I are still staying over at his folks' place but I think we're nearing the time when we'll be able to stay at home again.

Hoop!
Another reason I love this time of year is that NCAA basketball heats up with tournament play and there tends to be time during calving to spend watching a lot of games in between checks. This year was no different and has been especially thrilling as my hometown Iowa State Cyclones are advancing to the Sweet Sixteen! We have been following them all year and I have definitely converted Jeff and his family into Cyclone fans (works out well because the Bobcats are not exactly a basketball power). We watched Iowa State beat Kansas State, Kansas (Somebody got their Chalk Rocked!), and then Baylor to win the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in many years. Then we watched the Cyclones defeat North Carolina Central and University of North Carolina in the first few matchups of the Big Dance. This Friday they're headed to Madison Square Garden in NYC to take on UConn. I am ecstatic! We have also been following and cheering for Stanford because Josh Huestis has a local connection. Cheer with us! :)

Jet Setting
As part of our FUE leadership training, we were fortunate to travel to Santa Fe, NM for several days to attend the National Farmers Union Convention. The Convention was really interesting and informative and I learned a lot about the organization as a whole. It truly is a grassroots organization, and a good example of democracy in action. Each time I attend a conference or convention I am affirmed that this is a group I want to be in and this was no different. There was a lot of talk about the Farm Bill, how Farmers Union played a role in passing it, and what it means for farmers. We were also very privileged to see U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as the keynote speaker of the convention. He is a great advocate for rural america and agriculture- his speech was very good. The best part of the convention was getting together with the other FUE couples that are in our group. We have a great group of friends that I know we will keep for many years to come, thanks to this experience!

Track&Field
Track season is underway as we are in our second week of practices. I am an Assistant Coach again this year, working specifically on the hurdle and high jump events again. Our team is returning a lot of leadership and talent this year so I think we will again have a good chance to do well in post-season meets on both the boys and girls squads. Right now, we are practicing indoors and mainly working on good running form mechanics, flexibility, quickness, etc. I can't wait for practice to begin moving outdoors and to begin to dig in to some of our event work. I think it's going to be a really great season!

SUM
We have all been staying busy with Shape Up Montana activities. No more weird green smoothies lately, but we are having fun, getting healthy, and working together. Last week we had a challenge to make a vegetable soup. I have to say it was much tastier than the smoothie.  This week we are competing in a "virtual 5k." Our team is ranked 9 out of 25 teams, so we're doing pretty good!

Seamstress For Hire
With March also comes Prom Season. I have kept very busy with Prom dress alterations this year. Each of the previous two years I had only one dress to alter, but this year I have had three dresses plus a few other projects thrown in, all for friends and neighbors on the hi-line.  It's fun to see the styles of dresses the girls are picking out and I have had some unique problem-solving opportunities in a few cases with some of the dresses. Bejeweled, brightly-hewed poofy princess dresses have been strewn about my house for several weeks now. It looks like an exploded bag of sparkly Skittles in my living room sewing area. Nice to keep up my sewing skills!

So there you have it! Brief blasts about a variety of goings-on in our world right now! Spring will be here before you know it. Well, Calendar Spring has begun, but it's still snowy and wintry around here. We're waiting for days to warm up a bit and I know Jeff is anxious to get out in the field when they dry out. For now, I'm actually thankful for an extended spring skiing season. With record snowfall this year at our nearest ski hill and Jeff starting to get into skiing, we have had a lot of fun and I don't want it to end! All the same, that's all for now, folks! Thanks for reading, everyone!

Track Season Wrap Up

As I type this, rain is falling steadily outside.  After a long, dry April and most of May, we finally got several impressive rain events in quick succession, just as we were about to become seriously discouraged over the outlook of our crops this year.  Now, there are puddles all about, all the grass and trees are green, roads are muddy, and crops are growing up gangbusters.  Ducks and other waterfowl have set up camp in our farmyard and song birds happily chirp away.  I imagine they are extolling the sudden boon of earthworms slithering to the surface of the soggy ground. Farmers are happy.  Rain is a sigh of relief.

 

Our computer has been on the fritz again lately, over the past few weeks, and we finally were able to take it to Havre to get it looked at. Despite our antivirus software, the computer keeps contracting various illnesses, rendering it virtually unusable.  A shame, I was in a nice roll with posting on the blog! I should be able to get back into it now.  There may even be a guest-blogger appearance by my husband sometime soon…

 

During the absence of blog posts, my time with the North Star Track Team came to an end for this season.  Memorial Day weekend was our State track meet, located in Laurel, MT this year.  It was a coed meet, as were all the meets we went to this year as a team, and featured the championships for Class C (North Star is Class C) and Class A.  Class AA and Class B were held together in Bozeman.  Next year, Class C will be with AA and the meet will be in Great Falls.  Class C alternates each year between holding their meet with A or with AA.  I am told C and B are never together because both classes tend to have many more fans in attendance than A or AA, and most track stadiums would not be big enough to accommodate so many people.  Something about small towns—people really seem to support their local kids in all endeavors.  If you haven't read the book Blind Your Ponies, do it.  It's about Class C basketball, but the way the small town in the book rallies around their team is applicable and accurate for any sport.

 

The North Star fans were out in numbers in Laurel to watch our kids compete. Even Jeff, who admittedly does not care much for track and field, made the drive down.  Sure, he got in a few rounds of golf in Billings, which was most definitely a major draw for him.  I was glad he was there for some of the meet- to see what I had put so much time into this spring. 

 

It was a great track season.  The girls won the District meet in early May, took second in Divisionals, and third as a team at State.  They also set several new school records in multiple events, including Triple Jump and 4 x 400 meter relay, and perhaps others, too.  Boys took second at Districts, and qualified 2 individuals for State at the Divisional meet. Both boys competed very well at State- one of them medaled in all three events that he qualified in, and I believe he also set at least one new school record.  Two of my hurdlers made it to State- one of the boys, and one of the girls. They both did fantastic- I am so happy for the progress they made over the season!  There is so much to be proud of over the course of the season, and State was the culmination of it all.

 

After Memorial Day weekend, it was strange for me to not stop in Rudyard for track practice on my way home from work in Chester.  I knew I would really enjoy coaching, and I did enjoy it all throughout the season, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss it after the season ended.  Such a great group of kids- they worked so hard day in and day out.  The track team is a great example of how a group of unrelated people can come together for a common purpose, and come to act as family to one another. It is definitely something special to be part of. Hopefully, helping with Track will be something I can be part of for many years to come, however, I am sure there will be no other season, no other group of kids, just like this one.

 

Photo by Tiffany Boehm Rettig
This is the girls team after claiming the 3rd place trophy at State. I'm on the left with a few of the other coaches.