Happy Halloween!
I woke up early this morning because 2 guys were coming over to check out my furnace and dryer vent and water heater. It was only mildly embarrassing. I didn't know I was supposed to be washing the filter screens every 2-3 months. I've never done it in the 4 years I've been here. Whoops. Anyway, I have never been more excited to do a load of laundry. It only took one cycle in the dryer, and my clothes were completely dry! It was taking me up to 3 cycles before.
I have more people coming over this afternoon to look at the wallpaper in my kitchen and bedroom to see if they will be able to remove it. I'm not too optimistic about it.
I just got back from a nice run around West St Paul. It's a little breezier than I would have liked, but it's sunny and mid 50's. No rain on Halloween? Astounding!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
"Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life. Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying." -George Carlin
A taco for you
and a taco for me.
A taco for a stolen base
by Jacoby Ellsbury!
Because there was a stolen base in the World Series (actually there were 3, but it only took 1), all of America gets a free taco from Taco Bell today! I almost forgot to pick mine up, but Meg called me at work to remind me. It was delicious! But now I am sad because baseball season is over. Only 122 days until Spring Training 2008!
I had a fantastic weekend in Chi-town! I drove in with Meg, Joel and the kids Thursday night. Meg and I went for a jog on Friday, and then she and mom and I went shopping. I got some new scrubs and a persimmon. I was able to see my friends Jen and Mark that evening, then Saturday morning I took the train downtown to have breakfast with my friend Caryn in Greektown. After that I made my way back up to Ellen's part of town. She and the Blaze met me on their bikes. We hung out for a bit, then drove to the 'burbs for a sleepover at my parent's house. Fun fun.
Sunday morning we all went over to RMHS for the annual Shannon McNamara run/walk, then Meg, Joel, the kids and I packed up and headed up to Milwaukee. My friend Carolyn's baby was baptized, and we made it in time for the party afterwards. It was great to see everyone up there. So many little people!
and a taco for me.
A taco for a stolen base
by Jacoby Ellsbury!
Because there was a stolen base in the World Series (actually there were 3, but it only took 1), all of America gets a free taco from Taco Bell today! I almost forgot to pick mine up, but Meg called me at work to remind me. It was delicious! But now I am sad because baseball season is over. Only 122 days until Spring Training 2008!
I had a fantastic weekend in Chi-town! I drove in with Meg, Joel and the kids Thursday night. Meg and I went for a jog on Friday, and then she and mom and I went shopping. I got some new scrubs and a persimmon. I was able to see my friends Jen and Mark that evening, then Saturday morning I took the train downtown to have breakfast with my friend Caryn in Greektown. After that I made my way back up to Ellen's part of town. She and the Blaze met me on their bikes. We hung out for a bit, then drove to the 'burbs for a sleepover at my parent's house. Fun fun.
Sunday morning we all went over to RMHS for the annual Shannon McNamara run/walk, then Meg, Joel, the kids and I packed up and headed up to Milwaukee. My friend Carolyn's baby was baptized, and we made it in time for the party afterwards. It was great to see everyone up there. So many little people!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Maybe I'm Just Crabby?
A girl I work with had a baby girl yesterday. Natalie is 9lbs 4oz, and 20in long. Congratulations, Michelle! I went to Target tonight to get her a few gifts, and I bought a large gift bag and tissue paper so the gifts would look pretty. As I was checking out, the lady unfolded the gift bag and started putting everything in the bag. She asked, "Is it ok if I just put all your stuff in here?" I thought about it for like, 2 seconds, but by that time she had already jammed everything in there, including the pack of gum and Q-tips I bought for myself. I know it's totally no big deal, but now the bag is kind of wrinkly, and as I carried it out of Target a huge gust of wind blew and the bag tore a little. (It was really really windy today.)
I guess I should have spoken up, but come on. Really. Just throw it in a plastic Target bag and I'll be on my way. Or maybe I'm just crabby?
I guess I should have spoken up, but come on. Really. Just throw it in a plastic Target bag and I'll be on my way. Or maybe I'm just crabby?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Post-Marathon Bliss
I was on a high the entire week following the marathon. It was so fun talking about my experience! I worked that whole week, and my feet were pretty sore. As of this posting (exactly 2 weeks later), I have lost a total of 3 toenails with one more on it's way out.
I am planning on going on a 3 mile run today. It will be my first run since the 26.2-er, and I'm a little nervous. I'm ready, though. I've been itchin' to get out there again!
Throughout the course of last week, I applied and interviewed for, got offered and have accepted a position in the Emergency Department at my hospital. I have been working on a medicine unit for 6 years, and although I really like what I'm doing now, I just want to see what else is out there. My leader can keep me for up to 3 months, but I could transfer as soon as next month. I just have to wait and see. Either way, I'm really excited to try something different!
Last night, Meg and I saw "Urinetown the Musical" at Bloomington Civic Theatre. It was a good production, and I just love live theater.
That's all I've got for now. I hope everyone is having a nice long, relaxing weekend!
I am planning on going on a 3 mile run today. It will be my first run since the 26.2-er, and I'm a little nervous. I'm ready, though. I've been itchin' to get out there again!
Throughout the course of last week, I applied and interviewed for, got offered and have accepted a position in the Emergency Department at my hospital. I have been working on a medicine unit for 6 years, and although I really like what I'm doing now, I just want to see what else is out there. My leader can keep me for up to 3 months, but I could transfer as soon as next month. I just have to wait and see. Either way, I'm really excited to try something different!
Last night, Meg and I saw "Urinetown the Musical" at Bloomington Civic Theatre. It was a good production, and I just love live theater.
That's all I've got for now. I hope everyone is having a nice long, relaxing weekend!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Pictures!
We took mom and dad to "A Prairie Home Companion" Saturday night for their birthdays. Mom and Meg each wrote a "greeting" to wish me luck on my marathon, and Garrison Keillor read BOTH of them on the air! The first one from my parents was to "Beansie" and referenced their butts hurting after riding next to me on the 21-mile training run. Meg's greeting was "Good luck to Jean Ryan running her first marathon here in the cities tomorrow. She's up there in the second balcony." Garrison added, "She's the lean woman who's eating the spaghetti." It got a smattering of applause and laughter. 
Jamie Gronau, Dad, Jean, Meg, & Joel carbo-loading.
Marathon morning
Mile 8.5
Steps away from the finish line! 
Chelsie, Dad, Meg, Jean
The original Ryans plus Eric.
I did it!
26.2
I completed the 2007 Twin Cities Marathon!!! It was the warmest TCM in history, with 74 degrees and 87% humidity at the start rising to 85 degrees and 65% humidity late in the morning. Here's how it went down:
Meg dropped me off at the Metrodome at 7am Sunday morning. We listened to "Defying Gravity" from Wicked on the way. I was wearing all black: shorts, tank, visor. I stretched a bit, went to the bathroom, and walked in and around the dome. It was neat being inside the Metrodome - it was completely empty and the lights were off, but I could see the yard lines on the field and the press boxes, etc. Not sure why, but that kind of thing gives me goose bumps.
At about 7:45am, I moved down towards the start. I was in Wave 2. (Wave 1 consists of those who have completed a sub 3:45 marathon OR sub 1:45 half marathon, OR have a Boston qualifying time within the last two years. Wave 2 is everyone else.)
I felt like a sardine. Meg had written my name down my arm in eye black, and I got pushed into some dude who then had JEAN on his arm, too! (It was backwards, of course, but it made me laugh.) Someone sang the National Anthem, then the wheelchairs were off at 7:50. Wave 1 started at 8am, and Wave 2 about 5 minutes later. I crossed the starting gate at 8:07 on my watch.
I was not a bit nervous - just really excited to run! Running through Minneapolis was fun. At one point I was running up an incline, and there were thousands of heads bobbing in front of me. So cool.
In the first mile I saw Alan Page (former MN Viking, speaker at Meg's college graduation, and the first active NFL player to finish a marathon) playing the tuba. I yelled out his name and he winked at me from behind his huge brass instrument.
I saw my parents at mile 8.5. Mom was trying to take my picture and dad was holding up an "I'm Bloated" sign (inside joke) and a paper-mâché mermaid I made in 3rd(?) grade. Bizarre. I saw Ellen & Eric at mile 11, my friend Donna at mile 12, then my parents again just after that, holding up more signs. Meg and our friend Chelsie rode bikes along the way, and I saw them first around mile 13? Meg had her huge gold pom-pons flailing away. She gave me a shot block and my chapstick then. Good.
I started to hit the wall around miles 16-18. It was very sunny and warm at that point, and I was going a bit uphill. I saw Ellen & Eric again around mile 17, and El said something about how there were going to be people spread out along the rest of the way cheering for me. All I could think of was that if I walked, someone I knew would see me, and I couldn't have that, so I had to keep running.
Miles 20-23 were the worst. It was a pretty steep incline through that area, and I was tired. I didn't walk, though, and at one point I looked up and realized that I was actually the only one running. (Meg can attest to this - she noticed it too!) Thank goodness she and Chelsie were there for most of that part. They were riding on the path next to the street yelling at me to pick up my feet, use my arms, etc. Meg tried to sing, but her voice was so scratchy (she's been sick the last couple days) and not only was it making me laugh, but it sounded painful. I cut her off.
I walked through each water station to make sure the liquids actually made it down. I grabbed one blue Powerade and 2 waters. The second water I always poured over my head. (Except at mile 20 when the guy in front of me dumped his full cup on his head, but it missed and landed on my face. So I drank my second water instead.) I also ran through the sprinklers and hoses people had set up outside their houses. That really helped keep me cool.
At mile 22, I saw a guy who works at my hospital sitting on the curb stretching. He had been ahead of me from the start, and I yelled out "Hey! United Hospital!" (I didn't know his name) "Let's go!" He popped up and ran with me for the next mile. His name was Jason, and I lost him after the water station at mile 23. I was glad, too. I really wanted to finish it off on my own.
Summit Avenue was beautiful, and there were thousands of people on both sides yelling and cheering. Once I got to the top of Summit (mile 25), I knew I had made it. The final 1/2 mile stretch was awesome. I could see the finish line with the Capitol behind it. My family was on the right screaming and clapping and jumping up and down.
I crossed the finish line with an official time of 4 hours: 55 minutes: 12 seconds. My chip time= 4:48:03. My pace= 10:59, just under 11 minute-miles.
I still can't believe I did it. My toes and calves are a little sore, but otherwise I feel great. My family threw me a post-marathon party at Meg & Joel's house. They had chili, pickle wraps, fruit, veggies, a cereal buffet, mimosas, and lots more. Yum.
Thanks to everyone for your support. I totally needed it, and it worked! I love you all!
On that note, this is the end of my Blog. Maybe I'll start another one for my next challenge, once I figure out what that's going to be!
Meg dropped me off at the Metrodome at 7am Sunday morning. We listened to "Defying Gravity" from Wicked on the way. I was wearing all black: shorts, tank, visor. I stretched a bit, went to the bathroom, and walked in and around the dome. It was neat being inside the Metrodome - it was completely empty and the lights were off, but I could see the yard lines on the field and the press boxes, etc. Not sure why, but that kind of thing gives me goose bumps.
At about 7:45am, I moved down towards the start. I was in Wave 2. (Wave 1 consists of those who have completed a sub 3:45 marathon OR sub 1:45 half marathon, OR have a Boston qualifying time within the last two years. Wave 2 is everyone else.)
I felt like a sardine. Meg had written my name down my arm in eye black, and I got pushed into some dude who then had JEAN on his arm, too! (It was backwards, of course, but it made me laugh.) Someone sang the National Anthem, then the wheelchairs were off at 7:50. Wave 1 started at 8am, and Wave 2 about 5 minutes later. I crossed the starting gate at 8:07 on my watch.
I was not a bit nervous - just really excited to run! Running through Minneapolis was fun. At one point I was running up an incline, and there were thousands of heads bobbing in front of me. So cool.
In the first mile I saw Alan Page (former MN Viking, speaker at Meg's college graduation, and the first active NFL player to finish a marathon) playing the tuba. I yelled out his name and he winked at me from behind his huge brass instrument.
I saw my parents at mile 8.5. Mom was trying to take my picture and dad was holding up an "I'm Bloated" sign (inside joke) and a paper-mâché mermaid I made in 3rd(?) grade. Bizarre. I saw Ellen & Eric at mile 11, my friend Donna at mile 12, then my parents again just after that, holding up more signs. Meg and our friend Chelsie rode bikes along the way, and I saw them first around mile 13? Meg had her huge gold pom-pons flailing away. She gave me a shot block and my chapstick then. Good.
I started to hit the wall around miles 16-18. It was very sunny and warm at that point, and I was going a bit uphill. I saw Ellen & Eric again around mile 17, and El said something about how there were going to be people spread out along the rest of the way cheering for me. All I could think of was that if I walked, someone I knew would see me, and I couldn't have that, so I had to keep running.
Miles 20-23 were the worst. It was a pretty steep incline through that area, and I was tired. I didn't walk, though, and at one point I looked up and realized that I was actually the only one running. (Meg can attest to this - she noticed it too!) Thank goodness she and Chelsie were there for most of that part. They were riding on the path next to the street yelling at me to pick up my feet, use my arms, etc. Meg tried to sing, but her voice was so scratchy (she's been sick the last couple days) and not only was it making me laugh, but it sounded painful. I cut her off.
I walked through each water station to make sure the liquids actually made it down. I grabbed one blue Powerade and 2 waters. The second water I always poured over my head. (Except at mile 20 when the guy in front of me dumped his full cup on his head, but it missed and landed on my face. So I drank my second water instead.) I also ran through the sprinklers and hoses people had set up outside their houses. That really helped keep me cool.
At mile 22, I saw a guy who works at my hospital sitting on the curb stretching. He had been ahead of me from the start, and I yelled out "Hey! United Hospital!" (I didn't know his name) "Let's go!" He popped up and ran with me for the next mile. His name was Jason, and I lost him after the water station at mile 23. I was glad, too. I really wanted to finish it off on my own.
Summit Avenue was beautiful, and there were thousands of people on both sides yelling and cheering. Once I got to the top of Summit (mile 25), I knew I had made it. The final 1/2 mile stretch was awesome. I could see the finish line with the Capitol behind it. My family was on the right screaming and clapping and jumping up and down.
I crossed the finish line with an official time of 4 hours: 55 minutes: 12 seconds. My chip time= 4:48:03. My pace= 10:59, just under 11 minute-miles.
I still can't believe I did it. My toes and calves are a little sore, but otherwise I feel great. My family threw me a post-marathon party at Meg & Joel's house. They had chili, pickle wraps, fruit, veggies, a cereal buffet, mimosas, and lots more. Yum.
Thanks to everyone for your support. I totally needed it, and it worked! I love you all!
On that note, this is the end of my Blog. Maybe I'll start another one for my next challenge, once I figure out what that's going to be!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Last Run
I just got back from my last run before the marathon. Hopefully in exactly 2 days, I will be about halfway through. There were thunderstorms early this morning, so I waited until they subsided to run. It was still raining pretty hard, but it was 68 degrees, so I definitely wasn't cold.
I feel like I have trained in just about all the weather: below freezing temps, 100-degree heat, wind, rain, high humidity, cloudy, sunny, foggy, sticky, and many other weather-related adjectives ending in y. It's a good thing too, because the forecast for Sunday changes almost hourly. The latest seems to be a high of 74 with scattered thunderstorms. No info on how windy it'll be.
I received my first pre-marathon gift from Meg the other night. It's a Marathon Mix CD with over 20 run-related songs on it. It has everything from "Runaround Sue" by Dion and Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" to Bon Jovi's "Runaway" and "The Runaround" by Taylor Hicks. Thanks also to Ellen, Donna, Dad, and anyone else who contributed songs/ideas. I love it!
I plan on going to the St. Paul RiverCentre this afternoon to pick up my race packet and check out the health and fitness expo. I'm thinking the reality of this whole thing will hit me when I actually have my race number in my hand. EEK!
Thanks to everyone who called, texted, wrote or emailed to wish me luck on Sunday. It's great to have so much support. Now all I have to do is run 26.2 miles, then we can party at Meg & Joel's! Let me know if you need directions.
I feel like I have trained in just about all the weather: below freezing temps, 100-degree heat, wind, rain, high humidity, cloudy, sunny, foggy, sticky, and many other weather-related adjectives ending in y. It's a good thing too, because the forecast for Sunday changes almost hourly. The latest seems to be a high of 74 with scattered thunderstorms. No info on how windy it'll be.
I received my first pre-marathon gift from Meg the other night. It's a Marathon Mix CD with over 20 run-related songs on it. It has everything from "Runaround Sue" by Dion and Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" to Bon Jovi's "Runaway" and "The Runaround" by Taylor Hicks. Thanks also to Ellen, Donna, Dad, and anyone else who contributed songs/ideas. I love it!
I plan on going to the St. Paul RiverCentre this afternoon to pick up my race packet and check out the health and fitness expo. I'm thinking the reality of this whole thing will hit me when I actually have my race number in my hand. EEK!
Thanks to everyone who called, texted, wrote or emailed to wish me luck on Sunday. It's great to have so much support. Now all I have to do is run 26.2 miles, then we can party at Meg & Joel's! Let me know if you need directions.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Six Days To Go!
So the marathon is now less than a week away, and I have been very very nervous. But I had a great 8-mile run today after work, and I'm pretty sure I'm ready for this puppy. The main thing I'm worried about now is the weather. I know it's still a ways away (is that even a real phrase?), but the forecast shows a high of 50 degrees and 40% chance of showers. Cold and wet. I guess it could be worse, right?
Now as I look back on my blog, I see that it was worse - when I did the Reindeer Run in December, it was 10 degrees with 15mph winds. So I definitely can't complain now.
I guess that's it for now. Happy Monday, everyone!
Now as I look back on my blog, I see that it was worse - when I did the Reindeer Run in December, it was 10 degrees with 15mph winds. So I definitely can't complain now.
I guess that's it for now. Happy Monday, everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
