Biking outdoors at last...

What a great way to end a month that at times seemed like it would go on forever... snow, snow and more snow... and actually I think the last day of the month will bring more snow but TODAY we had the chance to bike outdoors for the first time since last November! With the right gear (thanks to a quick trip to the new North Face store), it was a beautiful afternoon out on the roads around Lake Independence. Isn't there something kinda breathtaking about riding past frozen lakes? The best thing was feeling 100 times better than the first outdoor road last spring - which wasn't actually until May if I recall correctly. So, despite the pain I have to say somewhat regular attendance at Johnny J's spin class is worth it!

Of course, having a brand new bike and loving it more each time I sit on it helps :)

(the end)

An unexpected 5k PR!

About a month ago Pam told us about a 5k event in honor of St. Paul police officer Joe Plant who died suddenly last year. Pam's former colleague is married to Joe's sister and she'd heard about the event being held to raise money for a memorial fund and to put a bench in his memory at Lake Phalen in St. Paul where Joe spent many hours training for his running events... By all accounts Joe was the sort of person you would not forget if you were lucky enough to spend time in his company and certainly he was taken far too soon. So myself, Pam, Karen & Tanya headed over there for the 8:30am start and were delighted to see a huge turnout. Having run our 20 miler yesterday we were all feeling a little tight and certainly I had no intention of taking off like a bat out of hell. But Pam had other ideas... and yes, I just felt like I had to keep her company! In her words 'you teach me to run distance and I'll teach you to run a fast 5k'. And she meant it - 20 minutes later Pam crossed the finish line and I was about 15 seconds after her - not bad for tired legs! To cap off a fun morning with friends we had brunch at the Egg & I off University... I don't think I need to eat for about a week...

Helen Lavin 30F 20:12 6:31