Baby it’s cold outside! Makes you want to curl up on the couch with a warm fire, or a warm companion. We watch someone out running as we drive down the road and think they must be crazy. How can anyone run in this weather?  While I admit, I don’t do it as much as I used to, it is still exhilarating to be out there in the bracing cold.

The hardest part of any run is the first step out the door. On cold days, you have to prepare a bit more, thinking about the elements. Dress in layers, with wicking material next to the skin. Most people don’t realize how lucky we are today. In college, I ran on cold days, with a cotton t-shirt and cotton hooded sweatshirt. Today we have many miracle fabrics to help keep us warm. Head down to the Runners Shop to check out the latest. 

Some quick hints about cold weather running: If possible, have someone drive you out, so you can run back with the wind. You can run on bitterly cold days if you just run with the wind. If this is not possible, run out against the wind, then back with it. If you do it the other way around, you will get chilled on the return run. 

Wear a stocking hat, and adjust it up or down to regulate your temperature. Gloves are good, but mittens are even better. The outside layer should be wind and water proof. Something light that you can tie around your waist if you get to warm. Goretex is great, but a bit expensive. A simple nylon shell will work also.

While the cold can be brutal, it also gives you a chance to test yourself, expand you limits. And that is never a bad thing!

-Gary

Ah yes, winter is upon us. The winter wonderland that Mother Nature dropped upon us last week put a crimp on some running, I’m sure. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit on the couch and watch the Vikings all day. (I taped the game “Vikings 28 Packers 27″ and watched it later) 

On Saturday we had 7 people on the Centennial Trail snow shoeing our way to a good sweat. It is only the 3rd time I’ve ever done it, but it does have some nice advantages. Easy to learn, fairly inexpensive and a good workout. We went about 3 miles, up and down, taking turns leading. It was a beautiful day for a group outing, we took full advantage of it. David Martin and Karrie Johnson joined us for the first time and seemed to enjoy themselves. Lisa Gustin, Paulette Kirby and Gary Haven are using it as a springboard for a possible run at the Badlands Primal Quest to be held next August. Randy Ericksen and I just went along for the fun, and to keep the muscles well oiled.

Sunday morning saw 8 of us back for more, this time to cross country ski. I did quite a bit of this back in the 80’s, (still using the same skis) but have only done it a couple of times in the past 10 years. Dave and Karrie were back for more, either they liked it yesterday, or they are gluttons for punishment. Paulette, Gary Haven and I also returned, and were joined by Meg Warder, Lisa Christensen and Patrick Gilcrease. The first half mile was a challenge for a couple of us, I went down a dozen or so times before I got my legs under me. Once that was behind me, I only fell 5-6 times per mile. Good thing the snow was deep and fluffy, no damage! We went about 5 miles at an easy pace, waiting for the stragglers (me) and enjoying another beautiful day. I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow, but that is a good thing. Using muscles that haven’t been used for awhile is always beneficial. And while I’m not running as much this month, I still need to get my endorphin fix once in awhile.

If you would like to join us next time, check out the club website (blackhillsrunnersclub.com) and join our yahoo email group. We send weekly emails letting everyone know what is going on. And who knows, you just might end up joining the club. Dave Martin did, and he admitted he is not really a runner. That’s ok though, for us it is more about fun and fellowship than it is about how good you are.

Gary

As October rolls into November, and the weather gets crisper, I find myself running less each week. This has been a pattern of mine since college. Then it was the end of the Cross Country season. Now it is just my body telling me it needs a break. It has very little to do with the weather, I actually like running in the cooler weather. But after pounding the roads and trails all spring and summer, my body and mind just crave a rest. I don’t quit running altogether, just cut back on my mileage. Once January hits, I’ll start gearing up for the next season, the next race, the next challenge.

How about you? Does anyone else find an ebb and flow in their running, or am I an anomaly? I have friends that kept running streaks alive for years, never missing a day, some of them running 5-7 miles every day. I’ve never been able to do that, either physically or mentally. Actually, I’ve never wanted to do that. Running for me is a pleasure, and when it gets to be a pain, I don’t do it. Simple as that. 

Just a reminder to anyone who might be reading this. The Black Hills Runners Club sponsored Halloween Sock Hop 5K and 1K kids run is scheduled for Sunday, Oct 26 at 1:00, Canyon Lake Park. Kids run free and receive candy at the finish line. Prizes awarded for the best costumes. Centipede’s encouraged!

We also have our annual Turkey Trot upcoming on Thanksgiving day. Three hundred fifty pies awarded. Join us for what has become an annual party. Then we have our BHRC Jingle Bell run, scheduled for Dec 10 at the Sports Rock Bar in downtown Rapid City. Run the boulevard at 6:00, then join us for refreshments and snacks. Finally, the BHRC Christmas Party will be Dec 20. Check out our web site for more info: blackhillsrunnersclub.com

You can also receive our weekly email (don’t have to be a member) by going to the website, click the join link and sign up to our Yahoo Group. The email details weekly runs and social events. Also check out the website for benefits of joining the Black Hills Runners Club. We have over 100 families already, and for $15 per year, it is easy to get your money’s worth. Don’t think you have to be some super star runner to belong, we have many walkers and joggers among our members.

See ya on the roads,

Gary

Joe R came up with a great idea for a blog. How and why we started running. I’m going to tell you my sad story, and if anyone wants to add theirs, send it to me and I’ll post it.

I was a freshman in high school, and desperately wanted to be an athlete. At 5-3 and 120 lbs, my options were limited. To short for basketball, and to small for football, I decided to go out for track. The very first day, the coach had us split up, sprinters over here, distance runners over there. I had no idea where to go, but one of the older guys (Bob) went over there with the distance runners. Now I had this major crush on his sister Janice, and figured one way to get in good with her would be to hang with Bob, so I meandered over to the distance group. Little did I know, how that decision would change the rest of my life.

My first race was in the mile at the Pierre Legion Relays. Of course I toed the line fully intending to win the race. When the gun went off, I ran off with the lead pack. That lasted about 300 meters, then reality set in. Loren Kambestad (Central HS Cross Country Coach) was the state record holder at the time. He was also in that race. I always tell people that when he finished that day, I was about 3 steps ahead of him. Of course I had another lap to go, but that is just a minor detail that I sometimes forget to add. My time that day was 6:30. By the end of the year, I was down to 6:00, but wasn’t sure I liked being a distance runner. The 100 yard dash looked good, and I wouldn’t have to worry about getting lapped.

The next year, something happened to change things. We had a new coach, Lyle Claussen, fresh from college. He saw something in me, and encouraged me to keep running long. When I ran my first 2 mile that year, he stood alongside the track and cheered for me each lap. He took the time to help me get better, even though I still wasn’t very good. He instilled in me a love for running, pride in accomplishment and a will to get better that I still carry with me today. He only coached me that one year (he was drafted into the Army) but in many ways he had as big an impact on my life as my parents. Because of him, I became a coach, and a teacher. I still enjoy passing my love of our great sport on to others. (give me a chance, show up at the Sioux Park Track on Tuesday evenings, 6:15 for speed work)

Oh, and about Janice . . . well that didn’t last, but I often wonder if she has any idea how big an effect she had on my life. Hadn’t seen her in 30 years, till last year when I was helping Jerry Dunn with the DMT Marathon. She came through the line to pick up a packet and shirt?!?

Gary

I woke up yesterday (on my 54th birthday) and came to a realization. At the moment, I was older than I have ever been in my entire life. While that seems like a problem to some, runners usually look at birthdays from a different perspective. Most runners, of any age can do something that very few people are able to do. Run! And what a great sport we have. I played basketball, softball, football and several other sports when I was younger. I still ski, bike, swim, golf and run. Running is something I can do every day of the year, with minimal preparation and expense. I hope to still be running well into my 80’s and 90’s, long as the knees hold up. 

There are many runners in South Dakota who have more “experience” than the average runner. I’ve been running since I was in school, 40+years. However, I’m looked upon as “one of the young guys” in the Black Hills Runners Club. Our club president, Tim Raben is a young looking 60+, John Haeder, Ron Bunnell and Dennis Meier are all in his age group, and still running strong. Then we have club founders Don and Cindy Walker, who have been running longer than many of us have been alive. They both continue to plug along, despite bouts of health problems. Their indomitable spirit, determination and dedication are a model for us all. 

There are, however, a couple of South Dakota runners that I think deserve mention, and possible induction into the SD Runners Hall of Fame. I first met Bob Bartling when I traveled to Brookings in 1971 to run the Jackrabbit 15 Road Race from White to Brookings. Bob was an old guy then, at about 45. At one time, he was one of the best masters runners in the upper midwest. Last year, at age 81, Bob ran the Jack 15 in 3:48:23. While far from his prime, Bob still hits the roads daily, holding on to a healthy addiction that he started many years ago.

Edith Weber, of Piedmont, is another amazing runner. I ran a race with her in Huron over the Labor Day weekend. She was complaining that her time wasn’t as good as she wanted, because she hadn’t fully recovered from the Leading Ladies Marathon. At 77, she won her age group, and at 5:48:49, she finished 85th in the 97 woman field. 

I guess the moral to all this is that no matter how old I look or feel, there is always a reason to get out of bed, tie on my shoes and go for a run. Hopefully, I’ll still be doing it when I hit 100.

See ya on the roads!

Gary

After the Wednesday night race in Wilmington, I traveled to Pasadena MD (near Baltimore) to visit my friend Beth and her daughter Kelly. Mom had to work on Thursday, so Kelly and I hit the pool to cool off. We went to Timbuktu for supper. Enjoyed getting to spend some time with some of my favorite people. Friday morning I left for Gettysburg, PA to check out some history. They have a very impressive visitors site, and then you travel around the battle site in your vehicle. It is considered by many historians as the high water mark of the Confederacy. How would our world be different today, had that battle ended differently? I would only have to run in 40 states to get all the United States?

As I drove into Brownsville, PA later that evening, my first thought was that it could be a very hilly race. Brownsville is nestled up against the Monongahela River, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. After signing up for the race the next morning, I warmed up on the last part of the course. While it did have some rolling hills, it wasn’t to bad. Waiting for the start, a couple of guys asked me to take their picture. They were there running their first race. We struck up a conversation, and I explained what I was up to. 

I ran 19:55 to place 12th out of a field of 89. That was good enough for first in my age group. I had a young whip pass me right at the finish line, but other than that it was a good race. Afterward I found Kevin and Patrick to see how they had fared in their first race. 26:30, with Kevin kicking right at the end to take bragging rights. I thought that was a very respectable time for a first 5K. They were happy, wouldn’t be surprised if they did it again sometime. Funny how this running thing can get in your blood!

Put a check mark by Pennsylvania, number 46. I only have Nevada, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire left. Anyone want to go on a road trip to the New England states next year?

After that I began the long drive home. Spent Sunday evening in Columbus, NE with my Aunt and Uncle, then drove to Howard, SD to spend an evening with my Mom & Dad. Finally, after driving over 4250 miles, I’m back home again. A fun trip! With lot’s of racing and lot’s of historic sightseeing. Hope to see you on the road sometime soon.

Gary

I spent Wednesday touring Wilmington, DE. Not much, but did eat dinner (noon meal) at Joe’s Crab Shack. That was good. They had a small gathering going on downtown at the Ceasar Rodney Square. Not sure what it was, but there was food and music, and a good way to spend the afternoon.

The Mayor’s Cup had only 41 runners last year, due to 105 degree temps. This year there were 71 finishers, and not nearly as hot. Results here! Pictures here! Good picture of me (Jeff Miller??) at the finish line. The out and back course started downhill, so of course finished back uphill. My legs are beginning to feel the strain. Five races in seven days is taking a toll I think. My first mile was 6:20, and I finished in 20:15. Ninth overall and 2nd in my age group, nice trophy! The mayor didn’t actually show, but had one of his “people” hand out the awards. 

Afterward I climbed into my traveling home and headed for Pasadena (Maryland) to visit Beth Bohn and her daughter Kelly. Beth is a longtime friend, and Kelly calls me “Uncle” Gary. First order of business was to get a shower and wash some clothes. My singlet had been standing in the back of the van all by itself. After a good night’s sleep, will spend a day with them. 

Gary Miller

Let’s see, when we last left our hero, he was stranded along the road with a flat tire. Fortunately, I was able to purchase 2 new tires the next morning. (Left front flat, right front badly worn) Then it was off to New Jersey. Of course that meant I had to fight my way back through the New York traffic.

Finally got to Jersey City and got on the ferry for Ellis Island. Really anti climactic there, but had some excitement when I got back on the ferry. I’m riding along, disappointed because the ferry isn’t going to the Statue of Liberty, and (oh-oh) it’s not going back to New Jersey either! I was on the slow boat to New York!! When everyone else got off, I hid away until people started coming back on, then found a seat topside. Off we go again, this time to Liberty Island. Now that was a bit more impressive. I hadn’t bought the ticket to go inside up to the viewing deck (who knew), but was able to walk around and get some pictures. (I’ll add some pictures to these blogs after I get home next week and can download them to my desktop computer) I was careful to get on the ferry back to New Jersey this time.

It’s only about 5 miles from Jersey City to Hoboken, but of course all the roads are one way - the WRONG WAY! Needless to say it took longer to get to the race than it should have. Another BIG RACE, 778 finishers. Results here!  Story here!  As I said earlier, I always hate the start of big races. I started in about row 10, with about 15-20 people across each row. Spent the first 400 meters trying not to get tripped, and spent the entire race passing people. I did run negative splits however, which I think is always a good thing. My mile splits were 6:34-6:20-6:19 with a final time of 19:36. That was good enough for 72nd. The last half of the race I had my eye on a guy with my hair style and color. He was about 40-50 meters ahead at the turn around. I closed the gap and passed him with about 200 meters to go. After the race he asked how old I was and was disappointed to find we were in the same age group. I finished 5th out of 42 in my age group. All in all a pretty good effort considering it was my 3rd race in as many days. I’m sure the elevation is helping as it was right on the waterfront, and very flat.

Headed down the Jersey Turnpike after the race (we should turn I90 into a toll road, let the tourists pay some additional taxes) and spent the night near Trenton. Then on into Philly today. Got some good pictures of the Liberty Bell, spent time in the Philadelphia Mint and went through the Independence Visitor Center. Also took a walk around the downtown area. Stopped in a small local eatery and had a real Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. Must say it was good, but I like Philly Ted’s in Rapid City better.

On to Wilmington, Delaware! There is a 5k here tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, so I ran the course when I got here. Very humid, and uphill the last half mile, could make it challenging. Then stopped in a local steak house that was recommended to me. They had a Filet Mignon for $22 that was the cheapest thing on the menu. After closer inspection I found out why their prices are so high. They get all their meat from cattle farms in South Dakota. The waitress assured me it was the best meat available anywhere, corn fed! When I asked her if it was Herford or Angus, she got this blank look?? When she brought my steak, she assured me it was Angus, the cook had never heard of Herford. Looking for things to keep me occupied in Wilmington tomorrow, maybe I’ll go to the zoo.

Check off New Jersey, number 44!

Gary Miller

Today started off great and ended bad. As I drove into the race area at the Run4Kerri in Wakefield, RI, my first thought was “I’m not going to finish in the top 10 today”! They had 3 guys directing traffic to get the cars parked. This is a big race, with 832 people signed up. Very well organized, the only glitch they had all day was starting about 10 minutes late because of people showing up late to sign up. 

As usual in races like this, there were many people toeing the line that had no reason to be up front. Many of them were kids. The starter asked them to back up and let the real runners up front, so they backed up about 4 rows. This put them right in front of me. I spent the first 400 meters dodging people who should have started back much further. Never seems to be a good way to get a big race like this going smoothly. 

Thought I’d go out easy today, because I thought I might be tired from the race yesterday. Went a bit slower at the start, but still went through the mile in 6:30. Felt good, wasn’t quite as hot as the past two races. This race was also a tad bit long (according to my GPS), 4.04 miles. The spooky thing was that my time through 4 miles was 26:39, the same as yesterday! Didn’t finish quite as high today however. I was 60th overall, and 9th in my age group. All in all though, I was quite happy with my time both yesterday and today. We will see how it affects my race tomorrow.

After the race, I hit the local beach for a couple of hours to cool off and catch some sun. Then as I headed down Hwy 1, I noticed signs pointing out the way to the “Seafood Festival”. Anyone who knows me, knows I couldn’t pass that up. Think “Central States Fair” with lots of seafood booths.

After that I headed down I95, planning to spend the night somewhere in CT. That was when I started to notice a funny whine coming from the vicinity of my left front tire. Yep, flat tire! I managed to limp to the nearest exit and get out of the main traffic flow. That’s when my problems really began. My jack wouldn’t go up high enough to get the tire off the ground, so I called my motor club to have someone come assist. An hour later the lady called back and told me they couldn’t find anyone in the area. My best option was to call 911 and get police help. Two and a half hours after getting the flat, I was still sitting there waiting, so I gave 911 another call. “Are you still there”? the lady asked. Someone finally showed up and helped get the spare on. Of course it was almost flat also. I was able to get to a station for some air. Hopefully I can get a replacement tire tomorrow.

I have now added New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island to my list of races, giving me 43. Going to Hoboken, NJ for a 5K tomorrow. Hope to stop off and see Lady Liberty on the way.

Bad News! My Yankees lost to the Angles with me in attendance on Friday evening. This marks the first time they have ever lost a game I attended. After the game, I made a quick trip to Killingworth, CT for a 4 miler this morning. 

I must have learned something from my debacle of Thursday. Went out slower and ran much better. It was an interesting race, with 70 or so runners. The first 2 miles of the loop were downhill, and I kept waiting for the inevitable climb back to the finish. It never came??? The last 2 miles seemed slightly uphill, but not enough to make up for the downhill. 

Early on, a 63 year old gentleman pulled away from me and had about 15 seconds on me at the mile mark. I went through in 6:35. Started to gain slightly on him after that, and he became my goal. I caught him just before the 3 mile mark and held him off to be the first “old” guy to finish. I was 9th overall in 27:53 and 1st in the 50-59 age group. According to my GPS, the course was .17 long, I went through 4 mile in 26:39. The overall winner was about 24:?? and second place was 19 year old girl in 25:00. That means she ran sub 6:00 pace. Oh, and did I mention that it was hot and humid? Seems like it gets that way in the summer out here. Results here.

Also got interviewed by the Killingworth Today. Check out the start picture, I’m sneaking around the first corner in the very left of the picture. No hair and blue singlet!

Spent the rest of my day looking at Plymouth Rock. I have an ancestor who got off the Mayflower in 1620, so thought this would be a good chance to see it. Not very impressive, it looked much like other rocks I’ve seen in my day.

Another 4 miler tomorrow, in Rhode Island.