Whenever I know I’m going to travel I try to figure out if there are any good places to run, or better yet, any races to run. I typically wouldn’t run a race the week before the Boston Marathon but I came across an opportunity I couldn’t resist with the 10 mile race at Goldy’s Run. I absolutely adore the band Semisonic and their live shows are few and far between. More often than not, I need to travel to Minnesota for their hometown shows if I want to see them live. One of those rare shows happened to get scheduled the weekend before I head to Boston. I questioned if I really ought to try that, but the show was scheduled on a Saturday, I wouldn’t have to use any vacation time, and I REALLY wanted to see them.

A quick search of Minneapolis running races came up with Goldy’s Run. I could tell that it would be a big race because it would finish on University of Minnesota’s football field. It fell on Sunday, April 7 which was the day after the concert. I conveniently had 12 miles on my training schedule for that day. How could I resist? I found a hotel on campus less than half a mile from the start and I signed up. It was helpful that they gave the option to mail the shirt and bib since I couldn’t make it to any of the packet pickup events.

Two weeks out from Boston my left Achilles became problematic and it was sore enough that I knew I ought to take some time off. I had a total of four rest days in the week leading up to Goldy’s Run. I didn’t want to do anything dumb and potentially mess things up for Boston, but I was convinced that I could still do this race.

With a super early flight into Minnesota on Saturday morning, gaining an extra hour of time, and being out late at the concert, I was up for 23 hours straight. That combined with standing all night at the show didn’t seem like I was setting myself up for success. I’ve gone to concerts the night before other races and pulled those off somehow so I figured it would work out. Staying close to the race site helped a lot too because I ran out of the hotel 25 minutes before the start which helped me get a little extra sleep.

The forecast didn’t look great. It showed that the wind could hit 30 mph and we’d get plenty of rain. This is why I train in the rain – so I’m prepared for those conditions on race day. It might not be ideal but I just had to dress appropriately.

There was some light rain as I left the hotel but nothing significant. Then it seemed to stop! Despite the forecast, we actually lucked out and didn’t get much more than a few drops of rain throughout the race. There was a little wind and it was tricky running into it at times, but we also got it at our backs other times.

I planned to run a mile to warm up and left the hotel late enough that I finished just after the 5K race started at 8:00. The 10 mile was due to start 20 minutes later so I lingered in the road outside of Huntington Bank Stadium and waited for the large group of 5K people to clear out. I had fun watching the antics of Goldy, the Golden Gophers’ mascot.

Soon enough it was time to start and I aimed to keep myself under control and not truly “race” this one. My PR for 10 miles is just under 1:14:00 and I decided I could aim for marathon pace but no faster. That would put me at a pace of 8:00 miles and a time of 1:20:00. I was pretty disciplined, running in the 7:50s for the first few miles and hovering close to that 8:00 pace.

We started on campus and got out to the road that runs along the Mississippi River by the end of the first mile. That’s where most of the race occurred and it was a nice course with a few hills to help me feel like I’m getting practice for Boston. There were some good uphills followed by downhill momentum to make up for the slowdowns.

I have run the Twin Cities Marathon and the Red, White and Boom Half Marathon around Minneapolis, so this was my third race in the area. Minneapolis is an awesome place for active people. There is a vast system of paths all over the city and beyond which seems like a dream for runners and cyclists. While we ran on the road for this race, I admired the paths right next to us that also followed the river.

I was aware of my Achilles soreness pretty much from the start. I don’t know if it faded after a bit or if I just got distracted, but I realized that it didn’t consume my thoughts the whole time. That was a huge relief because I assume I will still be battling this issue in Boston where I hope it doesn’t pull my mind away from fully taking in the amazing experience. An out-and-back stretch was one good distraction when I got to watch runners going the opposite direction for a little bit.

I was still high on the experience of the Semisonic show from the night before which kept my mind busy too. I was thrilled that the band had played “Beautiful Sky” which is one of my favorites. That song in particular ran through my head for a majority of the race.

“It’s a beautiful sky, at times I thought it would fall. Just to be here alive and to let that be all. Let’s make this one last.”

I can get pretty reflective when I run and that song really resonated with me as I ran. It reminds me to be grateful and to truly appreciate these experiences. “Let’s make this one last” became a kind of mantra for the whole race. There were moments when I was working hard and I’d start to count down how much distance I had left. Yet at the same time, I really tried to recognize how I love the feeling of strength and being able to do these things in these gorgeous places. It may not have been a “beautiful sky” per se, but running along the river road by the great paths and around a gorgeous campus still felt pretty special.

As we climbed a pretty steep hill with about a mile left in the race I told myself that this is what I’ll be doing in Boston too and it’s just preparing me. I felt pretty good once I got past the hill and may have gotten some wind at my back because I got a little burst of speed. I tried to keep it up but it felt tough as I ran around the exterior of the stadium and right into the wind. It seemed to take forever to finally come to the spot that took us into the stadium. Toledo’s Glass City Marathon finishes on a football field as well so I was familiar with the atmosphere of running down a ramp on the way to the field turf. Finishing on the 50-yard line in a huge stadium is a pretty cool experience.

Although I picked up the pace a bit during the last mile, I wasn’t too wiped out at the end for a change. That helped reassure me that I’d been disciplined about not pushing harder than I should have.

The rain held off for the most part but there was a pretty good breeze so I knew I’d have to keep the celebration brief and get back to the hotel before I got too cold. Not to mention it was 9:45 and I was supposed to check out at 11:00! I had to take in the stadium experience a little bit though.

Water and sports drinks were available along with Ensure, bananas, granola bars, and chips. I took a few things and semi-jogged back to the hotel, both for warmth and because I knew I needed to hurry up.

Achilles soreness came on again after the race which tells me I’ll need to take more days off in the final stretch before Boston. At least this race and the prior weekend’s long run reassured me that despite some discomfort, I can run through this issue and should be able to get through Boston. After that I better be serious about recovery so I can shake this issue.

I really lucked out that I happened to be in town at the right time and came across this race because it was a good one. The Twin Cities Marathon was one of my favorite races and I’m tempted to do again at some point. I definitely feel inspired to do more races in Minnesota. It’s a pretty great place!

– Janet

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