Thank you

I've heard from a few of you after the scholarship letters were sent out. Thank you to all of you who have made donations to the Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship. Even if you are unable to make a donation at this time, I would love to hear from you and get an update on your life. Please post a comment on this blog or email me at reneetastad@hotmail.com.

Maui Wowie

I've just returned from 2 weeks in Hawaii...what a wonderful vacation! We spent 3 days on the Big Island roaming around the active volcano, and then 10 sun filled days on Maui. We found a great condo in Kihei which served as a home base for snorkeling, boogie boarding, hiking, swimming, beach combing, whale watching, running, biking, and shopping. With all of that fun stuff going on, I didn't get to run as much as I had planned, but I did get in a few runs here and there, including my scheduled 18 miler. I learned the hard way that you must get up early and start your runs by 5:30 in order to be done before it gets too hot. Scout stayed with our friends Scott and Kathleen while we were gone. She ran with Scott in the morning and Kathleen in the afternoon, so she was getting in 2-a-days while I was sitting on the beach. Here are a couple of picutres from our trip.

12 miles easy...off posting for a while

Scout and I did 12 easy today at about 8:50 pace. I was a little tired from my race with the Jr High boys, but nothing major. I'm leaving in the morning for Maui and will be gone for two weeks, so no posts from me. Scout is staying with our friends Scott and Kathleen. Both Scott and Kathleen are runners, so Scout will continue to get in her miles. Bye for now!

Thai food bad when racing junior high boys...

Today I had lunch at Swing Thai with my friend, Lauren, and her new baby Lucy. It was wonderful to see her as it had been quite a while. It was especially nice to meet the beautiful Lucy.
So the workout for today was to run 10 miles with the first two at 9 min pace, the next two 8:40, the next two at 8:20, the next three at 8:00, and the last mile a cool down. I started off right on target with miles 1 & 2 at just under 9:00 pace, and miles 3 & 4 right at 8:40 pace. I stopped after mile 4 to stretch for a bit. Just as I was about to begin mile 5, I saw the Wheat Ridge junior high track boys coming up the trail. Well, I wasn't about to be passed like an old lady standing still, so my whole 8:20 pace went out the window and I ran the next three miles at 7:40 pace. They didn't pass me. I settled down to 8:25 pace for miles 8 & 9 because by then the Thai food was wanting to reappear.

Scholarship Info

As I mentioned in earlier posts, the main reason why I began this training program and set my sights on qualifying for the Boston Marathon was to raise pledges for a scholarship to Jamestown College. Now, an account has been set up with the Jamestown College Foundation for the Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship. My goal is to raise $1,000 or more for a student from Groton, SD high school to attend Jamestown College.

Pledges can be made in a number of different ways. Secure online donations can be made at https://jc.yourmembership.com/donations/donate.asp?id=665 - be sure to put "Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship" in the Donor Comments section. Or, checks can be mailed to the Jamestown College Foundation, Attn: Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship, 6082 College Lane, Jamestown, ND 58405.

Another option is to add a little more pressure on me and make your pledge contingent on me making the qualifying time. If you want to do this (and I sincerely hope that some of you will), please post a comment to this blog. I tend to thrive under pressure, so scholarship $$ on the line could certainly work as a motivator.

Some of my former teammates from GHS who were also coached by Rob Luecke will be receiving letters (written by me but mailed by my mom since she is so wonderfully retired) asking for donations. The letter is as follows:

Dear «Insert Name»,

Greetings! During my time at Groton H.S., I had the wonderful opportunity to have you as a teammate. Coached by Rob Luecke, we learned the values of hard work, dedication, and commitment. These values have played an important role in my life, and I trust they have in yours as well. Coach Luecke was instrumental in not only preparing us for the competition ahead, but preparing us for life as well. We learned how to win with confidence and lose with grace. Sadly, Coach Luecke lost his life on December 23, 2007 at the young age of 47. He will always hold a place in my memory, and in my heart.

Coach Luecke and his wife, Becky, both attended Jamestown College (JC) in Jamestown, ND before moving to Groton. I, too, had the opportunity to attend JC after graduation. Jamestown College is often called the “Ivy League of the Region”, not only because of the beautiful campus and community, but because it is one of the finest Liberal Arts colleges in the area. Unfortunately, very few students from GHS attend Jamestown College after graduation. With tuition, room, and board estimated at $19,885 per year, many students and parents from Groton do not even consider Jamestown College as an option. With your help, I would like to be able to make the quality private education of Jamestown College a reality to at least one GHS graduate each year.

As teammates, we learned to work together towards a common goal. We supported each other during practice and at meets, on the field and off. Today, I am asking you to once again join your team, this time in support of the Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship. Our goal is to raise $1,000 for a scholarship to Jamestown College. A fund has been set up through the Jamestown College Foundation to assist us in meeting our goal. Donations can be made through a secure online donation portal. Go to www.jc.edu, click on “Support Jamestown College”, then choose “Scholarship” from the drop down menu. In the “Donor Comments” section, be sure to write “Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship”. Alternatively, you can send a check to Jamestown College Foundation Office, Attn: Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship, 6082 College Lane, Jamestown, ND, 58405.

Because Coach Luecke prepared me to be a runner for life, I am now training to qualify for the 2009 Boston Marathon. The qualifying race I have chosen is the Brookings, SD Marathon on May 10, 2008 in which I must finish in 3 hrs. 45 min. or faster. You can follow my training progress at http://reneeandscoutrun.blogspot.com. Instead of a one time scholarship donation, you may choose to make a pledge based on the number of miles I run in training, my finishing time, or pledge to match a portion of the funds raised only if I qualify for Boston. You can decide.

Please, join together with your teammates once again to remember Coach Rob Luecke through this memorial scholarship. Thank you.

Sincerely,


Renee Tastad McDonald GHS class of 1990
reneetastad@hotmail.com

A good 16 miles

Finally! A long run that felt good! Scout and I had an excellent run this morning. 16 miles along the Clear Creek path east into Arvada and Westminster.

My average pace was 8:55, so I'm very happy with my ability to keep it nice and slow. This was Scout's longest run to date. She had a nice roll in the yard while I was stretching.

I have more info on the scholarship...more on that in my next post.

33 mile week

This past week was eventful...Scout and I ran 8 miles at 8:47 pace on Tuesday. On Wednesday I got on the treadmill and did 6x 1/2 mile repeats at 7:35, 7:25, 7:13, 7:13, 7:08, and 7:08 mile pace. Thursday was a recovery day running 4 miles slow (Scout got to run off leash to her heart's content). Saturday was our 15 mile day. The weather on Saturday was HOT for the beginning of March (mid to high 70's). Scout and I started off at about 9:30 a.m. I'm not sure if Scout was tired, not feeling well, if her feet were sore, or if she was too hot, but she was dragging after only 4 miles. I brought her back to the truck so she could rest and continued my run. After the first four miles with Scout at 8:45 pace, I ran the next 8 miles at 9 min pace. Once I got back to the truck, I planned on running the last 3 miles with Scout, but it was too hot (she still has all of her winter fur). So we just walked a mile or so on the trail and drank water. When I got back home, I finished the last 3 miles on roads around my house. So, the 15 miles was drug out over time, but done.

It is official...I actually registered and paid my entrance fee for the Brookings Marathon http://www.brookingsmarathon.com/! Reading the course description, I must say that I am a little concerned about the wind factor. When the course director feels it is necessary to point out where on the course you may be exposed to the wind, and where you might have some protection, it makes me nervous. Plus, I bet I can count on one hand the number of track meets we had in SD and ND in April and May where the wind was not a factor, and that is over a 10 year timeframe! So, with 10 weeks to go, I will train to run a 3:30 marathon (8:00 min/mile pace) so if the wind is a factor, I hope to still be able to pull off a 3:45. My friend Heather, a seasoned marathoner (2 hr. 55 min. Grandma's Marathon 2002) told me that if I could run 8x 1/2 mile repeats at 7:00 pace at 1 month out (by April 10th), I will have no problem running a 3:30. So, I'll shoot for that!

Mentally, I need to focus on the long runs right now. In the following weeks, my long runs will consist of 16, 18, back-to-back 10, 20, and 22 milers. If I can get through these, I know I'll be fine. This is where I have struggled in the past, and I know that both mentally and physically, the long runs will be a challenge for me. I love the tempo work, and I love getting on the treadmill and running fast. I get really bored with the long runs, and just keep thinking "I can run faster than this!". This is where I get into trouble. I need to reframe my mindset during these long runs and challenge myself to run a consistent 9:00 pace, slow enough to be able to sustain for 20+ miles.