University of Minnesota Athletics
Summer Greetings from Director of Operations Abby Kalland
7/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Postcard #12 Friday, July 27
Welcome to the Golden Gophers’ Summer 2007 Fun in the Sun series. A new Gopher player or coach will be featured every day for the next couple of weeks. We hope you enjoy a glimpse of how your favorite Golden Gophers are spending the summer.
Go Gophers!
Hi everyone!
My summer started with a kick in the socks - literally! A friend and I ran the New Prague Half Marathon for the second year in a row. We have always had fun running together around the city lakes and meeting new people along the way. Through college we built our resume with several 15Ks and 10-milers. Last year we decided to push ourselves to the next level. We were pleased with our time and we thought “Hey, maybe this could be an annual thing for us!” So this past May, we registered once again.
Race day 2007 was exhilarating because it was crisp and sunny, and buzzing with the energy of those psycho-runners (for whom this was just a stroll in the park). Just like the terrain outside of Northfield, my home town, the hills of the New Prague course challenge all runners: you are either coasting downhill or struggling uphill there is no in between! After mile five we were still holding our nine-minute-mile pace; through the middle we slowed down a bit, but still managed to remove thirteen minutes from our previous time we hit two hours flat! I was so thrilled, that I allowed myself two ice-cream treats from the hospitality tent!
After the drive home, during which our muscles froze in immobility, we had to roll out of the car and we are only twenty-five! However, we still were able to use the rest of our day and even managed to stay on our feet to dance at night! Next on my list: I guess that would have to be a marathon...but for now, I’m enjoying my morning jogs!
Have a great rest of the summer and we’ll see you in the Barn soon!
Abby
