You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Pork Power’ tag.
“I survived the 2012 Boston Marathon”. That’s the shirt that Dale wants someone to create so that he can buy it. 87° temperatures and running a marathon are two things that do not go well together. Yet Dale was able to stay upright, when unfortunately many didn’t, and run a very respectable 3:45 marathon.
Our weekend in Boston was memorable; not only for the heat but for the great opportunity we had to promote pork during the Health Expo. As I walked into the Event Center, I could smell the inviting scent of grilled pork. Even though the place was packed and I couldn’t find our booth, I knew the Pork Power team was there. We had lots of people ask why pork was at the Health Expo. When we tell them how well a lean protein like pork fits into an athlete’s diet, you could see their head nod in agreement.
Over and over we instructed people on the proper way to cook pork and how that really does make a difference in juiciness and taste. In the end, our goal was to create a positive impression, to provide a little education and to encourage people to continue to buy pork.
Having goals and committing to the hard work and discipline to achieve those goals applies to most everything we do in life, from promoting pork to running marathons. Sometimes things happen beyond our control but that doesn’t make the preparation or the effort needed to accomplish the task any less significant.
Simply having the courage to take on a daunting task reflects the true character of a person.
Congratulations Boston Marathon Finishers
Dale’s remodeling project continues to move along. The ceiling was the area of focus. Brett cut out inlet areas and built wooden frames, which you see here. The air will be drawn through the louvers into the room.
They also painted the ceiling with an epoxy paint which helped stopped the rust and provide coverage and protection. If you’re not familiar with epoxy paint, it’s not like your regular paint. It bonds quickly and strongly to many kinds of surfaces, including skin. Imagine my surprise (okay, that’s not the word the kids would use) when they came walking into the house, hands full of paint, wondering how they were going to get it off. The solution – plain old fashioned scrubbing. A day or two later the evidence of paint was gone, except for a few traces on Beth’s fingernails, but that just looked like polish. Thank goodness the boys were due to get haircuts, since that was the only way to get the paint out of Adam’s hair.
The next step will be to hang the white plastic paneling on the walls, which will protect them and provide easier clean up and then 
remove the slats to prepare for the new flooring.
One of my goals this summer was to run a longer distance race, somewhere between 5-6 miles. I was able to accomplish that goal today with Dale’s help at the Freedom Run 8K in St. Peter. Physically I thought I could probably run that far, but mentally I knew I’d do better and enjoy it more if someone ran with me. Dale, coming off Grandma’s Marathon two weeks ago agreed to be my running partner and pacer.
The whole family loaded in the van at 6:00 am this morning, since Beth was running the 1 mile kids race and I needed the boys to stay with her while we ran. It was a beautiful morning and as we gathered at the starting line, I wasn’t too nervous but I told Dale my goal was not to walk at all.
We started off at a nice pace and as we ran I already was starting to sweat. Having experienced stinging sweat in my eyes on some of my training runs, I borrowed Beth’s headband that she got at Grandma’s Marathon which really worked to absorb the sweat.
We ran at a consistent pace, slowing slightly for the hills. Dale and I didn’t talk much but I appreciated his words of encouragement and the steady sound of his stride next to mine. As we passed mile marker 3 going up a slight hill, I knew things were going to be okay. As we came upon mile 4, I was ready to pick up the pace a bit, which was the right time since we were starting to go downhill.
As we ran down the hill Dale encouraged me to open up my stride and then as we neared the end, he told me to go after a lady ahead wearing a hat. Just as I surged, she did too, but I passed her right before the finish line and finished with a time of 46 minutes, 50 seconds. Not a course record or even a placing for my age, but still a nice time.
The race was important to me mentally and physically, to give me the confidence to know I can run those distances. I really appreciated Dale’s support and I know it was hard for him not to just break out and run faster.
Beth finished the morning with a nice one mile run, finishing second overall and the first girl.
Setting goals is important; but achieving those goals gives us confidence to do even greater things.
This week Brett & Adam registered to run the Gary Bjorklund 1/2 Marathon as part of the Pork Power team during Grandma’s Marathon weekend. I am excited for them, but also a bit nervous. This distance is considerably more than what they have done before. While they will be doing it as part of their Cross Country training, I hope they don’t hurt something that would affect their season. (Boy, doesn’t that sound like something a Mom would say?)
Really though, I am proud of them for making the commitment. It’s something they have been talking about ever since they found out the MN Pork Board would be a sponsor and the Pork Power team would return to Duluth. They still talk about what a great time they had last year and although their race will be different, I hope they have just as much fun.
Perhaps I’ll even get them to share a few of their training experiences through this blog. Stay tuned.
astevermer
Dale Stevermer
Lori Stevermer
Monica
Pork Power
teresastevermer
Pork Power Blog 