With South Dakota, there is no happy medium. Just a few days ago, I was bundled up in a sweater and a scarf, and today, I’m pulling shorts and a t-shirt from the back of my closet! In March, I shared with AgWired readers that my sister and I had signed up for a half marathon in Brookings, S.D. on May 16, 2009. In my blog post, I told everyone how I joined Team ZIP (Zinc, Iron and Protein), is a group of runners who believe in the power of protein in the land of lean beef. Team ZIP demonstrates that beef gives the strength needed to cross the finish line by participating in running, cycling and triathlon events across the country.

Well, that was about a month ago, and training has been going okay. My knees hurt once in awhile, and an injured foot slowed me down for a week…but I’m still trucking along. Anyway, this week my Team ZIP jersey came in the mail, and boy, is it snazzy! I’m excited to put it on and run 13.1 miles on behalf of the beef industry. However, while I was running in the scorching heat and infamous South Dakota winds today, I realized that there is huge pressure for me to run well on race day. How good will it look if I’m wearing a beef shirt, and I’m as slow as a turtle! Have any of you ran competitively before? Got any advice or words of encouragement? I’m going to need it! BEEF, it’s what’s for dinner!