Amchorage Hillside

Oh how gorgeous was my little cross country ski trek today with Diane. Beautiful new snowfall. I hope we get lots of snow this winter because I could be happy doing this every day until April. My ski legs are a little rusty. In fact I think I'm just getting a little rusty in general.  Too much concentration on marathons and not enough dedication to some of the other outdoor adventures that I cherish so much.

Anchorage Hillside

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

A fantastic day to just go for a solo hike along the Eklutna Lakeside Trail. I turned around at the Bold Peak Trail head foe a nice 10 mile trek. I think Eklutna Lake will always be one of my favorite places. I was alone the whole way. I felt for a little while there really was peace on earth. At least there was on this walk,

How can you ever beat this view?

Eklutna Lake

And Back Down!

What goes up must also go down. The descent got pretty treacherous at times on the way down from Flattop.  I slipped a few times.  Diane and Tobi left me in the dust a few times. Yep, I need to do more climbing.  I'm getting out of climbing shape.  But still a fabulous day to be in the mountains overlooking Anchorage.

Diane & Tobi Flattop Summit

Climbing Flattop

What a fun way to get a great workout.  I hiked up Flattop with Diane and her crazy puppy Tobi. I'd forgotten how strenuous that climb can be.  I did my share of stumbling while negotiating the rocks near the top.  I didn't feel very surefooted though,  I've been spending too much time running in the flat lands.  I definitely need to do more trails and climbs.  But it was a perfect day.

Only about a mile and a half, but a great workout with a beautiful view,

Chicago Marathon

Finished marathon number 90 and another successful race with Team In Training.  The marathon raised $865,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with 321 Team In Training runners. My own fundraiser raised over $4000 and our joint team effort through Team Deere raised over $100,000. It was a very successful event.  I love when I can run knowing that my effort is for such a worthy cause.

I was worried that my abscessed tooth might give me trouble over the weekend but it was completely quiet, even though my face was still swollen and my jaw was kind of black and blue.  I looked like I had been training for a boxing match instead of a marathon.  I can look forward to the root canal on Wednesday.

We were blessed with perfect weather for the Chicago Marathon.  It was in the high 50's to low 60's, perfect for running.  I was slower than I had hoped but actually I felt really good and strong the whole way.  I was disappointed to see that I was still over 6 hours. But I beat the time limit and got my medal and official time, so that's what counts.

Chicago is a lovely city and our hotel was wonderful.

Prague

In a little over one week I will run the Chicago Marathon for Team In Training.  So it's time to register for my next event.  I just got the word that the Prague Marathon event is available for Team In Training registration.  So I'm registered!  I'm all ready for Team In Training event number #18. I set my usual goal of $10,000 which I have yet to reach on any of my previous events. I donated the minimum myself so have already reached that requirement.  Everything else will be towards my goal. Maybe I can make it this time.

Race 4 Cancer

BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION HERE!

Mud Mud Mud!

You couldn't ask for a more beautiful day. Bright sunshine, no wind, a cool 35 degrees. But when I attempted to do my usual 5 mile run around the lake, I thought I might be swallowed up by the mud on the road.  We've had snow and rain for a few days and it looks like the grader has gone through and turned that dirt road to mush.  So once I reached the Dalton Highway at about 3/4 mile I turned down there because it is a much higher quality road.  It was really nice and dry.  After going around the end of the airport I found an access road that runs along the river bank, and ran there for about a mile.  My shoes are a muddy mess, especially since I still had to run back along that first muddy part.  But even a muddy run is better than no run at all!

It felt great!

Alaska Scenic Byway!