Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon

Fabulous marathon!  I started out at a pretty good pace but was really starting to wear down by about mile 20.  It was pretty hilly and starting to get a little warm.  But I really can't complain too much about the temperature because it was pretty close to ideal.  Unfortunately this marathon has a 6 hour time limit and I was really pushing that limit.  If we get too far behind we get picked up by the sag wagon and don't get to finish. 

I was really dragging when my team coaches happened along.  Dave and Kevin ran along with me encouraging me the whole last few miles.  It was interesting that even though I thought I was running absolutely as fast as possible, they showed me that I really could run even faster.  The van was right behind me that last mile and I was literally gasping for breath, but I made it.  I was one of the very last people to cross that finish line.  I thought I would faint when I finally got there.  But I did get there and I did finish.  My time was 6 hours and 47 seconds.  I was first and also last in my age group too! I staggered to the Team In Training tent and checked in.  I had to rest for a while before heading to the metro station with a few of the others. 

I'm so glad the coaches were there because I doubt that I would have made it without their encouragement.  It really showed me something though.  It showed me that I can run faster if I really want to. I plan to train really hard in June for my next runs.  I need to pick up the pace and get back into shape. 

Here I am after the marathon, with my little Hello Kitty riding on my belt.  I think she looks tired too!

What mattered the most was the cause.  Our 266 Team In Training members brought in a huge amount of money to help find a cure for blood cancers.  So, it really doesn't matter how fast we run, only that we do it. Curing cancer is the real finish line!

Very Short Run

We did one more short little practice run, right from our hotel this morning. I felt a little better than yesterday. Not breaking any speed records though.  I spent the rest of the day walking around Puerta del Sol and even did a nice little tour of the Royal Palace.  That was quite amazing.  Inspiration dinner tonight then a good rest for the marathon in the morning.

4 km Practice Run

In Madrid, Spain with the Team In Training group.  We did a short 4 km run along the last 4 km of the marathon course.  I was still pretty tired from the long flight and I could tell that I was not going to be breaking any speed records on the marathon on Sunday.  I've enjoyed exploring Madrid for a couple of days though.  What a fascinating city.

Archangel Valley Road

A perfect day to cross country ski with the Walkabouts.  We skied all the way up to the gate on Archangel Valley Road.  Perfect warm temperature, nice spring snow.  The light was a little flat skiing down the steepest part but the sun came back out when we got down lower.  It was a wonderful 4 hour workout.  My last skiing before leaving for Madrid tomorrow.  Then off to the Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon for Team In Training. 

Archangel Valley today.

Alyeska

What a beautiful day.  Instead of running or cross country skiing, I decided to go to Mt. Alyeska and finally get in a day of downhill skiing.  I skied for 4 hours and I could really feel it in my legs.  It was the best skiing conditions I have ever seen.  Beautiful spring snow. The weather was perfect, in the low 40's, bright sunshine and no wind.  It doesn't get much better than that.  It was the only chance I have had to downhill ski all winter. 

The view from the top was out of this world.

It was pretty amazing along the highway too.

Archangel Valley Ski

The snow is so perfect for cross country skiing right now that I just had to take advantage of it again.  I spent a couple hours on Archangel Valley Road at Hatcher Pass, with my cross country skis.  It was almost hot out there.  I even saw one man skiing with no shirt.  He was quite sunburned though.  It was a gorgeous day.

A photo taken from my cell phone.

Outdoors with Hills!

Finally a good outdoor run.  Right from my house, up and down Clark Wolverine Road with all its hills.  What a beautiful sunny day too.  Not a cloud in the sky, and temperature around 45 degrees.  Just a short 5 mile run today to readjust to outdoor running. It felt so much better than the treadmill. There is snow everywhere but on the paved road.  My road was pretty muddy so I had to walk through that big mess. I will be flying to Spain in another week, heading to Madrid for the Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon with Team In Training. 

Cross Country Skiing

I went cross country skiing for 2 hours on Eklutna Lake today.  A beautiful day in the bright sunshine.  A good workout on the smoothest snow I have ever seen. 

At the Alaska Club

I woke up to a snowstorm this morning.  So much for running outdoors. I was also having some ankle pain but decided to go to the Alaska Club and try running on the treadmill.  It didn't seem to bother me while I was running for 3 miles.  I also did my usual workout with the weight machines.  It all felt pretty good.  It has been a while since I've been able to go to the Alaska Club because of my month up in Deadhorse.

It is still snowing hard.  While I was at Easter Vigil Mass tonight 3 inches fell at my house and about 2 inches of wet snow on my car down at the church.  We stood out in the snow by the bonfire while the Easter candle was blessed and lit.  It was a wonderful service tonight.

Happy Easter!

Cross Country Skiing

I finally got outside for some exercise and some fun.  I cross country skied up at Hatcher Pass up past Independence Mine and on the longer winding trail back to the parking lot. I only skied for a little over and hour and Nike+ said I went 2.64 miles. It was great to get in some good uphill though. It was so warm that I worked up quite  a sweat but cooled off nicely on the downhill parts.  It was beautiful with bright sunshine and no wind.  Pretty hard to beat today for perfect conditions. It was warm enough though that it was probably pretty sloppy off the groomed trails.