Marathon Maniacs

I just got officially accepted into Marathon Maniacs.  #5783

I also just signed up for the Marathon de Paris with Team In Training Flex.  Awesome!  I was planning to do that one right before I hike the Camino de Santiago.  It will be so much more fun and purposeful with Team In Training.

I ran out of room on the nail where I hang my race medals so created this interesting display area in my loft.

Lots of dreaming and planning today.

Please stop by my Team In Training page and make a donation to help find a cure for cancer.

Anchorage Big Wild Life Marathon

Wow that was a tough one.  Of course I was still tired from the last two the last two weekends and the 4000 mile drive to and from Yellowknife.  My left leg was sore around my knee so I wore a knee brace.  It didn't bother me at all while I was running.  But it is quite stiff now. 

I love that course, it is beautiful along the Turnagan Arm, along the bike trails and through the parks in Anchorage, all on paved bike trails.  You don't have to contend with traffic except for the last 5 blocks.  It was perfect weather too.  Cool and raining at the start but no rain after that.  The cloud cover kept it nice and cool with a nice breeze too.  I was worried about whether I would actually make the time limit of 6 and a half hours, just because I was so tired.  But I actually did better than both of the Canadian marathons.  It wasn't a fabulous time, but at least it was well within the range.  5:49:09  and 2nd in my age class.  There were only 3 of us in my age class though. 

Now I meet the qualifications for Marathon Maniacs so I will apply to them today.  There were lots of them there at the race.  Lots of members of the 50 states club too.  I have a long way to go to collect all 50 states, but the idea intrigues me.  I may work on that.

Nice medal:

Yellowknife Overlander Marathon

I made it!  My first attempt at full marathons on back to back weekends, and I survived. I was a bit disappointed at my slowness.  I still took 6 hours but had expected to do a lot better on this one since it was certainly easier than the Yukon River Trail Marathon last week.  But I felt that maybe I had not fully recovered from that one.  It was a really nice course, a figure 8 pattern through the town. The half marathoners ran the figure 8 loop once and the full marathoners ran it twice. There were only 15 people running the full marathon and of course I came in last.  Most of them were decades younger than me, but there were a couple of older ones too. It was fun and the volunteers were just wonderful. It got pretty warm by the time I was into the 4th loop up the highway and around the lake.  I think we were very fortunate that in the early morning it was quite cool and even raining a little. I was dreading the heat that I experienced the rest of my days there.  But it cooled off for the race. My favorite part was the bike trail along Frame Lake. It is such a lovely little route and we got to run it 4 times! 

My goal was to finish both marathons.  I had no great expectations and I am very happy that I made it through both of them in a reasonable time. I got my picture taken with my cell phone at the finish line. I was as happy as I look in this picture!

Awesome finisher's medal too!

Now I am on my way home driving back to Alaska, hoping to still have enough energy to run the Anchorage Big Wild Life Marathon next Sunday.

Hiked Prospector's Trail

I had to hike the last of the three main trails here in Yellowknife.  Prospector's Trail is a lovely peaceful trail over the rocks and through the trees with views of two nice lakes.  It seemed like a perfect 'day before a marathon' workout.  Nothing too strenuous, but a nice stress reliever. I picked up my race bib today so I am all set for the Yellowknife overlander Marathon tomorrow. I drove the parts of the route that were possible to drive. There are a few hills but they are followed by equally nice downhills.  If the weather tomorrow is like today, it will be a little warm but with a nice breeze.  Hoping for that breeze.

From the lovely trail today.

Yellowknife Hiking

I've been doing just a bit of hiking the last two days.  I might try a short run but since I ran a full marathon just a few days ago and have another one the day after tomorrow, maybe just a little casual hiking is a better choice.  I found some beautiful places to hike.  Cameron Falls Trail yesterday.  It was only about 3 miles round trip but very beautiful. This is the view of the river past the falls.

The falls were quite spectacular too. 

Today I hiked the 5 mile Frame Lake Trail all the way around the lake.  It was a gentle and very pleasant little trek. Lovely views of the lake in all directions too.

Beautiful weather with lots of wind to keep it cool too!



Yukon River Trail Marathon

I made it and finished the marathon. My iPhone GPS said right at 6 hours.  My Nike Plus App posted it on Facebook but it says 6 hours and 27 minutes because I was so tired I forgot to turn it off after I crossed the finish line.  I was too busy eating the free pizza they had for us.
That was a very difficult run.  Very steep hills, mostly all narrow trails.  It was absolutely gorgeous though.  It must be one of the most beautiful marathons in the world!  But those trails had lots of tree roots, and loose rocks.  I managed to trip and fall 4 times and crossed the finish line covered with blood, feeling kind of silly.  I fell on my left hand so many times that I can't even use it to type right now.  I can tell nothing is broken, but it is all swollen and purple, with big cuts on it. 
I drove to Watson Lake after the race and will continue towards Yellowknife tomorrow.
They gave us a nice homemade ceramic medallion.

Grey Mountain Summit Trail

I couldn't resist climbing up the Grey Mountain Summit Trail.  It was just under 6 miles round trip, but not very steep and just a beautiful place for a gentle hike in this beautiful weather.  The trip up the road in my car was more stressful than the hike.  I think my car went where no Kia Rio has gone before!  That road is better suited for ATV's and big 4WD pickup trucks, but my Kia did a pretty good job.  The hike was beautiful with amazing views of Whitehorse and the surrounding area in all directions.

Approaching the summit

View of Chadburn Lake from the summit

View of Cantlie Lake from the trail

It was a nice gentle final workout before the marathon tomorrow!

Yuon River Millennium Trail Loop

It is the most gorgeous day ever!  Lovely sunshine and perfect temperatures.  I just ran 4.3 miles, from my hotel to the Yukon River Trail, then the whole Millennium Trail Loop and back to my hotel.  I felt like I could have just kept on running indefinately, but I will save that for tomorrow when I run the Yukon River Trail Marathon.  I'm not sure we will have this fine weather, but it would probably be too hot if we did.  A little rain might be a treat.  It is so beautiful here.  I think I will go do some more sightseeing.

These marathons are fun but the main focus of all of them is to raise money to cure cancer.  Even though this one and the next two the next two weekends are not officially for Team In Training, they are all warmup runs for my next event.  Please consider donating to this important cause.

http://www.race4cancer.org/

Yukon River Trail Marathon Prep

I'm in Whitehorse for a few days to prepare for the Yukon River Trail Marathon.  I have been driving around and walking around the various sections of the trail to get a feel for the race.  It looks like a tough one, but the scenery is extraordinary.

Got my race number:

Checked out some of the route:

I will be crossing this footbridge over Miles Canyon

I will be running along the shore of Chadburn Lake

Many gorgeous views of the Yukon River too.