Swaziland

I felt a lot better this morning and was assured that today I would have enough time.  I was still pressured and came close to being stopped from finishing. But I did manage to finish the race. I can tell I'm going to be a nervous wreck for this entire series if we don't have the option of an earlier start.

Lesotho

I woke up feeling terrible this morning.  Again we were really pressed for time.  When I signed up for this series I had no idea we would have a strict time limit. When I found out about it a few days before flying here, it was too late to cancel.  The race director said it wouldn't be a problem and that he would make sure everyone finished each race.  But after the troubles I had yesterday and the nausea I felt this morning, plus the high altitude and freezing temperatures, I knew I couldn't run the full marathon today.  So I decided to just run the 5K. We still get the medal regardless of the distance we run, so I just ran the 5K for the medal. I actually barely had the energy to do that. I do think part of my problem today was simply intimidation due to my slow performance yesterday.

So Lesotho will not be added to my list of countries with Marathon Globetrotters, sadly.

South Africa Challenge

Arrived in Johannesburg yesterday and today we drove to Ladybrand, South Africa for the first run of the series.  It was very stressful for me because I am so slow ans we were pressured for time.  I made it but was very discouraged by the time I finally stumbled across the finish line.  We really didn't have a specific marked course but rather we times ourselves using our own GPS. I used my iPhone and my Nike+ app. WE did follow a course but were free to modify it as we needed.  If today was any indication of how this series will go, it's not looking too good for me.

Our Group

Mainly Marathons Prairie Series Day 7

The last day of the series.  In St. Joseph, Missouri today.  One more state completed.  But today is a special one for another reason. This is marathon number 100 for me.  It's kind of an exciting milestone.  But again it was hot as blazes.  I'm driving to Detroit to visit the Nexus office to show them my new passport.  Then on to Chicago where I'll leave my camper while I fly to Africa.

7 marathons in 7 days in 100 degree heat, is kind of an odd vacation!

Mainly Marathons Prairie Series Day 6

Hiawatha, Kansas.  This must be the hottest place on earth!  100 degrees most of the day.  It was too hot to camp again so I stayed in another motel. Just trying to find a place to camp has become too much trouble. Not sure if I could even find one or if it would have electrical hookups. Without the air conditioner it would be too hot to sleep.  So it was another day of putting as much cold water on me as in me.  But now I can add Kansas to my list of completed states.

Mainly Marathons Prairie Series Day 5

South Sioux City, Nebraska today.  I'm getting pretty tired and the heat is outrageous.  I gave up on finding a place to camp so just stayed in a hotel last night.  Today was over 100 degrees and very slow running, if I could really call any of it running.  I was mostly walking and not very quickly at that.  But I finished still standing, and soaking wet from dumping water over my head.

Mainly Marathons Prairie Series Day 4

Today we ran in Sioux City, Iowa.  Another very hot day at about 100 degrees.  I'm so thankful to be living in Alaska.  I can't stand this kind of heat.  Maybe this winter when I'm up at work and it's -50 I'll be wishing for a little of this heat. But right now, it is almost unbearable.  I keep pouring water over my head to try to cool off.  But it doesn't help very much. Iowa is another state that I did need.  I will gain 5 states from this series.

Mainly Marathons Prairie Series Day 3

Now I'm in South Dakota for Day 3. I do already have a marathon in South Dakota, but figured I would do them all.  Today's marathon was in Baltic, South Dakota.  Hot hot hot once again. We've been starting at 4:30 am but even in the dark it is still very hot. I seem to get slower each day too.  But I love these races and the people who I run with.  They are simply fun with no stress because there is no time limit to worry about.  They sure give us a lot of food as we pass by the one aid station over and over again.

Mainly Marathons Prairie Series Day 2

Day 2 of the Prairie Series was at Wahpeton, North Dakota.  It was actually the exact same race we did yesterday but both races started in North Dakota and ended in Minnesota. So either race counts as either state.  I already had North Dakota, but I wanted to do the whole series even though I do have both of the Dakotas already.  It was another hot one in the high 90's. I didn't break any speed records, that's for sure! This day had a really bad ending too.  I had to drive about 200 miles to the next race plus after two in a row in blistering heat, I was pretty tired.  I pulled into a gas station on my way out of town and managed to hit a concrete barricade and damage the side compartment door on my beautiful new VW RV.  I've only had it for 3 days!  But I am still able to close the door, although I did add some duct tape to make sure that it doesn't go flying off somewhere down the road.

Mainly Marathons Prairie Series Day 1

I drove from Minneapolis to Breckenridge, Minnesota yesterday and picked up my race bib for the Prairie Series.  I camped at the zoo over on the North Dakota side of the river, right next to the zebras.

It was extremely hot at nearly 100 degrees which made for my usual slow marathon pace to be a whole lot slower.  But I did manage to finish, and not be totally last even. Close to it though. I needed Minnesota towards my 50 states so it was nice to add another state to my list.