First Ski

I've been hearing how Hatcher Pass received two feet of snow and the trails at Independence Mine have been groomed.  Today was a gorgeous day so after putting my ski rack on my car, I decided to toss on my cross country skis and go check it out.  I only skied a couple of miles but it felt amazing and was so beautiful.

Wolverine Creek 5 Miles

I haven't actually run for about a week, so decided to get out there and do it.  It's been cold with even a little snow.  27 when I woke up.  But by 2:30 it was up to 40 degrees so I bundled up and ran my usual 5 mile run to Wolverine Creek and up to the big carrot and back.  I practiced running bursts of about 100 yards running as fast as I could to try to increase my speed. Also the big hills gave me a good workout.  I did feel a little sluggish but overall it was a good run. It's easy to talk myself out of running when the weather gets cold, but I don't want to lose the strength I've gained over the summer.  I still have quite a few marathons on my upcoming agenda.  I want to work on getting my marathon time under 6 hours. 

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

Spectacular hike up at Eklutna Lake today.  The fall colors are spectacular.  It was the perfect temperature and completely calm. I went with my friend Diane and her dog Toby. The lake is higher than I've seen it in many years due to recent rains.  Snow will be falling this weekend so we wanted to take advantage of such a gorgeous day.

Buenos Aires Marathon

Marathon number 144 and country number 33 completed.
I was lucky on this race because according to our Marathon Globetrotters club, this race had a 7 hour time limit.  Fortunately I have been trying to get to a 6 hour time.  At mile 18 some other runners told me the time limit for this race was actually 6 hours. I didn't really believe them, but to be safe I picked up my pace.  A couple of miles later, Kevin our Globetrotters president, caught up with me and confirmed the 6 hour time limit.  I ran with him and we both pushed as hard as we could and finished at 6:07.   One of our runners was picked up by the bus and unable to finish.  But Kevin and I did get our official times and medals.  I'm happy that I was able to get that close to my personal goal of under 6 hours.  I plan to train for speed so that I consistently am under 6 hours.

It was a nice race and great to spend a little time in Buenos Aires. My Garmin watch and my Nike app got a little carried away with the distance measurement.  I'm sure the distance was actually 26.2, rather than the 28 miles recorded by my GPS devices.

Dogsled Pass

Beautiful 9 mile hike today up the Craigie Creek Trail to Schroff Lake and Dogsled Pass.  It's been about 20 years since I've been up there and I'd forgotten how spectacular it is.  When we started out it was very cloudy and we figured we wouldn't be able to reach the pass. But by the time we reached Schroff Lake the clouds were almost gone  We reached the pass in bright sunshine and blue skies.  I did this trail with my hiking group friends.  It was great to have someone to hike with instead of going solo like I usually have to do.

Schroff Lake

5 Miles to Wolverine Creek

I went flying this morning then it started to rain.  After a few hours at home I just got restless. So, rain or not, went out for my favorite 5 mile run from home, to Wolverine Creek and up the hill.  I had a tough time getting to the top of the hill on the other side of the creek. But going back up the hill from this side was much easier than it usually is.  I made it all the way from the creek to home, without stopping or walking.  That's a good sign that all the hiking has been paying off, especially the big hills like yesterday's steep hike.

It's raining but the fall colors are wonderful.

50 States Trophy

I guess it's official now.  I'm officially a finisher of running a marathon in all 50 states.  Thanks to the Run With The Horses Marathon in Green River, Wyoming on August 17th.  I just got this in the mail today.