June 1, 2014
4:46:17
This was the Sunday marathon of my weekend double. Port Angeles is in far northwest Washington, so it was a 6 hour drive from the Mt. Hood area in Oregon. Needless to say, spending six hours in a car right after a difficult trail marathon was not ideal! My wife drove most of the way, so that at least allowed me to recline and rest a little.
We got into town around 8PM and found the hotel. There was a great Thai restaurant right across the street. After carbo loading, we checked into the hotel. I laid my stuff out for the morning and then as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
We stayed at the host hotel, and they started breakfast at 530 for runners. After fueling, I walked across the street to catch the bus to the start of the race. There, I was able to pick up my race bib. Allowing packet pick up on race day is almost a must for doing a double weekend, and usually only done by smallish marathons. I am grateful when they allow this.
The race started promptly at 730. Weather was perfect. Overcast, no wind, cool, and dry. The course was a point-to-point run. It was run on the Olympic Discovery Trail, a paved trail near the Olympic mountain range. It was generally flat and fast.
I started out slow, as expected. I felt surprisingly strong, and was actually able to pick up my pace as the race went along. I ran the second half faster than the first, and my last 6 miles were the fastest 6 miles I ran all weekend. The finish area was right in front of our hotel.
The hotel offered late check out for runners. I had 15-30 minutes to shower and change before checking out. We left the hotel right at 1PM and headed to Seattle, to catch a flight home the next morning.
I felt an unusual satisfaction after this weekend. I knew this would be a major challenge. With this double weekend behind me, I have only four more states to reach my goal.
This was the Sunday marathon of my weekend double. Port Angeles is in far northwest Washington, so it was a 6 hour drive from the Mt. Hood area in Oregon. Needless to say, spending six hours in a car right after a difficult trail marathon was not ideal! My wife drove most of the way, so that at least allowed me to recline and rest a little.
We got into town around 8PM and found the hotel. There was a great Thai restaurant right across the street. After carbo loading, we checked into the hotel. I laid my stuff out for the morning and then as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
We stayed at the host hotel, and they started breakfast at 530 for runners. After fueling, I walked across the street to catch the bus to the start of the race. There, I was able to pick up my race bib. Allowing packet pick up on race day is almost a must for doing a double weekend, and usually only done by smallish marathons. I am grateful when they allow this.
The race started promptly at 730. Weather was perfect. Overcast, no wind, cool, and dry. The course was a point-to-point run. It was run on the Olympic Discovery Trail, a paved trail near the Olympic mountain range. It was generally flat and fast.
I started out slow, as expected. I felt surprisingly strong, and was actually able to pick up my pace as the race went along. I ran the second half faster than the first, and my last 6 miles were the fastest 6 miles I ran all weekend. The finish area was right in front of our hotel.
The hotel offered late check out for runners. I had 15-30 minutes to shower and change before checking out. We left the hotel right at 1PM and headed to Seattle, to catch a flight home the next morning.
I felt an unusual satisfaction after this weekend. I knew this would be a major challenge. With this double weekend behind me, I have only four more states to reach my goal.
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