June 21, 2014
4:35:42
This was my 50th marathon total, NOT my 50th state. Nevertheless, this one felt like a milestone. FIFTY MARATHONS. It doesn't seem possible.
The name implies that this marathon is run at midnight. Although possible with the 22 hours or so of daily sun this time of year, this race is not run at midnight. It starts in the morning and is run on the Saturday closest to the Summer Solstice each year. This year, it happened to fall on the longest day of the year.
This is obviously a destination marathon and one that I have looked forward to for a long time. The biggest challenge, logistically, was arranging coverage for our 3 small children while my wife and I made a mini-vacation out of this race. Thanks Mom & Dad, Tracy and Mike!
Secure in the notion that our kids were well taken care of, we left Omaha Wednesday afternoon. Getting to Anchorage was relatively easy, with a flight from Omaha to Seattle, a brief layover, and then on to Anchorage. Each flight was a little over 3 hours. Arriving in Anchorage a little before midnight, with the sun still shining, was disorienting to say the least.
4:35:42
This was my 50th marathon total, NOT my 50th state. Nevertheless, this one felt like a milestone. FIFTY MARATHONS. It doesn't seem possible.
The name implies that this marathon is run at midnight. Although possible with the 22 hours or so of daily sun this time of year, this race is not run at midnight. It starts in the morning and is run on the Saturday closest to the Summer Solstice each year. This year, it happened to fall on the longest day of the year.
This is obviously a destination marathon and one that I have looked forward to for a long time. The biggest challenge, logistically, was arranging coverage for our 3 small children while my wife and I made a mini-vacation out of this race. Thanks Mom & Dad, Tracy and Mike!
Secure in the notion that our kids were well taken care of, we left Omaha Wednesday afternoon. Getting to Anchorage was relatively easy, with a flight from Omaha to Seattle, a brief layover, and then on to Anchorage. Each flight was a little over 3 hours. Arriving in Anchorage a little before midnight, with the sun still shining, was disorienting to say the least.
The weather was perfect in Anchorage, mid 60s and sunny. We rented bikes and spent the first half day biking around town and along the coast. We logged 30 miles or so on the bike, probably not ideal 2 days before a marathon. I picked my race packet up later that afternoon, a task that only took a few minutes thanks the the small expo. From there it was back to the hotel for R&R.
The morning of the race, there was a steady rain. I didn't come real prepared for in-climate weather. I grabbed an extra trash can bag from the hotel and turned it into a poncho. I boarded the shuttle to the start of the race at Bartlett High School. The gym was open, so we didn't have to stand in the cold rain for 2 hours, thankfully.
The starting gun went off at 8, and the thousand or so runners began to run through a steady, cold rain. I didn't really hear anybody complaining, not that it would do any good anyway. I didn't really know what to expect out of myself on race day. I had done very little running since my double a few weeks ago, and although I hadn't had any IT band pain in my knee for weeks, I was more than a little worried about that, particularly on this hilly course. I settled into an easy, 10:30/mile pace and tried to avoid other runners. The first stretch of the course is on a trail similar to the trail along HW 2 for the Lincoln Marathon, fairly congested. The pack thinned out some and I watched the miles tick by. At mile 6, the rain had let up and I discarded the home made poncho. The course then turned into an army training area, with miles of old muddy tank tracks to run on. With my recent trail running experience, I found this to be the funnest part of the race. The course was scenic, but the clouds and fogs obscured the mountain views. I ran the first half in about 2:25. From there, my pace quickened some and I was able to come in at 4:35, running a "negative-split" marathon for the second straight time. I finished in the top half of all marathoners. I grabbed some recovery food at the finish and then boarded a bus back to the hotel. For a change, I didn't have to leave right away, so I was able to take a long, hot shower and actually relax and enjoy the accomplishment of finishing my 50th full marathon.
***That's it for the countdown. 52 marathon posts in 52 days. This weekend I will run the Las Vegas Rock & Roll Marathon, finishing my 50th state and 53rd marathon total. Thanks to everybody who has followed this blog and read my posts. It's been a fun trip down memory lane for me. I appreciate your interest and support. Now, it's off the Nevada for my Las(t) Vegas Marathon!!****
The morning of the race, there was a steady rain. I didn't come real prepared for in-climate weather. I grabbed an extra trash can bag from the hotel and turned it into a poncho. I boarded the shuttle to the start of the race at Bartlett High School. The gym was open, so we didn't have to stand in the cold rain for 2 hours, thankfully.
The starting gun went off at 8, and the thousand or so runners began to run through a steady, cold rain. I didn't really hear anybody complaining, not that it would do any good anyway. I didn't really know what to expect out of myself on race day. I had done very little running since my double a few weeks ago, and although I hadn't had any IT band pain in my knee for weeks, I was more than a little worried about that, particularly on this hilly course. I settled into an easy, 10:30/mile pace and tried to avoid other runners. The first stretch of the course is on a trail similar to the trail along HW 2 for the Lincoln Marathon, fairly congested. The pack thinned out some and I watched the miles tick by. At mile 6, the rain had let up and I discarded the home made poncho. The course then turned into an army training area, with miles of old muddy tank tracks to run on. With my recent trail running experience, I found this to be the funnest part of the race. The course was scenic, but the clouds and fogs obscured the mountain views. I ran the first half in about 2:25. From there, my pace quickened some and I was able to come in at 4:35, running a "negative-split" marathon for the second straight time. I finished in the top half of all marathoners. I grabbed some recovery food at the finish and then boarded a bus back to the hotel. For a change, I didn't have to leave right away, so I was able to take a long, hot shower and actually relax and enjoy the accomplishment of finishing my 50th full marathon.
***That's it for the countdown. 52 marathon posts in 52 days. This weekend I will run the Las Vegas Rock & Roll Marathon, finishing my 50th state and 53rd marathon total. Thanks to everybody who has followed this blog and read my posts. It's been a fun trip down memory lane for me. I appreciate your interest and support. Now, it's off the Nevada for my Las(t) Vegas Marathon!!****
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