Monday, July 15, 2013
#43--Missoula Marathon
Missoula, MT
July 14, 2013
4:37:24
This weekend I completed my 43rd marathon and 41st state, running in the 7th annual Missoula Marathon. I've gone almost 4 months since my last marathon, which seems like an eternity.
My sister watched our sons for the weekend, while my wife and I took our 3 month old daughter on the trip. We flew from Lincoln to Denver to Missoula and back. Missoula is a very cool college town nestled in between the mountains of western Montana. It is beautiful, as anybody who has seen "A River Runs Through It" can attest to.
We arrived Friday night after an uneventful flight. The Expo and packet pick-up was held at a downtown park, where the finish was going to be for the race. There was a 5K Saturday morning that added to the general level of excitement. Packet pick-up was easy and after that we walked through the Missoula Farmer's Market. I've been to many and this was one of the best. After checking out the vibrant downtown and getting some lunch, it was time to get off my feet and rest for the marathon.
The marathon and half marathon were each point-to-point courses, starting at 6 AM. All runners had to take busses to the start. I had to get up at 3:15 in order to eat, hydrate, and get to the bus on time. The start of the race was punctuated by fireworks provided by the University of Montana Army ROTC. Temperatures were in the high 40's and it was calm and clear at the start.
The course was mostly flat and very scenic. I ran the first 1/2 in 2:07. There was a long steep hill at this point that got me out of my groove. I was a little under-trained for this race, too, as my achilles has been acting up and I've been forced to cut back on my training for the last 6 weeks or so. Add to that the upper respiratory congestion that I caught from my daughter, and the last half was pretty tough. I held on to finish in just over 4:37, a very average time for me the last several years.
The finish area downtown had lots of food, drinks, and music to entertain runners and their families. We enjoyed as much of this as our 3 month old would allow, and then it was back to the hotel to shower and rest.
The Missoula Marathon was a great experience. The city is beautiful and really embraces the race, with a whole weekend of activities and events. The race itself is well organized and executed. With 1,500 runners doing the full and 3,500 runners doing the half, it is just about the perfect size race, too, in my opinion. I am glad I chose Missoula for my Montana marathon.
My sister watched our sons for the weekend, while my wife and I took our 3 month old daughter on the trip. We flew from Lincoln to Denver to Missoula and back. Missoula is a very cool college town nestled in between the mountains of western Montana. It is beautiful, as anybody who has seen "A River Runs Through It" can attest to.
We arrived Friday night after an uneventful flight. The Expo and packet pick-up was held at a downtown park, where the finish was going to be for the race. There was a 5K Saturday morning that added to the general level of excitement. Packet pick-up was easy and after that we walked through the Missoula Farmer's Market. I've been to many and this was one of the best. After checking out the vibrant downtown and getting some lunch, it was time to get off my feet and rest for the marathon.
The marathon and half marathon were each point-to-point courses, starting at 6 AM. All runners had to take busses to the start. I had to get up at 3:15 in order to eat, hydrate, and get to the bus on time. The start of the race was punctuated by fireworks provided by the University of Montana Army ROTC. Temperatures were in the high 40's and it was calm and clear at the start.
The course was mostly flat and very scenic. I ran the first 1/2 in 2:07. There was a long steep hill at this point that got me out of my groove. I was a little under-trained for this race, too, as my achilles has been acting up and I've been forced to cut back on my training for the last 6 weeks or so. Add to that the upper respiratory congestion that I caught from my daughter, and the last half was pretty tough. I held on to finish in just over 4:37, a very average time for me the last several years.
The finish area downtown had lots of food, drinks, and music to entertain runners and their families. We enjoyed as much of this as our 3 month old would allow, and then it was back to the hotel to shower and rest.
The Missoula Marathon was a great experience. The city is beautiful and really embraces the race, with a whole weekend of activities and events. The race itself is well organized and executed. With 1,500 runners doing the full and 3,500 runners doing the half, it is just about the perfect size race, too, in my opinion. I am glad I chose Missoula for my Montana marathon.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
#43 in the books
Completed my 43rd marathon today in Missoula, MT (41st state). This was my daughter's very first marathon trip. Although she gave me her runny nose and congestion on race day, it was nice to have her support! I'll have a full report later.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
National Running Day
Today, June 5, is National Running Day. Do yourself a favor today and get out and run! Even better, do it with a friend.
http://www.runningday.org/
http://www.runningday.org/
Monday, May 27, 2013
Most Grueling Sport?
The Tour de France has been called the most grueling endurance event in the world. This spring, Zoe Romano, who once ran across the USA, is attempting to run the entire Tour de France course. She is running a marathon a day through the French Alps to raise money for the World Pediatric Project.
Read about her "feat" and listen to the story here:
http://onlyagame.wbur.org/2013/05/25/runner-tour-de-france
Read about her "feat" and listen to the story here:
http://onlyagame.wbur.org/2013/05/25/runner-tour-de-france
Friday, May 24, 2013
Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day weekend is here and for me, that usually means traveling to a race somewhere. Not this year, not with a newborn baby at home! Despite the craziness with a baby girl and her 18 month old and 3 year old brothers at home, I've been able to stay somewhat on track for the next marathon, later this summer in Montana.
Some highlights of Memorial Day weekends past:
1996 Bolder Boulder 10K-my first road race, and the one that hooked me on running
2001 Wyoming Marathon-toughest and slowest marathon I have done, still. Beautiful, though.
2009 Madison Marathon-the weekend my wife and I found out she was pregnant with our first son.
2011 Vermont City Marathon-relaxing trip with just the adults, while my sister watched Linus. He still insists on wearing the running shirt that we bought for him at the expo, even though it is so small that it hurts his head to put on and take off.
2012 Bayshore Marathon-Fun family trip with both boys in tow.
Have a fun, safe Memorial Day weekend. I hope it includes some running!
Some highlights of Memorial Day weekends past:
1996 Bolder Boulder 10K-my first road race, and the one that hooked me on running
2001 Wyoming Marathon-toughest and slowest marathon I have done, still. Beautiful, though.
2009 Madison Marathon-the weekend my wife and I found out she was pregnant with our first son.
2011 Vermont City Marathon-relaxing trip with just the adults, while my sister watched Linus. He still insists on wearing the running shirt that we bought for him at the expo, even though it is so small that it hurts his head to put on and take off.
2012 Bayshore Marathon-Fun family trip with both boys in tow.
Have a fun, safe Memorial Day weekend. I hope it includes some running!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Lincoln Marathon
Congratulations to all those who ran the Lincoln Half and Full Marathons yesterday. I want to single out my friend, Ryan, who completed his second full marathon in less than a month, less than one year after having his ruptured achilles tendon repaired. Truly an accomplishment to be very proud of.
With the widening of the bike trail, the race should be bigger and better than ever next year!
With the widening of the bike trail, the race should be bigger and better than ever next year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)