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Angie and I recently finished the Missoula Marathon in beautiful Missoula, Montana (Angie’s home state).
This marathon is abundantly picturesque -think mountains, valleys and rivers. Not only that, I found it to be well organized. I heard that this race fills up every year and I can see why. The race caps off at 1,500 full marathoners and 3,500 half marathoners. I would definitely run it again. Continue Reading →
Let’s get It started!
On June 8, 2013 I got to run a last minute race, the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon. I’d wanted to sign up for the race previously but Trevor didn’t think he could get away from work.
Three days before the marathon he asked if I still wanted to run it and of course I said, “YES.” My appetite for marathons is never satisfied. What followed was a bit of frantic registration, trip planning and packing. Even though I registered so late the cost of the marathon was only $70.00 which is a very reasonable price in my book.
It could be that you’ve never heard of this small marathon before. Well, you’re going to get the inside scoop on a fun and growing marathon. Continue Reading →
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The Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz is held in the town of Olathe, KS in April. The word Olathe is Shawnee Indian for “beautiful.”
The town has around 100,000 people and is a 25 minute drive from Kansas City. This race is in its 12th year and is a well-organized small marathon. You’d think that KS would be flat, but this area certainly has plenty of hills. Continue Reading →
T-shirt and Medal from the 2013 Go! St. Louis Marathon
Although I’ve already run a marathon in the fair state of Missouri I was already going to be in St. Louis that weekend for a coaching clinic.
You might say that this was an opportunistic marathon. That’s one of the benefits of staying in marathon shape—you can sign up for a race at the drop of a hat.
After spending two days sitting in class from 8-5 and cramming my head full of information I was ready to run 26.2 miles. I stayed at the lovely Drury Plaza Hotel and my room had an awesome view of the Arch. I shared my room with Danielle (T-Rex Runner) who we interviewed in episode 79 and her friend Amanda. When they got into town on Saturday (after running a marathon that morning in Indiana) we went to the race expo together to get our race packets. I was embarrassed to be unable to help with directions around St. Louis in the slightest. Continue Reading →
Surgical Artistry Modesto Marathon is a well organized local race drawing about 3,000 people. It features a marathon, half marathon, and 5k. My dad and I ran the half marathon.
Farewell to Modesto
The purpose of my coming to Modesto was to help my mom and dad empty their house and move to the Washington coast.
The move required a massive downsizing –from a 4,000 sq ft home to a cabin less than half that size. Literally every item had to be packed, sold, or given away. I’m talking about 60 years of stuff! Some of the stuff was going to me . . . I just had to get it home.
The move just happened to coincide with the Modesto Marathon so Dad and I decided to run the half as a final goodbye to the city where I grew up and where he lived most of his life. It took us 2 hours and 24 minutes to finish the half marathon. Apparently we like long goodbyes.
—Read the rest of my race recap— Continue Reading →
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Last weekend we rocked the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon. It was great to be in the “Big Easy” again and enjoy the sites, sounds, and food. We stayed at the beautiful Drury Hotel located downtown in the business district. All in all we had a wonderful mini-vacation/marathon experience.
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Angie and I ran the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 23rd.
This race had been on Angie’s wishlist for some time because of it attracts lots of Marathon Maniacs (she is maniac# 4723).
They even gave her a maniac finisher’s medal. How cool is that?
Cooler than anything I’ve given her.
This race proliferated with coolness. Here’s how Continue Reading →
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Trevor and I ran the Screaming Pumpkin Marathon in Peoria, Illinois, on Oct. 26th. This was certainly a race to remember.
The SPM is a prediction marathon and the goal is to finish as close to midnight as possible.
Your starting time depends on your projected finishing time. No GPS devices or watches are allowed on the course and cell phones are for emergency use only.
Here is my race recap . . . Continue Reading →
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I ran my fastest half marathon to date (1:44:28) this weekend!
There is no logical reason for why I set a PR.
I’ve never done speed work (ever). It rained non-stop. There were hills. I developed a massive blister. And I stopped to tie my shoes three times.
Angie is flabbergasted.
It must be a boost in mental power after interviewing Dean Karnazes (episode 66) and Eric Strand (soon to be released episode 67). Amazing runners!
Here is my race recap . . . Continue Reading →
What is vacation without running a half marathon?
We vacation every year in Port Townsend, Washington. Angie, being the marathon junkie that she is, signed us up for the Winthrop Marathon about 180 miles away.
My initial response was, “That’s too far to drive for some obscure little race.”
To get to Winthrop from Port Townsend requires taking the ferry to Whidbey Island then a 4 hour drive over the Cascade Mountains.
Angie’s response was, “What would be so bad about a scenic drive through the mountains?”
I acquiesced. We left our three kids in the capable hands of their grandparents and we headed to Winthrop.
Continue Reading →
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My plan is to run a marathon in all 50 States. I’m always looking to add a new state to my collection. I had my eyes on the Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville, Kentucky for some time hoping I could work it in on my calendar.
This is a large event with almost 18,000 runners –most are participating in the half or “mini” marathon.
Every marathon has its own personality. We found this race to be fun, well organized and able to capture the personality of the city. Here is my race recap: Continue Reading →
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I finished the New Orleans Rock and Roll Marathon in 3:36:47. I missed qualifying for Boston by 1 minute and 47 seconds!
Even though I didn’t qualify, I’m not overly disappointed with my performance. I set a personal record -beating my previous best time by 7 minutes. I think that the lessons I learned during this race will be helpful as I continue to reach for my personal best in the future.
If you take the time to analyze your race experience you’ll find valuable lessons to apply to future marathons and even other challenges in life.
“Every time I fail, I assume I will be a stronger person for it. I keep on running figuratively and literally, despite a limp that gets more noticeable with each passing season, because for me there has always been a place to go and a terrible urgency to get there.” -Joan Benoit Samuelson
Maybe you’ll be running a half or full marathon this spring. Here are three essential marathon strategies. Continue Reading →
