Coast to Coast

I started blogging without really understanding how to blog. This is my attempt to rectify this and consolidate my posts under one heading. My first was an infrequent posting during training for the my first marathon. I have started training for another and remembered writing about the first when several comparisons struck me. It has been two years since the first marathon and much has changed. In this, I will be more flexible with topics (random as they may be), more attentive to posting, and full of pictures instead of too many words and wit.

Since starting the first blog and training for the Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon we have had several amazing  changes. A successful first marathon is one in which you cross the finish line. For those that followed  the First 26 or went back in time on me, Jessie and I manged to stick it out together and complete the grueling course that put us on the freeway completely exposed to 20 mile per hour head on wind at the 20 mile mark. We crossed with smiles on our face with a 4:15 engraving on the reverse of our finishers medal!

Since that time we have been married, ran many more races and moved across the country. In between this marathon and the last was a very interesting one. Tybee Run Fest! for those of you who have been to Tybee Island and for those of you who haven't, this is a race everyone should attempt. It's 26.2 miles in total broken down into "manageable" chunks. What seemed like a great idea turned out to be be more difficult than the whole 26.  Dividing up 26.2 miles into a 5k night run, a 10k morning run, half marathon just after the 10k, 2.8 mile beach run ( yes if the tide is high you will be in soft shifting sand or up to your knees in water), followed by a 1 mile "sprint" ( I was reduced to shuffling by this point) Check it out for yourself though critztybeerun  .

We married and of course our wedding day centered around what???... a 5k race of course. The Glen Iris 5K, with proceeds going to the local library, which coincidentally was where we met in Savannah. Now this wasn't some bride running in her gown, this is running, we had running shirts made up and the wedding party all ran along with friends and family. No not together, this is RUNNING, we raced. Both mothers took first and the bride took third in respective age groups.

So back to training........ SEATTLE!!!!!!!!! Rock n Roll!! (Today is Super Bowl Sunday by the way so GO HAWKS!!!!)   Once again this is turning into a family gathering and we can't wait! It's definitely a running thing! Whenever we travel we search out a great run or race, it's just a fun way to run on vacation with a bunch of strangers on closed streets and you can't get lost.

Now running in Washington is not like every other place. One mile run may equal one mile rise. But as I intend to document here, this is going to be fun. We trained before in the heat and now there is frost on the ground. I use to get up at 4:45 to beat the heat and now I wait until the temperature has raised above 40F. I'm starting this training schedule with a sprained ankle. Rolled it right at the first weekend of training so lets hope this is a fluke. I had some acupuncture immediately after which was a first for me. Since Washington allows Naturopathic Medicine, I had some needles poked in me and I must say, I have never recovered so well from a sprain. I'm ever the skeptic so I must say I definitely feel the difference.

So, enough with the boring. Lets run this place!