Tunnel Light Marathon

When I signed up for this marathon last spring, I thought it would be good training for the 120 mile race I am doing in October. In fact, I thought I would be so far along in my training that I would be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon at this race. Not everything goes as planned.

After taking 2 months off this summer (unexpected break), I've been running for the last couple of weeks.

However, this was a fun race. I ran about 15 miles with my friend Sarah. She was running her 100th marathon!

This course is on a gravel trail that used to be a railroad. A couple of miles are through a dark tunnel near the beginning of the race. And the best part is that it is a slight downhill grade the whole way!

This video shows what it is like running through the tunnel with headlamps. It seems barely wide enough for a train to fit.

 



Aid station at the exit of the tunnel.

It was misty, and just the right temp for running.

The course was scenic with trestles to cross.

I ran by my family and friends at mile 16. They were rock climbing!

Celebrating Sarah's 100th marathon at the finish line.

A Few Small Screw-Ups and One Big Screw-Up

On Saturday, I ran Beat the Blerch Half Marathon. I ran it a year ago and it was just as good as the last time. As I was running, I realized I screwed up on a few things.

Small screw-ups:
1) I haven't been training for a half marathon--I've been running 6 miles a week. What was I doing trying to run a half marathon?!
2) I was registered to run a marathon the next day. (See review of marathon here.) Why was I doing a half marathon the day before a marathon?
3) I registered for this race because my friends wanted to run it. They all bailed, and I was running it alone.

Big screw-up:
I thought the race started at 8am. I got there in plenty of time to use the port-a-potty, and then realized the marathon started at 8:15 and the HALF MARATHON STARTED AT 9:30. Oh no! I needed to be at a wedding 3 hrs away at 3pm. I asked if I could start with the marathoners and run the half. Because I didn't receive a resounding NO, I started at 8:15. I will NEVER do that again. The course volunteers were mad. And after the turn-around, I was heading into oncoming marathoners, half marathoners, and 10K runners. Half of them thought I was in the lead (after getting tired of telling people that I started early, I just ran with my head down in shame) and the other half were disgusted with me. The race director, Roger Michel, caught up with me on the course, and graciously said he would make sure my time was recorded accurately and wished me luck making it to the wedding. I can't say enough about the kindness of this man.

Not only was I running alone because my friends weren't with me, but I was really running alone for the first 6.5 miles, and then I felt like a fish swimming upstream the second 6.5 miles. This must be how lonely the front runners feel.

Here is what I realized at the end of the day. If other half marathoners had seen me start early and decided to do the same, the timers would have had to deal with more of us screwing up their timing records. Ultimately, I should have been a DNS (did not start) and gone home without doing the race.

Training on the Road (Part II)

Last weekend was a blast. It was 4 days, adults only, in Las Vegas. I intended to get up early in the mornings to run, before the streets filled with people and before the temperatures rose. Those intentions were good, but I ended up staying up waaaay too late each night and I didn't get up early enough in the mornings to follow through on my running plans. My friend has an old saying, "YOU CAN'T SOAR WITH THE EAGLES IF YOU'RE HOOTIN' WITH THE OWLS." Except I did make it out the door on the first morning and ran about 5 miles to the University of Nevada campus. University campuses are always fun to run around because they are usually pretty, and they remind my of my younger days as a student.

I was hoping to run the Backpacker Magazine's urban hike on the strip. It would have been a nice 16-mile out-and-back. Instead, I cooled off at the pool during the day, and danced the nights away. Running the strip will be something I look forward to on the next trip.