Monthly Archives: February 2014

Race day.  Up at 5am, already 65 degrees & crazy humid – in February!

Spent 30+ minutes locating parking in the designated state capitol parking garage(s) – Austin’s gotta resolve I-35 traffic congestion & downtown parking (friendly suggestion) – then jockeyed my way near the 4 hour pace group.

  • Whole lotta runners.  More than 18,000 participating in either the half or full marathon events.
  • Marathon was rolling hills from mile 9 thru mile 19.  Yep, 10 miles of gradual UP.
  • Austin only provides marathon ‘Finisher’ tees, so picked up a local Longhorns tee for race day.  By mile 9, my new cotton tee was soaked.  Let the chaffing begin – that’s all I’m gonna say here but ouch, live & learn.  Cotton never again plus wearing strategically placed Band-Aids in every marathon going forward.

Assume it was the humidity but whatever the excuse, today just wasn’t my best.  Felt tired, struggled for motivation & was passed by my pace team a few miles past Lady Bird Lake.  And because of super tight security, had no one encouraging me at mile 19, 20 or 21 (aka – Runner’s Wall).  Just me this day.  Tough one.

As the race day drug on, felt more & more like a fraud in that Longhorns tee.  Whatever, I’ll take it 🙂

  • “The eyes of Texas are upon you, son”
  • “Hook ‘em Horns”
  • “Run Forrest Run”  (not sure he was from Texas)

 

Race ended up a hill.  Ugly day but I collected my official Finisher tee.

Only 46 states to go.   Next month – Atlanta!

 

Place     Name              City               State       Time

1686      K R Haga       Louisville     CO        4:27.41

3rd straight marathon month lined up – Welcome to Austin!

Arrived just before midnite, caught some quick shuteye, then off to the Palmer Events Center for bib pickup & the Runner’s Expo. Fast sweep of the room, back in my rental & south on I-35 – destination: San Antonio.  And more specifically…the Alamo.

Sunshiny warm day with temps in the mid-70’s.  Beeeeutiful day!

More than one person warned that I’d be bored at the Alamo – only good if you like history.  Lucky for me – I LOVE history! 🙂

Started off by watching a 20-minute movie produced by the History Channel.  The Texas Revolution was very similar to our own country’s beginnings & struggle against England.  Texas was a northern province of Mexico – primarily settled by Americans & Europeans – fighting for autonomy.  Yea I was hooked.  LOL>

And while the Alamo was the final resting place for Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis & 200 others, it was also the birthplace/the catalyst for the Republic of Texas.  Nope not bored, no way.  I soaked this all in.

Ready for a Texas style dinner?  Well that’d be BBQ – so in Austin, you head to the Iron Works.  Frequently by governors, senators & George W himself, just couldn’t go wrong.  Marathon in the morning – time for sleep?  Heck no, night’s still early.

In Texas they love their Longhorns, so caught a basketball game at UT’s Frank Erwin Center.  #19 Texas crushed the visiting West Virginia Mountaineers 88-71, and improved to 20-5 on the season.  Hook ‘em Horns!

BBQ, basketball & the Alamo.  Yep, now I’m Texas-ready for tomorrow’s 26.2 miles.

National Geographic: People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year

WASHINGTON (Feb. 12, 2014)—Spanish ultrarunner Kilian Jornet has been named the 2014 National Geographic People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year for pioneering a hybrid sport that combines trail running and alpinism to break numerous speed records and redefine what is possible in the mountains. He also popularized “sky running,” which involves blazing up technical terrain such as glaciers, rock ridges and steep snowfields in competitions. Jornet was selected from a group of 13 adventure innovators whose extraordinary achievements in exploration, conservation, humanitarianism and adventure sports distinguished them in the past year. More than 75,000 online votes — the most ever — were cast on the National Geographic Adventure website.

 

“I’m very proud of this award,” said Jornet. “While I don’t run to be admired or to have more followers, it’s truly an honor to be recognized by National Geographic and to know that people voted for me.”

 

Jornet, 26, brought sky running into the public eye with his unprecedented streak of breaking records and winning races. Most recently, he blazed up and down Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, in under five hours and went up and down the Matterhorn in a record-breaking two hours and 52 minutes. Both runs were part of Jornet’s Summits of My Life (www.summitsofmylife.com) project, which is his personal quest to set speed records on mountains around the globe. Through the project, Jornet hopes to share his love of mountains and the outdoors, a passion that began when he was growing up in a small ski village in the Catalan Pyrenees.

 

“We believe that Kilian exemplifies the spirit of adventure in the truest sense of the word. He has demonstrated over and over that limits are meant to be pushed, and his growing list of remarkable accomplishments is truly inspiring,” said Mary Anne Potts, editor of National Geographic Adventure online. “We received a record number of online votes from our fans across the adventure community, and we’re thrilled to call Kilian the National Geographic 2014 People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year.”

Doing it just for the love of sport — I’m a HUGE fan.  CONGRATS Kilian!

Kilian Jornet, 2014 People's Choice

Kilian Jornet, 2014 People’s Choice