USA Adventure

Spokane Marathon

Published October 13, 2019

I have a theory that to breathe is to live—and the more you breathe, like on a long mountain run, the more

you live. That sounds cosmic, but it’s really a simple statement: when you run up in beautiful country, breathing

all that clean air, there’s no better way to live ~ Micah True

Alarm buzz, still predawn dark.

Run shorts & layers. That time of year. Ya gotta pack lil’ of everything. Heat, rain, sleet/drizzle, snow. Weather: one thing you can’t change. All part of the journey. Autumn 🍂

FOOD Network binge, Saturday room service, early to bed. Woke RESTED, ready to run!

Backside of my first-class hotel, could see the START banner. Small group of folks bundled. Marathon-only; Halfers sleep ‘til 9. Music primed, ear buds readied, full stretch, pre-race prayer.

10 minutes to Start. Elevator, whew! COLD outside but…

NO RAIN. One of those grateful times weather folks get it wrong. Wind? Nope, not today. Pretty much perfect. Muted fall colour & last-minute race chatter. Queued, ready. GO GO GO!

5 miles of early-Sunday street. Air raw, never got warm. No pace bunny to keep me time-conscious. Next couple hours: Centennial Trail. Eye-candy tree cover; playlist of old-school country.

Mile 22: Doomsday Hill. Knew it was coming; well-timed WALK break – LOL> Two courses merged. Road-shared with the HALF, allowing both groups access UP Doomsday. double the LOVE ❤️

push, PUSH, push. Walk/jogged 25 ‘til I could eye the UPHILL FINISH. Argh – but I ran it.

#166. FREE race pic, classy Spokane. Green-screened in front of Clock Tower. Well done.

Hotel shower, post-race rewards. PIZZA & a Bloody Mary (gotta get in your veggies 😊)

Next Saturday: KANSAS CITY

The Spokane Marathon

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Bib Name City Chip Elapsed Age Place

260 K R Haga LOUISVILLE 04:31:49 6

: Pacific Northwest 🍂

: Riverfront Start/FINISH

: marathon REWARD

: FREE race pic – thanks!

: goodbye Spokane

Spokane Marathon

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, Pacific/Desert | Leave a comment

Spokane, Washington

Published October 12, 2019

Friday nite flight, marathoning USA’s Pacific Northwest. Fall FUN 🍂 First time on Washington’s eastern edge. Beautiful scenic Spokane. Hidden gem. Autumn pallet, snow-remnant & TREES.

2 days, 2 hotels. Airport Ramada Friday-midnite arrival, fancy downtown digs pre-marathon day. Steps from Sunday’s Start, ‘cross the street from Riverfront Park. The Davenport Grand.

Saturday morn alarm. TWO words: Eliud Kipchoge. Greatest distance runner of all time.

Live-stream from Vienna. Kenyan ELITE broke the 2-hour barrier. Impossible, now possible. Just WOW! Whatta way to kick-off marathon week #9. SUPER INSPIRED! No human is limited.

Lyft transport to bib pick-up. Mile walk to Spokane’s downtown Grand. FIRST-CLASS convenience. Hotel bag drop, day chores complete. Riverfront Park. Soakin’ up afternoon sun & colour 🌞

Created for the 1974 World’s Fair Exposition. Photo’d all park must-see’s. Clock Tower, Rotary Fountain, the U.S. Pavilion, Looft Carousel, plaques/sculptures & a life-sized Radio Flyer wagon.

Quick preview of Spokane’s sprawling Centennial Trail (would trek 20+ miles tomorrow).

Spokane Falls, best for last. Pedestrian bridge crossed. Perfect weather, perfect season. Water BLASTING below. And I kept walking. Five miles more. Pasta dinner, hotel home by 7.

Marathon eve. Forecast: Rain. On my mind? Mile 22: Doomsday Hill. Gonna CRUSH it 💪

: fancy pre-race digs

: downtown Spokane

: the interior Northwest

: Centennial Trail

: Riverfront Park

: Clock Tower

: RED WAGON classic

: 1974 U.S. Pavilion

: autumn PALLET 🍂

: Spokane Falls

: Sunday preview ❤️

: scenic Washington State

Spokane, Washington

Posted in Pacific/Desert | Tagged autumn, road-signs, waterfalls | Leave a comment

Breck Road Marathon

Published September 15, 2019

Not often I register race-week & NEVER EVER a double. Until now.

Plan A. Motor after-work, mountain hotel, Saturday marathon, interstate-commute to Wyoming. Reality. Room-search in Colorado ski country proved crazy expensive (even in September). Plan B? 3am alarm. Road-trip! Run shorts, hydration vest, layers & a V8. Who doesn’t dig early morning tomato? LOL>

I-70 West. Denver ⇨ Continental Divide ⇨ Breckenridge. Same east-west where all the great hikes happen. Same Silverthorne exit where Ash & Tom married two years prior. Notta lotta snow on the peaks this late in summer – but WOW, whatta sunrise! Nothing/nowhere/anywhere, our Rockies. Stunning. Always.

South Gondola parking. 20-minute bus ride. Start temp just above freezing. Race elevation 10,000ft. Lodgepole pines, thin air, sun now a-blazing. First couple miles like a REVEL event – straight DOWN. But unlike REVEL, whole lotta climb thereafter. UP 800ft, down next mile. Another push UP, lungs burning/O2 searching. Colorado-native no big deal, right? Reality. BIG elevation jump – my backyard @ 5500ft vs today’s 8800ft average. Past month of flat-world running also done me no favours.

High-altitude sunshine. Muy bueno scenery. Hills? Oh mama. That last climb at mile 22? Mountain folks are crazy tough. No crocodile tears, no regret. 5-hour finish, all FIGHT, NO FAIL 💪

Gas station cola & a bag of salty chips. Journey on. Day One.

Texted a friend – please find/contact the Race Director in Cheyenne, gonna miss bib pick-up. Burning trailer near Georgetown. Highway accident. Need a Plan B. 6pm Wyoming arrival (thanks Larry).

Hotel, shower, sleeps. Sunday 5am at the Depot (RD bib meetup). Body tight/achy after Saturday’s all-day hill repeats, skin still radiating sunshine. But — I’m here. Wyoming. THIRD time this year. Cap off, National Anthem. Cowboy country & I LOVE it 😊

Day strategy. Hit it hard first Half. Walk/run after mile 15. Elevation similar to home, easy comfortable course. Tunes early. Notta lotta runners. Several miles on an empty military base. Hill at marker 9 or 10…but not Breckenridge hilly, just an incline. Day 2. Perspective. Push, push, push. 2:05 first Half. Sun high, getting warm. Legs like lead.

Walked mile 14. Called it two miles later. Sorry Cheyenne – ya deserved better. Mentally not plugged-in for a March-of-Dimes walk. Montréal next week, Europe week after.

17 miles. Check, done. Colorado HOME by noon.

Lick my wounds, run another day. Well maybe…in two or three other days. LOL>