Slept in ‘til 6am, didn’t leave resort lodging ‘til 6:30. Marathon morning? Perks of staying at The Coeur d’Alene, host hotel for today’s marathon. Small field of runners grouped near the Start, at McEuen Park. Perfect weather. Cool, sunny, upper 40’s. Beautiful country. Deep greens, huge pines, reminiscent of Oregon’s Crater Lake.
Gun pop; started out quick. No more than 2 miles of town, then spent the next 9 hugging the expansive lake perimeter – same Lake I cruised open water yesterday afternoon. Inclines at miles 4 & 7 but nothing noteworthy. Unfortunately, felt sluggish this day – no special reason, just no mojo.
Found out Saturday, today’s course was a double-loop trek. Mentally checked out at mile 12; toyed with the idea of only finishing a Half. Ultimately, indecision worked to my marathon advantage. The Half turn-off came & went – I circled out of town for a 2nd tour of the lake. Sun kicked up as did the temps. A long sleeve hoodie maybe wasn’t the best race attire decision I’ve made. LOL> Sure I was styling, but also heat-zapped by mile 18. Ho hum…live & learn. Scenery – still mighty amazing 🙂
Sub-2 first half, 3 hour 2nd lap – not ideal, but collected another medal, gained more experience & finished marathon #63. Generally don’t read runner reviews. Haters are gonna hate…first three comments however, fairly summarized my CdA marathon experience.
marathonguide.com
Small race (243 finishers) so not much company – During the last 15 miles, I passed 5 or 6 people and was passed by one person, and had no one with 300 meters at the end. Same story for my daughter. It’s a lot like a solitary training run.
The course – four trips over the same piece of pavement is about 2 too many. I realize it’s all about the half-marathon, but making the marathoners run 4 repeats over a significant hill was a bad idea.
Starting at 5:30 or 6:00 instead of 7:00 would’ve meant cooler temps and lots more shade. With temps over 70 and bright sun like this year, the last half of the race was a lot harder than it needed to be.
Aid stations should use bigger cups – Dixie cups that hold maybe 4 ounces before spillage during hand-off and drinking aren’t very useful. It would also be helpful to have water and sports drink in the same order from station to station, or not intermingled at the same station.
Post-race foodstuffs were nothing to get excited about – oranges, bananas, and 1 free beer if you were so inclined and had time to wait in line. We had to head to the airport so didn’t mind that the post-race stuff wasn’t anything special.
Coeur d’Alene Marathon • 2016-05-29
230 Participants • 105 Women • 125 Men
K R HAGA • Marathon • 4:58:36.4
Shower, fancy resort massage, lunch.
Spent the next 18 hours vacationing at a local B&B. Talk about exceeding one’s expectations. 20-minute drive in the woods. Relaxed in lush green forest amongst towering pine, sipping herbal tea, eating homemade pie. Why don’t I B&B more often? WOW, WOW, WOW!
Memorial Day Monday, back in Colorado. Who doesn’t love 3-day weekends?
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- my room: Chambre Rouge
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- post-marathon relaxation
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- outdoor MAGIC
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- across the lake, far in the distance, the Coeur d’Alene Resort (last night’s home)
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- spinach & artichoke omelette — breakfast’d like a King!
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- back home, relaxing with my pup; who doesn’t love a 3-day weekend?
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- Home, Sweet Colorado Home
Coeur de Lion B&B
Memorial Day weekend: unofficial kickoff to summer – and for the past 3 years, summer’s meant summer running.
World’s Longest Floating Boardwalk
Set my 10K PR in 2014 at the Bolder Boulder, last year marathoned in Burlington Vermont. Continuing the streak this Sunday in the Inland Northwest at the Coeur d’Alene Marathon.
Direct flight to Spokane, hotel 40 minutes away in scenic Idaho. Huge towering pines. Massive river-fed natural lake. 3 days of mental download, relaxation 🙂
When I originally booked this race months ago, was supposed to travel with a friend – that fell thru so…splurged & booked a room at the Resort which hosts Sunday’s marathon.
Hotel check in, bib pick-up – done in 15 minutes. Nice!
Popped on a jacket & explored the city’s downtown center (Sherman Street). Walked dockside, down the world’s longest floating boardwalk (3300 ft long) – past shops & restaurants, a fleet of recreational watercraft, up n over a floating bridge, then spontaneously purchased a cruise ticket 8 minutes before the ship set sail. Good timing.
90 minute excursion. Saturated in the smell of evergreen, sat on top & took in the lake’s cool breeze. Solo trip. No talk, no FaceBook – unplugged, first day summer vacation.
Disembarked, took in 2 parks, watched the sunset from my tower window.
First day of summer, complete. Running 26.2 tomorrow a.m. New adventure, new experience – first marathon since May 1st, time to get back on the horse. No regrets life.
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- summer begins in Spokane
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- marina view from my hotel
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- U-S-A wavin’ PROUD!
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- what’s a lake vacation without a lake cruise, right?
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- the Coeur d’Alene Resort, my fancy pre-race digs (for a night)
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- late afternoon shore walk
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- the 2-1/4 mile Mudgy Moose Trail along Lake Coeur d’Alene & through Downtown Coeur d’Alene features five life-size bronze statues positioned at locations where Mudgy pauses in his search for Millie
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- McEuen Park, tomorrow’s marathon start
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- Memorial Day remembrance
Lake Coeur d’Alene cruise
Woke to rain, finished in rain.
Hitched a ride to the University of Illinois, my Saturday morning marathon Start. Cold drizzle; car camped 15 minutes from gun time. Glad yesterday was ‘Land of Lincoln’ tourist day, ‘cause today’s forecast: 100% rain. Grey day.
2 light runs earlier in the week – only non-swim or bike exercise since St. Louis. Concerned ‘bout the knee of course but not about the distance. Despite the rain, mentally in a good place. picture in my head – Bib #50 – Maniac friend Stacy picked up my Sunday marathon garb in Fort Collins & iPhoned an image. It all suddenly got real. Run, walk, crawl…whatever it takes, gonna finish state #49 today – 50 State finale lined up tomorrow morning. I’ve run a double before. I can do this. Today, Champaign-Urbana.
except for a 4-loop Canal run in DC last November, this course would my 50 State flattest – only 85ft elevation change. I’d be hard-pressed to post news ‘bout any hills this day 🙂
illinoismarathon.com: “…run through crowd-filled neighborhoods and tree-lined parks, and finish on the 50-yard line of historic Memorial Stadium.”
Yep, that’s what happened.
Hung with the 4:30 pace group most day. No pain ‘til mile 20. Left knee stiffened, IT band. Hydrated at mile 21, walked a tenth-mile, dropped my pace to an easy jog. Not winning any awards today – double marathon weekend, another 26.2 tomorrow. Slow & steady.
Stadium finish – LOVE all stadium finishes – Fargo Dome [in North Dakota] still my fave, but today also mighty memorable.
CHRISTIE CLINIC ILLINOIS MARATHON Results
K R HAGA LOUISVILLE/CO 1142 4:45:14
Post-marathon shower at U of I’s gym ($5 well spent), located Stephen, then autobahn’d north to Chicago. Heavy shower/downpour now – thankful I didn’t have to drive, even more thankful I had already finished today’s run 🙂
Chicago airport security, an hour half sentence managed by TSA rejects. Slowest, laziness, most inefficient location in our nation. Don’t argue you’re short-handed. Tens of employees walking around sharing weekend plans with co-workers. FOCUS! Small talk doesn’t keep us safe from terrorists. Lives depend on you doing your job — every day. Yep, every day. Ask me how I really feel. ARGH!
Touchdown in Denver just after 9. 2:30am’s gonna come early. Sharing a ride with Stacy at 3, catching a bus at 430.
50 State excitement is starting to build!
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- rained from Start to Finish – cold, messy day
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- LOVE a stadium finish — the best!
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- only one state to go — will finish my 50 State Quest tomorrow in Colorado
