beachcombing

Estrecho de Magallanes

Published January 11, 2019

Three hours early for a domestic flight? Glad I heeded the advice. Flying from Chile’s capital city? Folks it’s a hot mess. Check in, dropping a bag, clearing security. 2 hours 45 minutes. Friendly & professional but just a select few working. No criticizing our TSA, been schooled.

4 hour direct flight, southernmost city in Chile. Touchdown, bag retrieval. Last hour more turbulent as winds off the Andes pushed our small plane side-to-side – still, clear open skies in Punta Arenas. Nodded to a taxi driver holding a sign marked $10,000. Assumed Chilean currency & piled in. Hotel Diego de Almagro por favor. Room key, smile, nod, sorry no español.

Nuff time for an afternoon run. Layered up, 10 mile out-n-back. Best way to see a new city. Hugged shoreline (no getting lost). Ran ‘long the Strait of Magellan, where oceans Atlantic & Pacific meet. WOW! Strong gusty headwind, rough rolling surf, even summer season.

No ear buds, eyes alert to traffic and dogs. Packs of them street-roamed. Strangely, most wore tags & collars. They’d chase, I’d walk. They’d sniff, I’d slowly ease myself back on pace. Eyed them use crosswalks, watch for cars – this their town. I’m the tourist.

Day 2 Highlights: Ocean shots, statue pics, a famous shipwreck. Newest landscape addition – giant city sign dedicated just the day prior, anticipation of next year’s 500-year Magellan anniversary. AWESOME timing, short tenth-mile from my hotel digs. FAAANNNNTASTIC!

White Continent meet ‘n greet tomorrow. Crazy excited!

: Punta Arenas bound

: Chilean home digs

: Tripulantes Goleta Ancud Monument

: 500 años anniversary

: Gobernacion Maritima

: summer season calm

: YIKES!

: Lord Lonsdale Shipwreck

: 10 mile out-n-back

: southernmost city in Chile

Chilean Telenovela

Posted in Americas | Tagged beachcombing, road-signs, watercraft | Leave a comment

Atlantic City Marathon

Published October 21, 2018

Late wake-up, late marathon START. That time of year: less sunlight, cooler temps. 8am guns ok & not get heat-walloped by race end. Nite sleeps just 500ft from today’s FINISH banner, plenty of time for pre-race breakfast. A new era. Oatmeal, fresh fruit – nothing crazy, but 100% not my pre-race norm.

Expecting sunshine later but strong winds gusting off the Atlantic this day. Overcast & breezy. Mighty nice ocean view though 😊 Burrito-wrapped in last weekend’s mylar throwaway (PEI), wait/waiting to run.

Good headspace. Diet on point, training miles logged. Boardwalk run.

Would collect almost all Monopoly pieces over 26 miles. Couldn’t help [but] think of Ash; she’s collected different board versions since childhood. Classic Monopoly today – would tag all properties but the railroads. Tourist shops, food trucks, casinos – but NO RAIL (no B&O, no Reading) on AC’s boardwalk.

North toward Hard Rock, combined Half & FULL Start. Wider Boardwalk passage than most asphalt routes. Notta lotta pedestrians. Sunday morning early; still sleeping off the effects of a hard casino night.

First 2 miles Board, before pushing west into Atlantic City. Would rejoin AC’s famous landmark at marker 8, last 5 miles of Halfers’ journey to Bally’s & Caesar’s – day’s FINISH ticker. FULL runners veered left of the shoot, continued our trek south – collecting the yellow properties: Ventnor, Atlantic, Marvin Gardens.

Cold, strong headwind. RAW. Regrouped at 14. Thankful for my Twin Cities glove swag, lotta use past 3 weeks. Caught appreciated windbreak on a 5-mile subdivision loop thru Ventnor City. Boardwalk last 4 miles. Legs tired but wind at my back. Walk, jog. Push, push, push. Ran mile 23. Walk/jogged 24, ran in the last mile. Course lined with tourists, amused by the action, grabbing a morning coffee/breakfast bagel.

Boy’s on a tear. Not as fast as last Sunday, but darn close – 2^nd best of 2018. Work put in, good consistent results. Another bonus to a four hour marathon? No begging for a post-run shower. 2 hours to Newark, FOOD, 4 ½ hour flight home.

Tomorrow: Monday, Monday – but today, a 4:13 finish. FAAAANNTASTIC!

2018 AmeriHealth NJ Atlantic City Marathon & Half Marathon

October 21, 2018 Results presented by AC Marathon Race Series and timed by SVE Timing Mid-Atlantic

Bib Name Division Chip Elapsed City

1237 KEENAN HAGA MARATHON 04:13:19 LOUISVILLE

: burrito-wrapped START

: FREE race pics – super classy, thanks AC Marathon 🙂

: Atlantic WAVES

: fun fact: ran all day/shirt on backward – LOL>

: boardwalk FINISH

: one of the original 13

: Hello Papa ❤️

Atlantic City Marathon

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, Northeast | Tagged beachcombing | Leave a comment

dirty Jersey myth

Published October 20, 2018

Jersey marathon weekend. Blog preview: no Hazmat required, all a myth.

Mobster crime & industrial pollution, their past. dirty Jersey, the slur. My holiday? Jersey GREEN, Atlantic Ocean GREY.

Friday post-work flight to Newark. Eastern Time touchdown, rental car traffic, hotel pillow 1am. Fast 6 hours later, two mile shake-out run. Stretch goal met, BIG smile. Gonna be an AMAZING day 😊

Ivy League START, quiet Saturday morn. ‘Welcome to Princeton’ settled 1683. Craftsmen-carved/Revolutionary-era buildings, varsity oars cutting thru Lake Carnegie, bricked clock towers, hushed chapel architecture. Pitched arch, footstep echoes, stained glass glory. WOW!

2nd stop: New Hope PENNSYLVANIA. Parked in downtown Lambertville (New JERSEY). Pedestrian-crossed the Delaware. Riverside LUNCHED in PA. Watched paddleboarders trek UP the river – ski beanie & shorts, chilly water sport day. Mussel feasted. Warm broth, crusty bread. YUM!

History NERD ALERT. Post-lunch walkabout at Washington Crossing Park. Yep, that Washington. General George’s infamous Christmas-crossing of the Delaware. You’ve seen the painting. Toured Johnson Ferry House, only original still standing. After Washington’s icy river crossing, ferryman-Slater moved Washington’s troops, horses & 6 remaining cannons. Soooo much history!

[Thanks Nat’l Park folks for the private tour, very much appreciated!]

Tick, tick, tick. Same state, same day, third destination – the AC: Atlantic City, Jersey’s casino-riddled Monopoly. Boardwalk, Park Place, all the red properties – that Monopoly. Inspired HERE.

Bib pick-up at Bally’s, check-in at the Claridge (casino-free sleeps), ocean walk. Two miles of sunset. Stared out into the Atlantic, wave hypnotized. B-I-G, my life. Dinner: oysters & octopus.

Rethink the slur, folks. Much to see & do. America’s secret vacation destination.

Princeton University