North Olympic Discovery Marathon

I woke up on day two of my double feeling like my normal self - no unusual soreness or fatigue. I was a little amazed since I hadn't trained specifically for this double, I was running it on a whim after chatting with Little Leslie last weekend in Newport. The marathon was scheduled to begin at 9:00, rather late by marathon standards. Ric and I didn’t make it to Port Angeles in time to pick up my packet Saturday night so we walked to the start line an hour early to I could get my number and chip. The morning was cool, but after standing around for a few minutes, I decided to wear my black Marathon Maniac singlet and my yellow running skirt. Ric graciously took my long sleeve shirt back to the hotel for me.

I found Little Leslie at the start line. We had lots of unfinished business to talk about from Newport so we decided to run together for awhile. I was actually feeling really good, much better than day two of my double last year. We started slowly, especially since the NODM course starts uphill. As hard as it is, I think it’s a good thing because the heart and muscles get warmed up quickly. Before the first mile, we passed Ric on the sidelines. He waited on the course with my long sleeve shirt “just in case” I had changed my mind about wearing the singlet. I was really touched by that gesture: Ric is not a morning person and I’m sure he would rather have been in bed but he wanted to make sure I was OK.

The miles ticked away uneventfully. The weather was cool and overcast, but no rain. I was really feeling great and enjoying the very scenic course. I especially loved the sections where we passed through the rainforest on an elevated pathway. Leslie on the other hand was having a rough go. By mile 20 she was getting silly, mile 22 she was complaining about feeling like her blood sugar was messed up and we started taking frequent, long walk breaks. I still felt strong but decided I needed to stick with Leslie in case things went horribly wrong for her. She’s not the type to quit and I wanted to make sure she got to the finish line. I had originally hoped for a 4:30, but then decided beating my time from last year would be just fine, and beating my time from yesterday would be even better. Earlier in the race we had been talking about wildlife, and I mentioned how whenever I saw a Bald Eagle on my run, I knew it was going to be a successful day. Sure enough, at mile 24 as we ran alongside the beach, a Bald Eagle swooped down and flew along side of us. At that point, we both knew our goals would be met. We finished together in 4:47:34. A minute faster than yesterday and 6 minutes faster than last year.

So there we have it. 2 marathons in 2 days (over an hour faster than last year) - or 5 marathons in 5 weeks - or 3 marathons in 8 days. Anyway I look at it, it's a record streak for me and it will be hard to take a break. I now understand how Maniacs get sucked into running a marathon every weekend. It's addictive and actually easier than it appears.

Green River Marathon

The Green River Marathon is a favorite amongst Marathon Maniacs, more than likely because it’s a Maniac sponsored event, it’s local AND it’s free. The added appeal for me was that it ran along bike paths for ¾ of the distance…. bike paths that I have run segments of at various times and I was curious how they linked together. I had decided to take the early start so Ric and I could be on our way to Sequim early in the afternoon and prepare for race two of my double weekend.

It was cool on race morning, so I decided to wear my pink Brooks skirt, white singlet and a black RunderWear top. I also carried my hydration pack with a rain shell, plenty of gels and my phone. I knew there were supposed to be aid stations, but since it was a free event I decided to do my best to be self-supported. I felt well prepared, but the one thing I hadn’t counted on ended up being the most difficult part of the run for me: there were few course markers and no mile markers. It was difficult to gage my pace, so I just ran by feel. I thought I was doing well in spite of having to stop at stoplights and getting off course with a few other runners. At one point we were running through South Park (didn’t even know it existed) complete with junk yard dogs and gang symbols spray painted on the trail. I managed to catch up to a big guy running the marathon and stuck with him until we were clear of this questionable neighborhood. I was quite surprised when I hit the 20 mile aid station with 3:45 on my watch. I thought I was running faster than that and felt a little demoralized. When the trail finally emerged on Alki Beach a headwind hit. There was plenty of activity on the beach though, so my mind focused on the volleyball tournament and the outrigger races instead of the wind. My legs were tired but I could see the finish line on the horizon. Unfortunately it stayed on the horizon and it felt like I was making no forward progress. But, as all marathons do, the Green River Marathon eventually came to an end and I crossed the finish line in 4:48:10. 18 minutes slower than my goal time, but I still had fun and suspect the course was a tad long.