On the eve of a marathon.

It is my first attempt at a marathon.  I think this is a good time for some reflecting. 

It started with 7 minutes. 

We were in Del Rio, TX just after Christmas in 2011.  Sarah and I had taken to riding bikes in Boise because the green belt was right there on the edge of the RV park. We impressed ourselves by getting up to a 10 mile bike ride. But, in Del Rio, bike riding meant dodging drivers on narrow, pot hole filled roads.  It just wasn't fun or really safe.  So we languished. 

Then a girl at work, Julie DuPlessis, ran the San Antonio marathon.  It got me thinking.

Maybe I could do that.

I have always had something of an ambivalent relationship to running.  My attitude was, if you have to run, you should have left earlier.  I had to run for high school athletics and boot camp and the like, but I hated it.  I think it was that hate that led me to decide to do it.  I mean, if I hate it that bad, it must demonstrate a weakness.  You don't ignore the weakness, you fix it.  So I decided to run.  Back in high school wrestling, we ran for 7 minutes our first day back from summer.  It was agony.  But it was nothing compared to the agony that awaited me.  I smoked for 19 years and quit in 2004.  I had no real cardiovascular conditioning. 

So I laced up an old pair of work shoes just after Christmas in 2011 (because New Year's resolutions are for suckers) and I ran for 7 minutes.  I thought I might literally die.  My lungs burned, my legs wobbled, my head throbbed and I staggered back, but I made it.  I covered a distance of just under half a mile. 

According to my run logging software, I have run 354 miles in training for tomorrow.  Oh what a difference a couple of years makes. 

So, let's call it.  On the advice of a random internet article I read, I selected three goals for the race.   I have a goal, this is the focus of the day, this is what it is all about.  That goal is to finish.  My secondary goal is the goal that I would like to accomplish.  Not my main goal, but it would be great if I beat 4 hours.  My third one is if everything goes right and race day magic is in effect, I can accomplish my third goal of beating 3:50. 


I am anticipating 4:15.  I will be happy with 4:30. 

We are in a hotel and I don't have access to all my normal stuff, so I will have to do the full, post-race blog post with pictures later. 

Wish me luck.

Playing catch up

Busy, busy, busy.

We have had the normal things, and some abnormal things.  Chaos, disorder, but no panic.

I have decided I don't like Yakima.  There are cool things here, but...no.

To top it all off, our bikes have been stolen.  We have carted those things, literally from coast to coast across the country and someone stole them.  Oh well.

Can't dwell on the negative, it takes positive energy to move forward.  In that vein, we have been having some fun in the new, much less meth ridden RV park.  They have swings.

Sarah loves swings.

Max likes them too.  Especially with mommy.

Michael was bored and wanted to play soccer

Go ahead, take the picture. 

We got to play a little.

But again, this is about traveling.  Not sitting around bike thieving RV parks and playing soccer.

When we need a little boost, who do we call?  You got it, Ruthie!  We managed to get together with Ruthie and her friends Andrea and Andrew and their gorgeous little one Imogene.

And what better way to shake of the blahs than a waterfall hike.  Oh yeah, this is right.  So we packed up the car and headed for green.  In this case, it was near Snoqualmie Pass.  We went to check out Franklin Falls.

But, due to time restrictions and spotty internet, that will have to wait for another post.