Sunday, October 4, 2009
Twin Cities Marathon
I just now got back from running the Twin Cities Marathon as part of the Clif Bar Pace Team. I was assigned the 3:40 group, and brought them in at 3:39:10. I'd never run this race before, and it certianly lived up to all the wonderful things I heard about it. It passed 4 lakes and cruised along the Mississippi River, lined by lots of green and lots of cheering Minnesotans -- not an ugly spot along the entire 26.2 miles. And we got lucky with the weather; a cool, overcast day sandwiched by rainey days yesterday and predicted for tomorrow. All in all, a great running experience! More races comign up this month -- for me, and maybe for you, too. Let me know what you're up to!
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Jeff, you did one heck of a job pacing for the twin cities. I did not hit the wall but i felt its gravitational pull. I am actually considering running for charity in New York Nov. 1st and I am curious if you feel this is foolish. MOK
ReplyDeleteHi everyone! I'm finally back from my India advneture, where i participated in the Himalayan 100-Mile 5-day Stage Race and Mt. Everest Challenge Marathon. It was an absolutely amazing trip -- the Himalayas were as beautiful as Delhi was filthy. The race was the hardest thing I've ever done -- running on very rough trails at high altitude (12,000 feet) was far harder than I thought it would be, but the views were phenomenal, the support wonderful, nad the people warm and friendly. The field was small (42 runenrs) but a great and diverse group of poeple, from places such as Switzerland, South Africa, the UK, and Spain. THe marahton, on day 3, was part of hte stage race, and actually was mis-measured. It turned out ot be 31 miles instead of 26.2, on some ofhte roughest terrain I've ever tried ot run. When it was finally over, my fninshing time was 9:29 for that day -- nearly hte same amount of time it takes me to complete a 50-mile race back home! But as the race progressed, came down in altitude and hit the roads, I felt stronger and stronger, and ran well as others were starting to succumb to fatigue and injuries, so that was gratifying. Crossing hte finish line on Day 5 left many of us feeling more grateful nad relieved than we ever had before, and we were happy to celebrate at our post-race awards ceremony and dinner. The next day my wife Stephanie nad i returned to Delhi, whihc was an intense, difficult city. I've expereince crazed traffic before, having traveled to Rome and Cairo, but there is nothing that compares to the street traffic in Delhi. It's simply insane. As we sat i nthe back of our taxi, I kept telling Stephanie that it was it just a videogame and not real, because if you pay attention to what's going on around you, you'll freak out. We actually did see the aftermath of one bad accident, with a body laying in the middle of the street. There were homeless adults and children everywhere, beggars and relentless street peddlars, filth nad decay, but also beautiful ruins and temples, and we never saw any road rage or felt threatenend in any way. Despite hte poverty, there was always the flash of birght color in people's clothing nad even painted onto their trucks, and we met many wonderful people. And, of course, there was Taj Majal, visited on a long day-trip to Agra, 5 hours away by car. It was just as magnificent as we'd hoped. But all in all, as unforgettable as the experience was, it's good to be back!
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