Running a marathon

For the last two years I have run a marathon in the fall. My first marathon was 6 years ago, running in the Portland Marathon. I ran it again in 2012. This year my sister and I decided to run in the City of Trees Marathon in Boise, Idaho. Kevin didn't make it to Boise but I ran and enjoyed the race. I also ran a personal best. This is the shirt I ran in. 

For me finishing is always my goal but I train for a time and didn't quite make my planned time but still did well. It takes about 4 months of training to get up to the distance to run without totally hurting at the end of the race. I have the added advantage of a great support crew while I run. My wife, Diane, brings me sandwiches at mile 9 and mile 18. This gives me a great boost and keeps my morale up. About 200 people ran in the race with 19 in my age class. This is me at the finish.

Finish area where the chocolate milk and chili was served. 

At 58, I don't know how many more marathons I will run but will keep it up as long as I enjoy it. 

Abandoned life along the freeway.

This homestead is on the side of Interstate 84 just east of Baker City. I have drove by it at least 50 times and always thought that I should stop and take a picture. Finally did it. Diane and I took a week of vacation mostly so I could go run a marathon in Boise. We took 3 days to drive the 430 miles from Portland to Boise. We weren't in a hurry to get anywhere and stopped frequently to take a walk, look at a town or enjoy the scenery. I've wondered what happened here. did the freeway cut off the access? Was it abandoned long before and just sits watching the traffic go by? It is a substantially built house and garage. Made out of fieldstone, it is large and roomy. It seems odd that someone wouldn't continue to live there. anyway I got my picture so I can rest easy next time by.

Running tonight

I'm training for a marathon this fall, the City of Trees, in Boise. As it gets closer my runs ramp up in distance and total miles for the week. It gets harder to motivate myself to get out and run and when the weather is like tonight, it takes a little extra effort to get out and get going. I knew it would be a nasty night to run. The weather was hot, muggy and heavy. The run was as miserable as I thought it would be. And I didn't do the distance I wanted to. This weekend my scheduled run will be 12 miles on Saturday morning and I'm hoping for some cooler, drier weather. The next week they are 5, 7 and 4 miles with a 14 mile run on Saturday. Go team!!