47 - Dances with Dirt, Devil's Lake, Baraboo, Wisconsin

The Dances With Dirt Marathon in Wisconsin coincided perfectly with my mother-in-law's (Lois) 81st Birthday in Hector, Minnesota.

Mark and I flew into Minneapolis and drove to Hector.  What would you want to do for your 81st birthday?  Lois wanted to sky dive. Jill, my sister-in-law/organizer extraordinaire, rallied the family together to accompany Lois. The day before we were scheduled to jump, Lois' doctor did not give her approval, so the rest of us had to go for her.  Sky diving was never something that I had ever thought about doing, but thanks to my mother-in-law, I can now say that I've sky dived! To get an idea of what it was like to jump from 13,000 feet, see this video of my sister-in-law Mary's (joke teller extraordinaire) jump:  http://youtu.be/SautAl3xj9Y

The Sky Divers and Support Crew

Mark and his friends in Wabasha, MN

Thursday afternoon, we left Hector and started on our way to Wisconsin.  We spent the night in Wabasha, MN, which was about half way to our final destination, located along the Mississippi River. Mark was able to catch up with some old friends there.  Dinner was at T-Bones Grill and Bar.

Friday morning, we continued to Devil's Head Resort, in Merrimac, WI where we stayed for the night before the marathon.  Check in for the marathon was in a big open field, only a 5-minute walk from the resort.  Mark chatted with the race director about what we should do for the afternoon.  He recommended that we go for a short hike to see the view from the bluffs near Devil's Lake and suggested The Barn for dinner.

Devil's Lake in the background

We drove to Devil's Lake and found the trail. According to the trail map, it was only 0.3 miles to the top, no big deal (or so we thought).  Well, it was 0.3 miles straight up, with some natural rocks as the only stairs. While we were walking along the bluffs, I noticed there were some flags making the trail.  It turned out that these were markers for the race, and that I would be back at the same spot the next day during the marathon.  It was another 0.3 miles straight down.  By the time we got back to the car, my legs were shaking; this was not the best idea the day before the marathon.

We decided to have an early dinner, but when we arrived at The Barn, it was packed.  We waited at the hostess stand for a long time, no one came to help us, nor could we catch any one's attention.  Finally another couple came in —Ned and Susan. They live in Wisconsin a few hours away and were in town to run the half-marathon the next day. Ned, who I think has a little New Yorker in him, was finally able to get us a table; we had dinner with them. We came to understand that a Friday Fish Fry is a tradition in Wisconsin, and restaurants are always busy on Friday nights.  We also came learn that Ned and Susan knew Henry.  I met Henry during a marathon in Oklahoma in February 2011.  At that point in time, he had run about 800 marathons.  As of July 12, 2014 Henry's marathon count was 982, on his way to 1000!

Saturday, the marathon started at 6:30 AM and, thanks to the time change I had an "extra" hour  to sleep. There was  also 50-mile and 50-kilometer races that started at 5:30 AM, and a 10K and half marathon that started at 7:30 AM. All the races started at the same spot just outside the resort.  The trail included technical and rocky single-track, back country paths, and yes, we got to run up the bluffs near Devil's Lake, where we had hiked the day before.  I took it slow and only fell once with no major cuts or bruises. Guess who I "ran" into on the marathon course...Henry of course!  He was running the 50K.

Elevation Map for Marathon

After the marathon, we relaxed at the post-race party with burgers and Bell's beer, talked with other runners, and met Ned and Susan again.  Back at the resort, I took a shower and then we started on our way toward Minneapolis.  Along the way, we stopped at Culver's for lunch....got to "experience" Wisconsin Cheese Curds.  We spent the night in Eau Praire, WI.  Mark found a nice place for dinner, Fanny Hill, over looking the Chippewa River. It was a beautiful view and a nice night.

Sunday we flew out of Minneapolis back to NYC.

46 - Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, Knoxville, Tennessee

T is for Te, Te, Te...

nnessee!!!

Why the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon?  It fit my schedule.

Friday:
Flew into Knoxville and took a taxi to the hotel (Holiday Inn Knoxville Downtown Worlds Fair Park).
Lunch: Downtown Grill & Brewery.
Dinner: Blue Coast Grill & Bar.
Desert: Orange Leaf.

Saturday:
Race number pick-up, which was conveniently located at my hotel.
Breakfast: Pete's Coffee Shop.
Snack: The Casual Pint Downtown.
Dinner: Calhoun's On the River.
Desert: Orange Leaf ... again.

Sunday:
Marathon started at 7:30 AM, right outside my hotel door.  The course was a little tough, a lot of small "hills" ...  but it was a beautiful day for a marathon; sunny, but not too hot. ... finished on the 50-yard line at Neyland Stadium, home of the Tennessee Volunteers Football Team.

Back to hotel to shower —got a late check-out, thank goodness!
Took at taxi to the airport ... flight delayed because of the weather in NYC.
Lunch: Ruby Tuesday at the airport — a surprisingly, amazingly, delicious burger.

45 - Asheville Marathon, Asheville, North Carolina

The Asheville Marathon was a challenge, but it was well worth it. Carol, my close friend from NYC, choose this as her second marathon and suggested it as the one I should do for my North Carolina marathon.  In addition to getting to run with Carol, another big selling point for this marathon is that Asheville is known as beer city!


We arrived late Friday morning in Charlotte, rented a car, and drove to Asheville.  The weekend was filled with carbo loading, hydrating, and napping...

Carol

Friday: 
Lunch: The Blackbird - Battle of Brocks Mill Smoked Porter
To hotel (Marathon host hotel - Doubletree) for nap...
Waiting for table at Tupelo Honey Cafe: Beers at some dive bar that we never got the name of
Dinner: Tupelo Honey Cafe - Rye Ale
After dinner: Browsed the books at Battery Park - a Book Exchange, Champagne, Espresso and Dog Bar

Carol

Saturday:
Breakfast: Early Girl Eatery
Back to hotel for nap...
Afternoon: Run/walk around Biltmore Village
Late afternoon: Catawba Brewery
Early dinner:  Corner Kitchen



Sunday:
Early morning: Took a bus from our hotel to start of marathon at the Biltmore Estate; the entire marathon was run on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate.

Carol in front of the Biltmore House

"This country retreat, built for George Washington Vanderbilt III, is located in the scenic Appalachian mountains in western North Carolina in the town of Asheville, known in the late nineteenth century as a health resort. This large estate was planned as self-supporting with gardens, a nursery, farms, and forests surrounding the estate.  The name Biltmore derives from 'Bildt,' Vanderbilt's ancestors' place of origin in Holland, and 'More,' Anglo-Saxon for open, rolling land.

(http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/ncarolina/biltmore/biltmoreintro.html)

It was a chilly, cloudy morning with 100% rain expected by 10 AM.  When we started at 7:30 AM it was drizzling, by about 9 AM it was rain, which continued for the entire marathon. Two-thirds of the marathon was on a dirt trail/road, which soon become slippery mud. This was one of my first marathons where I got colder and colder as the marathon went on.

Blankets were given out at the finish line, thank goodness!  

We were soaked and cold by the time we crossed the finish line and the blanket was perfect finish swag. We grabbed some food and our can of free beer and returned to our hotel for hot showers as soon as we could. Horrible was the word that came immediately to our minds to best describe the experience, all because of the weather.  But that "horrible" experience did NOT keep us down...




After we warmed up, we enjoyed our free beer in the room and then snacks down at TGI Fridays, which was conveniently attached to the hotel.  Then is was time for NAPS!

Marathon celebration dinner that night was at the Wicked Weed Brewing.

"King Henry VIII declared hops 'A wicked and pernicious weed' destined to ruin beer. Independent brewers were driven by their rebel integrity to defy the king, embrace the hop and create beer for the untamed palate. Today, rebel integrity drives our defiant beer." 

Wicked Weed Brewing Mural

Monday:
Flew home.

44 - Walt Disney World Marathon, Inaugural Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World - Orlando, Florida

The Disney Marathon would have been my last choice for my Florida marathon...but Earl, one of my running friends from Pennsylvania, highly recommended this marathon and guaranteed that it would be a fun one to run. SO, I decided to follow his advice, and I'm glad I did!

Not only was I able to run the marathon, but it was also the Inaugural Dopey Challenge. For the Dopey Challenge, you run a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon, one per morning on consective days, for a total of 48.6 miles over four days.

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend

Six medals in four days: left to right, 5K Pluto, 10K Minnie, half marathon Donald, full marathon Mickey, AND a Goofy medal for the half-full combo AND the brand new offical Dopey Challenge medal.

Day 1 - Thursday, January 9, 2014
 Disney Family Fun Run 5K
The starting line was between the Amaze and Imagine sections of the Epcot Parking lot. We ran around backstage and then under Test Track, circled World Showcase lagoon, then continued through Future Wold and finished in the Epcot Parking lot.

Day 2 - Friday, January 10, 2014  Inaugural Walt Disney World 10K

The starting line was the same as the 5K, but the first few miles were different. We headed out the Toll Plaza for two miles on Epcot Boulevard, the guest entrance road to Epcot.  Then we circled World Showcase to the International Gateway hotel resort entrance, circled Crescent Lake, went backstage of Soarin', continued through Future World, and finished at the Epcot Parking lot.

Day 3 - Saturday, January 11, 2014  

Walt Disney World Half Marathon

There were wave starts for the half and full marathon. This helps to reduce crowding and people of similar paces get to run together.  The fastest runners were in the first wave.  There were 16 different waves, which meant there were 16 separate starts, each with a blast of fireworks, like the one below!

The half marathon headed direct to the Magic Kingdom, through the Toll Plaza on World Drive.  The course then entered the Magic Kingdom through a service access road north of the bus loops, then it went up Main Street and zig-zagged through most of the lands of the Magic Kingdom.  The course then continued on Seven Seas, along the Grand Floridian and Polynesian resorts before returing to Epcot on World Drive to the finish line.

Day 4 - Sunday, January 12, 2014
Walt Disney World Marathon

The first eight miles or so of the full marathon course were identical to that of the half marathon. The course changed when the marathon entered the Walt Disney World Speedway for a lap on the tri-oval loop.  Much of the loop was lined with classic muscle cars and show cars that were invited to come cheer on the marathoners.  

Then, the marathon continued down a service road and entered Animal Kingdom through its north service entrance; it then continued into Animal Kingdom's normal guest areas and circled past Expedition Everest.  The course went backstage again, past the show building for the Dinosaur attraction. Then we continued to Osceola Parkway, where Haunted Manion grave diggers were "cheering" us to our final resting place at the finish line.  Next we continued to ESPN Wide World of Sports for a lap on the 400 meter track and a lap of the baseline of Champion Stadium.  Then we continued through Hollywood Studios, then through the Epcot resort area, the the International Gateway, and a lap around World Showcase. The last half mile was through Future World.
The following slideshow is from the running events:

For my first four nights in Orlando, I stayed at the Caribbean Beach Hotel, one of the Disney hotels. On Sunday afternoon after the marathon, Nancy and Karin (childhood friends from New Jersey) came down to Disney for a "Princess" vacation.  We spent the next four nights at the Beach Club Resort, which is also a Disney property and explored as much as Disney as we could.

The following slideshow is highlights from our "Princess" vacation:

43 - Holualoa Tucson Marathon, Tucson, Arizona

Holualoa Tucson Marathon

Mark and I arrived in Phoenix late Friday afternoon and drove two hours to Tucson.  We expected the weather in Arizona to be warmer — the temperature was cold —similar to what it had been when we boarded the airplane in Newark. It ended up being a very long travel day, so we had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel (Hilton Tucson El Conquistador) and turned in for the night.

Saturday morning, the first order of the day was to pick up my race number, which was at our hotel, the marathon "host" hotel.  Then we headed out for sightseeing. On our way into downtown Tucson, we had breakfast at the Bisbee Breakfast Club; I had done an online search for "breakfast all day in Tuscon" and found this place.

The afternoon was spent exploring the Tucson Museum of Art. We took a docent-led tour of Art of the American West, one of the museum's permanent collections and viewed the Bob Kuhn: Drawing on Instinct exhibit.  After the museum tour, we walked around the downtown area, which was a ghost town!  The historic Hotel Congress' restaurant, Cup Cafe was highly recommended for dinner, we had an early bite to eat there.  The hotel's main claim to fame is the fact that the notorious criminal John Dillinger stayed at the hotel in 1934, and his gang was captured shortly thereafter in Tucson.  Our waiter was a wealth of information about suggestions for our stay in Tucson and what to do in the area.

They were calling for cold temperatures at the start on Sunday, but I hadn't brought enough warm clothes with me. So on our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Target to get a cheap "throw-away" sweatshirt (and yes, we used our credit card at Target, so now we are carefully monitoring our charges after the Target credit card breach).

Starting area

Early Sunday morning, we were bused 26 miles north of Tucson to Oracle State Park, where we started at an elevation of just below 5000 feet.  They were right; it was freezing.  Fortunately, we were able to stay on the bus until just before the start.  Since this is a desert area, I never considered that the altitude would be this high, but within less than a mile, I was fully aware of it.  For the entire marathon, I never felt like I could catch my breath. Yes, course information is posted on the marathon website, but I rarely check out a course before I run it. I like the "surprise" factor, and I was certainly surprised.


The race course snaked along the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and a bulk of the run was along Arizona State Route 77.  At one point, we turned off 77 and ran up to the entrance gate at the Biosphere 2.  Fortunately, the cloud cover was ideal for running, but the strong head wind was not. Taken together, the altitude and head wind did not make for a "fun" run, at least not for me.

Fortunately, our hotel had a hot tub, as well as a cold spring pool right next to it. So once I got back to the hotel, I changed into my swim suit and submerged by lower body in the cold spring (it was freezing!). The cold water helps to reduce the inflammation caused by the long run, and I knew that it would help the muscle soreness that I'd feel the next day.  After a few minutes in the icy water, I couldn't stand it any longer, and I jumped into the hot tub where Mark was already waiting (he had refused to jump in the ice water).  After warming up, we had lunch at the hotel, and then a nap was in order.

The waiter from the night before had recommended the Guadalajara Grill for dinner.  We went there for my marathon celebration dinner.  The table side prepared homemade salsa, which was simply amazing.

When we arrived back at the hotel, there was a wild boar running around the parking lot. How often do you see that in NYC or PA?!?

Post Marathon Vacation Outline:

Monday:
Lunch at The Cafe in Sonoita on our way to Tombstone
Toured Tombstone & Boothill Graveyard
Bisbee for coffee
Dinner back in Tucson at  Tavolino




Tuesday:
Breakfast at The Good Egg in Tuscon
Visited the Biosphere 2  for the afternoon
Drove to Florence so we could be closer to the airport - Holiday Inn Express
Dinner at L & B Inn in Florence



Wednesday:

Morning flight from Phoenix to Newark

42 - Des Moines Marathon, Des Moines, Iowa

Why did I run the Des Moines Marathon?  It's all because of my friend Ann, who I taught with at The School at Columbia. Ann is originally from Des Moines, and she suggested that I run my Iowa marathon there.  It was a great suggestion, especially since Ann was able to come along.

We flew out of Newark on Friday night, and Ann's mother (Caroline) picked us up at the airport in Des Moines.  We spent the weekend staying with her mom, who is a total sweetheart.  It is ALWAYS a treat to stay and travel with a local person.

Farmers' Market

Saturday morning, we woke to crisp, clear autumn weather. The local Farmers' Market was our first stop. This farmers' market is no small-town farmers' forum—it is "world class!"  While browsing, we had a tasty egg sandwich and a Dutch Letter cookie for desert. There were tons of local goodies.

Mid-morning, we walked over to the expo center to pick-up my race number.  At the expo, the race director was giving a talk about the race the next day and what to expect.  He also recommended some sight-seeing opportunities for Des Moines.  Ann and I decided to take the tour of the State Capitol Building.  The tour was free and our guide was a wealth of knowledge about the Iowa government.

After the Capitol Building tour, our next stop was the Court Avenue Brewing Company, both for lunch and some local brew (Belgian White).  On our way home, we stopped at Dahl's supermarket to pick-up some marathon morning breakfast fuel.  Back at her mom's house, we relaxed for a bit, then had dinner at Skip's, a local favorite of Ann and her family.

Sunday morning, I was up bright and early, but once again the time-change g-ds were shining down on me. Ann dropped me near the Locust Street Bridge (the starting/finishing area) about 20 minutes before the start.  (Thank you Ann!) Brisk autumn air surrounded the starting area with the State Capitol Building as the backdrop.  Moments before the start, the sun make a brief appearance.

About 3 miles into the course, I heard someone yell my name— it was Ann.  She was with Tracy, her sister,  and Tracy's dog, Sophie; they were cheering me on.  It was a GREAT spot for them to be, since it was the beginning of the 'hills' portion of the course, which continued up hill until about mile 8 where the course flattened out.

Howling Basset Hounds

During this 'hills' portion, there was a women with her three basset hounds along the course; her hounds were howling barks of encouragement for the marathoners, making the hills more bearable.

For most of the marathon, I floated with the 4:25 pace group; the weather was ideal for marathoning— cloudy and cool, but not too cold.  We got to see lots of local sights: the home of the Governor of the State of Iowa; Waterbury, North Ingersol, and Drake Neighborhoods; the historic Jim Duncan Track at Drake University;  and 3 great parks — Greenwood Park, Water Works Park, and Gray's Lake Park.

The finish line at the Locust Street Bridge was a welcomed sight.  After the finish, there we physical therapist on hand to stretch out the runners.  Ann met me near the physical therapist tents with a coffee and a much needed BLT sandwich, which I had while I waited my turn to be "stretched."

On Sunday night, my marathon celebration dinner was held at Tracy's (Ann's sister) house.  A friend of hers, Jane Wolff, joined us.  Jane is originally from Minnesota and much to my surprise, has cousins in Hector, Minnesota where Mark is from!  According to Mark's mom (Lois), there may be a distant connection between the  Peterson's and the Wolff's.  (Mark always claims to be related to everyone in town in some way!) Also, one of Mark's high-school classmates (Pam Keinholtz) had Wolff as her maiden name.  I contacted Pam, and she said Jane could be a distant relation.

Gray's Lake

On Monday morning, we woke up to another gorgeous autumn day,  Ann, Caroline and I went to Gray's Lake Park and walked around the lake, a two-mile loop.  It was much more enjoyable this morning, than it had been the day before. During the marathon, we had run around Gray's Lake, but that was about mile 23, when I was ready to be done!

Late morning, Caroline dropped Ann and me at the airport for our journey home.



Thank you Ann for showing me the true Iowa!

41 - Fox Valley Marathon, St. Charles, Illinois

Expo location in St. Charles.

Mark and I landed at Chicago O'Hare airport on Friday afternoon.  We rented a car and drove to St. Charles to pick-up my race number; the expo was small, but everyone was friendly. We had a late lunch at Isacco, then drove into downtown Chicago to our hotel — Westin Chicago River North. We hit tons of traffic getting into Chicago late Friday afternoon and were pretty exhausted from traveling all day so we had dinner at the hotel.

On Saturday morning, our first stop was the Apple store.  Mark's cell phone had crashed that morning when he tried to download the iOS7 upgrade.  He made an appointment with the Apple Genius Bar to come back later in the day.  An Apple employee recommended a place close by for breakfast called the West Egg Cafe. It was a delicious recommendation. During breakfast, we talked with a local couple about what we should do for the day. They suggested the Architecture River Tour, which sounded interesting, so we decided to do that.  We walked over to Gateway Park at the Navy Pier to embark upon the hour tour.  The tour was chock-full of great information, and the guide was highly entertaining.

After the cruise, we walked over to Millennium Park and explored there for a while, then headed back to the hotel.  Mark was staying in downtown Chicago for a meeting the next day.  I drove back to St. Charles to spent the night there in preparation for the marathon the following morning.

Instead of a massive generic pasta dinner on Saturday night, the marathon race committee had arranged something called "Dine and Dash: pre-race dinner parties" at some local restaurants.  Two local people hosted runners for dinner at a restaurant.  I choose the 7 PM seating at Villa Verone.  Katie and Mike were the hosts and their daughter Gina was in town to help out.  Two other people joined us —Christine and Tricia —both from the Chicago area.  Our "party" was small compared to the other "parties."  Most runners had opted for earlier seatings. On my way back to my hotel (Holiday Inn Express), I stopped at Forever Yogurt for some additional pre-marathon nourishment.

Arcedium Coffeehouse

On Sunday morning, the time change g-ds were in my favor.  The drive to the starting / finishing area was quick and easy:  I really enjoy these smaller marathons where hassles are kept to a minimum.  I had about 45 minutes to kill before the start at 7 AM so I walked around.  Much to my delight, there was an open coffee shop (Arcedium Coffeehouse) at the starting line!

It was a little chilly that morning, so I relaxed with a cup of "Jump Start" in the coffee house until 5 minutes before the start. Honestly, I don't think there could have been any better planning for the starting line!

Sunrise.

Moon set. 

It was a beautiful morning to be running the Fox Valley Marathon in St. Charles, both the sun rise and moon were in view and cool temperatures prevailed.  I decided to start out with the five-hour pace group, and it took about 25 minutes for us to get to the start.

Katie (maroonish tank top) and her friends behind (pink tank top and white T-shirt).

I ran the first few miles alone, then I came upon Katie (host from the night before) and two of her friends who were running the 20-miler.  In addition to the marathon (26.2 miles), there was a half-marathon (13.1 miles) and a 20-mile run.  Many people were doing the 20 mile run as a long training run for the Chicago Marathon scheduled for October 13.  The 20-mile run split from the marathon, and then it was Katie and me, alone chatting about life.  A porta-potty beckoned Katie, so we parted ways.

Then I came upon Christine, one of the women from Chicago that I had dinner with the night before. We ran together and chatted for a while until she was beckoned by a porta-potty.  Finally I met up with Tricia, the other "Chicago" woman from the night before.  She and I ran to the finish together. Her parents were there to cheer her in, which always makes the finish a bit more fun!

A pleasant surprise was one of the post race snacks...local steak!  They were handing out small pieces on toothpicks.  I lingered by that area for a long time.  After you left the finishing area, there was another tent with physical therapists giving free massages...yet another bonus! I didn't get a massage but had the physical therapist stretch me out.

A shower was desperately needed; I drove back to the hotel, showered and then drove back to the finishing area to meet Tricia, her parents, and Christine at a local place called The Office for a celebration lunch.  Runners were given drink tickets for a free beer at The Office, and we indulged.

Back at the hotel, I stretched and relaxed.  Next door to the hotel was Gino's East, where I had an amazing Chicago deep dish pizza for my 41st state marathon celebration dinner.  The next morning, I flew back to NYC.

There were a lot of nice little perks to this marathon (including spending a full day exploring downtown Chicago with Mark).  The Dine and Dash pre-race dinner party was an excellent idea — a great way to meet new friends!