Alaska Marathon 2005

6/20/05

Greetings from Alaska!

Thought I'd send everyone an email about our adventures so far. For those of you who don't know, I used to live in Anchorage. I lived here from age 6 through 9 and then again from 1970 to 1983. Although I love Houston, I've always considered going back to Alaska as going home. Peggy Colin, Mary Sandoval and I decided to run the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon this year. We all started training with great expectations. Peggy immediately suffered the second of two stress fractures almost back to back. A short time later, Mary broke her foot. Not running, though. I'm beginning to think this trip is doomed by the marathon gods.

As soon as Peggy got the ok to run from her doctor, she started a recovery program designed by Jeff Galloway. Her first run consisted of running for 10 seconds and walking for 1 minute. For someone who has done over 20 marathons, you can image the discipline this took. After several months of patience and diligence, the doctor and Jeff both told her to go for it.
Mary stayed off her foot until it also healed and started training again.

Meanwhile, Darlene is trying to get in her runs, running the Tour De Bayou and any other hill work whenever I can. This is an important fact to remember later. I did more hill work than I've ever done in the three years I've been running.

Now that everyone is declared healthy, the trip is on!

Journal Entry Day 1
Wednesday: Peggy and I arrive at the airport dangerously close to the 50 pound limit in our suitcases. We tip the Delta attendant, smile sweetly and talk non-stop about how excited we are to be going to Alaska. He almost gets a hernia picking up Peggy's suit case, as he tells her not to put one more thing in there. Peggy happens to mention that the night before she stumped her big toe and it has a rather large blood blister. Her toe nail is split and she may lose it. No biggy she says. Later, while on the plane, she stumps it again. I'll spare you the details about how it looks NOW.

After we arrived in Anchorage, we went to the store to get stuff to doctor Peggy's toe, buy film and do the typical tourist stuff before we picked Mary up at the airport. The saga of Peggy's feet continues..... while at the airport, the door gets slammed on her other foot. We now have TWO crippled feet. The swelling is out of control on both feet. I am starting to panic. No biggie she says.

We leave Anchorage and drive down to Girdwood, which is about 40 miles outside of Anchorage. My friends have generously offered their "cabin" and a vehicle to us for our stay. The cabin is a lovely three bedroom home with a hot tub on the deck at Alyeska Ski Resort. On the drive down we see a family of dall sheep and rock climbers on the cliffs on the way to the cabin. This drive is incredibly beautiful at any time, but especially when the sun is out and the sky is clear. By this time it's 11:00 PM. The sun is out, the skies are clear and we open a bottle of wine and climb in the hot tub after Peggy doctors both feet. No biggie she says again.

Some people in our party had trouble sleeping because of the 24 hours of daylight. Not me!

Journal Entry Day 2
Thursday: Woke up on Houston time. Three hours of sleep! Walked up to the Bake Shop (still doing hill work) for fabulous breakfast of sourdough toast, etc. Diets gone to hell. Told ourselves this is our last day to eat what we want cause tomorrow we have to follow Jeff Galloway's recommendation in the book. Lunch was at Simon's which is a great restaurant overlooking Cook Inlet and also one of the many places where I drank too much in my youth. For lunch - halibut, halibut, halibut. Need I say more. After lunch we went to the expo. Peggy and Mary described it as "quaint", yet somehow we managed to spend a fortune. Peggy's feet are a disaster. One foot is bruised and swollen on the top. The other foot's big toe is black and blue. Orange nail polish adds to the blue effect. This is NOT looking good for the run. Darlene is panicked. Mary is trying to be supportive and helpful. Peggy has quit saying "no biggie". Go to the Peanut Farm to sit outside in the sunshine beside Campbell Creek and drink. The waitress brings a huge bag of ice for ONE of Peggy's Feet. We meet up with an old boyfriend of mine at the Peanut Farm who has run the marathon several times. He gives us mile by mile pointers. Alaskan's are complaining about the heat wave. We are thrilled, but concerned it might actually be hot before we're done. All of us are getting sun burned sitting outside, but hey, who cares, we're in Alaska! We head back to the cabin in time to open a bottle of wine and get in the hot tub around 11:00 PM, which is 2:00 AM Houston time. About 4 hours of sleep. Not me. I'm out like a light.

Journal Entry Day 3
Friday: Day before the marathon. Skies are blue. Temperatures in the 70's. Holy cow! We try to be good. Darlene pulls out the book to see what I can eat today! Walked up the hill for breakfast (more hill work). Drove back to Anchorage for an easy day of tourist stuff. We went to the Alaska Zoo, but could hardly see any animals, cause they were all in ice baths cause it's so freaking hot. No polar bear, brown bears lying on their back with their feet in the air. Even the elephant won't come out cause it's too hot! Back to Girdwood for dinner, wine, hot tub. Plan was to call it an early night. Didn't work. Our gracious hostess drove down from Anchorage to cook us a great dinner at 9:00 PM. Food was great, wine was flowing. Sun still up! Skies still BLUE!

Marathon tomorrow. Stay tuned for the continuing adventure.

Darlene

06/23/05

Sorry this is sooooo late getting out. We have just been too busy hiking, fishing, eating and drinking. But take your mind back to Volume I. I'd tell you to hum the Alaska state song, but no one would know it. It starts out "Eight starts of gold on a field of blue........

It's marathon day! Did I mention the sun has been out, the skies have been blue and the temperatures have been in the 70's? We get up to a drizzly rain and temps in the 50's. Ah, great running weather. What's a little rain? After all, believe it or not, I've never run a long run in the rain, and besides Alaska rain is just a nice, slow drizzle. My friend gets up early to cook us a hearty breakfast, but we just have to explain it doesn't work that way.

Peggy has decided to go for it. The swelling is down on both feet. Her old running shoes are re-laced to make more room and she has mentally commited to stop if it doesn't go well. Although she's putting on a brave face, I can tell she's very apprehensive.

The marathon starts at 8:00 AM at Bartlett High School on the east side of Anchorage. The half starts at 9:00 AM on the south side of Anchorage. They start at different locations, but both finish at West High School. We're going to drive to West, then Mary and I will take the shuttle over to Bartlett and meet up with Peggy after the race.

We arrive at West High in plenty of time. Hugs all around and we're off to pick up the shuttle. Note to self: In all future marathons, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!!! After standing around a while, Mary and I and a new friend named Jeff figure out something's not right. No bus. It's 7:30 AM. The marathon starts in 30 minutes. We all jump in the car and head over to Bartlett, while giving Peggy directions on how to get back to her starting line at West High. I had diligently printed out Mapquest instructions on how to get from Bartlett to West. What I didn't realize was that Peggy didn't have her glasses, or her drivers license. After all, we were taking the shuttle. There was no reason for her to carry her glasses that morning. If she wasn't apprehensive enough, now she was. At least it took her mind off her feet! We arrive at the starting line in time to hear the Mayor tell us it will quit raining soon. It's only rained 6 times in the history of the marathon. He's telling us this as it starts to rain harder. Peggy gets back in plenty of time for her race. All is well. It's still raining - both at the marathon start and the half marathon start.

I'll let Peggy tell you her story. She's still asleep. It's only 6:30 here. As soon as she gets up, we'll tell you about Peggy's great adventure.

The Marathon Adventure: Mary and I don't have time to make the last porta potty stop before the start. Men are peeing in the woods all around us. We join them. It's Alaska and we're all runners. Team In Training is BIG in this race. We are completely surrounded. Everyone is in great spirits. The gun goes off and we're off and running. The first five miles or so is a steady climb along the Glenn Highway and Ft Richardson Army Base. Cars are honking support and crowds are cheering us on. We appreciate the nice looking Army guys directing traffic. As you run over the Glenn Highway, you turn onto the road to Arctic Valley Ski Resort and Golf Course. The road is paved, the scenery is spectacular and we are still climbing. I'm feeling great, even if I do feel like I'm runnng up the side of a mountain - after all, we are running toward a downhill ski resort.

At about mile 6 they take us off the paved roads and onto the infamous gravel road (Bogard Rd) I'd heard so many complaints about. So far I don't understand why all the whining. Looks like a gravel road to me. We run along Bogard road for a few more miles. The further UP we go, the rocks are getting bigger. Did I mention it's raining still? The puddles are getting deeper, and so is the mud. I am no longer a rain virgin! I can wring water out of my tyvek jacket. At some point I step on one of the dreaded boulders I'd heard so much about. I felt it through my shoe, right on my upper instep. This must be a true stone bruise. Thankfully it only hurt for a couple of miles - or at least I was too delirious to notice. By the way, we're also still climbing.

At mile 9 we come upon the fabulous volunteers with oranges, pretzels and other assorted goodies. They also have mosquito repellent. Up to this point, we haven't encountered too many. The rain and cool temperatures have kept them down. But, now the route changes and we're on the Oilwell Tank Trail. Mary almost gets carried away by a couple of mosquitos before we get our "Cutter's Bath". Remember I said we were surrounded by Team in Training, they are still around us, but, their cheerleaders and volunteers are the most gracious and friendly bunch I have ever encountered. They generously cheer and share with every runner on the road.

As we continue our run/climb, the course narrows down to a trail. Mary says this is beginnng to look suspiciously like SunMart in the mountains with rain. By the way, we're still climbing. Everyone is beginning to look like we're in a mud bath. You must watch your feet the whole time - not because of the roots, but to find the best footing. At some points you just pick out the best puddle. The scenery is quite spectacular, though. The woods are very dense. I'm watching for moose, but no luck. No self-respecting bear would come near. They have retreated to the safety of the back woods.

There are signs along the road/trail that say something to the effect of "Do Not Enter. Undetonated Ammunition". This is, after all, a military base where they train troops. Darlene decides she needs a potty break. I tell Mary, if you hear an explosion, it's only me, and off I go. The trouble with going potty in the woods, beside the obvious undetonated ammunition, is (1) mosquitos attacking my rear end; and (2) the dreaded devil's claw - a highly poisonous to the touch plant that grows wild in the woods. Can you get the image? I emerge from the woods in one piece and only one mosquito bite.

It's still raining, and we're still climbing. I tell Mary this part reminds me of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Houston. At some point, we look up and see my friend coming toward us on his bike. He rides along with us for a while congratulating us for being iron women and running in the most miserable of conditions. He, by the way, is a mountain runner, so we consider this a great compliment. We try several times to call Peggy, but cannot get a signal. There are sections of this trail where you run over beautiful creeks. If I thought I could have gotten my shoes back on, I'd have put my feet in the water for an ice bath.

Finally, at mile 17 we are off the trail and onto city bike paths, AND STARTING TO RUN DOWN HILL!!!!!! If the sun had been out, the view would have been fabulous, but it's still raining. We are drowned rats. We get a call from Peggy. SHE FINISHED AND FEELS GREAT!

We come out in an area known as Stuckagain Heights. In the old days, when the roads weren't paved, the name was sooooo approapriate. Now it's a paved road with bike paths on both sides and I know where I am. From this section, you're running toward town. We run past the Native Hospital, around to Alaska Pacific University and University of Alaska. We are running on bike trails, around lakes and playgrounds. It would be lovely, but it's STILL raining.

Peggy arrives with a sag. Poor thing drove around Anchorage in the rain, with road closures and no map to find us. When she arrived she brought chucks of freshly baked bread they give you at the finish line. She was a sight for sore eyes and feet.

Around Goose Lake, at about mile 20, the weather suddenly gets worse. Yes, worse. The wind kicks up, and the temperature drops probably about 10 degrees. We literally feel an ice rain. Thank God it didn't last long. It kept our minds off hitting any wall, though. I am telling Mary stories about how I used to bring the kids to this playground or that playground when we run past them. I'm constantly yacking about what life was like in Alaska, so I think I just talked my way out of going to the dark side very much.

When we come up to Westchester Lagoon, I know we're almost there. There is only Insult Hill left to climb. Just for grins they put a rather large hill in on the last half mile. As we come around the bend toward the finish line, I finally take off my trash bag, and throw away my good and faithful tyvek "throw away" jacket. After all, I wanted to look cute as we cross the finish line. Our time was 6:58. Set a PR. Unfortunately, it was the wrong direction.

This was only my fourth marathon. It was really tough. I don't have much to compare it to, but Mary has run 12 and said she thought this one was the hardest one she'd ever run. I cannot honestly say how much the weather contributed. Would it have been as hard if the weather had better? I don't know. Would I do this one again? Absolutely.

Peggy's Half Marathon Adventure:
Well, I finally woke up at 8:15- did Darlene mention that, night before last we went to a hysterical show - The Whale Fat Follies - a spoof on Alaska and afterward took Mary to the airport at 10:45PM....then picked up our stuff in Girdwood and drove 2 and a half hours to a fishing resort. We arrived in the woods at 2:30 AM slept one hour and I was off for a twelve hour King Salmon fishing adventure on the Kenai River. It was grand but the king salmon were on holiday but I did catch two nice fish - not king salmon. This has been quite a trip!!!!

The half marathon...........I was a nervous wreck, not knowing if my feet would hold up but had done some creative bandaging and shoe tying. My race started an hour after the marathon but I didn't have to worry about the race - I HAD TO WORRY ABOUT FINDING MY WAY BACK from dropping them off in the pouring rain. My race started and I am standing there thinking that I will just go back to the car, I am an idiot, what am I thinking and on top of everything it is cold and raining. BUT as we all do, the gun went off and so did I. It started off with a huge hill that went on for ever. I'm thinking OH NO! Acually, it turned out to be a great run even though the weather was awful and there were too many purple shirts (team in training). It was hilly but absolutely gorgeous running through lush greenery and quite a while by the shore. The middle part I ran with the airplanes as it went past the Intl. airport runways with much noise and jet running along side me and over my head (who needs antelopes!). Saw a moose in the wood - that was very exciting. Darlene did not mention the huge hill (mountiain) at mile twelve. It was tough. Anyway, I had a great race took my time, played with various running intervals along the way to make it interested and finished feeling great. I had a good time. It was a much easier race than the marathon.

Darlene has been a wonderful tour guide. There have only been a couple of time I thought she was trying to kill me. Flat top mountian - guess that's a story for another day. We. the Alaskan Babes, have so many stories.

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I didn't try to kill them. Just wanted them to get the whole Alaska experience! We didn't climb Flattop on my birthday. My legs were just too sore. Instead we hiked to Byron Glacier and climbed on the glacier. They had a grand time. The bear were out, so we made lots of noise - not a hard thing to do with three women. I had a wonderful birthday, and, the sun was out again! Climbed Flattop on Summer Solstice Day, which was more approriate anyway. Amazingly, my legs were fine that day and every since. Must be that good Galloway training.

We're off to climb the hill up and eat breakfast, then on to Anchorage for our last day. The sun is out. It will be a beautiful day. Should see you all on Saturday morning.

Darlene