Chadron, NE marathon

Well, I did it!  I finished four marathons in five days.  I did this crazy thing to raise money for our adoption.  See the story here:  http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.

The last marathon (for me) for the week was in Chadron, NE, population 5,787, which makes it the biggest city yet.  It actually even has a Wal-mart!  That's "movin' on up" for this part of the country.

The marathon was held in Chadron State Park.  We went there yesterday to check it out.  The park was nice, and there was a pretty lake, that made me think that the course would be very scenic.

Unfortunately, the course didn't even pass the lake.  It was the most brutal course I have ever run.  The course ran down a paved road, turned onto a gravel road, and then went onto a grass path through the woods, down a muddy hill, over a rickety bridge, through more grass, back onto a paved road past the campsites, and turned around and came back the same way...16 times.  

The weather was cool and rainy, which made the course muddy with lots of puddles.  Here are some pictures on the muddy, narrow path we ran through, along with some great runners who have now become friends.

The course was probably like heaven to trail runners, but a nightmare to road runners like me.  I have always avoided trails like the plague.  My ankles are weak, and at least three times along the course, I stepped into holes and felt pain surge up my foot and leg.  I was so busy concentrating on where my feet were stepping, that I barely looked up to cheer on runners as they passed me or take in any scenery.  The rickety, narrow, slippery bridge apparently went over this beautiful creek, which I didn't see even one time, as I passed by 38 times because I was so focused on not falling off the bridge.

Since this was my last race and I hated the trail course, I ran as hard as I could, just to get it over with as fast as possible.  I managed to pull off a 4:12 finish.

One of the best parts of these races were the people I met along the way - people who I hope to remain friends with for a long time after the races are over.  Spending a week with the same people, eating dinner with them, and running with them really helps form bonds that cannot be broken.

After cooling down and stretching, I was so cold, I just wanted to get someplace warm.  We left the scene of the race for the last time this series and headed to the hotel to shower and pack.  We grabbed some lunch and ice cream at a local fast food place called Donald's Burgers before hitting the road to start the next phase of our journey:  sightseeing.  Over the next three days, while I recover from my races, we will be seeing the sights in western South Dakota before heading home to Atlanta.

Here are some pictures taken as we traveled to Keystone, SD.

Thank you for following these posts of the journey to run to raise money for our adoption of Sissy Simon.  See more about our adoption at http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.  We would love for you to join us on our next journey of adoption, and encourage you to share our story with your friends.

Sundance, WY marathon

Today I finished my third marathon this week.  It was in beautiful Sundance, WY, population 1,222.

As usual, I laid my clothes out the night before.

The weather was cold at the start, and wasn't scheduled to get any warmer than mid-60s, which is actually pretty good running weather.  The wind wasn't as strong as the day before, but was definitely there, which kept the run cool most of the way.  The sunrise over the lake was very nice.

Unfortunately, the lake was the only nice part about the course.  Although there weren't any major hills, there were some minor inclines that got worse as you got further into the race.  The race was a 20-lap course.  We went out one direction, turned around and came back.  Then we went out the other direction, turned around and came back. I firmly believe they measured the course incorrectly, too, because my watch said 27.62 at the end of the race.  It was definitely quite a bit longer than a marathon.

Here are some pictures along the way.

As you might be able to tell, they are all centered around the same spot, the lake.  The rest of the course was miserable.  They had us running past a construction site on broken pavement/gravel, down a gravel street (with lots of large rocks and potholes that had to be avoided), over grass, and over a very broken patch of pavement near the lake.  I felt like I was running a trail race instead of a road race.

Despite the miserable course, I managed a 4:40 time.

The organization and water/food stop was fantastic, as usual.  They had everything you could possibly want to eat and drink, and the volunteers were great.  My water cup was filled every time I passed.  (In these races they encourage you to write your name on a cup and reuse the same cup throughout the race.  They set up all the cups on the table, and you can just grab yours as you go by.)

The company along the way was just as great!  I have really come to love these people over the course of the week.

After the finish, we had to rush back to the hotel so I could grab a shower before our noon checkout time.  Once I was ready, we hopped into the car to find some lunch.  We found it at a hole-in-the-wall place called the Dog Pound.

We were a little hesitant when we pulled up, as it doesn't look very good, but it did have a TripAdvisor sticker on the door, so we thought we'd try it.  We were pleasantly surprised.  Grandmommy and PawPaw shared a patty melt, and I had a cheeseburger.  We all got some of their homemade chips, which they cooked just as I like them, not crispy.  Everything tasted great, and we were fueled to hit the road for Nebraska.

The race tomorrow is in Chadron, NE at the Chadron State Park.  Once we arrived and checked in, we went to the site of the race.  It looks like it will be a beautiful race, but a little hillier than the others.

Finally, we closed out our day with a meal at the Country Kitchen with the group.  I finally got my pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns that I usually eat the night before a race.  And with good company!

Tomorrow will be the conclusion of my week-long marathon journey.  Read about why I'm doing this here:  http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.  Please share my story and support us in this longer journey ahead.

South Dakota Sightseeing

Today I sat out of the race (by choice), and volunteered at the water station instead.  The race was in Belle Fourche, SD (population 5,725) on a cement path that ran along the river.  

My job was to ensure that everyone's preferred drink (water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, and/or Coke) was filled when they ran past and needed it.

It was interesting to see the aid station from the other side of the table.  I was happy to cheer everyone on as they passed, and make sure everyone had what they needed.

After my "shift," we went sightseeing in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We started out at Deadwood, which is a historic miner town.  We toured the Adams House, which was a state-of-the-art (in its time) house built in the late 1800s.  When it was built, it had plumbing, electricity, and phone service, which was almost unheard of back then.  

We then took a walking tour of the city and learned about the gold mining that helped found the city.

Then we drove the three miles to Lead, which was another mining town higher up the mountain.

We then took the scenic way back to Sundance, through the Spearfish Canyon.

We finished the night at the group dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse and Saloon in Sundance, WY.  

Tomorrow is marathon number three this week.  I'm feeling good, and not too sore.  We'll see how I feel once I'm on the road running again.  http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.

Bowman, ND marathon

Today was the second marathon in this four-marathon week.  http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.  The marathon was in Bowman, ND (population 1,668) on the Bowman-Haley Lake.

I set my clothes out the night before...

...so I could be ready to go early this morning.  The course was about 20-30 minutes away from the hotel, so we set off around 5:30am.  The course was twelve out-and-back laps:  from the campsite to the marina and back, all beside the lake.  

The course started on a packed gravel parking lot entrance and then proceeded onto the paved road.  After about a quarter of a mile, the course went up a hill for about a mile before turning around and heading back downhill.  It wasn't a steep hill, but a mile of a gradual hill gets old (and tough) fast.

The weather was cool, but not as cold as the prior morning, and I was able to start the first lap without a jacket.  Twelve laps is the perfect number to me.  It helps you break up the race into easy to handle parts, mentally.  Soon I had three rubber bands, and was a fourth of the way there.  Adding another lap brought me to a third of the way done.  Only two more laps and I'm halfway done.  It makes it seem much easier.

I felt good early on, and didn't really notice any soreness from the prior day.  As I continued on, I definitely got soarer earlier.  By mile 16 I was tired, but continued on.  

I managed to survive the race in 4:59.  One of my favorite spectators ran me into the finish.

After finishing the race, cooling down and stretching, we drove back to the hotel to grab a quick shower, pack, and hit the road again.  Two hours later, after an uneventful drive, we were pulling up in Belle Fourche, SD (pronounced bell foosh).

We checked into the hotel...

...and took a trip to the site of the next day's race.  Wednesday's race will be behind the Visitor's Center in the Center of the Nation park.

As we were walking the course, the wind picked up to gale force.  We hurried back to the car to head to the group dinner, hoping the wind would die down before the race tomorrow.  

The group dinner was at Branding Iron Steakhouse.  The menu was underwhelming, but the cheeseburger and baked potato hit the spot (especially since we didn't get lunch).  The company, however, was the best part of the meal.

These people have become like family over the past two days, all trying to survive the same trial.  The trial continues tomorrow, but I will be on the sidelines.  I will be volunteering at the water station and cheering my new friends on.  I will return to running on Thursday in Sundance, WY.

Follow me at http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.