Grand Island Trail Marathon

We really like this marathon so we keep going back. This was #3 for us and it just keeps getting better every year.

Yesterday we carpooled to Munising with friends Jan and Joe, stopping for a picnic lunch. While at the park we talked a couple of guys. They each had their Old Milwaukee refreshment and they shared that they were on their way to Lambau Field to try out for the Packers ;-) We wished them luck and went on our way. We arrived at Munising around 5:30 or so.

Wanting to get to bed early, we checked in to our hotel, the AmericInn http://www.americinnmunising.com/, then packet pick up at the Holiday Inn and a quick dinner at the Dogpatch  http://www.dogpatchrestaurant.com/. No pasta on the menu but we ate there anyway.

Race day meant getting by 4:00 (Eastern Time) to get ready to catch the first shuttle at 5:00. The hotel had breakfast for us and other early people.
The shuttle bus got us to the dock where we loaded our stuff and ourselves on to the first ferry. The morning boat ride was beautiful, the water was smooth and it was still dark with just a hint of light in the east. On the island, the race organizers were expertly getting stuff together for the race. We checked in, got our timing chips, placed our drop bag under the tent, swatted a few mosquitoes and started running a few minutes after 6:00 (the 1 hour early start).

Most of the course was around the perimeter of the island so it provided us wonderful vistas of Lake Superior and the shoreline. The first 10 miles seemed effortless. Maybe it was because this course was flat compared to running in Colorado two weeks earlier? The weather was great: clear and calm with temps around 60 degrees at the start.  A thin layer of clouds came in around noon and the highs were only around 70.

I really respect the race director and his philosophy that the race should have a minimal impact on the island. What did that mean for us runners?

• We carried our refillable water bottles so we didn't need paper cups at aid stations
• We were expected to take any of our garbage back to the mainland

Neither requirement was a big burden for us.

Jan and Joe finished long before we did but they hung around and played in the lake until we finished. Here are the results http://www.superiortiming.com/?p=836

Then we all caught the last ferry back to the mainland. To celebrate, we indulged ourselves with pizza from Main Street Pizza. Mmmmm, that was good.

This year the race included a handmade, ceramic finisher's medals, mile markers at every mile, and perfect weather. I'm glad we ran this one.

Finisher's medal

Afton Trail Race 2010

The pre-race briefing.

A funny thing happened on the way to the finish line, I started the race, took a wrong turn (along with several other people), did one loop and was running along talking to Les (a runner at Murphy Hanrehan Park). He told me I was first woman ! I'm a 5 hour marathoner so I knew there was a problem. He told me he was 10 miles into the race. I thought I was at about mile 5. So when I got to the next aid station, I asked for a map and figured out where I had to go to run the loop I missed. Back towards the start, adding on at least 2 miles, and probably more to my overall distance.

I did the Africa loop, and the Back 40, got to see Maria and Wendy at their aid station.

Also saw a Henslow's Sparrow (difficult to find bird) singing his little heart out on the north end of the park. I sent Larry a quick email to let him know.

When I got to the next aid station (I had been there twice before), I told him it felt like I was in the movie "Groundhog Day" because I kept doing the same thing over and over. It was also where I caught up with Patty and Geri Lynn (runners I met back in 1989!) so we finished the rest of the race together.  The Aid Station people were terrific (including Jeffrey, Lynnette, Annie & others), the race organization was superb. The volunteers and Afton SP people are wonderful. The food was fabulous - at the aid stations and the finish line.

I told the finish line people of my mix up and my extra miles. This was a good training run for the 50K in a couple of weeks.

Gene the park manager presented John with a plaque recognizing the $$ the race has donated to the park over the years.

It is a great race, highly recommended !

Afton Trail Run tomorrow

Stopped at Afton SP this afternoon. Lots of activity, they are getting ready for the race tomorrow and so am I.  Alicia was there with her new car - nice ! We brought race stuff in to the Visitors Center. There were probably a dozen people running around, getting things organized for the aid stations, packet pick up and any number of other pre-race activities.

Me? I'm tapering, taking today off. Just walking up the hills over at Carpenter Nature Center was a little tiring.  Why would I be tired? Maybe, it is because of all the cross training we've been doing?

Heard the Henslow's sparrows from the parking lot. There was another person birding (I could tell from the expensive binoculars) so we talked. He heard more than I did and he actually saw one.

Tom from CNC asked if he could still register for the race tomorrow. I think I surprised him when I said yes.

It should be fun tomorrow. I recognized several of the volunteers. Not sure how many of them are running tomorrow. The one place I saw the course, it had a distinctive course marking.  I know they had to change the course because of trail closings. No one "should" get lost.

Weekend Running

Dare I say it, training is going OK.

Did hill repeats on Friday, I'm now up to 8. The last two were so hard that I felt like I hadn't done any training at all.

We did the snowshoe loop on Saturday. Talked to a few people in the parking lot before we ran. Several people from Minnesota are running Big Horn next weekend. Good luck and hope you enjoy the day !

Did a long run on Sunday, about 4 hours. Had to do a little bird watching, too. Time on the feet is important. Talked to the park manager a little. Two trails are closed due to excessive erosion. It has to be a hard job, to balance the needs of the various interest groups (horses and their riders, runners, hikers, birders, campers, etc.) with the available resources.

The Afton 25/50K is next month. The race organizers are working on a new course to accommodate the trail closures.

Did exercise class on Monday AND Boot Camp. My legs were tired.

Baby birds

This nest of bluebirds must have just hatched. Two of them still look a little wet and their eyes are totally closed. Tiny babies.

Too close to this bluebird box for my comfort, was a snake. It was about 3 feet long with some nice spots. Best guess, Fox Snake.

2010 Peonies

Every time a flower blooms, it instantly becomes my favorite. Right now the peonies are my favorite.  These photos are examples of "my favorites" growing in the garden.

They are called:
Nippon Gold
Sarah Bernhardt
Kansas
unidentified "yellow"

Front yard vs Backyard

The yard seems to be divided between the squirrel area and the bird area. The squirrels have taken over the backyard with only a few brave birds visiting. The front yard seems to be more for the birds and this bird bath is a major attraction. The bathers include the usual robins (several times a day), catbirds, and cardinals. House finches, gold finches, chickadees and the occasional bluebird, drink from the dish. The birds that don't use the water are the hummingbirds, mallards, and chipping sparrows that I see eating the seeds on the ground. But maybe I just miss them ?

This beautiful foxglove is frequently visited by bees. I've seen them crawling way up in the flower and then trying to get back out, their legs looking fat and yellow with pollen.