Time 4 hours, 48 minutes, 23 seconds.
I have not quit on my quest. I just took a little break. I took the break because I have been rather depressed lately. I believed I knew that it had more to do with my quest than anything else. I was right. That doesn't mean that I am quitting by any means, but if I have to take a little extra time off from time to time I will.
Today is my birthday! I celebrated by running my age, in miles. 33 miles is long. The time I listed is the time it took to complete a marathon distance. Not my best time but I was saving a little something so I could go the extra 7 miles. This was also my first run outdoors for the year. It felt good to be out in the elements. It made the challenge that much harder.
My run started off with a little hitch within the first half mile. The headphones for my new MP3 player that I got for my birthday (Thanks Pam, I love it) would not stay in my ears while I ran. I could go the next 32 and 1/2 miles without it but why. I turned around and went back for a pair that I would have the same problem with. The extra 5 minutes or so that I took getting them probably didn't help my time much because I was going up a hill when I decided to head back. This would be only the first of several little problems.
One I got back on the road, everything went fine for the next 8 miles. My times were considerably slower than usual but it was 35 degrees, a 10-20 mph wind, and I had to dodge snow and ice all over the place. Once I got to the trail that I wanted to take I knew that I would have to dodge plenty of ice. At times I could not avoid it because it covered the entire trail. When that happened I would just slow to a walk and get passed it. Around mile 9 I came upon what looked like a solid sheet of ice. When I stepped on it, it began to crack. I got a few steps into it and broke through. It was only a couple inches deep but it had a nice deep puddle under it. I gave my left shoe a very good, very cold baptism. Since I still had quite a distance left to cover I thought about calling Pam to see if she could bring me a dry pair of shoes and socks. Since it was only 6:30 a.m. I decided to let her sleep. I pressed on and with the wind the shoe dried out within just a few miles.
The other hitch was the road I was on. I had driven it before and knew that everything was fine for the first 13 miles (I plan to use it for some of my future marathon distances). I had not driven the other three and a half miles though. Two miles later the road takes a serious turn and goes up hill for 3/4 of a mile. Nothing that I can't conquer but it was hard, particularly knowing that I still had the other half of my run to go.
When I got to the top I could see a very decent sized little town off in the distance. What was going on? There was no town the size of Minot for at least 100 miles. When I pulled up the map on my GPS watch, I realized that I had run a circle. A couple miles down the road I would hit some of the roads I was on earlier. This meant that I would have to go down the same path as earlier. I adapted to it and pressed on.
I have not quit on my quest. I just took a little break. I took the break because I have been rather depressed lately. I believed I knew that it had more to do with my quest than anything else. I was right. That doesn't mean that I am quitting by any means, but if I have to take a little extra time off from time to time I will.
Today is my birthday! I celebrated by running my age, in miles. 33 miles is long. The time I listed is the time it took to complete a marathon distance. Not my best time but I was saving a little something so I could go the extra 7 miles. This was also my first run outdoors for the year. It felt good to be out in the elements. It made the challenge that much harder.
My run started off with a little hitch within the first half mile. The headphones for my new MP3 player that I got for my birthday (Thanks Pam, I love it) would not stay in my ears while I ran. I could go the next 32 and 1/2 miles without it but why. I turned around and went back for a pair that I would have the same problem with. The extra 5 minutes or so that I took getting them probably didn't help my time much because I was going up a hill when I decided to head back. This would be only the first of several little problems.
One I got back on the road, everything went fine for the next 8 miles. My times were considerably slower than usual but it was 35 degrees, a 10-20 mph wind, and I had to dodge snow and ice all over the place. Once I got to the trail that I wanted to take I knew that I would have to dodge plenty of ice. At times I could not avoid it because it covered the entire trail. When that happened I would just slow to a walk and get passed it. Around mile 9 I came upon what looked like a solid sheet of ice. When I stepped on it, it began to crack. I got a few steps into it and broke through. It was only a couple inches deep but it had a nice deep puddle under it. I gave my left shoe a very good, very cold baptism. Since I still had quite a distance left to cover I thought about calling Pam to see if she could bring me a dry pair of shoes and socks. Since it was only 6:30 a.m. I decided to let her sleep. I pressed on and with the wind the shoe dried out within just a few miles.
The other hitch was the road I was on. I had driven it before and knew that everything was fine for the first 13 miles (I plan to use it for some of my future marathon distances). I had not driven the other three and a half miles though. Two miles later the road takes a serious turn and goes up hill for 3/4 of a mile. Nothing that I can't conquer but it was hard, particularly knowing that I still had the other half of my run to go.
When I got to the top I could see a very decent sized little town off in the distance. What was going on? There was no town the size of Minot for at least 100 miles. When I pulled up the map on my GPS watch, I realized that I had run a circle. A couple miles down the road I would hit some of the roads I was on earlier. This meant that I would have to go down the same path as earlier. I adapted to it and pressed on.
I really enjoyed being out doors again. It may sound stupid, but as I ran along I came upon some horse manure. While it stinks, it is a smell that I would not experience running down in my basement. It also made me think of my Aunt Betty and Cousin Jason in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. They would always say "Smell that fresh air" when we would pass the same thing there. It was funny (at least to me).
I called Pam to let her know when I was a mile out so she could get a couple pictures of me when I came in. The second one that I have posted here of me standing on top of a bunch of snow was taken just before I took a step and went through the snow. I was knee deep in it. I didn't care. I had finished my run in 5 hours, 58 minutes, 58 seconds. One really long run.
I called Pam to let her know when I was a mile out so she could get a couple pictures of me when I came in. The second one that I have posted here of me standing on top of a bunch of snow was taken just before I took a step and went through the snow. I was knee deep in it. I didn't care. I had finished my run in 5 hours, 58 minutes, 58 seconds. One really long run.
