I am on a Long Range Quest to run a Half marathon in all 50 states. I started it 2 years ago in 2009, and have no idea how long it will take me to complete it. I am faced with the very realistic possibility that I may never finish all 50, but intend to get as far as I can, and enjoy every moment of it. I have always had the desire to travel, and see new places and experience new things. I have found that destination Races are the perfect way to do this. Going to a new place and doing a race there, allows you to experience the location in a way that few others ever will. You meet a lot of really nice people, and you are doing something that is healthy and beneficial for you. I am blessed with longevity on both sides of my family. I expect to live to be at least 100. So, I have a while to get this done. I am far from an elite athlete. At any one of my races, you can find me at or near the rear of the pack. But that's OK, I am out there, both doing it, and enjoying it. I am thankful to be endowed with both the ability and the desire to continue be active. One of the sayings that I adhere to is "DAL... (Dead @ss Last), is much better than DNF (Did Not Finish) which is much better than DNS (Did Not Start). Another is "Run if you can,Walk if you need to, Crawl if you must." And my all time favorite "Weebles Wobble, but they don't Fall down." My long range strategy is to continue racing for another 20-30 years, outlive the competition, and DOMINATE my Age Group well into my 80's, and beyond.
Along my way, many of the people I have encountered have suggested that I chronicle or document my journey, so that I might share it with others. That is what I intend to do here. So I now have started 13.1 in 50.
I am presently 10 states in, so I will have to go back and catch up to present day. But first....How it all got started.........
Several years ago I went to the Dr, and proceeded to get read the "Riot Act". I was over weight, had High Blood Pressure, High Blood Sugar, and was told "You are as close to being Diabetic as you can be, without actually being one" Changes needed to be made. The next day I went out and ran down to the end of the block and back. Probably about a 1/2 mile overall. (It was a long Block). It didn't go real well, but I did fill a sense of accomplishment, and thus, a running career was started.
Not long after that I got up the courage to actually enter into an organized race. I did the Goblin Gallop 5k in Deer Park. A 5k is 3.1 miles. It was especially rewarding to finish, because we ran through an old neighborhood that I lived in years before while I was married. When I lived in Deer Park, I had a number of bad habits, and led a sedentary life style that resulted in the ugly scene at the Dr's office. At one point during the race we ran past the vacant lot where the little girls T-ball team I coached with my then Step daughter, had practiced. Running that day congered up a range of emotions and memories. To run 3 miles through the neighborhood which at one point I would have struggled to walk the block, was very fulfilling. It was self-validating, and extremely motivating. At that point I knew that I wanted to continue to run in races, and I DID.
I continued to do 5k's and an occasional 10k. Later on, I decided to get a bicycle to start riding as another way to be active. A friend of mine from the YMCA talked me into doing a sprint triathlon. (400 yds swim 10 mile bike ride and 3.1 miles run). It was the Silverlake triathlon in Pearland in May of 2007. I only agreed to do it because Theo was so insistent, and I thought it would be a good addition to the list of things I could say I did. I never thought I would want to continue doing triathlons. I was WRONG. I have finished two Ironman 70.3 triathlons (1.2 mile swim 56 miles bike 13.1 mile run), four Olympic distance (1500 meter swim 24 miles bike 6.2 mile run) and more sprints than I can count. But back to the Half marathons.
State 1 Texas
I did my first half marathon in 2008 at the Houston Marathon in January. I have done a bunch within the state of Texas, notably Houston 3 times, Cowtown in Ft Worth 3 times, Seabrook, Waco, San Antonio, Galveston, and a few others, but Houston 2008 was my first. I actually signed up for the full marathon, but midway through my training, I realized it was not going well, and switching to the 1/2 would be better. That first half was a tough run. I struggled to finish and was sore for a week afterward. However, I did not lose my desire. I signed up for the Half again in 2009. At that time I was extremely fortunate to find Bay Area Fit (BAF) Marathon Training Group, a branch of the National USA fit Running Program. BAF is organized by Pete Rake and his family, they do an excellent job, and definitely changed my running experiences for the better.
State 2 Wisconsin
I had not decided to run all 50 states yet, I was just planning on going to visit a friend of mine who lives in Wisconsin. While planning my trip, I discovered the 2009 Lake Geneva Marathon and Half marathon. I decided that as long as I was going up there, I would do the half marathon. The race was on Saturday morning, I decided to fly into Chicago on Friday afternoon, rent a car and drive up to pick up my packet, then drive the race course before going to my friend's house in Janesville. No problem, I thought, since I booked my flight insuring that I would have plenty of time to accomplish that. Well, You know what they say about the best laid plans. (Or maybe that's the best plans to get Laid, I forget). Anyway, I got to Chicago and began the drive to Wisconsin. However, I was immediately stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, and was so for almost the entire way. Turns out the Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs were playing in Milwaukee that night, and half the state of Illinois was making the road trip. Next time, when making plans, I will be sure to check the Baseball schedule. As it turned out, I barely made the packet pickup, and it was to late to drive the course and still make it to my friend's house, where they were waiting dinner for me.
The race itself was good, we ran partially along the lake, and through rural Wisconsin's dairy farms. It was a good race.
State 3 Nevada November 20 2009, was my 50th birthday. I wanted to do something memorable for such a lifetime milestone. I was looking at different races and found the Valley of Fire marathon in Nevada. It was run in a state Park which is composed of Mountainous deserts and fabulous scenic views. I had to fly into Vegas, then drive a couple hours to Overton Nevada, where the race was held. When people asked me where I was going for my 50th birthday, and I told them Vegas, they would smile and nod in agreement. When I told them I was not staying in Vegas, and wasn't gambling, but going and running 13 miles in the dessert, they stopped smiling and agreeing, and thought I was crazy. But I am used to that.
One year, I went to Alaska to go Salmon fishing, something I had always wanted to do. While I was there, I also went on a half day kayaking trip and I ran the 5 mile event of the Midnight Sun Marathon. (I wasn't doing halves then, so I will be forced to return to Alaska....damn the luck :0) Anyway, when I would tell people at work I was going to Alaska to go fishing, they would want to know why would I go all that way to fish. Why not fish here at home in the Gulf of Mexico. Because I wanted to catch a salmon, I would reply. Invariably, the cost of the trip would arise. It was an expensive trip, it was an all inclusive trip on Kodiak Island, and I was paying for prime time plus single supplement for going alone. When I told whoever I was talking to that I was paying about 4000.00 for the week, they would be shocked. I would let that settle in for a few moments, and then add "Not only that, I am paying extra to run 5 Miles"
Valley of Fire was a good race and a Great Experience. It was Big Hills and it was hard. Because it's a small race, I ran mostly by myself. It is a race I will always take pleasure in remembering, after all, how many people would do that on their 50th birthday? I would recommend it, if your in Great running shape, but I probably won't do it again. I have to many states to do, before I start repeating them
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