2026 Great Sedro-Woolley Footrace

 Dear Blog. I ran the the Great Sedro-Woolley Footrace again. I couldn't help it. July 4th came, and I was like Whitesnake, Here I go again on my own... I don't know how many times I've ran this but it must be around 20 now, as I started running in the early 2000s, and I do it just about every year. Some years I tell myself I will go to the Mariners game and get the red, white and blue bucket hat, but I never do. 

This year I finished in 53 minutes flat, which is slow, but faster than the past few years. I lost a few pounds this year by following my New Year's resolution to weigh myself each day, and record it. I've now plateaued a bit and need to do more, but I'll note the improvement, and try to keep at it.

Weather good. They sang the national anthem at the start and the black powder rifle was shot. I saw many of the people who've ever been volunteering or running this local gem, with a few people missing too (but not gone, I don't think). Glad for each year I can get out, lace up, and run this event. I do it because it is local, low cost and what else is someone to do on a Fourth of July morning, usually.  

No pictures. Left the phone in the car.

San Diego 5k Fun Run For Justice

A few pics here from last week's 5k Fun Run for Justice, which was part of the 2026 AILA Annual Conference in San Diego. The run was along and around the San Diego Embarcadero, which is basically the waterfront for downtown San Diego. I ran with my friend John, and many other colleagues were there too. The event started at 7 AM on a Friday morning, before class sessions for the conference, which started at 8.  I ran ok, I suppose, although this was not a timed effort and our pace was steady but not for time. The event raised nearly $50,000 for immigrant rights services.

The rest of the conference and stay in San Diego was terrific. Visited the Gaslamp Quarter and Tacos El Gordo, Little Italy for Italian sandwiches and lasagna, and Old Town for a bit of old California history.

 

The 2025 Great Sedro-Woolley Footrace

I see I haven't posted here in over a year, which is a bit hard to fathom. I need to schedule a few more events and get out there a bit more. But...it's been an eventful year, and I've stayed busy, moving and working and living. 

For the record, I ran the Great Sedro-Woolley Foot Race again. I did the 5.17 mile course, as typical. I've probably done this event 20 times. It's always great to see friends in the morning, running or volunteering. Pretty cool to see parents running with their kids. It's the Fourth of July, and there's a parade and festival afterwards, so there are plenty of folks running with flags and in red, white and blue. The National Anthem is sung ahead of the starting gun.

I finished in 59:30 or so, so 12 minute mile pace. Excuses, I'll offer none, except I only slept half the night, due to an airporter shuttle drop-off.  It's good to post a time, to know the state of things, and it was great to see everyone out there. Plus, great weather. 

AILA Chicago 5k Run

 

I did a race! I was in Chicago for a work conference, and they had a 5k race on a Friday morning before class sessions! So, some 200 or so attorneys and friends wandered over to Lake Michigan --a Great Lake! -- and ran a timed out and back on the waterfront trail there, the name of which escapes me right now. We'll just say my time was under 40 minutes, and that there was some walking and talking. The lakefront trail is great, and as the pic above shows, there is a big view of the Chicago skyline. 

After I finished, I hurried back to the hotel and attended a panel, still in my running gear. That's a first for me, but glad I did.

Northern Lights

The Northern Lights came to Mount Vernon and Washington State on the night of May 10th, 2024. I was in Seattle that evening and returned late. At first, I didn't notice so much, but I went outside around 1 AM to make sure I wasn't missing a show, and I'm glad I did. The lights were visible to the naked eye, and with short time pictures from the phone, easy to capture. It was indeed a spectacular show, and all the papers and on-line feeds reported on it. These photos are taken from 15th and Fir Street in Mount Vernon, and are just a sampling of the photo-ops. Fir Street is a somewhat busy arterial in the MV, but the cars were few at this hour.

 

Kauai

 

We went to Kauai not too long ago, and so I want to include some photos here of that trip, as I'm catching up here. There wasn't a lot of running, but there was a boat ride on the legendary Na Pali Coast, as well as a tube ride through irrigation tunnels that were sometimes a half mile long. Farmers markets, a luau, and lots of aloha every day, looking out at the ocean blue.

A visit to the Kauai Museum - Hawaiian history is very interesting.

A tribute to surfing legend Andy Irons of Hanalei. 

I didn't bring my camera on the tube ride, but it was better than advertised. The actual tube ride was about an hour long I think, and it went through five tunnels on an irrigation ditch. The tunnels were claustrophobic--they went on for up to half a mile and were truly underneath mountains/hills, with limited overhead clearance. We had helmets and headlamps.

Just another Kauai sunrise..

Father and son at a well known ukulele store-they were great

I have so many of these pics--they never get old

Bought this from a guy making them at Wailua Falls for $10

Na Pali cliffs from our Blue Dolphins snorkel tour--I think this is Kalalau Beach, but not 100% sure as I type - we got there

That's a dolphin--maybe two. There were lots of spinners.

Love the farmer's markets. Prices seemed higher than in the past... a common story everywhere, I suppose.

Luau at the Kilohana Plantation in Lihue - we've been to a few of these around Hawaii and this was on the upper end of our faves

Hanalei taro fields

Tiki Iniki - Michele and Todd Rundgren's bar in Princeville. Todd is a R&R HOFer and well-known innovator. This bar was great. We are proud owners of a Tiki God goblet now, thanks to friends.

Hanalei pier - one of the prettier places I've been, though this pic fails to capture that

Kauai Sunrise

Kauai Moonrise

Washington D.C.

I've been pretty busy this year, but not at this blog. I'm going to try to get a few posts up, but the short story is my running has not been strong, but I've been to a few interesting places and gotten a few good runs in. Starting with...back in March, Washington D.C. As the above picture shows, I was back there for business, but whenever in DC, I always try to get in a run down to the Lincoln Memorial, by the Washington Monument and reflecting pool. It just so happened this year I was back during near-peak Cherry Blossom Festival time, and so the cherry blossoms were popping, especially over by the Jefferson Memorial. My run was a bit of jogging, walking, take a photo, and then start jogging again.

After Washington D.C., we drove down through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, through North Carolina, down to Greenville, South Carolina. Pretty drive, but no pics.