Seattle Marathon

I walked and ran around Seattle a bunch today, in the Seattle Marathon. This was the 50th edition, which is well noted on the medal and shirt. My first Seattle Marathon was in 1997, which math says was the 28th edition. In between, I've gotten much slower.

I had a really hard day out there. I'm not sure what the problem was, but my legs did not want to run. It was kind of cold out--around 34 degrees at the start. Sometimes that's a good thing, but I guess not today. I never got it together, and each mile was a slog.

Last year, the Marathon modified its course considerably, basically trading out Mercer Island and Seward Park for I-5, the U-District, Sand Point, back to Gasworks and Fremont, and then the Aurora Bridge. The course had a few more changes this year--nothing major, but the route went through GasWorks and took a different turn to get up to Aurora. There are a few hills on this route, with a pretty big climb up to the Aurora Bridge, and then the Bridge is also a climb. The last two miles are a relatively quick descent to Memorial Stadium.

I've seen a few completely different courses since 1997. Back then, the course went from Marymoor to the UW.  For nearly 20 years, the route has included a trip out to Mercer Island and a loop around Seward Park--basically the other side of town. This route is better, I think, as its kind of cool to run on I-5 into the U-District, the Burke Gilman is flat and fast, and the view at the end on Aurora Bridge, looking back towards the I-5 Bridge where I was earlier, is kind of cool. I'm not sure where the current Rock & Roll course goes, as it has changed course a few times as well, but I ran it one year over the now deceased viaduct, and that was probably my favorite route.

At the finish, someone handed me a CBD tea mix as a freebie. Washington State.

During my slow tour of the city, I couldn't help but notice how much Seattle keeps changing. It really is startling.  The tunnel is open. New condos and hotels are everywhere. South Lake Union is unrecognizable. I saw tents in a few places. It is somewhat disorienting.

I think I'll probably try one of the other T-day weekend races in the coming year. Two trips to Seattle (expo and race) is kind of a pain, and the race is getting a bit spendy. Gone are the $40 early registration days. We were stuck in traffic returning home the other day for an extra hour or so, after picking up my bib. Also, the race now starts at 7 AM on Sunday morning, which has its pros and cons, but I miss the days where I could leave the house at 6:15 or 6:30.

I didn't really have a good time today, and I ache, but I'm glad I did it, just the same. I'm guessing this was my 15th Seattle Marathon.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

 

A great place to visit!

Monterey, Big Sur, and the Pacific Grove Lighthouse 5k

Last week I visited beautiful Monterey California and the Big Sur area for a conference.  It was a busy few days, but I was able to take in some of the highlights of the area. I hope to return some day soon with family.

I flew out of Everett Thursday morning, which was my first flight ever from Paine Field.  Very nice—a shorter drive, and a very pleasant terminal.  After landing in San Jose, I grabbed a rental and made the drive down through the Salinas Valley to Monterey. 

I got sidetracked for a few minutes in Gilroy, the self-declared garlic capital of the world.  I kind of like this out of the way spot.  I drove on the 101, and then to Pacific Coast Highway 1, through the valley floor and miles of farm fields.  It kind of reminded me of home, the Skagit Valley, at times, but they have more smoke right now, from the wildfires.

On advice, I drove directly to the Point Lobos Natural Reserve, which is just south of Carmel.  A beautiful little peninsula—a full nature reserve—it has to be one of California’s highlights.  I went for a run along waterside trails, taking in the birds and rock formations. Although you can see homes on the hill, the reserve itself has a wild feel, and is much loved.  People go there to watch for whales.  I didn’t see any, but I didn’t look too hard.

After that, down the famous Pacific Coast Highway 1, to the famous Bixby Bridge in Big Sur.  I just had to see this much photographed bridge, which was built during the Depression.  It is a beautiful bridge and location.  From there, I had to rush back to Monterey, check in, dress up, and begin my conference.  I spoke that night, which meant it was a really full day for me.  I ended the day on Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf, at a nice restaurant with some local rockfish and superb clam chowder.

Friday was all work, until the evening, when I attended a beach event with DJ, campfires, drinks and s’mores.

On Saturday morning I ran the Pacific Grove Lighthouse 5k, a beautiful coastal race which is part of the Monterey Half Marathon weekend.  Steve Scott, a local there, helped officiate the event.  He’s ran over 100 sub four minute miles and I used to follow his racing in Runner’s World when I was a high school runner.  I finished just under 30 minutes, while stopping to take pictures.  Not fast, obviously, but I’ve been slower. Always work to be done.

Later, I visited Cannery Row, immortalized by John Steinbeck’s book of the same name. And then I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  This is one of the best aquariums in the world, by reputation, and I won’t argue. I’ll put up a separate post of photos from there--because that place was *amazing*, but I will say that beyond the amazing sights, I was much impressed by all the conservation messaging and education that the aquarium has. The war on plastic has begun.

Exhausted, I drove back the way I came, caught my flight, and was glad to be home for SNL.

 

Everett's terminal is very nice

Arches get photographed--it's a rule

 

The coast line is reminiscent of Kauai in some places

 

If this bridge could charge per photograph....it was on the cover of my conference materials

 

 Backside of Bixby Bridge, or front-side, maybe

 S'mores

Gull on a perch, near the starting line of the 5k

Shark and a diver on the left

I got a kick out of the fact that the conference rooms were named after John Steinbeck--I do like his books

Steve Scott encouraging a youth finisher

Blanchard Mountain Loop

It has been a while since I've been up on Blanchard Mountain. Too long, for my own backyard run, as I think of it. Over the past few years, I've made it over there less and less, though still now and then. Each time, I'm moved by the little changes I see.

Starting out, I immediately noted that selective logging has taken place, sometimes very near the trail, and then sometimes over across the way. Sometimes this left for open views down towards the Skagit Valley, or of the logging road up to the scenic overlook. Then, the section between the overlook and Oyster Dome is remarkably more busy than it ever used to be. I passed many persons going either way on this section. Once upon a time, this was a pretty remote, rough trail. However, the fisherman trails have been turned into longer, gentle shortbacks, and many are out, even in the earlier AM weekend hours.

But once you get past Oyster Dome and head towards Lilly and Lizard Lake, the population thins. There is a new bridge crossing a creek I used to rock hop. The trail between Lilly and Lizard was peopleless, and full of mushrooms. Fall colors are still happening. The alt-incline too, empty, but for me.

I ran faster than I have in recent years, but not fast. My ankle did not turn, but the next day my right foot ached in ways that reminded me that I ran Blanchard the day before.

This was one of the good days.

The Who

Mike and I attended The Who show at T-Mobile Park. It was terrific. I didn't have high expectations, and Roger and Pete exceeded those, for a couple of old guys. They lined up an orchestra of about 40 local musicians, who made this a totally different type of rock concert. They focused on the Tommy and Quadrophenia albums, and then threw in several of their greatest hits. It made a good balance.

Roger still has it, especially on some of the anthems like Love Reign O'er Me. The show closed with a terrific version of Baba O'Riley, which featured horns and some great violin. Pee was rather feisty, both on guitar and in comment. At one point early on, he riffed into Hendrix's Foxy Lady, which made me smile. A few other times it was pure guitar solo stuff. He didn't break his guitar, but there were plenty of 360 windups.

The highlight of the show for me though was the surprise guest appearance of Eddie Vedder, who sang the Punk and the Godfather with his elders.Eddie were a cool Union Jack jacket, custom I suppose, and looked totally into it.

T-Mobile is an odd place for a show. Our seats were pretty decent, considering. 300 Level, first row, slightly off-center, nice price. It was a cold night, with folks in wool and puffy jackets, including the backup guitarist.

The Who was one of my favorite bands growing up. Still are. Glad I figured it out and checked them out while I still could.

This blog will settle back again into outdoor adventures and running soon, promise.

Queen with Adam Lambert

 

We have seen Queen and Adam Lambert twice this year, and both times were terrific. This really doesn't fit in the trail run, hike, jog, or long walk category, which is the main purpose of this blog, but I like to keep track of these things here. 

The first time we saw them in Tacoma with Deb's brother and wife. They played their full set. There's only one Freddie Mercury, which Adam Lambert concedes early on in the show, but he does a great job filling in, just the same. Brian May has a few songs which really feature his guitar licks, and they have great video and pyrotechnical support. Mid-show, they all travel to the center of the arena to play. Queen has a very large catalog of songs everyone knows, and they played most or all of the big ones, plus a few other surprises. Long show, big sold-out crowd, and horrible drive. Worth it.

 Then, I won tickets to the Global Citizen Festival in New York, and Queen + Adam was the headliner. They did not dissapoint. We were much closer for this show--on the rail at the side. Rami Mallek, the Oscar winning actor for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody, introduced the band. The set was shorter, as is typical with festivals, but it was the longest of the night and they played all the really big ones. 60,000 attendees plus an international audience on live television--it was a New York thing, for sure.

Am I big Queen fan. Maybe moreso now than ever, but I have clear memories from the 1970s of staring at the News of the World album among rows of albums, thinking it looked pretty cool. Then, purchasing The Game and Live Killers. I was probably more a Led Zeppelin/Who guy, but Queen has held up well. Fan.

 

Baker Lake 50k

Another first weekend in October, another Baker Lake 50k. I hurt today. After flying back from New York this week, my body wasn't fully recovered from jet lag, hard travel, and maybe early stage illness of some sort. Anyway, I hurt today.

I finished in 8:24, which I think was slow for my fitness, though a bit faster than the past few years. I went out in 3:45 and back in 4:45--basically a slog, walking, shuffling, groaning on the way back. I rolled the same old right ankle crossing a creek. Fun!

The weather looked ominous driving in--heavy, pelting rain. I was regretting not bringing a heavier shell, but serious rain never materialized during the run. It turned out to be a pretty ok day.

This was my 16th finish. Next year I get to drive it.

The best part of the day was seeing so many friends, particularly those volunteering. Thanks Terry, Delores, James and all. Good to see Tim, John, and Stan at the turnaround. Great to see others with so many finishes--Ryan, Karen, Jean, and many others. This event brings people back, year after year. Magic.

Global Citizen Festival

We attended the Global Citizen Festival in New York City again, this past weekend. Exhausted from the travel and the non-stop activity, but we did well.

We stayed near Central Park, and I had opportunity to run the big loop of the park this time, which is about six miles. New Yorkers love the park, and going out early was a great way to see a bunch of serious runners clocking miles. I enjoyed watching some people commuting in to work via the Park, on skateboards, electric scooters, and electric skateboards. It was toughing sticking to the perimeter, as the trails draw you in, but I made other trips to the park and checked out some of these trails too. New York fascinates me in its conflicts--concrete and nature, for one. At one point, I read that per capita the people of Manhattan do very well as far as their ecological footprint goes.

The Global Citizen Festival showcases some of the worlds most popular music talents, performing in interests of global causes. Tickets to the one-day festival are acquired via lotteries, with lottery tickets available to persons who perform certain activist tasks. The causes are good--eliminate extreme poverty, fight climate change, gender equality, healthcare, and so on.  The festival corresponds with when the United Nations is in session.

This year's big name performers were Queen/Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Carol King, Pharell Williams, One Republic, and H.E.R. Kelly Clarkson did a duet with Carol King, one of my faves. Alicia was my favorite for the night--she killed it with Girl On Fire, New York State of Mind/Empire, and then a duet with H.E.R. of Aerosmith's Dream On. Didn't see that coming, but so good. "New York..concrete jungle where dreams are made of..." still in my head. Pictured above--we were right up front.

The celebrity speakers may have been even brighter starts--Leonardo Di Caprio, Ramy Mallek (sp? from Bohemian Rhapsody), Natalie Portman, Anna Kendrick, Hugh Jackman (host), Iman, and the list goes on. Many national and international leaders spoke too. The whole thing was in Central Park, attended by about 60,000, and broadcast on multiple channels.

We got their early, like last time, but were surprised to find out that we were some of the first to be admitted. We had a great place to stand, next to a railing, where we positioned ourselves for the next several hours. It was exhausting, and we were older than most nearby, but it was so worth it. The memories will last.

Other things:  well, we wanted to get out on the water, so there was the Statute of Liberty, and Ellis Island.  Loved Ellis Island--worth taking more time to visit.  We did the High Line, a converted trail on an elevated metro track. We found Joe's Pizza, reputedly the best. Vanessa's Dumplings, also the best.  There was an afternoon stroll and evening walk through Chinatown and Little Italy.  Spaghetti and meatballs, with a canoli chaser.

And the Met. I really enjoyed the Met, loved the Met, and the three or four hours we gave it were not near enough. I was amazed at the pottery and other items that were 2500 years or more old. Below is one of those Greek pots with painting of athletes on it. Probably priceless. We caught the "Play It Loud" exhibit on its second to last day, which was stacked with instruments of rock legends. Very popular exhibit. And I raced around the place, in some weird personal game of art tag, trying to make sure I saw the most legendary works, like the Van Goghs, Da Vinci, and abstract works that I like so much.

My heart will always be in quieter places, but I've always enjoyed my visits to New York, and I hope we get back soon again.

Central Park

 

Statue of Liberty, from below on Liberty Island

The Beatles instruments from 1964 Ed Sullivan Show Appearance, 

at the Met's Play It Loud Exhibit

Building art of Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama, seen from the High Line Trail

Ran the Six Mile Loop of Central Park

"The Lighthouse at Two Lights," by Edward Hopper, at the Met.  

Hopper is a favorite of mine and many.

Hummus and falafel, NYC style

Jackson Pollack - only a small portion of a full wall drip painting

Ancient pot with Greek athletes

Adam Lambert and Queen, headliners at the Global Citizen Festival

 

 Natalie Portman, one of many celebrity speakers, at Global Citizen

Ellis Island