2020 In Retrospect

The year 2020 is "one like no other," it is said, as we wrap it up. Good to be here, I say.  

Usually, at the end of the year, I try to rank the best experiences and/or races I ran for the previous year. This year there weren't too many races, and the experiences were different too. Still, I feel like I did a pretty good job of making lemonade, for the hand that was dealt. I ran more miles this year than I have in several years, and I got out and did some pretty cool things. 

1.    Yellowstone National Park

The trip to Yellowstone with Deborah is one with lasting memories. We drove a fast car over those Montana open roads. We saw a grizzly, bison, elk, antelope, maybe a wolf, and not as many tourists as might be expected. I love Yellowstone--it is one of my favorite places, and sharing that with Deborah made for a much-needed getaway. The Beartooth Highway entrance was extra-ordinary as well.

2.    New York City Virtual Marathon

Virtual racing was the thing this year, for many. The New York Road Runners put on a terrific virtual marathon, through Strava and a custom phone app.  The app called out my splits and coached and cheered me along the way, as I ran alone (at first) through the Skagit, and then with Seth for the final two-thirds. I'm really kind of proud of my course design, from my door step, as it a really cool, flat 26.2 on country roads and by the Skagit, with lots of birds and views along the way. A really fun day.

3.    Copper Ridge Lookout

Craig and I did a long day-hike out to Copper Ridge Lookout, in the North Cascades. The views were superb, of the Pickets, Mount Baker, the Canadian mountains, Chiliwack, and everywhere else. Classic, world-class views, equal to hikes most anywhere. Good to get back here, after the trip Mike, Rich and I did a few years back. No views that day, I think. With smoky summers, views may be harder to come by in the future.

4.    Montana Marathon

Before hitting Yellowstone, we drove to Billings and I did the Montana Marathon. Marathons were virtually non-existent this year, but Montana went ahead. They did many COVID precautions, and I felt safer than going to my local grocery store. I think they did a really good job, and I wish more smaller races could've proceeded this year. It's so hard though--everyone is seeking the best way forward, and most have good intentions, but then opposing views emerge. Anyway, I loved this race--the first 13 miles particularly, as we wandered through the high plains of Montana. One of my favorite road courses ever. I'll have to do a few more plains states marathons or ultras.

5.    Baker Lake DIY 50k

On the first Saturday in October, I kept the tradition alive, and ran the Baker Lake 50k.  Not many out there, but thanks to Terry for putting some water at the turnaround, and good to see Matt, Betsy, and a few others. Probably the best weather in ten years...of course. Glad I can still do these. The tradition established in 2004--#17 this year.

6.    Great Virtual Run Across Tennessee

I really should rank this higher, maybe even #1. BB and I signed up for this virtual run across Tennessee and I somehow managed to cover 1100 miles in 4 months. That's unheard of for me. I so enjoyed getting up early on Saturdays and then head out to Conway, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley or Clear Lake. I found all sorts of things on the side of the road--dead frogs, cell phones, Ray-Bans, brussel sprouts. This event really kept me going through the darker early months of the pandemic.

7.    Circumpolar Race Around the World

I'll just tuck this one below GVRAT, since its another virtual race, but this one involves a group of 10 team members, all newfound friends for me. Our journey continues, but as a group we've logged enough miles to travel through Mexico, Central America, and deep into Argentina in South America as I write. We motivate each other to get our miles in, check our progress on google maps, and get little map medals along the way.

8.    Fort Ebey Kettles Half Marathon

There were races early in the year! I returned to Whidbey, and managed this wonderful, rolling course. I rolled my ankle too, bad, at the end. My head was totally elsewhere, but good day.

9.    Nookachamps Half Marathon

It was a quiet day out on the Nookachamps. I would later run/walk this course many times, when getting miles for GVRAT. The course was altered a bit, and I wonder if we'll ever get back to going through Clear Lake. The hot soup a the finish line was welcome.

10.    The Comet Neowise, and Jupiter/Saturn

I spent a lot of time looking at the night sky this year.  I went out and tried to add a few miles on many evenings, and I started identifying planets. I watched Jupiter and Saturn move in position as the seasons turned, and then missed their historic conjunction, due to clouds. I chased the comet Neowise for many nights, first leaving early on a run to see it (and mistaking Jupiter for it); and then later out into the Skagit Flats on a few evenings. A celestial event. 

So, good to be healthy and moving. Hopefully 2020 offers more opportunities for community activities, like races and other events. I miss them. Wishing all my friends a happy and healthy 2021. Hopefully we can get out together at some point.

 

Fowl Run 10k - Virtual

 

This time of year traditionally is Skagit Runners' Fall Fowl Run. This year the race went virtual, like so many races, with the proceeds going to assist Helping Hands Food Bank, which serves the Skagit Valley. Special thanks to Heather, Craig, and everyone in the club who is helping to support this cause.

I met with Craig and a few others on Sunday to run the actual course together. We masked up, kept our distance, and so on. It was a beautiful morning to run along the dike and by the fields. The swans are back in town, honking and flying above in formation, usually about 30 feet up. Mount Baker was out in full force, and the air was chilly but not stirred. 

I ran with Craig most of the way, on the 10k route. We caught up a bit, talking about the events of the day, which principally is the election. I so hope for the day when there is less contention and more direction. We moved at a decent enough clip, for me at least. I came in at 55:09, and so I'm now able to average 9s, which is a far sight better than in some previous years. All this real running on virtual courses seems to be helping me improve a bit. Keep it up.

Hopefully next year we're all back together again, eating pumpkin pie after the race. Again, thanks to everyone who made this happen.

New York City Virtual Marathon - Skagit Version

 

Virtual runs have been a thing in 2020, and I've participated in a few. If it gets me outside, if it gets me exercising on a regular basis, it might as well be like hiring a coach for me. I also have a love for New York City and the NYC marathon, and so I signed up for the viritual New York City Marathon. 

One thing I've learned: not all virtual races are alike. Some give more support than others, some involve social media more effectively than others, etc. New York Road Runners puts on the New York City Marathon, as well as this virtual version, and they did a great job.

I had a course in mind from the start--a marathon from home. I liked the idea of walking out my door and doing a course that had a bit of symmetry and a lot of scenery to it. My course design, for this last day in October, was near perfect. If I do say.  The basic route goes through downtown Mount Vernon, and then south on the Dike Road to Conway, followed by a half loop around Fir Island, over the Skagit to Rexville, and then back to Mount Vernon via farm roads and the river. The course is basically three bridges--the South Skagit, North Skagit, and West Mount Vernon bridge. I hit the 26.2 mile mark a half mile from home. A very flat course too.

Seth joined me for 2/3 of the day, which was perfect. Great to hang out and wander empty country roads together, especially on such a beautiful day. We were innundated in birds--the migratory crowd is definitly  back in town. Snow geese in masses, so loud, covering a field, and flying like an army in the sky. Trumpeter swans--their honking is kind of funny, and they are so big, and fly in V formations.  Pipers doing their murmerations--I chased some off the telephone lines. Bald eagles and hawks on perches, maybe even a small owl. Great day of bird watching/running.

The weather was downright chilly at my 7 AM start time. Dew was steaming off the fields, and fog was on the river. The moon was near full. This year's Halloween, this same day, provided a blue moon, which I guess is rare. Nice to start under the stars and then watch the sunrise as I'm running the flats.

This was not a race. We took our time, walking and running, covering the distance, as is common with me.   Finished in 5:39. 

The New York Road Runners built a phone app for the event, which was really cool. At the start of the race, you hit a button, and then they voice out a countdown to the start. The app comes on at various points on the NY course, like when crossing the Queensburough Bridge, or entering the Bronx. The app annouces every time you cross a mile mark, with the mile and pace. Occasionally a coach gives encouragement, tips, and cheer.  It also runs two maps--the one you're running in reality, parallel with the NYC course. Pretty fun for what it is.

This was a really good day.

Baker Lake 50k FA

 

Baker Lake 50k was canceled this year, due to the coronavirus, but I decided I'd run the course anyway, as I've been doing this every year since 2004. One year I'll stop, either due to a request from the body, or due to family obligations, but this weekend was free, and I was glad to get out and see the trail.

I showed up around 6:30 AM, and ran into Terry and their cute new dog. We talked a bit, and then I headed off alone, up and over the dam, and onto the trail. The trail was quiet, and I took my time starting out. I carried a hydropak and food, as well as a pole, for helping my ankle along if need be. It rolls so often now that I'm a little bit more fearful about longer treks alone on trail. I knew I'd see people eventually, but nevertheless.

The day turned out perfect, one of the best in recent memory. Views were long and the trail was clear. Running was eay--I'm in better shape than I've been the past few years, though only marginally so. I saw a few familiar faces who had the same idea through the day--Susan, Reed, Matt, Betsy, Delores. Smiles. There was also a hive of wasps which went after a number of people, but I fortunately escaped unstung. 

The trail itself was pretty busy--lots more backpackers than usual, and long dayhikers. People are escaping to the trail, for social distancing. It was pretty awkward passing, in the narrow spaces, as I'd pull my mask up and groups would turn sideways, with limited space to do so. That kind of encroached on the solitary experience of it all, but it was a fine day. The views of Baker were outstandin

I went faster on the way back, and but the feet felt it by the end. 8:27 round trip, and I think I was around 4:15 going out. Afterwards, I went to Annie's and picked up a pizza, and we sat and watched television.  Good day.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is dear to my hear--near and dear I'd say, but it's not near enough, and so I haven't been there in some time. It was so good to go back, after all these years.

In 1988, I quit a job as a circulation manager for a newspaper so that I could go and visit Yellowstone and that area of the country.  I went with intentions of working at the park for the summer, as I had heard jobs were easy to find. Unfortunately for me, that summer the Park had a historic fire season, and so most of the inns and facilities were running at limited capacity, meaning no job for me. I was young, and so I stuck around, sleeping in the back of my pickup in different spots, exploring the park. I didn't have much money at all--I had to save what I had for gas money to get home, but I remember feasting on 3 for $1 hot dogs and soaking ramen in a bowl. I parked the truck and hitch-hiked all over the park, and down to the Grand Tetons as well. It was great adventure.  

I went back a few times after that with family members and friends, and did a few hikes, but it has now been more than 20 years since I last visited. I really wanted to go there with Deborah, and enter via the NE gate and Lamar Valley, and so we did.

It was a bit of a whistlestop tour, but we saw most of the classic spots in the park, and there was less traffic since it was September. We spent a night in West Yellowstone, just outside the park, which by the way is kind of spendy for what you get. Our other stops on the trip were half the price.  

For me, the highlight was seeing a big grizzly bear. This bear was a bit of a celebrity, as someone shot a video of it killing an injured bull elk in the Yellowstone River, and then dragging it to shore. The bear sat on top of its kill for several days, eating it and shooing away wolves and another interested grizzly. We came upon the site a couple days after the kill, which was across the river on the road. People were lining up to take pictures--your typical Yellowstone traffic jam, but seeing a grizzly this close with a kill is a bit unusual.

We also saw tons of elk and bison, a lone wolf or coyote, and a herd of antelope up by Gardiner. We spent some time at Old Faithful, visited the Roosevelt Arch, and took a short walk at Artist's Point for Canyon. Lots of geothermal sites--Mammoth, which is incredible, and then many other hot spots. There simply is no place like Yellowstone. I hope to get back sooner next time.

 

Beartooth Highway

 

After the Montanan Marathon and Little Bighorn, we made our way to Yellowstone via the Beartooth Highway, to Cooke City and the NE entrance and Lamar Valley.  I've always wanted to make this approach, but its more typical to enter via the West or North entrances, coming from Washington State.

The Beartooth Highway is one of the country's scenic highways. On the Montana side, it Red Lodge is more or less the entry town--a nice mountain town. The road starts in the high prairie, and then climbs into the Rockies. The high point for Beartooth Pass is at 10,947.  Weather conditions close the road all the time. It was closed.a week or two before we went, and then a week later. The road is open from Memorial Day to October 12 or so.

On the Wyoming side, there are long views across a sea of peaks, and then Pilot Peak marking the skyline for some time. Eventually the road finds its way to Cooke City, another pretty cool little mountain town, which is right before the Silver Gate (NE gate) to Yellowstone NP.

The road trip and the pass was a pleasure to drive int he rented Dodge Charger. The car has some giddyup, going up mountain passes and on the long straights in Montana. 

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

 

On the afternoon after finishing the Montana Marathon, we drove an hour or so east of Billings, and visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This is the location of Custer's famous last stand, which he didn't fare well in, nor did his men.

When I was a kid, we had this record, 40 Funky Hits, and it has this song on it, Please Mr. Custer, which is  about a guy who doesn't want to go to this battle. My Dad, an ex-marine, used to talk a lot about battles, and every now and then General Custer came up. Later, when I was in college studying Northwest history, the professor went on about how wonderful his visit was to this battlefield. That always stuck with me, and so I wanted to check it out. The only window of time was in the afternoon, after the race, but the driving is very easy in Montana on the freeway. Little Bighorn is 934 miles away from Mt. Vernon, says the map. I didn't want to miss my chance, as I don't know when we'll be bakc this way. It was totally worth it, at least for me.

That said, it's not like a whole lot was going on at the momument. Some people were wandering in ($25 entrance fee, I think, yikes), but it was quiet and the Visitor Center was closed. But there was something about the big sky, the grave markers, and the quiet that was moving.

The site has a cemetery, which is a lot like Arlington, and holds veterans of wars up to the Vietnam War, if I'm not mistaken. Then there's Last Stand Hill, where the U.S. soldiers were surrounded, with white markers placed where soldiers fell. There's a big memorial there, with Custer's name on the top. Markers are placed throughout the monument grounds. Most of them are white, saying "U.S. Soldier, 7th Calvary, Fell Here, [Date]."  There are also brown markers where some Cheyenne warriors fell. It is a solemn place.

We saw a herd of horses, that we think were wild. Wild horses, we'll ride them someday, not. Beautiful.

Afterwards, we visited the Crow Restaurant and Gift Shop, run by the Crow tribe. The food was very good--the "World's Best Indian Taco" for me. While there, we spoke at length with tribe members about Covid, treaties, and other things. I appreciate how cordial and informative they were. I took Native American law in school, and it was a challenging course--very non-intuitive, due to all the treaties and odd Supreme Court decisions. One gentleman there spoke at length with me about some of these. It was a memorable afternoon. 

There's more to this trip, but I've decided to string it out in a few posts, so I can have a few more thoughts and pics to look back at here, whenever I do. Wishing well to my friends.