Saturday, October 7, 2023

Baker Lake 50k



I finished my 20th Baker Lake 50k in a row today. I'm pretty happy about that, and I'll wait and see how things go, but this may be the end of the streak. Or, I may switch down to the 25k next year. I don't know, but the 50k distance was a bit much for me today, aside from the finish.

The weather was great, as the pictures here show. The course is terrific, and it was dry, although the bridges were a bit slippery. A few mosquitoes later in the day.

I never felt right. I've been active, but I haven't really been doing marathon or ultra training. I basically ran a bit over 4 hours going out, and over five hours coming back.  I walked a whole lot on the way back.  My left hamstring started cramping, and so I had to be cautious, since that was happening about within the first hour of the return.

I've had a few streaks over the years. I ran something like 15 Seattle Marathons in a row, a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for a long time. Today's finish banks another year with at least one ultra or marathon. That goes back to 2001, I think.I used to have a list. But Baker Lake has been a fall routine for me. It's a wonderful race and I fully expect to be back, for at least one of the distances. Always my favorite.






 

Monday, October 2, 2023

Skagit Flats


I volunteered Sunday at the Skagit Flats races. My job was to monitor the half marathon turnaround. I guarded this cone with all due diligence. Honestly, watching the runners run around the cone, I felt like I wanted to be out there running too. We had good weather and a good turnout--lots to be happy about.