Showing posts with label Stan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stan. Show all posts

Monday, February 18, 2019

Woolley Half Marathon


Technically, I finished the Woolley Half Marathon on Saturday. It really was just a pleasant long walk with Seth on the Cascade Trail. Perhaps my slowest half ever. No worries, be happy. We had a great day--beautiful ice and snow, a few birds, many friends, fresh air.

We've had snow this past week--more than in recent years, and folks have come to call it Snowmaggedon. It hasn't been that bad, but the Cascade Trail was mostly covered still, which made for a crunchy time. The standard course was changed into a double out and back, but one and done was the way to go. The temps sat around just under 40 degrees, and for the most part the skies were large, with some interesting clouds, but only a bit of rain.

Always so good to spend time with Seth. Great to really meet Ellen. Also good to see so many of my Skagit and ultra friends---Craig, Terry, Stan, Toi, Delores, Chris, and so many other familiar faces. The after race barbq on this event was/is the bomb. Terry and crew do such a great job.

Afterwards, we visited some antique shops and then made our way to Fir Island, to look at birds. We found ourselves down on the mud flat near Snow Goose. We watched eagles chase each other over scraps of food, chirping, diving, fighting. We saw a large flock of snow geese, lots of swans, a pair of herons, and other anonymous birds. There were a few moments, standing on a log and just listening to the birds fly over head, which took me away.  
 







Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Baker Lake 50k


Glad to be able to return to the Baker Lake 50k once again, last weekend. My favorite race.

This year's edition featured rain on the second half.  The way out was quiet and perfect temperature for running. It was overcast, and alas, no views of Mt. Baker. I took the early start, finish late route. I like the early start, because I don't have to worry about how fast I'm going, and also because there are a lot less people on the trail for the start of the race. It works out perfect for me, since the starting line is only about 45 minutes from home.

I had some indigestion out there, which affected my performance a bit. However, I've had it worse, and my head was on the trail the whole day. And I wasn't going to be fast, no matter what was going on. t took a pole to help with my hip and ankle, though I didn't really need it. Maybe if I saw a bear.  Not this time.

The trail is in excellent shape. It looks like some folks did some trail work in certain sections. Most notably, there is a new bridge across Anderson Creek, the first real crossing in the race. The past bridge was kind of sketchy, tilted a bit with a single wire to guide. I made it across the old one when it was icy a few times (in the winter), and the potential for a fall was there. So, good improvement. Some other bridge repairs were evident too.

I understand some new records were made. Congrats! The finish line was amazing, as always, with great eats and people to share with. Many smiles. Warm broth is always welcome for recovery.

Thank you to Skagit Runners, as always, for putting on this terrific event. Terry, Delores, Chris, Al, Susan, Toi, et al--terrific!

I took a few more pics this year. Here some are....