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.  
 

Woolley Runs Marathon

On Saturday, I walked the Woolley Runs Marathon in a downpour, mixed within winds, holding up an umbrella for much of the day.  I wore four layers up top, including a Marmot rain jacket, plus two hats (OR sombrero), a buff around the neck, and long running tights. I wore the wrong socks (Smartwool), in some old shoes (Montrail Masochists), and blistered bad under the foot and on some toes. My back was stiff going into this, and it hurt more as the day went on. I never seriously thought about trying to run, but there was some shuffling going on, now and again.

It was an ok day, notwithstanding.  This is an out and back on the Cascade trail out of Sedro-Woolley, put on by NW Ultras (Terry, Delores, James, et al.). Thank you all! The Woolley Runs are a terrific way to get out on a flat, rails trail in Skagit Valley in February.  The start line is about 15 minutes from home.  The trail parallels the Highway 20 corridor, from a distance. You pass fields upon fields, some with snow geese, Canadian geese, and swans. There were some bison.  Some horses and some cows. I think I saw some Alpacas. Definitely some sheep.  The hills and mountains on either side had snow in them. At some points, the trail parallels Lyman Slough and the Skagit River.

Indeed, the weather was miserable. I almost bailed, but I really wanted a long walk to clear the head, and so that's what I did. Basically, it was a hike with support at miles 4, 6, 13, 20, and 22.  There were great eats at the finish line (chili, chicken noodle, hot dogs, et al.), and soon enough I was home and watching the Olympics. The memory will last longer than the pain and discomfort. Walking for miles on end, with rain and wind my constant companion, is a good way to re-connect with myself and nature, at least in measured doses.

Woolley Half Marathon

I ran the Woolley Half Marathon today.  It was a start and stop affair for me, as I couldn’t really get a steady run going.  Tightness in my stomach, shortness of breath, and inflexible muscles pretty much set that scene. Happy to have ran it, just the same.

The course is a flat out and back, with half, full and 50k options. As Sedro-Woolley is 15 minutes from my doorstep, it’s an obvious Saturday morning workout, and I’m thankful to Terry, Delores, the Krells, and everyone else for putting it on. Great to see Stan out there on the course at Mile 4.  Good to see Kevin, Heather, Ras and many others too. Great hot dogs and chilli afterwards. 

There was a pretty stiff headwind going out, but we managed to avoid any rain. 40 or so degrees. I enjoy the course a lot—there are farm animals on either side of the trail, views of the North Cascades in the distance, and an occasional creek crossing. Lots of birds in the Skagit right now, including swans, eagles, ducks, and gyrfalcons. Everything looks a little wet and brown.

There are a lot of events this weekend. I wanted to do something, but struggled a bit in choosing between Ebey, Fragrance Lake, and doing my own thing. In the end, I kept it close to home, with a simple course. Hopefully I’ll inject a bit more discipline in my life, and start picking things up. Regardless, running is so personal for me. I’m happy to limp along, lost in my thoughts and music, looking at trees, birds, whatever. Saturday morning restoration after a long week.

I ran with music today. This was a first in quite a long time, for what used to be standard operating procedure. (Still no watch though.)  I got one of those Apple devices for X-mas—what are they called?--and finally I gave it a play.  I had a big smile when Jackson Browne’s “These Days” came on. “Don’t confront me with my failures, I have not forgotten them.” One of my very favorite songs, checking in randomly via shuffle. Nice to be plugged in again on the trail.

Now, a little bit of House of Cards, Season 2.  Recommend.

Woolley Trail Runs 50k

The effort to get in shape continues. Probably should stop eating some food groups, like the junk food group. In the meantime, I'm going to try to bump up the distance, and hopefully the weather will get better, and the world will be filled with happiness.

Today I ran the Woolley Runs 50k, a Terry Sentinella production. Thank you Terry and your all star cast of volunteers. It occurred to me that at least half the volunteers, all very cool peeps, are 100 miler finishers. That's sort of zaney. Everyone smiled so well--it seemed like there was a lot of good will out there on this day. Again, thanks!

It was pretty cold at the start--I probably could see my breath. The hills have snow on them, and I never took off my lightweight jacket. Over 100 people showed up. Chip timing. Cool coins to the finishers. Three different distances. Barbq at the finish. $25.

The course is flat. Really flat. On the drive home I realized there wasn't even a dip on this course. Not one. A cool little stretch of stream crossing, where the feet did get wet. The course starts in Sedro-Woolley and goes upriver to Birdsview (near the Baker Lake turnoff). And back. Four aid stations times two.

I loved it. It was a gorgeous day, with the beautiful river, icy creeks, many bridges, horses and buffalo, good friends and new friends.

I ran ok. Six minutes slower than last year, and I didn't stop at the Tavern this year. I was more focused by this time last year, and so I'll take it, and just keep at it. Music on the way back helped--haven't been doing that lately. Random on the shuffle leads to weird mixes, like Rage, Linkin Park, and then LeAnn Womack.