 posted Oct-08-2007 03:21 PM
   
 ETA jura - you were with me every step. Most of the surface was hard-packed dirt and the only a couple of blocks of gravel was real tiny stuff. Aquasocks would have been perfect for picking our way through the little sticks and branches being snapped off overhead trees. Sounder/tammy - thank you, me too many times over. lil/holly - me too, many times over Econo - I've already written the RD about an end-of-September race. However, my first Portland was at the end of September but my similiar e-mail didn't work with them. Rick - you're not supposed to tell the goddess effect of bare feet!  Susan - you're ready now if you go my pace and it will be my pleasure evan - thanks for even making the hot tub part of the dream come true  mariposai - thank you for helping me forget the first and only depressing run in my life in September, having my first and only daily thread preempted after surviving only a couple of hours, losing my toenail, losing someone with no word of their missing expected 12K PR RR I kept fruitlessly asking/posting about, etc. However, there's no way I will be able to keep up to you come next year but your joy of running will be with me forever. =============
Intrepid Summary - Bellingham Bay Marathon (10/7/07) - 4:51:39 With four PNW races all bunched up on 10/7/07, I decided to boycott the regulars Id done before every early October (Portland Marathon, Royal Victoria Marathon, Issaquah Salmon Days 10K) and do the new Bellingham Bay Marathon (even though I was even madder at them for choosing the same date). With the weekend weather forecasters warning that the first weekend of fall would not a be a weekend to be outside,EI was grateful that the swishing sound outside my cousins house on Sunday morning was just the wind blowing through trees and not the heavy rain it sounded like. In fact, the gusty blasts were so strong in the early and returning miles along the citys coastal trail that running caps (mine included) not being held in runnersEhands were only kept from blowing into the bay by the pathway fencing, mile marker placards were bent around their stakes like Neil Armstrongs moon flag, and a vicious gust ripped off one side of my race number. However, after a couple of slight hills, we got into the protection of an out-and-back bike-path wide forest trail high about the sound below. Unfortunately for my fond memories of the mostly smooth barefoot-friendly surfaces at Portland/Victoria/Issaquah, the crushed gravel surfaces thereafter to the mile 14.5 turnaround were so sharp to be getting embedded in my the soles of my thongs and little rocks had to be pulled out several times to keep from cutting into my foot. However, the blessed joy of getting to run 16 of the belly miles along forested trails was a small price to pay to escape the urban races that have become my barefoot norm in recent years. Unlike point-to-point races, the belly out-and-back allowed me to see all the boomer reunion runners and even my bellingham barefoot buddy persevering all the way on the rocky trails. First was golden goddess Erika in her yellow Equinox tech-tee matching the yellow autumn leaves we ran through and under most of the way and then opie all the way from 90 degrees in Oklahoma to run with us. I hope I didnt mess up the rest of his run with a huge hug but I dont care though, as I found out at the double goddess birthday party in his room the night before, he is one fine gentleman even worrying more about our boomer friend doves mountainous 50K than the effect of the unexpected steepness of some of the belly hills and the brutal headwinds on his own possible PR. However, I knew I would have mixed feelings when mariposie would emerge next into view and I was even contemplating a convenient stopus interruptus in the woods where she wouldnt see me but suddenly there was her pretty blue techie shirt and black compressions seeming to float as effortlessly towards me as I had only witnessed once before in aamos weaving her way through a bunch of guys on the Seattle Marathon out-and-backs. Ive run on the roadways along Lake Union and part of the way up the Mt. Spokane road with the butterfly goddess in the past year but had never seen the glow and joyfully relaxed look in her face as she approached on the carpet of autumn leaves. She was different person than I had been feeling had betrayed me just a couple hours ago. With juras on-going back healing deferring her inaugural marathon to another time and my regret in missing the chance to run together at her nice slow, injury-stifled pace I could have kept up to, I had been racking my brain on how to run with mariposai without having to do any of the excessive training I had done for the same objective with the goddess queen in last years Portland Marathon. In particular, that years 90 mile September had done me no good anyway as I had lost her after only one mile. Therefore, rather than trying to keep up to a goddess this time, I suggested mari stay behind me to stifle any over-exurberance for six miles or so before breaking free on her quest to break five hours in only her third marathon. I was assisted in this decep... I mean strategy by being able to say that her asthma would be protected from the violent wind gusts by drafting behind me. Unfortunately, though the inaugural belly was small marathon with only 399 finishers, there were 1,224 halfers so runners were bunched up so tightly at the parking lot start that I never saw any of the boomerthoners but did see sounders smile going by the start in her first race testing out her foot healing and virus recovery. Finally, nearly three minutes after the official gun start, my chip sounded as I reluctantly joined up with the other stragglers crossing the timing mat resigning myself to seeing if I could run yet another marathon on my own terms of weekend running without regard to the clock. Fortunately, Erikas DH saw my pain and ran along with me for about a half a mile, especially cheering me up with peeling and sticking a banana in my face as I kept running alongside. Unfortunately, it only served to remind me of happier times this summer when the butterfly princess had finished her own relay leg and drove all the way up to mile 28 of the Mt. Spokane Run offering a banana for me from the car window. As Es DH went off to spot his gorgeous gal at strategic crossings and just as I was accepting that, contrary to months of expectation, the belly was going to be the same goddessless running as last year, what do I see? The pretty butterfly goddess with a azure scarf protecting her asthma was standing on the side of the roadway ahead like a biblical queen awaiting her entourage. My heart sank as I wondered if the strong winds had gotten the best of her asthma. But no, she improbably explained shed been running with Opie but was thinking how jealous, I mean how lonely I must be feeling so waited out the several minutes of my late start (and lost even more time for my slower pace) for me to catch up and she would slow down her PR pace so we could run together for the next couple of miles on the blustery coastal trails. Unfortunately, after the first couple of miles, I sensed missing her behind me at the start of a steep road at mile four. I seem to have turned around to backwards up to the top to look for her behind me and avoid another Portland fizzle just as she passed by with my not hearing her deciding to run on ahead. Though I was imagining the worst as the runners petered out while I peered in vain to catch her sight again, I found out she was just fine later on as the mile six aid station volunteers called out, hey barefoot guy, your daughter said shes real proud of you!E I didnt know whether to be mad or sad or glad but when the gal there added, shes not only fast but sure pretty, you knowEI knew it was a compliment for me too. I entered the forest trail shortly thereafter with a happy heart for the rest of race, especially at mile 13 (her 15) with a compensating make-up from the butterfly kiss, . . . I mean a princess as sweet to my running energy as many Hammergels and cups of HEED Id already been consuming and spurred me on to a nearly half hour negative split letting me greet opie as we emerged from the forest trails and then have the unexpected treat of sounder coming up from behind on her bike so I could take off the thongs I didnt need anymore on the open roads as she pedaled back to opie and then on ahead to celebrate maris big PR at the finish. They were still braving the by-then torrential downpour for a cheery encouragement for me about a half mile from the finish. After crossing the finish mat, I just kept on running around the corner to the Expo Hall just in time to see Erika get her third place medal as her proud dh photoed the event but all she could think about was how shivering I was as she braved the rain and wind again to dash across the plaza to bring me a warm slice of pizza while dh went looking for the car to return to the hotel hot tub. He became my favorite boomer support crew of all time when he got the gals into their bathing suits before anyone realized the hot tub had been drained for an untimely maintenance. A ride back to Seattle with mariposai in a warm car drinking my first ever taste of Paraguanian mate tea for the first time helped put even an better perspective on how joyous the day had been as she thrilled again and again about the beauty of the forested trails (maybe not coincidentally, her dh is a forester) and could barely be distracted to the huge PR she had accomplished. Thank you mariposai and all for making my marathon #96 one of the best one ever. ============
soucilina - after mostly missing you in the boomer activities associated with last years Portland Marathon and being grateful yet a little jealous about you and sal going all the way back there to support labducks not being able to fulfill his inaugural marathon dream in his hometown and be with econo, when sounder gave your note to me and had me read it aloud, the goddess's reaction sure helped make up for it. thank you/thank you! hope my message to John worked as well down there. Incidentally, as you might imagine, the boomer reunion was more than an early birthday party for Sounder and Erika as mari and her assistants had decorated opies room with balloons and streamers for serving ice cream and birthday cake, chocolates, delicious beverages and snacks, and with the exchange of so many presents and goodies from/to everyone only missing a Christmas tree. In addition to the birthday ribbons, one guy got one commemorating his 30th year of annual marathons. [This message has been edited by Tetsujin30 (edited Oct-10-2007).] [This message has been edited by Tetsujin30 (edited Oct-11-2007).]
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you are incredible! You get this... 
and a few of these... 
and the next time I see you we do an Irish jig OK? Great job jon...you are such a sweet heart. I miss you.
