I am way behind on posting, as usual, and have done another race since this one, but there are too many good photos to share that this had to be it's own post.
Last June I took on my 44th state with the Anchorage marathon. This is one where we definitely made a vacation out of it. One, it takes a while to get there from Florida, and two, there is so much to see. I had my husband and racecation buddy Bethany and her daughter Gilly with me. And the motivated, ambitious Gilly took this on as her first marathon. Considering the 20+ year age gap, she definitely finshed well ahead of me, but we we did cross the start line together!
But before we even got there, we made the mistake of going hiking the day before. We all thought, ok, we'll do an easy hike. So we picked a short one. While it was short, it was steep and we instantly all regretted it. At times we were pulling ourselves up the hill. We thought about turning around, but going down a steep hill is worse than going up one, at least as far as increasing your chances of injury. So we persevered. The view was worth it, although the next day, I'm not sure I agreed once I felt the fatigue in my legs the next day. Oh well, live and learn (probably not though).
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| First of many scenic vistas |
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| See dark shape in the distance: Moose |
Back to race day. Weather was perfect, dry, cool but not too cool. While a fairly scenic course, it was definitely not the most scenic part of our trip. Alaska basically looks like a post card anywhere outside of Anchorage. But not to downplay Anchorage, it's a great place. And when we where there, the sun really never was down. Thank goodness for blackout curtains. But I digress. This was definitely an emotional race for me. Two days before we left for Alaska, I had to say goodbye to my best friend of nearly 19 years, my dog Dean. He truly was the best dog a girl could ask for, and was always the best running and travel buddy. Nothing like a good run cry. Well, it can be cathartic, but not ideal during a race since it does sap both physical and mental energy. Of course, those feelings come an go, and certainly helps to see things like a moose on the course to distract you. Thankfully it was a bit off the couse as I've heard those things can be mean!
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| More course views |
Again, the race was a hard one for me physically and mentally for many reasons, (refer to dumb hiking idea above), but Gilly and I both finished with no need for medical attention, which is a win-win. And what an accomplishment for Gilly on her first marathon! Hopefully she's been bitten by the bug and will join for another.
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| More from the course |
The next day after the race we headed to Seward and stayed there for a couple of days and then headed to Homer and stayed there a couple of days. There are way too many cool photos and experiences to share along the way, so I'll highlight some of my favorites.
1. Tiny plane flight over Denali where I got to sit in the copilot seat.
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| Denali |
2. Countless oysters, halibut cheeks (try them if you have the chance), amazing seafood and a restaurant you have to take a boat to. This was in Halibut Cove where the community is basically on stilts in the water.
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| Obligatory post-race oysters |
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| Entering Halibut Cove |
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| Floating restaurant |
3. All the wildlife. We took a Kenai Fjords cruise and saw so many animals: puffins, an albatross, humback whales, sea lions, bald eagles, a pod of orcas, and sea otters. While not an animal, we did see a glacier, and walked paths where you could see where the glaciers used to be. Climate change is happening, that is clear. We saw salmon jumping and swimming upstream. We saw cuddly bears (in the safety of a nature preserve/zoo), and more moose!
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| Giant grizzly |
5. And all the fun other things: Freezing cold boat ride to eat at a floating restaurant, quaint little towns, so many hikes, seaside hot tub, and fun road tripping. Alaska is a cool place.
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