Run The Forest Marathon

Need I say more?

After crossing the finish line of the Salinas Half Marathon, I had to drive 300 miles south to get to the second half of my west coast non-Disney Goofy Challenge.  Running 39.3 miles in one weekend doesn't phase me, it's all the traveling that kills me!  Thankfully, I had two Endorphin Dudettes who helped me reach my weekend goal.  Chris Bliss chauffeured me around and fellow Half Fanatic Elizabeth McKay graciously hosted us at her quaint smurf-like cabin in Lake Elsinore.

Thank You, Dudettes!

Chris Bliss and I arrived at Elizabeth's cottage by the lake at around 10pm Saturday night. The distance from her place to the start line is about one hour.  That meant that in order for me to have my 3am start, I had to leave at 2am.  I couldn't get to sleep until midnight.  You do the math.  Let's just say that there was a serious endorphin deficit at that hour!  Fortunately, there were others who took the early start, so I had company out there.  Runners started to trickle in by 4am and by 7am, everyone showed up.  It was so nice to see people in daylight! 

This marathon was a no frills kind of race.  We ran a paved bike path with a slight elevation climb, two loops for the half marathon and 4 loops for the full.  I like these looping races because I get to see other runners multiple times on the course.  It helped my ego that I finished way ahead of the elites in the pack.  I figured out the sure fire way to beat the Ryan Halls, Kara Gouchers, and Mebs or the world: start four hours early!  At the end of the day, it took me over 7 hours to finish this race.  The good news is that I scored my first negative split in a long time.  Running in the dark by myself slowed me down, but having people around in broad daylight sped me up!  I am very happy to get marathon #30 done!

Thank good Jessica Wabbitz and Mrs. Mad Hatter Fancy Pants showed up. These two, along with MHFP offspring Eden, helped me get my negative split!

A marathon wouldn't be a marathon without Mad Hatter Fancy Pants!

Jo Jo Starbucks got there before I did!  He started at 2:30am!

Jessica Wabbitz sans bunny ears, Mrs. Mad Hatter Fancy Pants, and the Mad Hatter offspring Eden.  What a colorful bunch!

Here's fellow Marathon Maniac, Yen Nguyen.  That's my mom's name!  When I saw her name on the roster, I immediately thought, "WHOA! My mom is running a marathon?!"  Yen is organizing a marathon in Vietnam.  I'm so there!

What an endorphin filled weekend.  On Saturday I ran my 40th half marathon.  Today I ran my 30th marathon.  Life is good!

Titanium Scoreboard: 23 down, 29 to go!