Marathon State #13 Charlevoix, Michigan

Charlevoix Marathon

June 21, 2014

look at that belly!!

The strategy for the week is to do and see as much as possible without having to RUN...our run free week includes a few hiking trails, some bike rides and I even get my husband to go horseback riding.  Hey...not running...is fun!  Growing up I had a horse and now I am the horse and do all the running.  Riding is a lot more fun~by the way!

Even with the crazy amount of driving miles, on my not so well planned out trip, we end up having a really good time exploring. We see things we would never have discovered otherwise!  Actually having time to stop in Ohio and explore makes the extended time more enjoyable and less stressful which is a nice change!

The opportunity to spend time in a new state without having to hurry up allows for an in depth look! Ohio, it turns out, has some amazing state parks. Hocking Hills is a~must see! A good chunk of one of our travel days is spent exploring the park, walking countless trails and seeing tons of amazing waterfalls.  There is beauty to be found around every bend and places to cool off. It is definitely a surprise to find neat  adventures as we travel through the fifty states!

Once we make it to Michigan, we spend two nights at a cute affordable place in Traverse City, a beautiful place on Lake Michigan. It gives us time to relax without the stress of driving. We tour an old asylum~yes we are that kind of crazy~now a place to shop with artisans, peddling their wares, boutiques and eateries. 

The lake is so large and vast it looks like an ocean. Never mind the fact that our lives flash before our eyes as we are relishing the beauty of the setting sun after our dinner at the local pizza~ice cream parlor. It came close to being our last day on earth when a speeding car narrowly misses hitting us as we turned onto the roadway. Definitely a harrowing experience. Our time for rest and relaxation ends abruptly driving home the point that life needs to be cherished. You never know when your time to up! It is a good reminder for me to make things right with loved ones because you just never know.

Thankfully this was not my last view on earth although, a good one!

Beautiful finish line area!

Is it really time to run again already? Ready or not, the double marathon weekend is upon us as we drive to packet pick up. Hopefully, it will be a less disastrous outcome than our first attempt at a double. Extreme food poisoning on day two was great fun, but we got through it in spite of the misery. As long as I can finish both marathons upright and under five hours, it will be a success in my book. Since becoming a Maniac and increasing the number of marathons we run each year my waistline has grown. I become less fit and healthy as our marathon volume increases. Running combined with travel

leads to more eating and less disciplined training. It may just be the reason my pants keep getting tighter and tighter! There is also too much tapering, too much recovering and way too much eating...especially the wrong types of foods. I am starting the double marathon weekend with twenty extra pounds~damn Gina. It will be a struggle, but once we get home I must commit to better eating or my 600 lb  inner self may take over. No matter how hard I try... I can't outrun my bad diet! The darling pup has the best sign of the day. I see him on the course and at the finish and it definitely needs to be "my new motto" for getting into better shape.

The course is great along portions of Lake Michigan and through town. It is a very small race, but is well organized and supported with lots of delicious pizza at the finish just what I need! There is no time to hang around. Someone signed us up for a double with a six hour drive to get to the next run in the state of Wisconsin! Who does that!

finished in 4:06!

We do and with little time to celebrate we say, "Yay...we did it! Now let's get in the car."  Who~the bleep~gets to drive first! It is one long a** drive all the way around Lake Michigan to get to Manitowoc, Wisconsin!!

Maciknac Bridge

On the way out of Michigan my husband wants to stop and look at the Mackinac Lighthouse, but as we start to open the car door thousands of mosquitoes, the biggest mosquitoes I have ever seen, cover the car. It is like a scene from the movie,  The Birds, but with mosquitoes.  They swarm the car and the railing and suddenly all I want to do is hit the road...I will even drive!