Mad Marathon
July 8th, 2018
Mad Marathon dubbed one of the most beautiful marathons in the United States is my forty-fourth state. Yes, it is beautiful but even more noteworthy is the extreme hilliness of the Vermont countryside. Preparation for the hills consists of running on completely flat roads in California's Central Valley. Our only hill training takes place during actual marathons throughout the year. Arkansas is hilly, but is nothing in comparison to Vermont!
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| The covered bridge...runners cross at mile 1 and mile 25! |
We begin our travel to one of the farthest states at nine pm Thursday evening. I miss the first eviction from my favorite summertime show "Big Brother" in its twentieth season. I have to read the updates online from our resting place for the night at Hotel Rogue located on the fifth floor of the covered parking structure! It is worth it to avoid Los Angeles traffic. After a nice three hour nap, we are ready to hop on
the shuttle for the quick trip to the Jet Blue Terminal. What a drastically different flight experience compared to the last trip in June. The six am flight leaves on time and is easy and comfortable thanks to our kind and caring flight attendant, Phillip. We are impressed by the exceptional customer service and the pleasant flight experience. I am able to watch three movies before we touch down early and quickly catch a shuttle to the Boston rental car center where we encounter the
nicest lady at the Budget counter, a former runner, who wishes us well on our run. Everything is going too smoothly...our trips are never this easy when will "the shoe drop!" We fill our bellies with delicious pasta from Rino's Place before facing the heavy traffic out of Boston. The three hours of sleep hits and we stop for the night in Concord, New Hampshire. Exhaustion smacks me in the face making it, ironically, hard to sleep. How do I manage to make a mess of the room in no time. Why do I bring a carry-on and two backpacks...everything is everywhere already. My goal at the end of fifty trips is to streamline the packing. I lose something it seems on each trip. Last time it was my favorite pajama pants and the time before that a comfy sweater. I have yet to find something to replace "little man" the wooden roller stick, left behind in Hawaii...that did wonders on my back.
The six remaining states is an opportunity to work on my efficiency and organizational skills, but something tells me to forget it...just lower my expectations. Neatness is not my forte! Success will be embracing my inner and outer messiness. The Mad Marathon sounds like the perfect race to run especially since I feel rather mad lately myself. 2018 is definitely over scheduled and a "touch of madness" permeates my mind as we shuffle though the last three marathon state trips in the year. If we finish Vermont, Illinois and the double weekend in Maryland and New Jersey it will be thirteen states (two being repeat states) and four pacing marathons complete. Let me be the first to admit ~seventeen full marathons in one year is way too much~ for me anyway. That's crazy, no wonder it is a troublesome year of physical struggle and mental strife! The body needs repair. Some runners
may be able to complete 20-50 marathons per year and make it look easy. It definitely isn't easy~for me...that's for sure! My results continue to falter along with my fitness, stamina, motivation and joy. When we hit a dead end road on the way to Smuggler's Notch to zipline in Mt. Mansfield State Forest, my enthusiasm and patience also falters. The beautiful small towns in the area play host to snow skiers in the winter and bikers and hikers in the summer. The beauty and peaceful scenery has me feeling anything but peaceful. After a rage-filled rant that comes out of nowhere~we find Arbortrek and begin our little adventure. Sometimes, life is like a huge pressure cooker waiting to explode; it is necessary to let out some steam to prevent a complete meltdown. Our happy guides and the thrill of zipping through the trees, lift our spirits and release the pressure but sailing through the trees makes me~extra hungry!
Always ready to eat, a local from the Stowe area recommends Blue Stone and we give it a try. Another tasty pie is fuel for the next day's run. Batting about a 500 average on the pizza field...today is a home run. After dinner we drive to Waitsfield to get our bibs and shirts. Every drive in the area is thirty minutes even though the sign says eleven miles. People in Vermont drive slow very slow~maple syrup dripping out of trees slow! Vermont gives Oregonians competition for slowest drivers in the country.
We make it in time to pick up our bibs and shirts. I am under the impression pick up is between 4 and 7~because that's what it says on the webpage~but it actually ends at 6 pm. Thankfully, there are a few stragglers as we arrive. It is just as easy to wait until race morning to do packet pickup... definitely eliminates multiple slow drives back and forth. Soaking in the spa and cooling off in the pool is a nice ending to the day. There is even a serene wooden swing on the property to sit and look out at an old covered bridge at least until the mosquitoes begin feasting on the humans.
Race morning arrives~ready or not. Another slow thirty minute meander in the car starts our day with parking close to the start and finish area. The race starts right in the middle of the main thoroughfare connecting one small town to another. We begin with a gentle downward slope lined with orange cones. It doesn't feel like much, but I sure feel it on the way back. The first mile goes well. Gravity is my friend and I can't help but pour on the gas anytime I get some assistance from a downhill grade, but the brakes slam too soon as the topography trends upwards slowing my progress. Lets just say I ride the brakes for many many miles. As soon as the road goes up...even though I don't want to, I am forced to slow down and walk; it allows me to fully enjoy my surroundings and appreciate life!
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| Vermont Country |
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| All Time Favorite Creatures on Earth! |
As soon as the road slants in a downward direction, the accelerator is pressed as hard as possible and I fly down the mountain~okay flip-flop (slightly out of control) arms flailing~down the mountain! It is a beautiful race and I enjoy every climb and cherish every walk opportunity. I can't help but drink in the scents of wild flowers as the roads are quaffed with the most fragrant aromas. I run alone for the first half and break the race into nine sets of three miles. I count the sets...one down eight to go. It helps to try different strategies. During the second half, I strike up a conversation with Mel from Wisconsin who has been running for twenty years and Vermont is his 49th state. He will complete #50 in New York at the Wineglass Marathon. His only run in California, the Santa Clarita marathon, just happens to be where I ran my first marathon back in 1999. He is a much stronger runner than me, but I push to stay with him for a few miles. The watermelon station is refreshing as I pop a few pain relievers to
get an extra kick to power me through some miles. Mile 21, necessitates a potty stop. The three out and back sections are an opportunity to see others runners. I see my husband, looking strong, on the return trip through the watermelon stop, the heat hasn't affected him yet. I also see Bart Yasso, Mr. Marathon, on the course who is such a great ambassador for the sport of running!
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| 3rd place in age group...I will take it! |
I continue to run strong and treasure the nice extended downhill sections in the final miles, catching many of the people who passed me during the extended uphill sections. I try to go as fast as my chunky legs can carry me for as long as possible...until we reach the covered bridge and the final turn...last mile of uphill running. Mel cruises past me with ease. In the final chute, I am passed by two young ladies who whizzed by me in the early miles. I worked so hard to pass them up in that final incline, but with youthful energy they cross the line just in front of me, holding hands in matching outfits. Turns out they are sisters 28 and 29, in that case, they should beat an old lady! My husband has a good day too and we celebrate in the beer tent chatting with two nice ladies, fellow 50 Staters, from Texas. It is fun to compare notes on other races. After feasting on tasty tacos at "Mad Tacos" it's back in the pool before indulging, shockingly, with some dinner.
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| Celebration Tacos! |
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| Beer Makes It Better Sometimes! |
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| Mad Marathon Hardware! |
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| Time for a short hike before the flight home! |
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| Vermont watering hole! |
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| Waterbury Lake |
Monday is a nice recovery day spent exploring the little delights of Vermont before a night flight back to California. We sit in the plane at the gate for an hour while the mechanic works on the fuel line apparently the gas isn't getting to the engine~please take your time~gas getting into the engine is kind of important! The return trip is Delta...can you tell? Thanks Delta for getting us home even if it is an hour later than expected. We are grateful to be home safely without a six hour delay this time. Kitty expresses her displeasure about our absence by refusing to come inside...as we crawl into bed at two a.m.
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| Oh Brother, you are back...for how long? How dare you leave me again! |
the shuttle for the quick trip to the Jet Blue Terminal. What a drastically different flight experience compared to the last trip in June. The six am flight leaves on time and is easy and comfortable thanks to our kind and caring flight attendant, Phillip. We are impressed by the exceptional customer service and the pleasant flight experience. I am able to watch three movies before we touch down early and quickly catch a shuttle to the Boston rental car center where we encounter the
nicest lady at the Budget counter, a former runner, who wishes us well on our run. Everything is going too smoothly...our trips are never this easy when will "the shoe drop!" We fill our bellies with delicious pasta from Rino's Place before facing the heavy traffic out of Boston. The three hours of sleep hits and we stop for the night in Concord, New Hampshire. Exhaustion smacks me in the face making it, ironically, hard to sleep. How do I manage to make a mess of the room in no time. Why do I bring a carry-on and two backpacks...everything is everywhere already. My goal at the end of fifty trips is to streamline the packing. I lose something it seems on each trip. Last time it was my favorite pajama pants and the time before that a comfy sweater. I have yet to find something to replace "little man" the wooden roller stick, left behind in Hawaii...that did wonders on my back.
The six remaining states is an opportunity to work on my efficiency and organizational skills, but something tells me to forget it...just lower my expectations. Neatness is not my forte! Success will be embracing my inner and outer messiness. The Mad Marathon sounds like the perfect race to run especially since I feel rather mad lately myself. 2018 is definitely over scheduled and a "touch of madness" permeates my mind as we shuffle though the last three marathon state trips in the year. If we finish Vermont, Illinois and the double weekend in Maryland and New Jersey it will be thirteen states (two being repeat states) and four pacing marathons complete. Let me be the first to admit ~seventeen full marathons in one year is way too much~ for me anyway. That's crazy, no wonder it is a troublesome year of physical struggle and mental strife! The body needs repair. Some runners
We make it in time to pick up our bibs and shirts. I am under the impression pick up is between 4 and 7~because that's what it says on the webpage~but it actually ends at 6 pm. Thankfully, there are a few stragglers as we arrive. It is just as easy to wait until race morning to do packet pickup... definitely eliminates multiple slow drives back and forth. Soaking in the spa and cooling off in the pool is a nice ending to the day. There is even a serene wooden swing on the property to sit and look out at an old covered bridge at least until the mosquitoes begin feasting on the humans.
get an extra kick to power me through some miles. Mile 21, necessitates a potty stop. The three out and back sections are an opportunity to see others runners. I see my husband, looking strong, on the return trip through the watermelon stop, the heat hasn't affected him yet. I also see Bart Yasso, Mr. Marathon, on the course who is such a great ambassador for the sport of running!
