Hartog’s Den

Whitefish, MT, the site of this year's Two Bear Marathon.

Due in large part to forgetting just how difficult and painful my first marathon was, as well as a hefty dose of stupidity, I have decided to train for and run another marathon.  But did I pick a flat, paved course similar to the Portland Marathon?  Hell no!  I picked a rugged trail race in Montana, with ample opportunities to twist an ankle, and 4100+ feet of hills to climb.  Oh, and bears.  Grizzly bears!  So on top of running 26.2 miles of isolated hilly trail with 200 other insane people, I risk grizzly bear attack.  Or a black bear.  Or a pissed off bull elk.  Why am I doing this again?

The Two Bear Marathon is on September 13th of this year in Whitefish, Montana.  It’s a pretty mountain town in northwest Montana, 30 minutes from Glacier National Park and an hour from the Canadian border.  A massive ski resort, lakes, rivers and mountains in every direction means that this place is an outdoorsman’s paradise.  It’s beautiful there, and I certainly love the mountains more than the wheat and lentil covered hills in Pullman.

I, however, will not be thinking about that come September.  I will be more focused on  1)  Charging up yet another hill.  2)  Worrying about surprising a grizzly bear (Seriously, grizzly bears scare me)  and 3)  Rolling my ankle, falling off of a cliff, dying, or something equally as bad.

In the meantime though, I’ve got lots of training miles to get through.  Last week’s training went really well.  I happened to be in Whitefish last week with my girlfriend to see her new niece, so was able to put in my Saturday and Sunday run up there.

Tues 5/19:  2.96 miles in 24:47 at 8:23/mi
Wed 5/20:  4.98 miles in 44:02 at 8:50/mi
Thurs: 5/21:  2.95 miles in 24:58 at 8:27/mi
Sat: 5/23:  4.76 miles in 42:32 at 8:55/mi
Sun: 5/24:  8.26 miles in 1:18:16 at 9:28/mi

Total miles:  23.91 miles

John Adams by David McCullough

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
There is nothing I am capable of writing about this book that would be anywhere near adequate to describe its magnificence. I am soundly of the opinion that this should be required reading for any history buff, or indeed, citizen, of these United States. May I add, that if I end my career as one-twentieth the public servant as the subject of this epic biography, then I will have rendered the most good to one’s country and people that any mere mortal can hope to achieve in civil service.


View all my reviews.

So yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve posted, to which I have no excuse.  I’m going to be better about that, I promise.  Seriously.  Why are you looking at me like that?  Stop it!

I ran Bloomsday on the 3rd!  I had a goal time of one hour, and finished the 12k in 1:02:30, at a pace of 8:22 per mile.  Didn’t make my goal, but still shaved a few minutes off of last year’s time, so overall I was happy.  Conditions were cold and overcast, which sucked for the spectators, but was perfect for the runners!

My official marathon race training has begun!  I have decided on Hal Higdon’s Intermediate I training schedule, an 18 week training program with two 20 mile long runs.  It’s a more mileage intensive training schedule that for my previous marathon, and I hope to finish considerably faster this time!
My next post will detail the marathon that I have decided to run.

My runs since my last post is detailed below.  Not very many miles… got sick for a while, and my sister’s wedding in Boise led to only one run during the week of May 12th!  My mileage will ramp considerably in the coming weeks as my marathon training schedule kicks in.

April 14th:  7.07 miles in 1:03:02 at 8:54/mi
April 15th:  3.32 miles in 28:19 at 8:31/mi
10.39 miles for the week

April 21st:  2.53 miles in 22:56 at 9:04/mi
April 24th:  2.98 miles in 25:07 at 8:26/mi
April 26th:  6.14 miles in 50:30 at 8:13/mi   ← this sucked
11.65 miles for the week

April 28th:  4.13 miles in 36:21 at 8:48/mi
April 30th:  2.72 miles in 22:40 at 8:19/mi
May 3rd:  Bloomsday!  7.5 miles
14.35 miles for the week

May 6th:  1.72 miles in 14:16 at 8:17/mi
May 7th:  2.41 miles in 20:17 at 8:25/mi
May 10th:  5.80 miles in 51:56 at 8:57/mi
9.93 miles for the week.

May 12th:  4.15 miles in 35:52 at 8:38/mi
4.15 miles for the week… blech.

In the spirit of the NPR series “This I Believe”, the Antelope Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship decided that we should write our own, share (if so inclined), and discuss as the primary activity for today.  It was an engaging discussion, and I found that while my opinions differed from most in the room, I very much enjoyed the perspective and a chance to discuss philosophical issues.  I wrote the following:

This I once believed: That the soul and spirit were inventions of the deluded and coerced mind, serving only the powers of oppression and willful ignorance.

This I now believe: that the soul exists, and that it is the part within us that spurs us on to the pursuits most defining of who we are as a people – the drive to explore, create, grow, and progress; that it is the responsibility, indeed, the duty, of the individual to affirm the soul, and to cultivate it for the betterment of oneself and society; that spirituality holds a rightful place in the soul of a balanced individual, justly prompting reflection on oneself, empathy for others, and an abiding tolerance for the world and its diversity of people and ideas.

My morning thoughts on this beautiful spring SUNday.