OBX: a few more pictures

(Pictures also on previous 2 posts)

My hero! Twenty-fourth state, thirty-some marathons... since multiple myeloma diagnosis 6 1/2 years ago. Every day is the best day of the year: a masterpiece.


On the day before the race, after finding the start line, we visited the visitors' center in Kitty Hawk.
The map of shipwrecks was awesome.

A celebration of a hundred years of aviation

Don at the Wright Brothers Monument

They could see the ocean from that hill!!

Precious days.... I love the beach.





This picture would be better without spots in the sky, the permanent lens spots inside the camera.
Camera is also wearing out. I sense a Christmas present coming!

I wondered about the damage to beaches in Kitty Hawk, Nag's Head.. and down the outer banks as we watched the weather channel coverage of the Ida Hurricane storm.

I loved the race! (See Make It a Masterpiece report if you haven't already.)
Sign in front of Kitty Hawk Police Station on the race course

Didn't get a good picture of the magnificent bridge to Roanoke Island and the finish line. The view of the sound from the top of the bridge was forever!
(Click any pictures to enlarge.)

Still getting occasional knee therapy. Can't seem to stretch out the tight crunch in the middle of my knee joint.
Sweet Pea and I are running/walking nearly every day. Never giving up.
Looking for half marathons after the holidays.

OBX Marathon Pictures

An unknown woman walking on the beach
on Saturday morning... across the street from our motel... the calm before the storm of a few days later at Kitty Hawk and the North Carolina coast.

Driving the race course on the day before the race: one of my favorite events of a marathon weekend.
Course included pleasant neighborhoods, trails along the sound, views of the Atlantic, monumental loop around (but not up and down the hill!) the Wright Brothers monument, more neighborhoods, and finally across the high long bridge.
Here we are on a shady road around mile 11.

Late in the afternoon we were back on the beach.

Pre-race dinner in our motel room kitchen ... salmon cakes, sweet potatoes

Ready for the marathon and look at those shirts ahead of us at the start!

Water stop at mile 9: they waited for us!
OBX Marathon provided amazing support (water, sports drink, spectators, cheering) for even very slow runners.

My deep appreciation to the race official who came by at mile 15 and assured us that we were keeping up an adequate pace to make the bridge.
Such encouragement has been, in our experience, rare.
But alas, 15 miles was enough for my injured knee.

After the race
And back to the motel for the rest of the day... checking results, enjoying the good food we had bought at Whole Foods and Trader Joes on the way down the day before.

Monday morning, we made it out to the beach just in time for the sunrise.

Lean turkey bacon, still on the stove, did not make it into this picture.
Gluten-free fresh-blueberry pancakes with Bryers ice cream: morning after the marathon breakfast

OBX Marathon North Carolina

I loved the beach.

OBX Sunday

Sweet Pea and I ran the first 15 miles of the marathon... the best 15!
Through neighborhoods, shade, plus about 2 miles on a dirt road (very hilly) in woods (shade). Late Saturday when we drove the course, that wooded road seemed deserted and a little threatening. When we ran it in the race the next morning, it was not nearly as scary in the middle of the day.. with a couple of groups of spectators plus a water stop.... delightful shade.

Water stops were still working when we came along, spectators far more plentiful than we expected. We weren't last. A course officials assured us that we were keeping the pace to make the bridge.

When we got out on the highway with no shade Sweet Pea and I were both "done"! I want to stop, she said. I was not eager to blast our skin in blazing sun at this latitude even after fall solstice.
We got a lovely ride over a couple more long amazing bridges to the finish where Don had just finished (Good job Don!)

My knee is still fragile, but I think I quit in time.
Also, because of my knee Sweet Pea and I had not managed to get in a long run in training. Good reasons to know when to quit.

Early this morning we got to ride the shuttle (school) bus to the start with Don and have the hour together before the start.

We have no medal, no "time" but we are delighted.
We ran an unofficial half marathon.. Plus!
And had very good day.
Don got his 24th state and had a fun time running, chatting with other runners and taking a huge number of pictures with his phone camera.

Be sure to check out Don's
Make It a Masterpiece entry.

Trail Robbery

On the afternoon of October 27, when we were on Gateway Trail, a couple of young men robbed a Maplewood man who was walking there.
A man on a bicycle stopped, phoned police, stayed until police came.

The item in the St. Paul Pioneer Press did not indicate where on the 18 mile trail the incident occurred. Perhaps it was in the urban end of the trail, but it intrudes on our pleasure of the trail.

Beautiful Day on the Gateway Trail

Yesterday... a 15 mph breeze and temp in the mid-50's.
Sweet Pea and I logged 9 miles.

When rainful almost wasn't at all in September, the media said we would have a mostly yellow and not very colorful fall. This month rain has showed up some, and this week the oaks have come through in grand fashion.

Most wooly caterpillers made it across the trail.

In some places deep in leaves, even the trail was colorful.

A new friendly traveler on the trail

A sliver of harvest moon as we neared our car.

Really swell half marathon finisher's medals from the Denver races on October 18

Remembering Denver

The parks, the fall color... a lovely half marathon

Good memories of Denver, the race, the drive out and back ...
make energy for the workouts at the community center, now that winter seems to have struck Minnesota!

Denver Half Marathon

That's Sweet Pea on the right ... far right, at the side of the first picture. In the second picture I don't know the identity of the runners.
Snow on the Rockies! Fabulous experience to look out over the parks, past the buildings and see SNOW on the mountains ... especially on a record hot day.
Denver high temp on Sunday tied the all time record of 84 degrees.
My knee is holding up. I taped it according to my therapist's instructions.
Sweet Pea was slowed down by some calf pain that should be less if she tries other shoes.
We had a great run, a great trip to Denver.
And the Denver Marathon awards fabulous finisher's medals!

Be sure not to miss the Denver Marathon report on Make It a Masterpiece.

Columbus Day 3 inch Snow

Same tree pictured in the previous post.. but 2 days later.

I ran for 30 seconds yesterday, and my knee felt magically totally normal for the first time since I crashed it in a race nearly 6 months ago. It DIDN'T hurt, and I am so ready to run.

We drove through the snow to get some groceries this morning... and there were rows and rows of Christmas lights and decorations. What month is this again?

Snow Ready or Not

Ah, but in the afternoon the sun came out.

74th Wedding Anniversary

A family gathering for Don's parents' 74th.
Thanks to the bakery woman at Mount Royal Fine Foods in Duluth for a lovely job on the cake decorating.