38 miles, baby!

On Friday a crew of us - Ed, Mike, Karen and I - ran Resurrection Pass on the Kenai Peninsula. At 38 miles, it was officially the longest run I've ever done. It was a perfect day to be out ... a nice cloud cover, beautiful wildflowers, an impeccable trail and a great crew! It took us 8 1/2 hours to complete the crossing. Afterward we delighted in hamburgers, milkshakes, lattes and every other delicious thing we could think of available between Hope (the town we finished in) and Anchorage.

Starting out .... we're an hour or two into the run at this point

Ed

A perfect trail on perfect terrain

Karen

Great views!

Puppy is all grins when it comes to Karen's battle wounds

At this bridge we started to taste the finish

Zippy and his mamma

A 30 second photo stop from a great vantage point

A fun crew

A couple miles from the end we found an old bar stool on the trail ... Karen helped herself to a seat

The big finish! Karen, Amy, Zippy and Puppy after 38 miles on the trail.

Ed and Mike coming in for a landing.

Zippy says I'm feeling a bit tired, I think I'll rest under a tree

In the car ride home ... Zippy is zapped.

Rockin' and Runnin'

A few months ago I got it into my mind that I wanted to run ... Yes, I've always been a runner, but I decided I wanted to do it everyday and train for some longer distances ... This decision coincided with Zippy's appearance in my life ... so I've not only had motivation, but also someone to hold me accountable.

This morning Zippy and I went out with some fellow runners for a 26-mile run. It was my first long run of the season, and it felt great ... really great. I enjoyed every step of it, even the long, grueling, last uphill mile. We left from the Eagle River Nature Center, which is a stone's throw from my cabin, and headed up toward Eagle Glacier ... breathtaking scenery and a beautiful sunny day.

Now I'm even more excited about the races I have planned for the summer ... mostly longer distance mountain races ... cheers to lots of great days on the trail still ahead!

(Photos courtesy of Jane)