Equinox in Fairbanks

Last weekend I went to Fairbanks with my friend, Greg, for the Equinox Marathon. We did the relay. I ran the third and last leg of the race ... perfect because it was all down hill and I got to cross the finish line!

While the race was great - super fun and a beautiful course - perhaps the best part of the weekend was just having time to chill. We stayed with Greg's friends, John and Tina, who were fabulous hosts. We spent the weekend sitting in Tina's hot tub, making delicious food, talking about whatever and drinking coffee, tea, beer and wine (at separate times, of course). I came back more relaxed and calm than I've been in a while.

Also, it was a great time of year to make the six hour drive (each way) to and from Fairbanks. Reds, oranges and yellows blanketed the tundra, mountains and trees, while peaks were cloaked in white from the season's first snow. September is definitely one of my favorite months in Alaska.

Our team for the Equinox marathon: Lisa, Greg and me.
John and Tina (who we stayed with) and their third team member in the relay
Me crossing the finish line
We were driving along and noticed this reflection on a perfectly still pond

The Nenana River ... we walked down to it while taking a break from driving

Me and Xela

Greg and Xela Xela
Greg eating some blueberries we found Greg

Denali

3 hours 49 minutes 53 seconds

On Saturday I ran my first marathon -- the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon -- and it went fantabulously. My goal was to run it in four hours or less, and I clocked in with 10 minutes to spare. I placed 36th out of 713 women finishers. And I enjoyed nearly every moment of it (mile 24.5 to mile 25.5, when I could see the finish line but had to circle a big lake, were pretty grueling).

The day was perfectly overcast and the course followed a great route through Anchorage -- part bike trail, part hiking trail, part urban enviornment, part mountain environment. As I passed within a stone's throw from my house, I thought, "wow, I do live in a cool place."

Now I'm qualified for the Crow Pass race. A 24-mile mountain race I've had my sights set on for a while. One of the "qualifiers" for the Crow Pass race is to have run a marathon in four hours or less -- bodaboom, bodabang! That will be next summer. In the meantime, I turn my attention to the Matanuska Peak Challenge -- a 14-mile ascent and descent of two mountains that covers 9,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Yousers! Just finishing that one will be an accomplishment.