Future Trips

I was recently was asked whether I was interested in planning any trips for 2008. I thought this would be a good use of the blog to generate a discussion. First off, because of work commitments, I will not be able to plan a ski trip this year. I will get a few days of skiing in on a future business trip to Colorado a few weeks after the Houston Marathon. That is always one of my most enjoyable trips, so I am sorry not to be able to ski with my fellow runners.

Here are some other possibilities for road trips this coming year.

1) Another Relay? The Reno-to-Tahoe relay was one of the highlights of the year. While it was a coordination challenge, everything worked out well and several of us enjoyed a few extra days in beautiful Lake Tahoe. Anyone interested in doing another relay? Here are some possibilities:

• Wild West Relay (http://www.wildwestrelay.com/)- 195 miles from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs, CO scheduled for Aug. 1-2, 2008. A few days in Steamboat Springs afterward would be very refreshing coming from Houston in the summer.

• Green Mountain Relay (http://www.greenmountainrelay.com/)- 200 miles from Jefferson to Bennington, VT scheduled for June 21-22, 2008. Run during the summer solstice. Vermont is a beautiful state.

• Reach the Beach Relay (http://www.rtbrelay.com/)- 200 miles from Franconia to Hampton Beach, NH scheduled September 12-13, 2008. Should see a touch of fall in New England.

This is a sampling of potential relays. I would be curious in your feedback.

2) Another International Marathon? We've had a trip in each of the last two years going to Greece in 2006 and Dublin this past October. Should we plan a trip for 2008 or wait until 2009? I will toss around a few suggestions:

• Exotic Location- We have been to many marathons in Europe including Spain, Italy, Greece, Ireland and Austria. It is time to go somewhere more exotic? Here are some suggestions for an exotic marathon:

1. Greenland- There are two marathons scheduled for Greenland describing running in along water with icebergs floating (at least for now) and across beautiful terrain. http://www.greenland.com/content/english/tourist/activities/sport_events/nuuk_maratho
2. Mongolia- It doesn't get more exotic and they have a marathon and ultra in July through a national park. You will stay in gers (felt tents) while in the region, but reviews of the race and the trip are extremely positive.

Japan- Several marathons and clean, safe and interesting location

Mt. Kilimanjaro- http://www.mtkilimanjaromarathon.com/ June 22, at the home base of world class long distance runners, this is a four loop course and an opportunity to add a safari or a climb of the highest peak in Africa.

1. Traditional Location- probably not my preference, but I found one scenario that could be fun and that is the Berlin Marathon Sept. 30. There are couple of reasons this could be compelling:

1. Good possibility you will run the marathon at the same time a world record is approached or broken. This is a fast course on which the world record has been set on a couple of occasions, the most recent being last September
2. The marathon is right in the middle of Octoberfest which ends October 5th in 2008. Imagine running the marathon and spending the following week touring Germany during Octoberfest.

So, now it is up to you to comment. I would like to gauge the interest level of any of these events.

BOB

Dublin Marathon Update: We're WELL DONE!

Greetings from Ireland. We arrived early Saturday morning in Dublin and proceeded to the Marathon Expo, where we loaded up on Dublin Marathon gear and Ireland running paraphernalia. My brother Mike is not a runner, but he has a disturbing morbid interest in nipple chafe, so he had no trouble initiating conversation with runners he encountered. The marathon was not until Monday, so we exercised extreme restraint and avoided the various pubs that were beckoning to us on every street corner for the next two days. Race day was beautiful; partially sunny with temps in the low 50’s at the start. The course was beautiful as well, but very hilly and challenging. We also had headwinds that were particularly strong the last 6 miles. By that time, I felt like I was hardly moving (and have the splits to show for it!). The crowd support was great- everyone was shouting “WELL DONE!!, WELL DONE LADS!, WELL DONE GIRLS! Mark was shooting for a sub-3 hour marathon, and came heartbreakingly close (3:00:38). But if he can do that on this course, he will have no trouble breaking 3 in Houston. WELL DONE MARK!! Irma and I were planning to run this one easy, as Houston is our goal marathon. I wanted to do 4:30 or better, but came in at 4:42. Under the conditions I was happy and truly felt “WELL DONE”. Irma surprised everyone including herself by running 4:25- a new PR!! WELL DONE IRMA!! When I finished, Mike was there with a bouquet of flowers. He watched the race start and finish. My brother is not a runner, so he was perplexed when people threw gloves and clothing at him near the start. It was a learning experience for him. That evening we all had a great dinner followed by many pints of Guinness- a perfect ending to a “Brilliant” day. Kathi

Dublin Marathon

Well Folks,

Today we are embarking on our trip to Ireland for the Dublin Marathon, the official BCRR International Marathon for this year. We are a small but intrepid group, consisting of Mark and Irma Conran and yours truly. My brother Mike will be joining us in Dublin as well. Mike is not a runner, but we will see what we can do about that...

Of course we are looking forward to the race, but we all have other reasons for coming since we have family ties here. Mark is actually from Ireland and I have numerous aunts, uncles and cousins as my father came from Ireland as well.

I hope to be able to send a couple of updates and perhaps a few pictures from the road. I don't expect it will be as riveting a read as Bob's updates from the Lake Tahoe Relay, but I will do my best without actually stretching the truth. Of course, if something really interesting happens, it will probably be something we wouldn't want to post for all to see:)

Kathi

BCRR Trip suggestion!

From Todd Gilbreath:

When it's hotter than all get out next summer I suggest we do this: http://www.innway.co.uk/iwpeak01.htm .....

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Take it away!

Marathon Horror Stories

Congratulations to all BCRRers who ran (or attempted to run) a marathon this weekend. You are true Spartans!!

The record high temperatures in the North East made even Houston's weather look good. The most dramatic development of course was the cancellation of the Chicago Marathon in progress. The organizers cite the dangerous conditions and numerous heat-related casualties, including the death of one runner on the course, as reasons for the cancellation. But that's only part of the story. There are a number of really angry runners out there who fault the race organization for lack of preparedness in anticipating the increased need for fluids. A major problem was apparently little or no water or Gatorade at the aid stations. It's hard for me to imagine running a marathon on a cool day with inadequate fluids, much less a really hot day.

If you ran Chicago or one of the other marathons (Steamtown, Milwaukee’s Lakefront, etc) let’s hear your war stories.

Marathon Bib Transfer

Now that the marathon has been sold out, people are asking if I know anyone with an extra bib!
This is the place to go Bayou City to sell your bib. Let's try and keep the HARRA points in the club. If you are injured and can no longer run, sell your bib here to a fellow BCRR member. If you somehow didn't get in on time, check back often or leave your request here.

Headlamp on Ho Chi Minh

So, I finally gave in, and bought a headlamp to wear during the Saturday morning Ho Chi Minh trail runs with HTREX. At 6:30, it's still dark in them thar woods, and the roots are sharper and the rocks gnarlier. Hopefull my handy-dandy $9.99 headlamp from Target will prevent me from doing a face-plant before the sun even rises. Tho' experience has shown that most trail trips are done during the walk breaks anyway...right, Kathryn??

More next weekend on my first headlamp experience.

Michelle