Missoula 1/2 Marathon-The Best in the Wild West

There is nothing like when the sun rises over the mountain ranges above Missoula Montana.  Majestic and purple in the early morning, with rays of golden, blaze daring to peak out from behind them.  It is quite spectacular, and something to behold.

This is the view that you will get as you take part in the Missoula Marathon and ½ Marathon.

I had the pleasure of running the ½ Marathon this year.  I ran in 2009, and have been wanting to get back ever since.

From start to finish this race is top notch.  The expo is located in the gorgeous, riverside, Caras Park.  It is run so smoothly, as you check in to pick up your race packet.  This year a great drawstring backpack, with your timing chip, your T-shirt, and a welcome pamphlet.  No fliers, advertisements, or coupons for cool stuff you ask?  This year, in trying to keep their event “green” they partnered with Virtual Race Bags.  Registered runners then were able to view and link to their sponsors through an email sent to us, and/or through a QR Code to download or print their coupons of choice.  This is SUCH a wonderful idea.  How many races have we all been to, with coupon flyers in our bags that go unused?  What a great way to pick and chose the coupon of your choice while not filling our land fills with wasted paper. 

Bravo, Missoula Marathon and Virtual Race Bags!!!

  The expo was also filled with venders, and very friendly people to assist and help in any way possible.

The morning of the race runs smoothly as well.  Busses pick up runners on 2 sides of the road, for Full runners, and ½ runners.  We waited in line no more than 5-7 minutes, before we loaded the bus to take us to our start.  There we could drop our gear bags into numbered boxes, which were then transported to the finish line.

It was exciting waiting at the start with 3000 other runners.  The announcer was hilarious, as he stood atop scaffolding in his tights, with his underwear on the outside.  Yes, this is true!  He took us through a warm-up, we all stood in silence to hear our National Anthem, and then an incredible fireworks display covered the morning sky above us.  Beautiful explosions of blue, pink, purple in the dawn sky to send us on our way.

This course…. I can’t even begin to articulate the beauty of this course.  It is by far one of the most spectacular courses I have run.  The mountain ranges, which are the backdrop of this entire route, are unimaginable.  As you start, the sun is just coming up, bronzing the mountain ranges.  The course, which is fairly flat, winds along next to the Bitterroot and Clark Fork Rivers.  There is something so serene about this course.  Winding through country roads, farmland, residential neighborhoods, you see wildlife, birds, cows and horses running though their pastures.  Just extraordinary scenery.

  The spectators along the routes are tremendous!  Out in the early morning, with their coffee and cowbell in hand to cheer you along.  The aid stations are plentiful, 17 for the full and 10 for the ½, at about every 2-miles, and hopping with excited volunteers, adults, teenagers, football teams etc just waiting for you to pick up your H2O, Gatorade, Cliff Gel, and gummy bears.  There was even one man out in his front yard, under a white canopy, playing his Grand Piano for us!!

The finish line.  You can hear it for quite some time as you are closing in.  As you come off of 4^th St and round the corner onto Higgins Ave the streets are lined with spectators.  Heading over the bridge (which is down hill) the party grows with enthusiastic spectators, yelling, screaming, cheering, until you see the balloon arch awaiting your arrival.  The announcer, somehow, calls every name and where you are from as you cross that finish line to claim your medal. 

This years medals were horseshoes, with a runner inside.  Big, and beautiful!!

Serious Heavy Metal

The post race festivities are impressive.  First, a race photo taken at the finish that you claim later FOR FREE, then a food area, full of volunteers to serve you, pasta salads, several fruits, bagels and breads, frozen fruit bars (which are SO tasty), and fig cookies.  Water and sports drink are also available.  Back into Caras Park, they do an awards ceremony, and have free beer from Big Sky Brewing (one of my faces)

 

A little bling and a little beer!

My finish time for the ½ marathon was 1:57.  Not a PR for me, but it was a course PR.  I felt great the entire way.  Stuck to my hydration plan of having water at every other aide station and sticking to my Infinit Napalm.  It worked amazingly well.  I had zero GI issues, and had great energy the entire time.  The only thing I may do different next year, other than possibly running the full marathon would be to stop and take some photos.  All too often, I get so caught up in my pace and a PR, that I forget to “stop and smell the roses.” 

This is a course that you can do both….you can definitely set a PR, due to the fact that it is flat and fast, but if that’s not what you are after, then it has tremendous beauty to take in.

This is truly a race you wouldn’t want to pass up!

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Run Wild Missoula 

I think I have been known to say this a time or two!

True Beauty

Great FREE race photos

Happy Finishers!

Playing in the River at Council Grove

My friend running into the finish with her Pup!

Running in the Dog Days of.....Fall

Man's best friend.

"Man's best friend" is a catchphrase for tame dogs, generally referring to the category as a whole. The popularization of the term is said to have occurred in a courtroom speech byGeorge Graham Vest in Warrensburg, Missouri in 1870 who said, "The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog."

 I love running with my dogs.  The way they look when they know I am heading for a run is priceless.  They really get "a look" on their faces.  Eager, excited, and  hopeful, with a smile.  Yes, both of my dogs smile.  With their teeth. True story!

It has been quite a while since I have taken either of them out on a run.  I have been running...they have not.  So this morning, in this gorgeous, crisp, fall weather, I decided to take them out.

I think even the mere "thinking" that I was going to take them, got them excited.  They were running around, and leaping in the air.  Tucker (our Golden) chatters his teeth when he gets excited.  Actually audibly chatters.  It is hilarious, and I wish I could get him on video doing it.  He does this when he is excited for anything.  If I buy him a new toy, and get home and tell him so, he sits with great anticipation, and chatters.  When our older kids come home to visit, he chatters, and when he knows he is going running, he chatters.  This morning...WOW!!  He was excited!

Being that it has been a while, I was unsure of Tuck's mileage and pace.  I decided that I needed to take each of the dogs on their own.  They get ridonk-ulous when I try and take them at the same time.  So Tucker was 1st, which meant that Greg was going to have to listen to our Yorkie, Ava, go holy-ape-$hit when I left.  She runs laps around the inside of the house, barking and carrying on until I get home.  (Not good on days when I am out running for 2-3 hours)  She also climbs onto the dining room table, and onto the windowsill to watch and wait.

So off I went with Tucker in tow.  I hook his leash through a race belt, or my Spibelt, so I can be hands free with him.  I decided that he could easily do three miles, at maybe a 9 minute pace.

THIS DOG IS OUT OF SHAPE!!

His 1st mile, he did great!  Stayed right by my side.  Didn't worry about the other dogs running up to their fences. He is sometimes nervous when they run at him.  I kept telling him, that they were cheering for him, and to keep up his good pace.

Next 1/2 mile, he is starting to slow down.  Hmmm?  At 1.5 miles, we turn around.  I walk with him a little.  I try and get him to let go of the leash he is insistent on running and walking with in his mouth.  I tell him to drop it and breath a little bit.  No luck.  So we head back, he is doing pretty good, but his pace is falling.  His 9 minute miles, have now dropped to about 9:45.  Then we get to the last mile.  This is the hill we live on.  From the bottom, to my driveway is exactly one mile, and it is ALL uphill.  I stop with Tuck, and give him a pep-talk.  "This is it Buddy.  Last mile.  All hill.  This is your Rocky Balboa moment.  Now suck it up, and give it your all!!!"

Did I mention, THIS DOG IS OUT OF SHAPE!

He is really starting to drop his pace now...10 min mile, then 10:20.  His bungee is tight, and I am looking like a sled-dog climbing the hill with my dog behind me. *What is wrong with this picture?*

  I think to myself, Thank Goodness I have been doing all of this Insanity/Asylum.  This is feeling just like one of those workouts.  So up the hill we go.  One mile, bungee tight, running, with me PULLING my 70lb Golden Retriever.  Kick-Butt workout!!  The quads definitely got burnt today.

I get Tuck home, get him water, and congratulate him on his awesome run!!  He is a happy boy!

Tucker is ready to Run!

 I hook up Ava to the same bungee.

This dog.....bullets out of the door.  She is a Yorkie, but pretty sure she doesn't know it.  I think in her mind, she is ALL Greyhound!  She is my little Speedy girl.  And she just never stops.  So Ava is sprinting in front of me.  She is fast and compact, and muscular.  This dog is built for speed.  She is ALL about sprinting.  1/2 mile, 3:10 Not too bad for a little 8 pounder.  

We get home, and Greg looks at me like....well did you just got to the corner?  Not when I am running with Allyson Felix I tell him. 

Sprinting!

**If this gives you any indication on these dogs' running styles...when I meet people, I often attach a theme song to them.  I know, sound a little kooky, but I do it.  I meet them, and the song pops into my mind.  I think it is because a lot of times I see my life as an animated feature.  Anyhow, I have also attached theme songs to our dogs.

Tucker's life theme some is:  Click Link

Ava's life theme song is:  Click Link

That may give you a little more of a clue as to how my running morning went!

I get back after my all out sprint with The Ava, and we take a little cool down (walking for me, and her running in circles and leaping into the air) before we come in to stretch.  This is another time, when for some reason, these dogs go crazy.  If they run with me or not, when I get home, I always say, "Ready to do some stretching."  That's their cue.  They looooove stretching.  They will both sit in front of me on the floor, and go into Downward Facing Dog immediately.  And then the rolling starts.  Over and over they roll, then onto their backs for tummy scratches, then stretching into what I call "the long body"  New Yoga term?  Only in the doggy world.  They growl, and smile, and roll and do Long Body over and over until they feel like they have had some successful stretching.  Then they always feel like they need a little kibble.  Recovery meal, right?

Grab water!

Then....nap!

What a great way to recover from a run!

All ready "to do some stretching!"

And onto the back!

The Long Body

One very Happy & Tired Tucker after 3.35 miles!!

~I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands.  When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat.  For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that.  ~W. Dayton Wedgefarth