Ok, maybe trail running in the remote DNR forest after the two biggest storms in the last ten years can ...   more »

Nookachamps Winter Runs Half Marathon

Overall Finish List

January 13, 2007

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2007 Nookachamps half-marathon results							

PLACE	   NAME		        AGE		M/F		 TIME...   more »

Stan Reitan and I traveled across the big water this morning on the red eye to participate in the Nookacamps Winter Series Half Marathon in Mount Vernon.  (http://www.nookachamps.com/).  Today was the 28th running of this series of races that included a half marathon (13.1 miles) a 10K (6.28 miles) and a 5K (3.1 miles).  Also today the race lived up to the Winter part of it's name with ice, snow and cold temperatures.  Stan and I ran the Half Marathon.

With the race starting at 10:00 am, we had some time to grab a cup of coffee (Starbucks) and a pastry before heading over to the starting area at Skagit Valley College.  The race started in temperatures in the high 20's and by mile 4 snow begin to fall, not a heavy snow with big flakes like on Wednesday but enough to cover the ground, slightly.  Snow feel until I finished the race.

Stan finished in 1:56 and I finished in 2:22.  I was hoping for a 2:15, but the icy roads slowed me down some.  I, overall, wanted to spend as much time running as possible, so it was a good day.

One reason I wanted to run this race is due to the winter migration of trumpeter swans, which I really enjoy watching.  The only problem was in the color of the swans, white, and the color of the snow covered fields, white.  What I saw mostly were their black bills.  I did see some really cool ones in flight.  A trumpeter swan can have a wing span of over 7 feet.  (http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/).

The race was enjoyable, it reminded me that running on the islands with the up and downs of the hills creates an negitive impact of running for the flats.

6:39 a.m., January 11, 2007.  At present our temperature is 25 degrees F with a North Wind blowing at 25 ...   more »

A great way to run faster and longer is to run with people who run faster and longer than what ...   more »