<p>Our CC friendship (met once IRL) which started when our rising college seniors were freshmen has led us to Saturday’s Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. Golfingmom drug me kicking and screaming back into marathoning. This will be her 2nd marathon (she is an accomplished multi-sport athlete who did an amazing job of dropping weight a couple of years ago) and it will be my 32nd or so. I thought I had “retired”!</p>
<p>We are both freaking out, as marathoners are prone to do. Weather looks good, which is important. Our husbands are joining us and will ride bikes and cheer us on. H and I fly north this evening. We are looking forward to Saturday afternoon when we are finished and drinking beer by Lake Superior. (P.S. Grandma’s is a bar- you don’t have to BE one to do this race.)</p>
<p>Good luck to both of you! Running a marathon used to be one of my life goals. I think I’ve retired that one though. My d is home from school and dragged me out to run with her, ugh. I’m up to 2 miles :)</p>
<p>Good luck to you both!
I did my first ( and probably last) marathon last year - Big Sur - and it was quite an experience. I went into it to prove my husband wrong (that if I trained properly I could do it) and did learn that my body was capable of adapting to an endurance program. Of course I didn’t exactly set any records, but it was still rewarding to be able to finish and under the time limit. </p>
<p>I love the name of yours and I’m glad you explained the source LOL
Here’s hoping 33 is a lucky number for you!!</p>
<p>blank - don’t give up the goal yet! I could barely do a mile and used a training program which helped me build to a marathon in less than a year! You can do it!!!</p>
<p>Good luck to both of you!! Reward yourselves with a piece of the stout (made with stout beer, I mean) chocolate cake at Fitgers when you are done!</p>
<p>Big Sur is one of my favorites (did it 3 times). H’s last marathon was Big Sur 2000. As we were taking the bus at 4am to the starting area up at Big Sur he said, “Please, God, let me get through this and I promise I won’t do another one.” He placed in his age group- and hasn’t done another one!</p>
<p>Good Luck to both of you! This is fantastic and takes great determination! Good for you both! You will enjoy that beer at the end of the race…it will be well deserved!</p>
<p>Oh yes the 4am bus trip…it was quite daunting LOL
I chose that race because Runners World said “If you only do one marathon in your lifethis is the one to do…” . I am not sure they meant it literally but I took it that way LOL</p>
<p>Apparently they had beer at the end of that one too, but I just wanted a sandwich. Maybe beer cake would go down better…</p>
<p>BTW - for those of you who are not into marathoning, the Big Sur marathon takes place on the cliffs of Big Sur. Runners travel along Highway 1 through what is the most incredible scenery ever - to quote Robert Louis Stevenson the “most beautiful meeting of land and sea on earth”. If you haven’t seen it, google the images of Big Sur - simply amazing. </p>
<p>It is also one of the most challenging of all marathons, with lots of hills, including the run up Hurricane Point (and it has earned that name). I tip my hat to anyone who has completed that marathon - and would normally call the funny farm for a pickup of anyone who did it three times :)</p>
<p>I think that one hill on the Big Sur course is, literally, 2 miles long. I would do SO much better there now that I train on big hills every day than when I was training in Dallas. Although, for my 3rd Big Sur I was in trail for 5 weeks prior in San Francisco and would run up the huge hills to Grace Cathedral.</p>
<p>MOWC - best of luck with 33rd- impressive! Have been thinking about you as I change shoes twice a day, thinking of all your shoe expertise. Are the sidewalks of Philly harder than most cities on legs and feet, or is it that I am just an older woman not in training for marathons ? Shin splints- ouch </p>
<p>Wishing you and golfer mom- perfect running / biking weather.</p>
<p>PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring the most heavy-duty mosquito repellant you can find. The mosquitos are WICKED up there…even in the sun, even in the day time. We tried to hike up there and once we realized the mosquitoes were so bad, we tried to buy repellant and all the stores were out of it. We saw a guy with some repellant and paid him a buck to spray our legs.</p>
<p>MOWC…
DH has run Grandma’s twice…a beautiful race along Lake Superior! Give our regards to Two Harbors and we’ll be at Fitgers (in spirit), tossing down a cold one in your honor!</p>
<p>Thanks, all. I’ve been to Two Harbors twice on business and love it. We’re staying there, actually. I have also done a relay leg in the Edmund Fitzgerald Relay back in 1997 along part of the course- but I don’t remember where! We’ll toast y’all at Figers.</p>