3 Marathons in 3 Days

Years pile on top of you and they are heavy. Work piles on top of you. Injuries pile on top. Sorrows, pain, money problems, heartbreak, depression, and fear. But you keep going. You keep moving forward. You keep running. Sometimes you don’t even know why, but you keep on. That’s what I’ve been doing—keeping going, day by day, week by week, run by run, and marathon by marathon. I look at the number of states I have left, and it looks like I’m probably not going to make it before fifty. But I’m going to keep trying. It may not make sense, but I’m not going to stop. Last time I ran Boston I saw someone holding a sign that read, “Your Reason Matters!” Of all the signs I’ve seen in all the races I’ve run, that is my favorite. That phrase echoes in my head when I get discouraged. Your reason matters.

I’ve run 8 marathons since my last post, and I’m one state away from being half-way done. I just turned 45 years old. I have five years to do 26 states. Considering that I started this 50 states quest 10 years ago, that means I’ve only averaged a little over 2 states per year. Ugh. At that pace, I’ll never make it. But I made a discovery last week that I think is going to help me.

First, let me sum up my races since my last post. I ran the Mowdy Mustang Run in Oklahoma with my buddy Clint from Dallas. It was a humid, hot, muddy, muggy trail race around the ranch, with wild mustangs running by here and there. It was fun to see Clint, and fun to see my son Isaac compete at the National Debate tournament in Dallas. I got 4th overall and 1st in my division with a 4:13 finish. The top three finishers were all females, which was cool. I’d never seen that happen before.

Inaugural 2015 Race

Tarantula at the Mowdy Mustang Ranch Marathon

After that, I didn’t run a marathon for a year. But Deb and I did enjoy a beautiful backpacking trip through the Green River Lakes in the Wind Rivers, and we summited Square Top (Sept. 2015).

Hiking in, Green River Lakes trail.

Looking up at Square Top

Looking down from Square Top

Also, for Deb’s 40th birthday, she wanted to hike the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, so we did (Sept. 2015). It was awesome! Stunning views, great trail, challenging distance and elevation gain and loss. Add it to your bucket list.

Descending into Grand Canyon from the North Rim

Approaching the South Rim, Bright Angel trail

We also had our most successful hunting season yet: I got an antelope, Ed got a two-point (his first!), and I got a nice four-point.

Nothing says "I love you" like heart-shaped horns

Eddie's first buck

And we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii (March 2016). I presented at a literature conference (AML) at BYU-Hawaii on Oahu, and then we flew to Kauai to relax and celebrate. And by relax, I mean we snorkeled, did some trail running, hiked the absolutely breathtaking Hanakapiai Trail, and took a scenic helicopter tour of the Napali coast.

Hanakapiai trail, Kauai

Napali Coast from helicopter

Kauai

I gained some weight pigging out in Hawaii, but I signed up of the Leadville, CO race and that helped me get back on track (June 2016). This was by far the most difficult marathon I’ve run. This challenging, up and down trail summits Mosquito Pass at 13,185 feet! It was an unusually hot day. I got dehydrated, and I turned my ankle on the way down. I bonked worse than I ever have at about mile 20. I sat down at the aid station and tried to refuel. The next section was downhill, and I cramped so bad I had to sit down on the trail, mosquitoes swarming around me. Another runner gave me some salt pills, but I never could get past the cramps. I had to walk the last 5 miles, and finished in 6:15. It was beautiful, but brutal.

Finish line, Leadville trail marathon

My son Isaac graduated from high school and received a mission call to serve in the India Bengaluru mission for two years, so we took one more family trip before he left, to Escalante, UT and had a blast hiking Spooky and Peekabo gulch (June 2016). It was hard to see him go!

Spooky Gulch, Escalante, UT.

Isaac at work in India

In August (2016) we took a Pacific Coast road trip, visiting Crater Lake, Cannon Beach, San Juan Islands, Seattle, Coeur d’Alene, and the Hiawatha bike trail. We had a great time. I ran a marathon at our first stop, Crater Lake. This was a beautiful run around the deep blue water. Super scenery! I finished in 4 hours, 10th overall.

The marathon loops breathtaking Crater Lake

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

For our backpacking trip this year, we did the Sawtooths (2016). Gorgeous!

Sawtooth range, above Twin Lakes

I also took the 90 minute Table Rock summit challenge in the Tetons (Sept. 2016). Made it with two minutes to spare. I love the view of the Tetons from here.

Just sitting here, enjoying the view from Table mountain

My sister moved to Indiana, so for my next race I visited her and ran the Tecumseh Trail Marathon. This was a beautiful, winding, up and down race through the autumn leaves (Oct. 2016). Took me 5 hours.

Ed got a nice 3x4 and my brother got a four-point this fall (2016). Eddie's buck hid in the trees for hours before we got an opportunity. Eddie showed amazing patience lying prone for hours.

I love hunting with my boys

My brother's first buck

Spring of 2017 I ran the Grand Ridge trail near Seattle. I drove all day, got some chowder, put some on ice, slept in the truck, ran the marathon, then drove home all day, and arrived with some of Wally’s chowder for Deb. Her favorite. The race was a beautiful, soft, trail through the moss-covered trees of the Cascade mountains. I got 3rd place with a 5:37 finish. A lot of elevation gain and loss in this race.

Grand Ridge trail, Issaquah

I did a 20 mile training run up the Hilgard Basin trail in Montana (Sept. 2017). Great trail, quiet mountain lakes all to myself.

Hilgard Basin trail, MT

Our backpacking trip in 2017 was to the Uintas. Gorgeous country.

Hiking buddies, Uintas

Deb in her happy place

Spread Eagle peak, Uintas

So, now for the discovery I mentioned earlier. I was looking for a marathon to run this fall, and I found a series of trail marathons in the mid-Atlantic area. I have never run back-to-back marathons before. I rarely even train on back-to-back days. But it sounded like a fun challenge, and a good way to get more marathons done, to run multiple marathons in a row. So I signed up to run the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) marathon in Maryland on Thursday, the GAP Trestles marathon in Pennsylvania on Friday, and the Barnum Rail Trail marathon in West Virginia on Saturday (Sept. 2017). I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t know how my legs would hold up. I ran the first race by walking a quarter mile, then jogging three-quarters. I did this for the whole race along the beautiful rain trail, and finished in 4:56. I drove to the next race start, slept in the back of my rental SUV, and ran the second marathon in 4:36 by walking one-tenth of a mile and jogging nine-tenths. Surprisingly, my legs felt good. I drove to the next start, slept in my SUV, and ran the third marathon in 3:41, taking second place. I was amazed at how good my legs felt during this race. It was almost like the other races helped me get ready. It was weird. So I gave it all I had on the third race, trying to catch the guy in first place, which I couldn’t do. So, I got three states done in three days! This was encouraging to know that back-to-back marathons are an option for me. Maybe I’ll reach my goal after all! Maybe.

Thursday race, GAP marathon, Frostburg, MD

GAP Trail

Friday race, GAP Trestles marathon, Meyersdale, PA

Trestles trail

Saturday race, Barnum, WV

Barnum road

I visited the Flight 93 memorial. Inspiring place!

Stopped by Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water house

So that's it for my recent marathon adventures. Not sure exactly when my next race will be, but I only need one more state to be halfway done. I haven't given up on my 3-hour goal quite yet either. I just signed up for my local Teton Dam marathon for 2018 to see if I might make it happen there, or at least get a PR. I've got six months, so I better hit the road. See ya!