Atlanta, Georgia - Marathon

I spent the last few days in Atlanta, Georgia visiting my father and running the Publix Georgia Marathon.  Between racing and spending time with my Dad, there was also some free time to see new sights in the Atlanta area.

View of Atlanta from my hotel room

We spent most of Friday visiting Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, a Civil War battlefield during the Atlanta Campaign, where fighting occurred from June 19 until July 2, 1864.  Kennesaw Mountain rises sharply above the surrounding landscape and it provides great views of the Atlanta skyline and nearby Stone Mountain.  The area seemed to be a  popular spot for bikers and runners looking to add some elevation to their workouts.  We spent some time at the top of the mountain enjoying the views before heading back down to the visitor center and museum.  The visitor center had a fantastic film about the battle at Kennesaw along with general information about the Civil War.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

On Friday night, Dad, Carol, and I joined a ghost tour of Roswell, GA.  No ghosts were spotted on our tour but it was a great way to see some of the historic buildings in Roswell, learn the history of the area, and hear stories about some of its early residents.

Bulloch Hall built in 1839

Ghost tour of Roswell, GA

We spent Saturday morning walking around the old Roswell cotton mills and Vickery Creek. During the Civil War, nearly 400 workers at the cotton mills were charged with treason for manufacturing Confederate materials and shipped North on trains.  Most of them never returned.

Vickery Creek Dam

After picking up my race packet at the marathon expo, we spent the rest of Saturday afternoon walking around downtown Atlanta and visiting Centennial Olympic Park.  The brick that I purchased to help pave the park for the 1996 Olympic Games was still there with my name on it.

The race started at Centennial Olympic park at 7 am on Sunday morning with cool temperatures and cloudy skies, ideal conditions for running a marathon.  The route took us on a 26.2 mile loop out of downtown Atlanta, past Little Five Points and Decatur, up around Druid Hills and Piedmont Park, and back to downtown through Georgia Tech, ending back at Centennial Olympic Park.  As expected, the course was challenging with nearly continuous hills throughout.  There were few places that the course was flat, and after more than 20 miles of hills, the energy lost to the constant elevation changes began to take a toll on my pace.  I finished with a time of 3:30, a time I am very happy with considering the difficulty of the course.

Georgia Marathon Expo

Approaching the finish line

With Dad at the finish line

A huge thanks to Dad and Carol for coming out to support me during the race.  I saw them at mile 8, 13, and the finish.  It was a great race and a fantastic visit to Atlanta.  Also - thanks for the pictures, Dad!

Adirondack Mountains, New York - Marathon

Keith and Melissa invited me to join them for the Adirondack Marathon at Schroon Lake, New York on September 22.  After the race, we planned to spend some time relaxing and hiking at Dippikill Wilderness Retreat near Warrensburg, New York.  I flew to Syracuse on Friday morning and met up with Keith and Melissa on the way to Albany.  We spent Friday night at Melissa's parent's house and Saturday night at their beautiful cabin near Indian Lake.  It was cold and rainy on Saturday night, but the weather cleared as we made our way to Schroon Lake on Sunday morning for the start of the race.

Schroon Lake

The marathon started and ended at the town of Schroon and made a complete loop around the entire lake.  The leaves were just beginning to change color and the majority of the route passed through beautiful forests with occasional views of the lake.  I knew the course would be hilly, but I was a little surprised at how steep and continuous some of the hills were.  My training runs up I Street in the Avenues of Salt Lake paid off.  Despite being a small race, the crowd support was great as people with cabins around the lake came out to cheer.  My Dad and Gram along with family friends Charlie and Sue drove up from Massachusetts to cheer me on and meet me at the finish line.  It was great to have them there, along with many of Keith and Melissa's family and friends.  I ran a 3:28, so no PR, but very happy considering the hills.

At the finish line with Keith, Deanna, and Melissa.  Tim was off getting a massage.

With Gram and Dad at the finish line

Finished!

After the race, we headed to the cabin that Melissa had reserved at Dippikill Wilderness Retreat.  The cabin was great; it slept 8 people and had an enormous fireplace that was almost too efficient at heating the place.  There was plenty of good food and beer to help us recover from the race.

Our cabin for the last three nights of the trip

 Dippikill Wilderness Retreat

 Fireplace in the cabin

Looking down from the loft of the cabin

On Monday, despite being stiff and sore from the race, Keith, Melissa, Tim, Lisa, and I spent the day hiking on nearby Crane Mountain.  Most of the trail was heavily forested and the fall foliage was starting to show in a few spots.  The views of the surrounding Adirondacks were beautiful as we reached the summit and we passed a scenic pond on our way down as we made a loop using a different trail.

Some brilliant foliage on Crane Mountain

Beer break on the way to the summit of Crane Mountain

Keith at the top of Crane Mountain

Keith and Tim at the pond on Crane Mountain

For our last day at Dippikill, Keith, Melissa and I hiked to a nearby pond to take a couple of canoes of for some relaxing paddling.  Later, we lounged around outside at the cabin to enjoy the warm sunshine and solitude.  Thanks so much to Keith and Melissa for planning such a great trip, and to all the family and friends who joined us for the race and our time at Dippikill!

Keith and Melissa on Dippikill Pond

 Canoeing on Dippikill Pond

Beer break with Keith

Keith braving the cold water of Dippikill Pond

Thank you, Keith and Melissa!

Massachusetts and Maine - Family Visit

I spent the week around the Fourth of July visiting my family in western Massachusetts.  I grew up in the town of Adams, a beautiful small town with typical New England character at the base of the highest mountain in Massachusetts.  I am always surprised at how green the landscape looks; I've become accustomed to the drier, browner state of Utah where trees and plants don't completely obscure the view.

Park Street view in Adams

Old smokestacks from Adams' industrial days

Mt. Greylock - the highest mountain in Massachusetts

The day after the 4th, I joined my Dad and Gram on a day trip to southeast Maine.  Despite growing up in Massachusetts, I think this was my first official trip to Maine.  We spent some time enjoying the beautiful beach towns of Kittery, York Harbor, Ogunquit, and Kennebunkport before heading back to Adams late in the evening.  It was a great day trip, complete with lighthouses and beach time.

Nubble Lighthouse

Along the Marginal Way Walk

Along the Marginal Way Walk

Kennebunkport loves Bush

Thanks for the fun day, Dad and Gram!

Gram and Dad at Nubble Light House

Massachusetts - Family Visit

The last week in July I headed home to Massachusetts to visit the family. Massachusetts in the summer is so pretty and green (I forget how green things are back home after living in the desert for so many years) - it's too bad the winters are so long and gross .. otherwise i might be tempted to move back. Here are some pics...

home sweet home

the back yard

windsor pond

uncle, mum, gran, and dad at camp - windsor pond

the semi-evil puppy

sister slaving away