Avenue of the Giants 1

Several marathons advertise the beauty of their race course. Avenue of the Giants Marathon is one that really produces. Imagine running among trees as wide as a car is long, and hundreds of feet tall. We did it Sunday, and we all finished. Don, Sweet Pea, and Eagle Momma.

As a side benefit, I did win my age group. Results are not up yet, so I don’t know my exact time, or the number of other old farts in my age group, but the award is home in my hot little fist and I’M NOT GIVING IT BACK! :-)

I was shooting for 3:45 and only made about 3:50, but I’m not very disappointed because I did the best that I could today. More marathon report tomorrow or the next day, and maybe I’ll whine about my time in that blog, but maybe not. Who can really be disappointed among those wonderful trees. Almost the entire course is under those trees, reaching out to each other high over the Avenue, making the road, cars, and people insignificant. And after I finished, I walked back a few miles to collect Sweet Pea and Eagle Momma, and enjoyed the trees again at a more leisurely pace. They even smell wonderful.

In addition to the trees, the race itself allows an early start and never leaves a runner out on the course. Everyone gets to finish. I couldn’t recommend a race more highly; it’s a delightful experience.

No pains, or should I say no bad pain - only good pain. Left foot hurts a little, heel and ball, but this is not new and I know it will go away. Otherwise there is only muscle soreness, which is a good pain. This was the first training run for Grandma’s in June.