Free Beer Friday!

No, I hate to disappoint you. I'm not giving away free beer. Instead, I get to drink free beer later.

I had a client do something forgetful and inconsiderate that had me working very, very late the other day-so late that my outdoor run I'd dreamed of all day did not happen, and I wound up doing the hamster wheel thing by the time I was finally free to run. I was honestly pretty cranky about the whole thing, which is not my usual disposition-I'm the "let it roll off your back" girl.

They were full of profuse apologies yesterday, though, and imagine my surprise when one of the parents showed up today with a six pack of very good quality Belgian-style beer! Wow! These are the same people who gave me a gift certificate for the best massage I've ever had as a Christmas present, and these yummy chocolatey truffle things when I took the lead on something else they were struggling with, and were relieved to have someone else start working on. So, I'm right back to "all is forgiven-life is good" with them now.

I did indeed get outdoors for a run yesterday that I've dubbed "the Kansas simulation." I gently roll downhill from my home to my regular river trail haunt, do a short loop, and return the way I came (gently uphill). It's frequently breezy on this route, and the gently rolling nature of the route is very close to how I've heard the course for the Eisenhower Marathon described. I just don't want to be in a position again of squeaking by on a Boston qualifying attempt, and I think that repeatedly doing this run with that last little uphill stretch on this run should give me a little bit of "umph" late in the race.

Oh, and speaking of marathons-well, here's where things get strange in my neck of the woods. In the ten years I have lived here, there has never been a marathon in or around the city. We have a number of smaller races, and used to have a long distance run of a unique distance that went gate to gate over one of our most scenic mountain park drives. That race recently met its end at the old distance, and will be run as a marathon for the first time this fall.

So, we suddenly had a new marathon on the calendar. But I digress. I was reading a new running blog appearing in the daily newspaper, and saw mention of something called the Grand Valley Marathon.

Oh? What's this? They can't mean here....or any time soon. My running club is small. This sort of thing is always in the newsletter. And, well...they'd publicize it six months or more ahead of time, right? Because people don't just sign up for a marathon two months out. They start thinking about their spring race right after running their fall marathon or other goal race.

I do a little bit of clicking around and find out that yes indeed...there is in fact a marathon taking place here! I chat with another local runner who also had no clue about what isn't just a marathon but an apparent festival of races, including a marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10K and 5K. Did I mention they're also tying it in with some big cycling event the same weekend? While I am excited that we suddenly have not one, but two marathons, I'm a bit disappointed that I am just hearing about it now. From what I can tell, they just announced it now-it's not that it's been out there all along and I just missed it.

Had I known in advance (and in light of our tightened budget), I would have at least thought about this marathon. That said, another runner pointed out to me that I really don't want to gamble all my training on the inaugural running of four plus events going on at the same time. She's right, too. Though any measured marathon course is good for a BQ attempt, I can't even assume that they've done that. I can't tell who exactly the race direction company is.....their website is very cryptic and says that they're three race directors and a crew of volunteers.

That said, they are involved with two other big races, so they might have their stuff together. It's too late now for me to think of doing their marathon, though. Four weeks isn't enough recovery for my old bones to try another marathon, and I just registered for the Bolder Boulder 10K, which is on Memorial Day. My body would be trashed by then.

As it is now, I'm making final preparations for traveling to Abilene in a month. My husband and I have our hotel in Denver for the Thursday night before the race, and we'll get up early on Friday to make it the rest of the way to central Kansas. It's almost time to go mad with taper-which last time manifested itself endless "how's the weather going to be?" discussions with fellow MCM-ers, and numerous last-minute running purchases for any and everything I might possibly need before, during or after the marathon.

This time, with it being a very small marathon, I don't personally know others running the same event for mindless banter and course dissection. This means my poor husband gets to sit, nod, and go "sure, dear" as I endlessly prattle on about the race. Maybe I'd better not keep those beers to myself, and pop a cold one or two open for him instead.