Saturday, September 19, 2009

26.2 Mile Training Run

At the Top of Utah Marathon expo last night I was more than pleased to not only meet some old acquaintances but make new friends. On top of everything else I got to learn about a wonderful organization called 2 Good Legs.


What 2 Good Legs, and more specifically ultrarunner Lorie Hutchinson is doing is running 18 marathons distances in 18 days covering the entire state of Utah from the north to south.





The impetus for Loris taking on this feat is to inspire others to donate to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Well, I have always wanted to work with the CAF, most speciically in guiding a sight-impaired runner to a sub 3:10 in a marathon so when the 2GoodLegs people cameto my booth to talk, I definitely listened.

After getting back from the race this afternoon, I decided to see where exactly Lorie was running and when. As anyone who reads my blog knows, I am rarely in the same spot for very long. So when tomorrow's run had Lorie starting about 20 miles north of where I live and finishing 6 miles south of where I live, I knew it was time for me to go out and do a 26.2 mile training run!

I called up the organization and asked if Loire would enjoy some company for tomorrow's run and they were quite happy to say yes. So tomorrow I will be going for my longest training run ever. Of course, since I had to DNF at mile 87 of the Old Dominion 100 mile race back in 2007, I guess one could say that was my longest "training run" ever as well since I received nothing but a bruised ego for that effort! (But I know that it was the right thing to do and sometimes DNF stands for "Do Nothing Foolish".)


If you wish to track Lorie's and my progress tomorrow (I actually get to carry the GPS tracking device!) just click on over HERE. We start at 9 AM at the Farmington Courthouse and will be running this route here.

I will write more tomorrow after the experience is done! It is sure to be one that will fill me with inspiration and awe.

3 comments:

  1. I saw you at the TOU marathon today somewhere between miles 20 and 21 cheering on the runners, but didn't realize it was you until after I passed you. I was the girl in the pink shirt that probably looked like she was about to hurl. Remember me? :) Totally kidding! (About expecting you to remember a random girl in a pink shirt, not about the hurling thing). I've been reading your blog for a couple months now, but just barely realized you're running the Long Beach marathon next month. I ran it in 2007 and got a personal worst. I haven't gone back for redemption yet though, so kick it in the face for me! You should check out the Palos Verdes marathon (15 minutes from Long Beach). It's my favorite.

    Enjoy your "training run" tomorrow!

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  2. I remember all girls in pink shirts who look like they will throw up after I have left their presence. :)

    I have heard of the PV Marathon but it unfortunately falls on the date I have almost always locked up for that year (and for being " the 2nd longest continuously running Marathon in the United States, second only to the Boston Marathon" they need a MUCH better website!)

    Drop me an email any time, Michelle.

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  3. It was so fun running with you and Lorie this morning! I know both of you were running slowly just so we could keep up; I hope you picked up the speed after we dropped out. I certainly can't imagine how tough it will be for Lorie to keep up the marathon distance for 18 days straight. Incredible!

    Both you and Lorie are great inspirations -- and so humble in person!

    I've added your blog to my Google Reader so I can keep track of your future exploits. I'm sure I'll "run" into you again!

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