We're in Montana for our annual vacation that I'm hoping, over time, gives my kids a powerful sense of place and a deep connection with the outdoor world. But in the meantime, they are learning to appreciate that mamas run fast.
About a year ago, my friend Kara and I tossed around the idea of doing a marathon this summer. We decided in the spring that the half marathon was more our speed (pun alert! pun alert!) and have been training for it for months. It required some logistics (registration, hotel reservations in Missoula, wrangling of three generations of each of our families to meet at the finish) and we left to the end some of the important details, like how fast we might run, and whether we would even run well together.
Happily it only took one four-mile practice run to determine that our paces were compatible (this after I disclosed over the phone a few weeks ago "I can't possibly run faster than ten minute miles!" and Kara responded "Thank goodness!") We met up the morning of the run, and in my coffeeless state I was so glad that Kara was thinking things like "Is this the right bus?" so that we didn't accidentally get dropped at the full marathon finish. The pep talk at the start was typically annoying, but the other runners, especially the ones dancing to the warm up music, had us giggling, and the day was gorgeous - clear and sunny, but not hot.
And the run was amazing! Several miles of rural roads, and then a slow turn into town. As the houses got closer together, more and more people were out playing music (sometimes live, including some great kids on violin and oboe) and showering us with their sprinklers and - amusingly - having cookouts.
Kara's so fun to run with, and she's smart in a way that I am not smart. She planned race strategy in a way that meant we pushed really hard at the end, and - in her words - had a "strong finish." My usual m.o. is to try to keep an even pace throughout, and then inevitably slow down near the end as I tire out. Her way is more fun and more energizing and I don't think I could have done it without someone to show me how. We had a 5 minute lag at the portapotties near mile 5, but otherwise ran faster than our target pace, finishing with a very respectable 2:16:15. If you enter either of our last names in the finish cam engine (link below), you can see us at the end - she's in the sunglasses and brown shirt, I'm in the navy blue tank top, and we split up and zip around a guy in a red shirt right at the end. I've *never* run faster than anyone at the end, but we were passing people from about mile 10, and it felt really, really good.
Other things that were new to me: lots of people had temporary tattoos of the race logo (see image above), and lots of people had special tape on various hurting parts of their bodies (mostly knees and feet). It seems like a gamble to tape yourself up for race day, but it seemed to work. There are also a lot of tattoos in general in Missoula, more per capita than in Omaha, and I had fun looking at people's ink as we ran.
Next year we're going to do the full, and Kara's doing a half and I'm doing a half later in the fall. It was a New Year's resolution for me to get back into half marathon shape (after time off running last fall to get some physical therapy on my IT band) and stay there, and I'm really happy about how good my knees are doing and how much fun it has been to run this spring and summer.
Other vacation stories, which will likely come out of chronological order: We visit sheep! We go fishing several times without catching fish! We swim and hike and play in the park! Mama learns to kayak (which turns out to not require much skill if one is on a sunny, placid lake)! We go on a treasure hunt and are delighted with with results!
It has been a nice vacation.
The shuttles were really cool - we brought lunch with us and ate before riding to the top of Logan Pass, then had quite a comfortable (and free!) trip to the top and then back when we were ready. Much nicer than driving. 
The shuttles were really cool - we brought lunch with us and ate before riding to the top of Logan Pass, then had quite a comfortable (and free!) trip to the top and then back when we were ready. Much nicer than driving. 
