It's been a couple weeks since the Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage. In the hours after the race I was in such rough physical shape that I had told myself I was done with running - well, with marathons anyway! This is not the first time I've done that and if you are an endurance runner you might be able to relate!
Within 24 hours I had pulled myself together and decided on my next marathon for the fall - Hamilton's Road 2 Hope! I find that I am psychologically out-of-balance if I complete a significant goal without having another one to aim for! I've been doing my best to be 'smart' and rest up before diving into that training plan! During the past 2 weeks I had planned to rest I have only run 3 times for a total of 20km! Just a little bit of cheating to keep me sane!
Enough of that! This blog entry is about the conclusion of my ROAD to ALASKA and the incredible time I had with TEAM in TRAINING!
First of all, take a look at my fundraising meter! You helped me raise over $17,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada! THANK YOU!! For that reason alone this journey has been a phenomenal success!
In this blog I want to share my final two videos so you can get some insight into what the 'destination' portion of the TNT experience is like.
I've also had a lot of requests for pictures of Alaska so I have included those as well!
This first video is covers the traveling to Alaska and the TNT activities prior to the actual race. I offer my top 3 tips for traveling to a destination race. There are many additional things you will need to consider, but I boiled my advice down to these critical items in order to keep the video at a reasonable length.
Additionally, I'll show you TNT runners prepare their race gear to share their spirit on race day, and I'll give you a glimpse into the Inspiration dinner the night before the race. Click Here to watch the video.
VIDEO: ROAD to ALASKA Conclusion - The Mayor's Marathon
This video is the conclusion of my ROAD to ALASKA video series and covers race day: my marathon and some unanticipated (and very much appreciated!) half marathon coverage from my good friend Donavan Montanaro! I knew the Team in Training Tent would be waiting for me at the finish line and I needed to remind myself several times why I was doing this in order to keep putting one foot in front of the other. As I wrote about in my previous entry, this course was tough and after reflecting on it I think that fact was appropriate for the occasion . Sure, any marathon is a monumental challenge, but having this one be especially difficult to conquer made it all the more allegorical for the cause we were running for. Click Here to watch the video of the Marathon.
And this third video is how I personally connected my race to Aaron, Darren and their experience with Leukemia. Click here
Now for some pictures!
Many people have asked about the temperature of Alaska in the summertime - most with the perception that it will be cold. We arrived just after a heat wave of 29C had broken and while we were there it was around 20C or so. Very comfortable.
The morning after the race Donavan and I were up very early since we did not bother trying to adjust to the 4-hour time zone change. We walked down to the waterfront and found that the walk back up less than 24 hours after a race has consequences.
Ok, ok, this is a staged photo, but it ain't far from the truth!
Snow City is the most popular breakfast joint in town. We neglected to make reservations - yes, it is strongly suggested at this place, even for breakfast - so we were faced with empty bellies and a long wait! But our contingent of Canadian athletes are not just a group of dedicated runners, we're crafty too. Instead of waiting 45 minutes for a table, we just ordered takeout and sat at one of those picnic tables on the sidewalk! I could have used that kinds of time-saving tactic during the marathon! LOL!
There is lots of wild life in the area and we were told that bears are outnumbered by Moose by a factor of 4 to 1. Nevertheless, Stef from Halifax encountered a bear before her half marathon and Donavan caught it on camera.
There were other types of wild life I saw but could not idenitfy. If I were to hazard a guess I would say this is a Jamaican zebra. They can run 100m - from a dead stop - in under 10 seconds!
Note: I prompted this guy to make this pose as he was passing by. I told him to do the Usain Bolt, but I had to show him the pose before he got it!
The day after the race Donavan and I took a 1.5h hour bus ride to catch a boat cruise in Whittier. The bus ride itself was through magnificent country.
This was one of the stops the bus made along the way. It was breathtaking! That is a glacier in the center of the mountains behind us!
This was our vessel - the Klondike Express. It took us on a 186km, 5 hour cruise to see 26 glaciers and some wild life.
We sailed from the tiny village of Whittier. To get there we had to drive through mountain tunnel built during WWII that is more than 4km long. It took 6.5 minutes to drive thorough. It is only 1 lane wide and a train also travels through it. To accomodate vehicles and trains going both ways there is an hourly schedule you need to follow. If you miss the timeslot you'll need to wait for up to an hour before you'll be able to get through!
As we set out for our cruise we were served a fish and chip dinner and Donavan caught me having a catnap. Having had very little sleep and a tough marathon the day before, I was kinda tired!
Our boat was a katamaran and it was moving at 35 knots (more than 60 km/h). It left such a wake that it actually had to slow down for a smaller boat as we passed it in a narrow channel for fear of rocking the boat too much.
Calving is the term to describe what happens when large chunks of ice fall off of a glacier and is what contributes to the retreat (shrinking) of glaciers.
We got to experience some pretty significant calving at this glacier and I caught it on film. Although it was quite a sight to see and hear, I couldn't help but feel ambivalent about the experience. I can't remember the exact number, but of the thousands of glaciers in Alaska, only 18 are advancing and a lot more than that are retreating. Over time that could contribute to some serious rise in sea levels and flooding in coastal areas.
The boat followed this bald eagle for a couple of kilometers. It would fly right above the water's surface, land on a chunk of ice, and then take flight a moment later. It was an incredibly peaceful spectacle to watch.
Snow capped mountains and warm weather means melting! That process results in so many of these stunning waterfalls!
As we returned to port, Donavan remarked how odd it was to see a marina full of boats with snow capped mountains looming over them.
After a long day cruising, we were back in Anchorage for a late dinner, then off to the airport for a 12:45am flight. To connect the dots for you, we raced on Saturday, had a few hours of sleep that night, then toured all day and had to catch the red-eye flight home. This picture was taken at the airport just before midnight. We look amused, don't we?! Notice how bright it still is outside!
If you've read this far, thank you for that! And thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way - your encouragement, support and donations have all made this an amazing and incredibly rewarding experience!
Finally, I hope that sharing my experience through my videos and blog will inspire some of you to pick up the torch and join Team in Training for a future event! You can do that at www.teamintraining.ca. If you have any questions about my experiences, feel free to drop me a line at craig@cassars.ca
For your convenience, I'll leave you with links to each of the videos in the series:
-Craig
Video 1 - Announcement http://youtu.be/bGAb0mHukfU
Video 2 - Overview of the Team in Training Program http://youtu.be/9aM7aob61Bk
Video 3 - Training http://youtu.be/oue4nprlxb0
Video 4 - 21 Days. Preparing for the race http://youtu.be/IV5bMNVYJBE
Video 5 - Fundraising http://youtu.be/fops5kzUatA
Video 6 - Travel & the Team in Training Experience http://youtu.be/Po7YVqbh16k
Video 7 - Conclusion - The Mayor's Marathon http://youtu.be/ujZ-qea4W1s
