Hello Readers,
OK, this is a little bit different of a post than I would normally write. Normally I keep this blog for adventures and things I have done but in this post I will discuss a future adventure and the heartfelt gratefulness of someone being there when I reached out for help.
In June I will be flying out to Anchorage Alaska for the Anchorage Mayor's Marathon (aka Midnight Sun marathon). The marathon is scheduled for the 1st Saturday after the Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year). In Anchorage during the Summer Solstice there is no actual 'night time'. Of what I understand there are about 20 hours of sunlight and 4 hours of twilight but no darkness. Wow, what an interesting phenom. Most of us probably understand about the rotation of the earth creating a daily cycle and the axis of the planet designating the day & night periods and the revolution Earth takes around the Sun creating a yearly cycle, but that is all textbook for most of us. The thought of actually going to a place on the planet where it all comes together to create months of daylight and months of nighttime is almost surreal.
Anyway, on June 23rd this year is the Anchorage Mayor's Marathon. I will be running/walking the half marathon (this will be 2 weeks after doing the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon). Jet Blue had a great deal for Long Beach Airport to Anchorage Airport and time worked out so that I can go to Alaska on the evening of the 18th. I will be taking my first train ride, ever, from Anchorage to Denali National Park and backpacking until the early afternoon of the 22nd when I get to take the train back to Anchorage to stay the night in a hotel to rehydrate and shut some heavy curtains to get some sleep to recooperate for the half marathon the next day. This is where my time problem happened: The train doesn't come into Anchorage until 8:00pm and I have to pick up my bib & timing chip before 6:00pm at the Expo. hmmm. It took me a while to remember I am a part of an International organization with chapters in almost every major city in the world. So going through the Mensa website and checking out the Alaska membership I contacted the president of that chapter to see if someone there can help me out to collect my marathon packet. I would not be able to do the marathon otherwise. Dana Spinney, of the Mensa Anchorage chapter, was more than willing to offer her assistance. And for this I am deeply grateful. Dana, through Mensa, was the missing key to allow me to plan my short vacation to include as much backpacking/hiking time possible and be able to include the marathon on my last day... for without her assistance I would have to spend 2 days in a hotel if I expected to do the marathon. And I am not really that much of a hotel-type person.
I don't really know what condition my feet will be in by the time of the marathon... 2 weeks before I will have done the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon, and for a couple days before the Anchorage marathon I will be backpacking & hiking in Denali National Park (where there is no night time and there are plenty of wildlife (pronounced Grizzly Bears)) so I may not be hydrating or sleeping as I should before a marathon. Regardless, this is my birthday and this is an adventure I want to experience as much of as possible - whether I do it pretty or not. It's about completing, not competing. :-)
Dana, thank you for being there when I reached out for help. This is going to be my birthday adventure and I appreciate your hospitality and genersity in helping me. Perhaps on the 23rd after the marathon we can do a birthday dinner since we share similar birthdays.
I am looking forward sharing the pictures I will be taking.
