Papa Bear
New member
This goes back 10 years ...
You may have noticed that I have not been hiking or peakbagging this year. For those who know I'm also interested in Benchmarks, I haven't been doing much of that either.
No, I'm not injured or terminally ill - just the opposite. I'm as fit or fitter than ever.
I've been running. And running and running. Saturday is the culmination of all that running when I do the St. George Marathon (Utah). Then I can stop running -- but only for a while.
What's with the 10 years? Easy, that's when I retired, and my first project was to train for a marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon as a 60 year old. Well, I did. The qualifier was the Dublin Marathon (Ireland) in October 2001, and Boston was in April of 2003. In between, through most of the summer of 2002, I hiked about half the Appalachian Trail (the good half) and that's when I joined this group.
After Boston 2003, I said "That's my last Boston" (it was my 4th) "I'm retiring from marathons, they're getting too damn hard". So I did.
This year, like certain baseball players, I decided to un-retire and try just one more time to qualify for Boston (that would be the 2013 Boston -- the lead time is quite long due to the registration process). This time it would be as a 70 year old. Yikes!.
I've gotten slower (surprise!) but the age specific qualification times have also gotten slower so I have a good shot at it. Think of me on Saturday and wish me luck.
Next summer you may be see me hiking and peakbagging again, and then the following April I'll be in Boston (I hope) on April 15th.
Then I think I'll retire from marathons, they're getting too damn hard. No, really.
You may have noticed that I have not been hiking or peakbagging this year. For those who know I'm also interested in Benchmarks, I haven't been doing much of that either.
No, I'm not injured or terminally ill - just the opposite. I'm as fit or fitter than ever.
I've been running. And running and running. Saturday is the culmination of all that running when I do the St. George Marathon (Utah). Then I can stop running -- but only for a while.
What's with the 10 years? Easy, that's when I retired, and my first project was to train for a marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon as a 60 year old. Well, I did. The qualifier was the Dublin Marathon (Ireland) in October 2001, and Boston was in April of 2003. In between, through most of the summer of 2002, I hiked about half the Appalachian Trail (the good half) and that's when I joined this group.
After Boston 2003, I said "That's my last Boston" (it was my 4th) "I'm retiring from marathons, they're getting too damn hard". So I did.
This year, like certain baseball players, I decided to un-retire and try just one more time to qualify for Boston (that would be the 2013 Boston -- the lead time is quite long due to the registration process). This time it would be as a 70 year old. Yikes!.
I've gotten slower (surprise!) but the age specific qualification times have also gotten slower so I have a good shot at it. Think of me on Saturday and wish me luck.
Next summer you may be see me hiking and peakbagging again, and then the following April I'll be in Boston (I hope) on April 15th.
Then I think I'll retire from marathons, they're getting too damn hard. No, really.
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