Marathon Tours

by Adrienne Wilson on

Only 17 days remain between now and the moment in which I’ll run my first 26.2 mile full marathon in Detroit. Am I excited? Heck yeah, you bet I am. And you probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you this, but I despise running. I hate the high impact and grueling feeling it has on my knees. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy the sense of community and spirit amongst runners, the feeling of achievement and most certainly the opportunity to go places, but it’s so hard for me to remain mentally positive when my body is wondering why I’m pushing it the way I am. Anyhow, what I’m trying to say is if you’re in Detroit or Windsor on October 29, come out and cheer me on! I’ll need the support.

Moving right along now that I’ve managed to squeeze my own shameless promotion into the plug, I suppose I should point running loving individuals or people who may want to get into the sport to this Marathon Tours site. First off, if you’re truly a marathon fanatic you’re probably already aware of this site, but even then I encourage you to check it out and start planning some serious marathon trips. Perhaps you’ve exhausted some of your options, favorite races, scenic routes or whatever. Why not run Antarctica or Dubai? To be quite honest it’s destinations like these and doing some so crazy that may keep into all this running jazz. Seriously, how cool would that be? Marathon Tours makes it easier if you’re looking to head abroad and check out the local scene in places like Iceland, Jamaica, Stockholm, Kenya and Australia. With all the other prep going into the race I’d imagine their services to be a huge load off one’s plate.

Fresh Fruits and the Nude Beach of Sauvie Island, Oregon

by Iva Skoch on

Portland, Oregon, is home to some wonderful sights and is a terrific, vibrant town nestled in some of the best scenery in the country. But, however picturesque the city is, you might still need to “get away from it all.” One of the best places to go is a small alluvial island near the convergence of the Columbia and Willamette (pronounced will-A-mit, sounds like “dammit”) rivers, called Sauvie Island.

It’s actually minutes from the center of town, but it’s worlds away. Here, the lovable hippie-grunginess of the Pacific Northwest meets the quaintness of Tuscany and the vistas of Switzerland. You can find ‘u-pick’ farms growing vegetables and flowers, along with dairy cows, horses, and a big wildlife preserve. There are camping locations, nature trails and beaches.

Right now is the time to head there to grab your late-summer-harvest fresh foods. Make sure to try the different berries indigenous to this region, such as the marionberry, which even grow wild on the roadsides. If you are not afraid of starches, test your orientation skills in the Corn Maize, an annual maze cut through a farmer’s field. A tip for runners or cyclists: the paved portion of the island is a scenic 12-mile loop of good, flat pavement.

The best time to go is early morning, when the quiet little rural island is still waking up. Clear days offer gorgeous views of both Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood and very little traffic. It’s common legend that it has Portland’s only nude beach; but this, I can neither confirm or deny. I can confirm, however, as a former resident, that the legendary Pacific Northwest “Pillsbury-doughboy tan” can be spotted here, in the wild.

The North Face Endurance 50

by Adrienne Wilson on

In 35 days, 6 hours, and 45 minutes Dean Karnazes will take on 50 marathons in 50 states over a period of 50 consecutive days. Sponsored by the North Face, Dean will start his test of endurance on September 17th in Missouri and will finish November 5th in New York. Now a couple of things here just to make sure we’re all on the same page. A marathon is defined as a 26.2 mile long run, walk or jog. This marathon mad man is out to do 50. I said he is out to do 50, folks. That is a total of 1,310 miles for 50 days straight. Why is he doing this? Oh, well, you know – to transcend preconceived human notions about endurance. To inspire people to test their own personal limits.

As a first-timer going into this whole marathon thing (Detroit – October) I don’t know if I’d want to take my personal limits any further than this first and probably only marathon. Yesterday, I had one of the roughest if not worst training days yet and can’t imagine why any human being would want to perform such a feat in such a short time span. I decided to run the Detroit marathon, not because I’m a fan of running at all, but because I’d never been to Detroit. Plus the race also goes into Canada. Horrible – I know. Dean will most definitely see more of the U.S., but will he enjoy it? I can’t wait to follow the updates online. My knees ache and I’m only thinking about what Dean’s knees will feel like.

Will you be one of the ones to run with Dean in the North Face Endurance 50 or will you be on the sidelines checking out the local scene? What do you think marathon runners? “Go-Dean-Go! or No-Dean-No!”

Combining Vacations with Marathons

by Karen Walrond on

I gotta tell ya:  when it comes to vacationing, often the last thing I want to do is move.  Oh, I like the occasional hike in Santa Fe, window shopping in Paris, or diving off the coast of Cayman, but other than that?  You’ll most likely find me lying on the beach somewhere.  With a beverage. With one of those little paper umbrellas.

I do know that someone, somewhere, disagrees with me on this point, and for the person whose idea of relaxation includes running a marathon (lunatic), this book’s for you:  CNN.com is reviewing a new book called “The Traveling Marathoner.”  The chapters of the book feature twelve marathons around the United States (one for each month of the year), and also provides details like how to register for each marathon, as well as places to stay and eat in each location, and what else there is to do… besides train, that is.

If you’re a runner, you might want to pick this book up.  But listen, if you happen to end up running somewhere where I happen to be vacationing, do me a favour, and don’t run too close to me.

You might blow the paper umbrella out of my drink.