A Great Motivator: McCarthy-Kennicott 1/2 Marathon

If this half marathon wasn't a great excuse to drive all the way to McCarthy, there is no way I would have been tempted to do it....but I've been trying (mostly in my head) to get up there all summer. Hands down it is one of the most magical places in Alaska, and I love it there.

The Girls: One Raina, Kellie, Two Jen's and Me

 

Somehow I convinced Kellie that it would be a great idea too....I think we were talking about her latest 10 mile run and I offered up some unsolicited advice, that I though she should do the 1/2 marathon up there...Kellie being Kellie, she immediately tacks something else that sounds challenging to the backside of running a 1/2 marathon (secretly why I love her)....and put the bug in my ear about some packrafting....

The Awesome Glaciated Wrangell Mountains

 

The race started at 2pm, which I thought was very reasonable. I haven't really run much since Crow Pass, except my new favorite activity of "trotting" which isn't running or walking....so I set my personal goal of 2 hours for the race. Although my heart rate averaged 181 for the entire race (that's really high), I beat my goal and finished in 1:40...very respectable for me.

Kellie and the Two Chris's at Camp

 

This is probably the most social weekend I have ever had in my life...or at least a few years. I am not a very social person, I don't like big parties and generally never go to the bar. I went to the bar twice, and met so many awesome new people, most of the men though strangely all had the same name of Chris...very weird.

So in sum, I got to fill my social quota for the next year, pushed myself as hard as I could and ran a 1/2 marathon, then got to do an awesome wilderness trip as icing on the cake...It was simply awesome.