Friday, May 4, 2012

Live Free or Die Part 3 - The Road Is Long - 50K Race




This is the third in a series of posts about my recent trip to New Hampshire, April 27-30, 2012.

My brother and my two youngest sons are serious runners.  My brother has run in the Boston Marathon more than once.  My sons Jeff and Tim have followed in their uncle’s running shoe clad footsteps. 
Tim (the one who lives in NH) most recently ran the Trail Animals Running Club 50KTrail Run near Weston, MA.  The club members support one another and while very active, the group does not appear to be ultra-competitive—at least not in a negative or divisive way. http://www.trailanimals.com.  Even Tim’s training regimen is, well, not very regimented.   I was very proud of him for finishing the 50K race (over 31 miles) in under six hours. 

Here is a photo of Madeline and Garrison, posing with the club’s Sasquatch-like mascot before the race:


And here is Tim as he approached and then crossed the finish line flanked by his wife Carrie and my granddog, Ginny.  I didn’t have a very good angle on the shot where he actually crossed the finish line—but it documents the finish and the time. 




The final photo is my favorite.  Madeline is so proud of her tired Daddy!



Tim’s next race will be in Burlington, Vermont, with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as the reward at the end of the finish line.

I’m afraid I never had the urge to run more than a mile.  I’ve biked over 40 miles on occasion, but I can’t imagine running that far unless, perhaps, I was being chased by a real Sasquatch. 

But we all have our own life trails to run –at least metaphorically.  During periods where the slog is long and the finish line is not in sight only faith, hope and perseverance keep me on track.  

In the words of a great classic oldie, “The road is long, with many a winding turn, that leads us to who knows where, who knows when.”  He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – The Hollies (1969).  You can find it on YouTube.

TTFN
LeAnn aka pasqueflower

2 comments:

  1. Wow! What an accomplishment! I've run about 6 miles before, but don't plan on running more than that!
    Good for your brother! Glad you were there to cheer him on :)

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  2. That's admirable! I'm afraid I'm no good at long distance running ;-)

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