St. George Marathon 2007: Photos Galore...

and some video too...

I must be the world's most delinquent blogger. I realize the marathon was weeks ago, but here's my recap none the less. I should mention that none of these photos are my own, nor the videos. I did some online poaching, so thanks to all my contributors.

St. George was my second marathon, the one I hoped would make up for my dismal experience last year at Deseret News.


The route and elevation change



Buses brought us to the starting line where it was cold and dark.


These chips attached to our shoes tracked our race time. It took me about 2 minutes to reach the starting line.


Flags flying at the start


These fire pits would keep us warm early the next morning.


A barefoot runner warms his feet pre-race.


Wheeled racers started off early


I ran a conservative first half and felt great












Thousands of runners


I was thankful to only have to take one pee break. This isn't me.


One of the uphill portions


A bit tired, but still feeling good midway.












This para glider viewed the race from above



I guess I was feeling a bit gangster late in the race













Checking in with Mr. Bare Feet. Where was my police escort?


Runners can be messy. Passing through an aid station.


Taylor, who works with me in Events, shot this piece of video at about 3 miles out.



Now I don't want you to get the impression that I was obsessed with beating Kristin, my co-worker, friend, and running partner. Let's just say she'd never beaten me in a race up to this point, and I was simply curious how far ahead she was.

**side note: I ended up passing her with less than a mile to go**


I ran the second half of the marathon faster than the first, and the last 3 miles I was going full out. It's starting to show on my face.












This is how I felt my first marathon, although I managed to cross the finish line of my own volition.


A welcome sight


Kristin's husband, Doug, shot this as I was running in the final 100 yards to the finish line.



Yes, that glance back was to see if Kristin had gone bionic and was about to pass me at the last second. She didn't, but she did qualify for Boston, something I can only dream about.

Post race, the bare foot dude looks no worse for the wear. A shower might be in order though.

Clothing discarded along the way is picked up and dumped here. Most is left behind and donated to charity.


This made a nice addition to my race wall


My official time was 3:34:34


This year's medal

XTerra Follow-up

I came across this photo of the 1st place age group finishers online. The race article it came from is here.

Xterra National Trail Running Championship

Last weekend I was in the Lake Tahoe area (Incline Village) for the Xterra National Trail Running Championship. It was a great race, and I was fortunate enough to place 1st in my age group due to the shallow field. I expect more competition next year. Read a short write-up on the race here.

Starting Line. I'm in front, wearing an orange jersey on the right.


Number 480 (me) quickly getting overtaken.


Over and under logs along the course: (not me)


(also not me)


(me)


Course map. The trail run was 2 loops of the red line.

Thrifting in Reno

Reno is a thrifters Mecca. There are literally dozens of thrift stores in the Reno/Sparks vicinity, and with a little help from Google Maps, you can easily locate them as I did.

In case you don't have the time to visit all of them (or most, like I did), then read on to see which ones are worth a look, and which aren't. I won't go into the many pawn shops stopped by. Suffice it to say you can augment your DVD collection quite cheaply with them.

1. Savers on Kietzke Ln. : A fantastic Savers with lots of variety that hasn't been too picked over. I found 2 vintage "Reagan/Bush '84" t-shirts.. I also bought two vintage Izod shirts.
2. I want to mention that I had a fantastic all-you-can-eat sushi lunch at Sushi 7.
   
3. Washoe Thrift on Prater Ln. : Not bad for the size. I found 2 items.
4. Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission Thrift on Gentry Way: This one's a bit run down, with a very poor men's selection. However, I still found a cool T and an Armani tie for 50 cents.
   
5. St. Vincent Thrift Store on Kietzke Ln. : Only found 1 item, and it was a pair of girl's vintage Penguin shorts. I can't help myself from buying quality vintage items, despite the fact that I no longer have a store to sell them in, or an active eBay account for that matter. I kind of treat them like stocks and bonds. I own a lot of Izod, Penguin, and LeTigre stock right now. These are the holy trinity of my favorite vintage brands.
   
6. Easter Seals Thrift Store: Great store. I bought 4 items. Very cluttered, but if you put in some time, you might find 2 amazing embroidered vintage western shirts like I did. Both in mint condition. I'll never wear them, but some day, someone will.
   
7. Rad Betty's Fresh Thrift: With a name like that, how could I not go? Mostly women's stuff, but she does have some men's in the back. This is more of a boutique shop, so both the quality and prices are higher. I didn't buy anything.
   
8. Bag-A-Bargain Thrift: Terrible. Not even worth a link.
9. Assistance League of Reno-Sparks Thrift Shop: Small selection. Didn't find anything.
10. Nevada's Quality Thrift: One of the best layed out stores in Reno. The displays are fantastic. They must have some talented people working there. Unfortunately, the clothing section is lacking. If you are furnishing or decorating a home, this is the place to go.
11. The Salvation Army Thrift Store - on Wells Ave. I think: Crappy store with poor selection.
12. SPCA Thrift Store: Only found a DVD. I don't remember the title.
13. WARC Thrift Store on Sutro St. : Pretty good. I found 3 shirts.
14. Goodwill on Oddie Blvd. : One of the best Goodwill's I've ever been to. I started at their bargain bin extension next door. Clothes were $1.50 a pound I believe. I found 2 items and paid $1.50. The store itself is massive and full of great stuff. I bought a lot.
15. Savers on Oddie Blvd. : There are good Savers and bad Savers. This was a bad one. Unorganized, messy, overpriced, and poor selection. I regrettably purchased 3 things.
    
16. Twin Dragon Chinese Restaurant: It was next door to Savers, and it started to snow, so I had my dinner there. Nothing special.