My Kind of Marathon

Yesterday at this time Don was sacked out on the couch wondering how he gets talked into things by me.

This time it was an 11 mile all trails hike in Oscar Shearer State Park. We have hiked all of these trails in the past, but never all in one day. And according to my rather accurate pedometer the hike was more like 14 miles. I believe this to be mostly true as that mileage is based on my stride length and the number of steps and I certainly took all of those steps. A number of miles of trail consist of plodding through beach quality sand accounting for shorter steps and quite a bit of tacking trying to find the firmest piece of trail. The 11 miles, accurately measured in a vehicle, also does not seem to account for the distance travelled from one trail to another which accounts for about a half mile. Hence, I will take credit for my pedometer reading.

The trails are lovely, but why did I decide to do this marathon hike? Simply because I could. I would like to be able to run a marathon or participate in a triathlon or maybe even the 30 mile walk for breast cancer. This occurred at a time when it was convenient. There are no winners or timekeepers. The only glory was to be able to say you did it.Walk at your own pace, quit anytime you like and no one knows the difference but you. The trails are lovely. We stopped to take a picture of a scrub jay without worrying about falling behind.

All along the way are volunteers with refreshments and drinks. Don loved the variety of cookies. At the end of the trail, or in the middle if you prefer or need a rest, are hot dogs and ice cream sundaes. Life is good when you have the physical and mental capacity to take advantage of its opportunities. We are truly blessed.