“Juuuuuust caught her” at Coastal Delaware Half-Marathon, 13.1 miles. Chip 1:52:28.6, pace a very consistent 8:35, 13th of 106 in her age-group, and 57th of the 617 women finishing the race. The course featured a knee-deep flood, not pictured.
The Innis House, Sunken Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia, having been restored in 1987 to its 1862 appearance by the National Park Service. The house and the (restored) dry stone wall were used by Confederate sharpshooters in December, 1862, during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Snapped 3/18/2023 on one of my Saturday morning Fredericksburg runs.
Turkey vulture drying his wings in the sun after a wet night, snapped with cell phone during my Hyperion Saturday morning run through University of Mary Washington.
At the top, 2022 with Allen Vaughan (who was first in our age group). Flashbacks: in 1998, Edwin, Walt, Vic, BJ, Connie (and with those flowers in hand, did both Vic and BJ get an age group place that year?); in 2006, Elspeth and Edwin; in 2009, Tim and Edwin; 2010, Edwin, Sharon, Walt (night before, and after the race); 2011, at the finish. This year, 2022, I ran faster than the year before but placed 4th instead of 2nd in the age group. Should have trained more.
Fredericksburg Area Runners Club: Saturday morning runs start 7am in the summer, across the road from Hyperion Espresso.
Above, one of a pair of pre-Civil War catalpa trees in front of Chatham Manor, facing Fredericksburg on the far side of the Rappahannock River. Below, 1, the Fredericksburg railroad bridge seen from the Chatham bridge, and 2, the city dock with Gary the white goose supervising his adopted Canada goose family.
The old Western Maryland Railroad station at Meyersdale is now the Meyersdale Historical Society and a great rest stop for cyclists, walkers, and runners on the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. That trail (which Trudy H and I bicycled three years ago) runs 156 miles from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, where it connects to the C&O Canal trail for another 184 miles to Washington DC (I haven’t done that leg yet). Only about a mile from the Meyersdale Station is the Salisbury Viaduct, 1900 feet long, and 100 feet above the Casselman River and US Route 219. The viaduct selfie below is from April, when I had a run from Linda McD’s house a couple of miles towards Pittsburgh and back, then a couple of miles towards Cumberland and back. This view of the viaduct I snapped from the car on our Export trip in May.
My favorite race of the year:
47th Virginia Ten Miler (my 24th).
Of the 15 men in the 70-79 age group, Allen was first (he’s much faster than I am — 1:28:34 for an 8:52 pace) and I was second (way ahead of the 3rd place man.)
Weather was perfect: sunny, clear, no wind, 48°F, 9°C.
As always this race, I insisted on Waffle House breakfast.
Sept 1st, after recent rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida