The Mellenthins: Fall running

I have had the pleasure of attending 2 races in the last 30 days to help friends finish their first marathon and 50 mile events. Both were amazing considering where we started the spring. Miles and miles have been logged together since early 2012 and it was amazing to see the results. We trained mostly on the roads of GB and DePere. Occasionally we made it into the woods at Baird's Creek for some trail running and we even did a little beach running in Two Rivers. I hope that as our kids get older they can find some joy in training for something with their friends.

Keith finished his first marathon. Fox Cities. It started out sunny around 38 degrees, became cloudy and windy around 11AM. I tried to get pictures every couple of miles and ran a tiny bit with him from 25-26! Keith had a horrible night/morning of the race and still managed a 4:07 for his first marathon. Not hitting his goal time will only fuel the fire this winter and he'll be ready for something in early summer 2013.

Mark finished his first 50 mile ultra. Fall 50. Started the day cloudy and 40 degrees in Gills Rock, became sunny around 10:15 and stayed warm the rest of the day. I ran 19 miles and Keith ran 17 miles to help Mark complete the race in his goal time. The day flew by as we traded running for driving and making sure Mark had everything he needed to stay cramp free and moving forward.

Its great to be apart of these awesome days with such good friends. We are pretty lucky to have each other to get motivated, stay inspired and push each other to the next challenge. I know I wouldn't have been able to go as far as I have without them! Mark and I finished a 50k in early September and I look forward to running another baby ultra (50k) next year sometime.

Fox Cities.