THE FIRST HALF OF MY FIRST DOUBLE: SALMON, ID

On Friday, September 11th, I flew to Kalispell, MT, rented a car, and drove to Salmon, ID. On paper, the drive looked simple. In actuality, it is a difficult trek with construction projects that had me drive on a gravel road in several places. I've never seen a road with so many speed limit changes, some with no warning at all, requiring thirty-five mile per hour reductions in speed. Some towns, you were permitted to drive 70 mph, while still others brought you all the way down to 25 mph. I managed to avoid all the speed traps but one, in Darby, MT. If you're driving in Montana, remember focus on the speed limit signs and the speedometer, not the road ahead of you.

After arriving in Salmon, ID around 11:00pm, I found my motel, Motel Deluxe, and checked it out. The room was very old and in need of renovation, but it was clean and comfortable. It had a full-size refrigerator and a small stove/oven. The front room had two queen-size beds, like a traditional motel room, and the back bedroom held the third queen-size bed. For $58, I thought it was quite a bargain. I'd stay there again and would recommend it.

Saturday morning, the participants converged on the Stagecoach Inn in Salmon. They provided a nice continental breakfast. There were bagels, cereals, DIY waffles, and juices. We were bused to a one-room schoolhouse in Tendoy, ID for the start. Since I had the fractured metatarsal in my right foot and another marathon the next day, I planned for a very slow run, wanting to finish in the 6-to-7 hour range. I "networked", looking for suitable running companions. After a few miles, I settled in with Lynn and Louise (from this point on, they would be known as "Thelma & Louise"). After about nine miles, Thelma was holding a pace faster than Louise and I cared to maintain and she went on head. Louise was a great companion, keeping me sensible. She had a Garmin 205 GPS watch that did an excellent job keeping us apprised of our mileage, time, and speed. I remember saying at the twenty mile marker "If we push the last 10K, we can make it in under six hour . With 5K remaining, I said "If we really hoof it, we can still make it in under six hours.", but she resisted the temptation to shoot for a meaningless goal. My final time was 6:18:03, right in my target range.

At the end of the race, we met up with Louise's husband, who finished more than two hours ahead of us. Louise suggested that we go down to the Salmon River and soak to help us recover. I was very surprised that I did. The water was very cold, but my body didn't resist like it normally would. That cold water felt so good on my legs and thighs! I don't know whether the water deserves the credit or not, but I didn't feel stiff and achy the next morning.

Overall, I'd say this was one of the easier courses I've run. The hills weren't numerous nor terribly steep, the road was mostly gravel (not as smooth as asphalt, but not as treacherous as a trail), and the temperature was quite good until nearly the end. The back of my neck, back of my arms, and back of my legs were sunburned to nice shade of red.

Pluses: beautiful scenery, very doable course, great volunteer support, near-perfect weather, a nicely-equipped medical tent that you passed twice (courtesy of a three-mile loop)

Minuses: NO FINISHER'S MEDAL!, instead you got a "finisher's poster". I didn't even unwrap mine because there was no way I would try to bring it on the plane. I threw mine in the garbage. Someone told me it was just a photo of running shoes and it had the race name and date on it. This was a major disappointment, since most reviewers of the 2008 race really liked the medal.

Neutral: Fan supporter - I wouldn't hold this against the race, as it's impossible to get thousands of screaming fans at ANY rural marathon, but the volunteers were great! There was quite a bit of "washboarding" on the gravel road, making footing a little tricky.