After a Few Weeks Away

My lack of blogging for the past few weeks is not due to lack of interest or my failure to turn on the computer, it's a result of not having a computer with me during a week spent on each coast.

The first week of August I had the privilege of traveling to JH Ranch (http://www.jhranch.com/), which is located just outside Etna, California, with our 13 year old daughter Moriah. For me to suggest JH Ranch is a great place would, candidly, be an understatement. This was my second trip to the Ranch after last year having shared a week with our then 15 year old daughter Hannah. A place has to be better than great to cause two teenage girls to enjoy spending a week with their dad.

The second of August was family vacation time spent on the shores of Skaneateles Lake, which is located about 20 miles southwest of Syracuse, New York. This is our home area. I was born and raised in Central New York and Cathy graduated from Skaneateles High School. It is a picturesque area, which is something I did not fully appreciate until we moved away. While the picture is two years old, it remains one of my favorites as it shows our family, a beautiful lake and creates the impression that we are quite the outdoors explorers.

This blog entry is written from Orlando, in a hotel located directly across the street from Sea World. The evening fireworks are exploding outside my window as I type. My runs here the past two days have been short since my next marathon is scheduled for Saturday morning. No need for too much extra exertion during the week prior to a marathon. One interesting aspect of running beside an amusement park is the sound of screams coming from those "enjoying" the roller coaster experience. Ah, the joys of family vacations!

It's been a little over five weeks since the Missoula Marathon (July 12) and I'm now less than 48 hours from my August event in Park City, Utah. Tomorrow (Friday) will be filled with a morning meeting, an afternoon/evening flight from Orlando to Salt Lake City, followed by a hopefully short drive and a planned arrival in Park City around 9 p.m. Mountain Time. The Park City Marathon will begin at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, so I need Delta Air Lines to run on schedule. Otherwise, it will be a long day and short night before the race.

How did I end up running in Park City, Utah? Since August has relatively few marathons and I was busy with family early in the month there was only one weekend for me to fit in a run. A quick check of marathonguide.com showed my options were Park City, Utah; Ashton, Idaho or Green River, Wyoming. I was able to secure a direct flight from Orlando to Salt Lake City using Delta Sky Miles, and I don't think there are any direct flights from Orlando to either Ashton or Green River. So, tomorrow, I will be heading out to Utah!