
Now for a new challenge: Are you faster than a 66-year-old in the marathon? Yes, the 26.2 mile marathon. If any mayor or city council member is up to this challenge and can beat me, he or she will receive a copy of the book, LifeNuts, and a complimentary consultation of how LifeNuts can save city budget dollars. All you need to do is to register at our presentation at the expo on Friday, November 1. Of course, you'll also need a time of around four hours, give or take ten minutes, depending on weather conditions. How valuable is this prize? Remember that the LifeNuts lifestyle is why Mike Fremont is still running marathons in his 90s. Now for his weekly message:
"Training" efforts this past week, 9-1 thru 9-6-13: ran 25 miles, walked 5 miles, raced canoe 3 miles three times.
Schedule for week of 9-8-13: run 30 miles, race canoe 3 miles three times, rest 1 day.
A RUNNER'S TRAVELOGUE OF REWARDING PLACES TO RUN
Point Pelee, Ontario, Canada, smallest national park, 30 miles from Detroit, trails and road, gravel beaches with sand, flat, natural, wildlife especially birds, lake views.
Pelee Island ( by boat from Leamington, ON or U.S.) small, deserted roads, lake views.
The Algarve in Portugal, beaches Praia da Falesia, (1 mile plus, short but amazing red cliff beauty)
Praia da Rocha, and beach at Faro, long. Many beach people go nude or half that way.
San Francisco, the Embarcadero, concrete but interesting harbor; Golden Gate NRA beach
Santa Monica, CA "one of the best 10 beach cities in the world", very wide beach with bikeway
Mt. Washington Auto Road, New Hampshire, 8 miles to summit, pick up about 4800 feet, superb views. Challenging hill, up, as well as down.
Franconia, NH, a 9-mile bikeway, very scenic as picks up some 2000 feet through the "Notch."
Logan, Ohio, Hocking Hills Park, any number of spectacular trails, not paved, natural, good
dining
Peninsula, Ohio, The Towpath, where the Towpath marathon is held, Cuyahoga National Park, crushed stone trail, great natural beauty, no structures. It's where the Ohio and Erie Canal ran, with stone remnants and a wonderful national park museum on the history of the towpath.
Presqu'Ile, PA (greater Erie) The earlier Erie marathons used to do 2 circuits of this park so you can get 13.1 miles of new sights.
Niagara Falls, ON along the Niagara River, a bikeway on a river that doesn't flood (it connects Lakes Ontario and Erie), no industrial or commercial eyesores, land used for vineyards, to historical village Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Vero Beach, FL, the beach along the ocean, great sand at low tide, at least 15 miles of unobstructed beach, maybe the best I have ever run on. Only one high-rise in the whole region. Includes Sebastian Inlet beaches, spectacular tidal flow, surfing and big sea birds to see.
Cape Hatteras, NC, beaches, Ocracoke, Outer Banks, all the running on the beach mileage you could want. Shark's teeth in the sand. Ran 105 miles, 15 miles a day for 7 days about 1982.
Ipswich, MA, Crane Beach, about 5 miles of superb beach with sand dunes and sand trails with beach grasses, hornbeam and maples.
Mill Valley, CA, to Stinson Beach, or vice versa! The famous Dipsea Trail. Challenging, steep, 7.1 miles, beautiful, natural, no buildings, all woods and rocks. Mountain lions have been seen there
Newburyport, MA, north of Boston, Parker River Wildlife Refuge, 6 mile road ending in
beautiful beach just across from Crane Beach mentioned above. Wetland viewing sites, very little traffic, blacktop to dirt road
Sharon Woods, Hamilton County Ohio Park, 5 mile trail circuit heavily wooded with 100 feet of rise per mile - so good hill training, thru spectacular valley and around a lake.
Eleuthera, Bahamas beach. Beautiful gently shelving sand. Do it now before ocean rises and covers it. Natural gas sends up bubbles in wet sand.
Mt. Desert, ME, Bangor area, Acadia National Park, a big hill with magnificent views. The MDI marathon is held here in October.
Chicago lakefront, unobstructed lake view for several miles on concrete surface.
Charleston, SC, many miles of good runnable beach.
Cartagena, Colombia beach
Rio de Janeiro beaches - Copacabana and Ipanema - these are big and interesting and runnable.
Laguna Beach, CA, wide and beautiful.
Dixville Notch, NH, a road to Colebrook picking up about 1500 feet over a mountain pass. Ran a marathon there, one of only 25 in the race. Beautiful scenery, challenging climb, few cars.
Escondido, CA, San Dieguito River Park Trail, Trail #6, Mule Hill. Gorgeous, interesting, warnings about rattlesnakes and mountain lions, about 10 miles, gentle hills.
All these have been most worthwhile to run, quiet, uncrowded, safe except for the snake and lion warnings. Be careful in New Hampshire - there are bumper stickers "I Brake for Moose". Hitting a moose is not like hitting a deer.
Some of these experiences go back as far as 1965; so some of the runs may have changed, for better or for worse! Questions? Call me at 513-771-5087.