Marathoning Bling

While I decide whether I am going to keep this blog going or not - although given that I last posted something more than a month ago, one could easily argue that I have not kept it going - I thought I would put a few photos out there of my medals from races - my "marathoning bling."

My six medals for my Team in Training races are on the outside.  Starting from the top left and moving clockwise, they are: Midnight Sun Marathon, Anchorage, Alaska, June 2005; San Diego Marathon, June, 2006; Arizona Marathon, Phoenix and environs, January 2008; Country Music Half Marathon, Nashville, Tennessee, April 2009; Seattle Half Marathon, June 2010; Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon, Hampton, Virginia, October, 2013.  In the middle is my medal from the Shamrock Half Marathon, Virginia Beach, March 2012.  It is my only long distance race that I didn't participate in for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Instead, I did it to celebrate 10 years as a cancer survivor. 

Each of these races was special in its own way, but the Arizona Marathon was special for four reasons: (1) it was my first long race as a grandpa (2) it was my last full marathon of 26.2 miles - maybe ever (3) it was my first long distance race that my sister Ann's name was on my shirt, she having been diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year before, and (4) it was my fastest time in a marathon, and first time under six hours, which is really difficult to do if one is walking the race.  That being said, running a marathon in any time is harder than walking it.  I know because I ran most of my three half marathons.

My two favorite medals are from Seattle and from the Crawlin' Crab.  Seattle's featured Mount Rainier and a steaming cup of joe:

And how can you not like the happy crab from Hampton?

For each of my six TNT races, I also got my coveted 26.2 or 13.1 pin.

My medals are all thrown in a drawer together, buried under workout clothing, so it was nice to take them all out, get a photo, and think of all of the hard work behind each little hunk of metal.