The Loop Run is now history.  I have had better runs and better races in the past, but today was a nice and slow run with a few buddies.  Well, at least at the strart I had buddies, but after the race started I was on my own, until I met up with Brian Calvert.  He asked me what kind of finishing time I was hopeing for and I told him that the ferry left at 5:35 and I needed to be on that boat.  He thought that was good enough. 

Brian has been of friend of mine since I moved to the island.  I traveled up the West Coast in a Selene 42' with him a few years ago.  Brian always runs from Roche Harbor to town on his birthday, which is in November, and the route is close to 10 miles.  I have run with him on a few of those birthday runs.  We also have run together over in Port Townsend for the Rhody Run - the same year as the comet Hale Bopp.  The t-shirt was a cool design with the comet on it.  We have had many runs together over the years.

We moved through the race course and talked about things that have happened in our lives over the past year.  Brian sells boats and spends part of his time in Friday Harbor and some of his time in the Seattle area with his wife, Sasha.  We had a nice visit and a nice run.

Just short of the finish line I met up with my friend Paul, who asked me if the Argyle Hill has as bad being out of shape.  I flipped him off.  Samanta and Jen were there giving high fives. 

Finishing time 1:04.  Last years time 41:48.  Some twenty-three minutes slower.  Almost a minute a pound, since I am close to 30 pounds heavier than last year's race.

Next year is the 30th!!!

And I am up.  Something wrong with that, especially when Monday through Friday we are up by this time of the day and today is a non-work day.  Not that there is something wrong with getting up early.  I enjoy it, I actually do, but some mornings, like Saturday for instance, the mornings should be enjoyed best when the time is 8:00 or so.

Last week I wrote about the joys of sleeping in some on Saturdays, but today I have no luxury.  We need to catch the 7:35 ferry, as we normally do for work, to travel over to Friday Harbor for The Loop Run, which is the 29th running.  I got to run it, I mean this is a tradition.  It's County Fair week and The Loop Run, formally called the Journal Run, is apart of it.  Like Ginger Rogers was to Fred Astaire.  Like McCartney was to Lennen.  Like 500 is to Indy.  Any one who has ever thought of running, let alone runs, should toe the starting line and run this 8.8K race. 

Now there will be some racers, but most of us will take our sweet time and enjoy the views and the course as it winds around Turn Point and the water.  The Turn Point Loop is one of my all time favourites, like the trail run up Mt. Helena.  Couldn't beat that run.  Beautiful, even in January, is the term for it.

At 9:15 am close to 125 runners will be lining up at the cross walk in Front of the movie theatre, and once started we will gleefully head down Spring Street take a right turn on First Street, then a left on Warbass and follow the road until we curse the big hill on the back side, slip past the gavel pit down to Argyle, really curse the Argyle Hill and then into the Fair grounds to be cheered and treated as heroes.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.  Well worth getting up at 5:30 for.