Penguin Journal

June 19, 2000

Dateline: Anchorage, Alaska

I saw moose. Actually, I ran right past a moose and barely noticed it! More on that later.

Alaska is called the land of the midnight sun and for good reason. This time of year, the days are so long that the sun really is nearly still up at midnight. I was out walking at 11:15 PM--watched the sunset then! By 4:30 AM the sun was back up.

I was in Anchorage to speak at the Team in Training pasta luncheon and dinner prior to the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon and Half Mararthon. Of the 2,500 or so runners in the event, about 2,000 were from various Team in Training chapters. Needless to say, the participants were all fired up and ready. Race day was a steady stream of purple as the TNT folks covered the course.

The race was run on paved bike paths and some unpaved "tank" trails used by the Army for training. I positioned myself close to mile 9, about 2 miles into the trails and just before the course starts to get....ummm.... gently rolling!!

The day was perfect. Cool but not cold. Overcast but not gray. A slight breeze, but not windy. It was an ideal day to take a 26.2 or 13.1 mile tour of Anchorage. I hung out at the starting line for the start and then made my way to mile 9 to cheer folks on.

Back to the moose. Sunday afternoon, I decided to try running on some of the smaller trails. Part of my training for the Pikes Peak ascent in August and Antarctica next year is running on trails to improve my balance and strength.

On the way OUT, I passed a "cow" moose. The danger there is that if the "cow" has a calf with her she can be VERY protective. Fortunately, this one was alone and just wandered away.

On the way BACK, I ran past a HUGE "bull" moose. I was so startled that I almost missed it, even though it was ENORMOUS. Of course, I wanted to have my picture WITH the moose, so we dragged out the digital camera. (I hope to have the photo on the web site soon.)

All in all, a GREAT trip!

I'm off to cover an adventure race this weekend. More on that next week.

Takin' it to the streets (and trails)...
John

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