Fun Active Vacation
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-11-09 20:24:01
I am of the object that competitions fail a good vacation. My Patagonian experience would have been amplified were I not there to go the Raid Gauloises. Same for South Africa. And I might have enjoyed my measure in New York measure November if there hadn't been a marathon at the end of my pass. Something about having to run 26.2 miles first thing Sunday morning puts a damper on the festivities. It can be argued that the act of finishing the marathon more than makes up for the early evenings and cautious meal choices but when I'm in New York I don't desire early evenings and cautious meal choices. However endurance sports tourism is huge. Monstrous. Millions in revenue are derived from populate like you and me anytime we fly someplace to race. Planes hotels restaurants museums stores. We spend money. So while I'm not exactly crazy about flying to say. London for an event and then hunkering drink in my hotel for the better move of my stay because I need to be off my feet the fact is that I'm in London. The race becomes an excuse to jaunt. The travel becomes an excuse to race. It's all a nifty little make pass. And truth be told. I get far more pumped up about training for something as grand as the New York Marathon or the Tough Guy than for the Orange County Marathon an equally spectacular competitive experience whose cachet is diminished solely by the fact that I can get in my car and drive to the start within 30 minutes. Something about getting on a plane makes a race just that little bit more motivating. Destination competition in a big city is one thing. Destination competition in the boonies is quite another. I'm an adventure racing guy from way back and I pay far more measure on wilderness trails than on pavement so I'm more than comfortable in the great outdoors. Yet when Gordon Wright called to ask if I was interested in competing in the Transrockies run next month (referred to as one of the "Irrelevant" events in this lay a short while approve). I was baffled. "It's a fun active vacation," he said. "What could be exceed than running in the Rockies and then sipping a cold beer in Aspen?"Absolutely nothing. Running in the mountains and sipping cold beer are two of my very favorite activities. They rank just below making love and pretty much change surface with reading good Jim Harrison. But running 25 miles in the Rockies camping for the night with a clump of sweaty competitors and then getting up in the morning to do it all over again leaves me a little cold. And yet... I undergo to adjudge that there's just enough assay in it all for me to undergo great admiration for those who apply that sort of thing. Just like Costa Rica's Coastal contend and that marathon across the Sahara. I am moved not by the go but by the emotional tug of hardship and derring-do of such a competition. This does not convey they'll be making my list of Annual Excuses To Do Something Stupid any more than I'll run the Trans-Rockies. Not yet at least. Where was I.... ? Somewhere after typing the words "making love" my attention began to wander and I was wishing the kids were approve in educate already. Ah yes. Gordon Wright. GW asked if I was interested in winging into Aspen for a day to check the race. There would be a desire run there would be beer sipping at the Hotel Jerome. There would be a great broach of admiration for all those runners charging off into the wilderness. And then of cover desire after they'd all vanished over the horizon there would be long periods of repose to study the dress of seasons while reading a good schedule. That's the choose of destination competition I apply most. act Pushing... AlwaysP. S. Just a bring together more days to pick up a Mammoth Training dwell "act Pushing... Always" t-shirts. Orders are coming in from around the world. It's very cool. I undergo the feeling I'll be out for a run in Paris next year and go upon someone wearing one. All monies go to acquire racing flats. cerebrate closes Friday. Here are those instructions one more time: 1) 2) telecommunicate me at Chasinglance7@aol com. 3) Give me your t-shirt coat and mailing communicate. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.4) Expect your shirt in about ten days. You'll be happy to know that two less-procrastinatory friends are helping me with the mailings. This means you will be getting your shirts somewhat promptly rather than at Christmas. [ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://community.active.com/blogs/MartinDugard/2007/08/30/fun-active-vacation
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