Grandfather Mountain Marathon

Sometimes it is best to live vicariously though others.  I have gone from walking to running for my health, but my running is short and only to the extent that I enjoy it.  There is a fellow Kellogger here this year who is a marathon runner.  Ana is from Houston; she is a developmental reading specialist with a doctorate, and she is a marathon runner.

 Today is the Grandfather Mountain Marathon.  The run started off at the App State Stadium; from there it goes onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, goes UP Grandfather Mountain (no kidding), and ends at the Highland Games, a big annual thing around here that has something to do with lots of men in kilts.  The Grandfather Mountain Marathon is known as one of the most rigorous in the country.  And a fellow Kellogger ran in the Grandfather Mountain Marathon today.

One very cool thing about Ana's running in the Grandfather Mountain Marathon was that a dozen or so of us decided to get up before the sunrise to walk to the stadium with her and then -- so exciting -- to see the start of the marathon and to actually see somebody we know running in it!  (They really shoot off a gun - as in BANG -  after they say ready, set, go!)

So there we were, quite an assortment of ages, shapes, and sizes -- Kellogg scholars heading excitedly to the Grandfather Mountain Marathon starting point.  Only one of us actually ran the thing, but the rest of us had a great time experiencing the excitement through our classmate and friend.

Oh, and there were men in kilts - running!  Only in Boone.

The fun part of today, unfortunately, ended at the start of the race.  I'm back to the residence hall to regroup and to start what looks like it will be a day of research and writing.  I have two libraries to visit and much to do to prepare for the upcoming week.  NCDE has its own library, here, at Appalachian State, and it is quite a comprehensive collection of all things pertaining to developmental education.  It is open for a short time on Saturdays, but then I am off to App State's big library, which is breathtakingly gorgeous in every way.  I must take some photos of it.  It is five stories, and it is round.  There are view of the mountains from panoramic windows.  More on that amazing place another time.

Off to work and research and write and learn ...