Woodside Trail Marathon

Gail needed a marathon or longer for January to keep her monthly streak going. So at the last minute I found the the Woodside Trail Marathon. This is part of the Pacific Coast Trail runs that does such great easy going races in California and Oregon. Woodside is located in the Santa Cruz mountains just about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

Gail was just a tad chilly (A good thing!)


We spent the night down in Redwood City and with the nice 9 am start we didn't have to get up at 0-dark-thirty like most races. We had free breakfast at the hotel and then had a nice 15 minute drive up the hill to the start. The race was small with different distances of 5, 11, 22 and the marathon. There was only 20 signed up to do the marathon and a little over 100 for all the races combined. I love small races like this.


"Follow the green, red, purple, orange, brown...."

They gave us the directions. "Follow the pink ribbons then green then orange then green again and finally the pink return ribbons to the finish. Then off we went. Gail and I let the masses go first and that really slowed us down to a crawl. The trail immediately starts downhill and I figured we made a mistake by going last. It didn't thin out for over a mile. At a 1.5 miles or so Gail and I split up. The race started at about 850 feet and we dropped quickly to just over 300. Then the climb began. Over the next few miles we ended up at around 2,200 feet. We cruised at this altitude with just some rollers for quite a while. I ran most the uphills but maybe a half mile of the entire course.

I just tried to stay in a comfort zone this day. I never really pushed hard but never eased up either. Weather was a perfect 50 or so and overcast skies. Just a couple of misty moments was the most moisture we got. Between mile 6 and 16 I don't think I passed or was passed by anyone. I did run into some 22 miler and the quick marathon leaders coming the other direction but that was it. I was happy with that as i just cruised on. I gel'd about every 1/2 hour and a couple of S-caps an hour kept me pretty happy. I would snack on a few chips and drink some sports drink at each of the 4 aid stations.


Some of the wider sections



At mile 12 we had a nice drop from 2200 feet down to around 1300 or so. Then a nice grind up some fire roads over the next couple of miles. It was 95% runable but was at a 14 minute pace or so. Little baby steps for sure but I felt pretty good pushing my fat up that hill! At the top of the hill is AS 3 and I rested for a few minutes and refueled and told the volunteers to say hi to "Detour" when she comes in. (Then did too!) Off I went to nice "green ribbon" section of trail that is allot like Forest Park here in Portland. Some small climbs but mostly rollers along the hillside.

Looking up one of the Redwoods

As the last AS at around mile 21 I knew I had this one in the bag. I cranked the tunes up and headed out for one more tiny climb. I passed a few folks and chatted with them. Everyone one was very nice and I even gave a guy who was cramping up a few S-caps. I always carry extra for just that reason. We then hit the downhill. I knew from my watch that at some point we had to lose 1,400 feet, just when I didn't know. Well it happened quick. I trail they had paved. It kind of sucked to run this loose pavement but I understand that access is for everyone in the park, not just hikers and runners. But with such budget problems in California (Parks closed everywhere) why waste money on miles of loose pavement way up in a park? I don't get that? Oh well but it was easy to just let go and not worry about tripping but it did take away a bit from the trail aspect of the race.

This is why I run alone. Frickin scary lookin guy!

Back on the dirt we had another rolling section then another big downhill push. We dropped onto a dirt road that led us back to the finish line. It was great to have that downhill at the end of a race as it really helps me mentally push and for some reason my gut always seems to feel better.
I thought I might break 5 hours but it wasn't to be. I crossed the line in 5:03:45. I felt pretty good about this time on this tough little mountain course. Close to my slowest marathon time ever but you can compare these races.

Nice cutout

Gail crossed with a bit over 6 hours. She was a bit tired and felt she needed some more hill training before her next trail race. She is signed up for Mac Forest so this was a good test.


Gail crossing the finish. Whoo-Hoo!

We headed out to our hotel, rested up for a bit then out the door for downtown San Fran. It was fun as we went to the E & O Trading Company for a nice adult beverage then walked to a German place for a dopplebock of course! Back to Redwood City for a great meal at this sweet little local place we found.

This morning we slept in the caught our flight out of San Jose to get back to PDX mid-day. It was a fun little trip and great race. Thanks to RD Marissa for the good time. Oh yeah, a couple of years ago Marissa and I discovered that we had run together for awhile up Fuji Mt at Where's Waldo 100k. Funny how this trail running group is pretty small.


In honor of Ronda's "Black Saturday"group

Whats up next? Not sure. Gail is looking for her February race as of now. I got Hagg Lake 50k set next month but I would like to get another one in before that. Who knows what will catch our eye.

Pacific Rim One Day Run 2010

Hello all, here is a scan of the entry form for the Pac Rim one day run held in Longview, Washington on March 20 and 21st this year. This is a great 24 hour run on a nice 1 mile loop course. Race Direct Fred does a great job with this race. It is small and very low key. You get credit for finishing if you do at least a 50k. At night it is lit well enough you don't even need a headlamp. Most of the run is on nice pea gravel with just a touch of sidewalk.

Gail and I are planning on trying to do all 24 hours this year. Should be interesting to see how far we can go.

"Ya Gotta Beat Santa!"

Gail needed a Marathon in December to keep her streak going. (She has run a marathon or longer the last 30 months.) So at the last minute we decided to run the Santa Barbara International Marathon, the first one in fact. Gail had never been to SB so the fact we both had the weekend off it seemed like a good fit. Gail emailed the RD and asked if we could pick up our bibs on race morning rather than attend the expo. (Did I tell you I hate expo's!) He was great and said sure. He was very prompt at answering all of Gail's last minute questions.

We flew into Burbank rather than SB due to the timing of the flights. It was an easy drive of just 90 minutes to our hotel in Goleta, a SB suburb. We got to our hotel about 8:30 Saturday night. Got some food for the next morning and took a quick 5 hour nap.

Our 4 am wake up call came early. We had to drive to the finish line, park, take a bus back to the start line. It all worked out pretty good but you have to get up so dang early to do races like this. The bus driver messed up and took a wrong exit and some anal police officer made us walk a mile to the start line in the dark. But the nice part was the race started at an elementary school and they had opened up the classrooms and bathrooms for us. It was so sweet to be in a nice warm room for over an hour rather than standing out in 40 degree weather.

That throw away jacket has lasted for years


Just wondering around at the start


The race was delayed for a half hour due to a bad accident on the local freeway. We talked with Maniac #2 Hollywood for a while as we passed the time. Soon the sun was coming up and out to the start line the pushed us. The crowd was probably 1500 to 2000. A nice size as its not too big. They had a 4 leg relay going on at the same time too so that added to a bit of excitement in the crowd. The announcer was going crazy trying to get us all "pumped up" for the race. It was good for a laugh.

The kids at the start


A just the right size marathon

Off we went. The course started with an 8 mile loop back to the start then you reran 3 of the loop miles before heading out on new ground. I ran the first few miles with Gail and threaded our way through the usual crowds at the start. I always worry I am going to get tripped in this part. There were some rollers in the first loop but overall was pretty flat. Weather was perfect as the sun came into view and temps hit the upper 40's. I wasn't sure how I was going to run this race. I had a goal of sub 4:10 but was happy just to be running in a race. I just ran comfortable with no real pushing. Most of the first 15 miles I ran around 8:45 or so.


Go Detour!




Typical course section


My legs started to ache a bit around the half way point so I took some IB tabs. I was wearing a water belt this race so I could easily carry my camera and take some pix. The last marathon my upper back really hurt as I did the handheld bottle thing. The belt was nice as it left my hands free.


Somewhere in the mid teens


The course had a few good climbs but nothing drastic. At around mile 18 we got on a nice little bike path through the trees. This was my favorite part of the course. Soon we were back on residential neighborhood streets widing our way to the finish. I was tired by mile 21 but never enough to have to walk. I had no major pains either which was nice for a change.

Great bike path



Nice city streets to run on


The slope of the big streets is a pain to run on

At mile 23 or so we had this big climb. It was steep for sure. Everyone was walking but I was determined to run the entire section. I am a Ultra runner you know...this is a dinky little hill for us! Ha! I was barely moving but I was running. Every body I passed I thought they would be thinking. "Wow look at that 50 year old guy running up this hill". That was my motivation to keep going. So I guess getting old does have some benefit!


Fat Boyee around mile 20. Probably got Ted Nugent Cranked up!


At the top of the hill we dropped back off big streets to locals. We now were up on a bluff looking at the Pacific Ocean. As we meandered back and forth I always run the tangents of the turns. I am still amazed how people just stay on one side of the street and don't think about taking the legal short cut. You know when they measure the courses they do it via the tangents. So why not run a that route?

Now we came upon a park with about a mile and a half to go. It was really nice out. Mostly blue sky and 55 degrees or so. The beach and bay were all in view. The last mile was a great cruise downhill. My legs were pretty tired and didn't have any speed left in them, so a ton of sprinters were passing me. The had a nice crowd at the finish and I do have to admit that I like that. I crossed the finish in 4:10. A tad over what I wanted but much better than the last race.


Last mile or so along the coast


The finish line food was a joke. A cup of water, a banana and a Odwalla bar. Give me a break! $135 entry fee and that's all you get? What were they thinking? They did have a nice set up on the football field. With expo like booths set up. The one that cracked me up was some guy that had this booth bragging about how he was going to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks. Like what is the big deal with that? Tons of Maniacs have done way more than that in a year.


Across the street from the finish


Well I walked around with the plan of not sitting down for over an hour after the race. Lisa B.'s comment about the fact your legs are blood pumps and if you sit your bp will drop as the pumps quit pumping. I always crash after a race so I am really trying to keep moving so I feel better. I walked over to the beach. A woman was in getting her ice bath. I almost did it myself. I walked to the cafe on the beach and got a huge coffee, my recovery drink of choice. I decided to walk back to the finish line area. I didn't think Gail would be done yet as she was quite nervous about his run. She had only run like 3 times in the last 3 weeks since our previous marathon. I figured she would finish somewhere just under 5 hours.

As I got to about 50 yards from the finish I enjoyed watching the folks run in. I like to cheer for everyone as I know what they have just accomplished. Some are happy some are just barely hanging on.

Well guess what? Here comes a guy dressed in this plastic like Santa outfit. He is trotting down the chute waving at all the kids. That is pretty cool but you would never see me run 26 miles in some crazy outfit. Well then guess who is about 30 yards behind Santa? Yep its Detour. She is gonna have a great time. This is so cool. I yell "Go Gail Go Gail!" She finally sees me over the roar of the crowd. We make eye contact as she passes me. I yell at the top of my lungs, "Ya gotta beat Santa! Ya gotta beat Santa!!" So guess what? She just takes off. Full blown sprint to catch Santa. I lean around to see if she does it. Dang, I can't see because of the crowds. So I make my way to the finish area. I see the big beautiful Gail smile. I ask "Did you beat Santa?" "Yeah I did" she replies. I say "are you kidding me? you beat Santa?". "Well you told me to" Gail says. "Oh man are you gonna get coal in your stocking this Christmas" I say.


Here comes Santa!


In her best Forest Gump voice Gail says
"I gotta beat Santa!"

Later she tells me how she is just blowing by Santa at the finish as he is just jogging and waiving to all the kids. This has to be one of the funniest things we have done in a race. Gail smokes Santa in a photo finish.

Gail finishes in an awesome time of 4:42, almost 20 minutes faster than the San Antonio marathon. With only a few training runs between races Detour once again states that "Training is overrated." Actually she had a ton of personal issues come up during this time. It was truly amazing that she could do this race.

Well we walk a mile or so back to our car. We have a late check out so we can shower before our drive back to Burbank. We hit the road and once again traffic is just fine. At the airport we get our seats for our flight home. Soon one our pilots informs me that his family is with him and they won't be able to get on the flight unless I ride in the jumpseat in the cockpit for the flight home. He has his wife and two young kids with him. I say "sure" and change my ticket. Now you have to understand the jumpseat in this plane is just basically a 2 x 2 flat board with some padding on it. Your back is straight up against the door. Your legs hang straight down and can only move left to right about six inches. To say the least it is a very confined space. The flight takes two hours but I know both the pilots so we have a good conversation on the flight. The First Officer just ran his first marathon in Portland in October.

Soon we are back in our own car driving home. The entire trip only took us about 27 hours. Which is perfect for both Gail and I. I get race 62 in and Gail gets number 41. We are very happy we decided to do this race. I might even do it again sometime. It wasn't great but it was one of the better ones.

On the beach after the race




Finish area

Do I want it or not?

Yes I do! But do I deserve it? I read some other blogs about how many folks have not even qualified for it, so should they even have a chance to get in? That is the question that is floating around. What's it about? Western States 100 mile Trail Race, that's what! This Saturday December 5th is the Lottery. They say you have about an 18% chance or roughly one in five will get picked for next Junes race. I didn't get selected last year either. Used to be if you didn't get picked 3 years in a row you got in. Nope not now. This race has gotten to popular with the upswing in Ultra running in the last few years. Now all you get is a extra ticket in the hat for every year you don't get picked. That is unless you are really fast (top 10 finisher) or they like you and you are selected for some other reason. Well I'm fat, old and slow. So I guess I won't be on top of anyone's "special" list. So think good thoughts for me Saturday. "Oh God, I promise if I get selected to train as hard as I can for the six months. Really I will!!"

On another note, Gail and I just signed up for the Santa Barbara Marathon this weekend. Gail needs a December Marathon to keep her monthly streak alive. Nothing else worked for our schedules this month so we will just make this a quick trip.

San Antonio Rock 'n' Trot Marathon

Gail and I needed Texas for another state in our 50 State quest. And yes it will take a ka-gillion years to get them all! But we figured why not go to Southern Texas in November and get some nice weather. We don't really like huge marathons but this one fit into our schedule. We decided to fly into Austin first as I could use my travel privileges to get a us a free ticket there. Plus Olga and Larry live there so we could check out the town and get to see them for a night. Austin has like 50 bars in a 6 block area downtown. So we had some dinner then numerous drinks and had a great chat with Olga and Larry at a bar that was pretending to be Russian.

The next morning we drove down to SA. We checked into our hotel which was right on the River Walk and they said "Yes Mr. Henry we have upgraded you to the Presidential Suite". I play it cool like this always happens to me. Off we go to the 23rd floor and sure enough, we open the door and there is a 8 person dinning table with a chandelier over it. Leather couch, kitchen and two balconies. This is crazy!!! I only paid $134 for this. Well the downside was the air conditioning system on the roof above us made a racket but we soon didn't notice it.

So off to the expo we go and get our bibs. Did I tell you how I hate expo's? What a scam that is. Force you into town to spend money, no day of race packet pick up...waaaa...waaaaa.waaa! :)
But we ran into the "Prez" and "Hollywood" of Maniac fame so that was fun.



















We got back to our hotel and walked the river for a bit, then headed out for dinner. It was such a nice night with temps in the mid 7o's. I so enjoyed this over the wet cool NW right now.

The next morning we had to get up around 4:30. This race had 30,000 runners in it so we had to take a bus to the start line. When we got to the bus pick up spot their must have been over 5,000 folks just waiting to catch the bus! It took us over an hour of standing in line just to get on a bus. Then it was only a 10 minute ride to the start line, but...we then had to walk about a mile to the bag drop area. They have a coral type start here depending on your expected finish time. I was in coral 12 our of a total of 38. So we heard the gun go off and they would let a coral go every minute or so. Gail and then went to use the port a johns as the crowds then rushed to start. I knew we would have tons of time so we were in no hurry to join the masses. After that we eased our way into our spot and 5 minutes later we crossed the start line.

The weather was nice for the start but we would pay later on. It was probably 70 degrees and very humid (94%). The course took us back towards the city center. I was going to run with Gail for a bit today so we could just have some fun. As we meandered through the streets some spots would have a few fans and others would be sparse. We had a band every mile but by the half way point in the race most were on break when I went by. Gail and I ran the first 6 miles together which was really nice as we often don't spend more than a mile or so together. I picked up the pace and would look behind me and she was right on my heels. "That is so cool" I would think.

Soon we headed out west of town and started to get into some nice rural park settings. Many folks complained that this was boring but I really enjoyed the countryside. The wind picked up to about 15 mph in spots here so I would try to run in a pack. I was just going to cruise this day, have some fun and finish another marathon. We lost the 1/2 marathoners at around mile 10 so the size got much better (9,000 marathoners and 21,000 halfs). I had a goal of finishing around 4:10 but I could tell that probably wouldn't happen today. As the headwind became a tailwind it got real warm. The temps were mid 70's but the humidity was the tough part. The aid stations were great. Tons of fluids, even one spot had wet sponges! I just had one hand held so I didn't take my camera on this one.(I put that on my belt).

At mile 21 I started to walk. I haven't had to walk in a marathon forever. But my training has been sort of lame the last month and I was paying for it now. I walked for a 1/4 mile then ran for 3/4's of mile. I just didn't have much juice. The last mile I ran the entire way in. I was being pushed by a woman I asked to join me as I noticed her walking. She would pass me later a few times and would invite me on with her. As we neared the finish you had to go through an underpass then back up. I so hate hills at the finish. I saw the line and still just trotted across. I finished in 4:21. That still put me in the top third of all runners and top quarter in my new "old" age group of over 50. This was about my third slowest marathon of the year with my fastest being my last at 3:52.

The finish area was huge, with wet wash cloths, water showers and a fair amount of food. I hung out hoping to see Gail finish. I am trying to stay on my feet for an hour after the race. I am hoping this will keep my blood pressure from crashing and making me so light headed. No Gail, so I walked to were we planned on meeting. As soon as I sat down she walked up. We hung out for a bit then walked the mile back to our room. It was so nice to have such a great temperature and not have to worry about getting cold.

We relaxed in the room for a few hours then headed out down on the Riverwalk for dinner. We had a nice Mexican dinner with tons of Margarita's! Here I sit with this beautiful woman, drinking huge margarita's, in my shorts and tshirt with the temp still 70+. Oh this is the life for me!

The next day we had a long one. Had to drive back to Austin and we left SA at 0430. Then we didn't have positive space tickets so we had to go stand by. We ended up on Southwest for the entire day. Our route home was Austin to El Paso to Los Angeles to Oakland to Portland. Long day but it all worked out.

As I look back I really don't have a desire to do another Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. They are too big, too commercial and way to hard to get around at. If it was my first marathon? Yeah maybe. But it was fun to have great weather, an awesome hotel room and to see some old friends. So whats up next? Not a clue. Gail and I are searching for a race in December but not sure which one we will do. Gail is tired of all the travel so hopefully we will find one close by. I don't care what it is, trail, road, combination or whatever. I am not a trail snob or strictly a road runner. Just point in a direction and say 'Go there!" and off I will trot.

Portland Marathon is Good to Me

I have not been into the blog posting world as you have noticed. Not sure why but I think sometimes you start writing so much here that you feel like you have to spend hours writing each new column. I hope to get back at it by putting out smaller posts but more timely.

Well this post is about the Portland Marathon. Our hometown run you might say. Gail and I like doing this because it is so easy to run then just drive 10 minutes home. As I always say it's a boring and mostly ugly course but it is home.

Saturday,Gail and I went to the expo to do the packet pickup pain in the bbbb...bottom. (Don't get me started on expo's!) But we met up with Rick and then went up to Bob Dolphins room to help him celebrate his 80th birthday. Bob would be running his 452nd marathon the next day. So it was great to speak with him and his wife Lenore.

Sunday morning was nice. Not too cold but had a cleansing rainshower a few hours before the race. One of the running stores downtown allowed us to store our drop bags and keep warm inside which was awesome. We ran into Marc and Sarah and the rest of the Slug clan, Rick, Eric Katie, Tom and Abbe. Katie's brother was also running with us.

My plan for this race was simple. Warm up for a 1/2 mile then push a bit. Last year I didn't push until about mile 4 so this year I would try a bit earlier if I was feeling OK. I didn't have big goal of a PR but thought I would just play it by ear and see how running faster than normal would do for me.

A few minutes before race time we moved into position. They started us in waves this year and I think we were in the second one. It was just getting light when the gun for us went off. Gail and I took off together as we usually do. She runs faster than I normally would in the beginning so its fun to get to run with her for a bit.

As we passed Nordstroms the Portland Drum group was out playing in the usual spot. Boy I love these folks. Nothing gets the adrenaline flowing more than hearing the 20+ drummers in a downtown setting. The crowd was pretty heavy as usual for the first few miles. It was hard to pass and not get in folks way.

Soon as we make the turn back down Natio Parkway you get a really nice downhill. Last year this is where I pushed it up but this year I was already going good so I just cruised. Crowds were fun and I had printed "FAT BOYEE" on my bib. Not allot of folks feel comfortable yelling "go fatboyee!" so I didn't hear too much.

As we headed out the ugly industrial section I really tried to go. I was running 8:15 to 8:30's. Would see some fellow Maniacs and other friends on this out/back and it made the run fun. I made mile only pit stop here for the entire day. Yes I know that's a shocker and it helped my time with only a 30 second stop rather than 3 or 4 of them.

As we headed up to Northwest Portland area we have a little climb. I just tried to run via my breathing rate and not push too hard. There is plenty of flat to push hard later. Through NW was fun as allot of families come out to cheer you on. But soon we get to the Highway 30 section. Most folks hate this part because its a wide 4 lane road and you can see out to the St. Johns bridge. To many it seems you will never get there. Well I like this part. It is my best part of a marathon usually. Which is between mile 12 and about 17. This is when I often get my fastest per mile times. You know...it takes a long time to get this much fat warmed up! :) I really pushed here. Running the tangents of the corners. I need the mental stimulation just to keep from feeling the pain. Also around here I took 2 Vitamin I's to help numb the pain. I had hamstring pain the whole race from mile 2. It got better but never went away and has been bugging me off and on all season.

I love the St. John bridge climb at mile 17. It is like a change of pace. You get some good lung burn and your quads start to sing a bit. I just put my head down but stayed up right and once again ran via my breathing. At the top of the bridge you realize you have run 17 miles. There was a nice cool breeze here and had a good time going down the backside. I looped down under the bridge area and saw Darin and Trisha and shouted out a "hi!". Then we do a little hill climb for a few blocks and then its just flat for miles.

This North Portland section is when you start to see the folks that are hurting. I just kept pushing. I was actually running much harder than my fitness should have allowed. I have done zero speed training this year. It was all experience with pain now. How long can I hold out. I still felt great as we passed mile 20. Maybe just a tad bit of fatigue.

Mile 21 (Photo by Sarah D.)


Soon we hit the nice downhill section near Adidas headquarters. I love this part and I push hard. I am doing 7:20/7:30 pace here, which for me is like sub 5 for an elite. I love to feel the wind in my face. (Most the time the wind is faster than me!) I continue to pass many runners. I cruise by Widmer's Brew Pub and I start to feel a bit tired here around mile 24 or so. I might be running out of gas? I still go though. I get lots of "Go Maniac" today which is fun. (Wearing Maniac Yellow shirt) This year I bypass the free beer as I might just PR. I hit the last bridge and I still feel OK. But as I roll off the bridge onto Natio at mile 25 I soon realize that I am done. The gas tank just went to fumes. The last mile tons of folks pass me. I bet 5 people didn't pass me the last 8 miles now probably 30 pass me the last mile. My pace slows to about a 9 something. God I want to just be done. But I am pretty happy cause this Fat Boyee is gonna PR today. "Whoo Hooo!" I make the turn up towards the fat lady singing and turn off my ipod so I can hear the crowd. This is when big marathons are fun. Enjoy the moment Bret.


Mile 26 (photo from Sarah)


I turn and see the last 100 yards to the finish. For the first time in my career I see the clock with less than 4 hours on it. Yes I have finished under 4 before but never gun time. This is cool! I cross the line at 3:52, a PR for the marathon of over 4 minutes. Which was last year here too. Never thought I could run a 3:52 so I am pretty dang happy. This will be my last race as a 40 something year old. In a few weeks after the race I turn 50. I keep getting faster every year. I know my body will probably not let that happen for too many more but I sure am having fun trying.

At the finish I wait for friends and family. Gail crosses at 4:27, a great time for her. She had a good day but was bored as she ran alone all day (You see Gail is a social runner and likes company). Soon Eric crossed, then Katie and her brother and then the others. It was fun to chat with all and make some new friends too.

After a bit Gail and I got our Bob Dolphin Happy Birthday Tshirts on and went down to about mile 25.5 to run in with Bob. Soon he showed up around 6 hours and a bunch of us ran the last mile with him. It was so fun to cross the line with an 80 year old marathoner. Go Bob!

Well whats next? Portland kind of ends the heavy running season for me. I try and get a marathon or so in a month but its tough and the weather always is a battle. Gail and I are going to San Antonio to get a Texas Marathon done and hopefully enjoy some warm weather. It is a hug Rock and Roll marathon of 30,000 so I will just cruise and hopefully enjoy the day.

In closing I just want to say thanks to all the RD's for the great races this year. Eric you were a great friend to pace me twice, thank you! Gail, why you put up with my crazy running I will never know but I am so blessed to have such a great wife, friend and running buddy. I love you!

Oh and I am old now. I was as sore for the week after the marathon as I ever have been. Yep, I think I ran beyond what my body was trained for and I paid the price. But yes, it was worth every stair I struggled with for a week!

91.7 miles and 33 degrees

Gail and I were not quite ready to run a 100 miles so we decided to volunteer for Oregon's only 100 mile race, "The Hundred in da Hood". The race is similar to the PCT 50 mile in July except the runners go farther south on the PCT after coming back to the start line. Gail wanted to make sure we worked an AS that was late in the race. She wanted to learn from the runners about that last part of 100 mile trek. So Olga gave us the night shift at the Warm Springs Meadow AS at mile 91. Perfect!

So we got to the AS just before 7 pm. Our friends Sarah, Marc and their son (LG) had worked hard earlier in the day and did a fantastic job of setting up the tent, tables and the rest. They were the 40 mile AS as the runners continued south. Our AS was set up on an old dirt logging road that was about 15 miles south of the finish line and 4 miles off the main road. We were definitely in the woods! They left us their stove and pot which we thought was to be provided and that turned out to be very important later that night.

As it got dark we thought we would soon see our first runner. Our Ham Radio operator "John" was monitoring the position of the runners heading towards our AS. At 8 pm the leader came in. He stayed for a bit and ate and drank quite a bit. Soon number two rolled in just as one headed out. Two then decided "I'm OK" and went out right behind one. Ah the race is on!

The runners then started to stream in through out the night until dawn. We probably never went more than 15 minutes without seeing anyone. We boiled water, made sandwiches, refilled the cups. Just all the usual AS stuff that we all take for granted. We had one runner come in so badly hurt I had to drive him back to the finish line at 2 am leaving Gail to handle everything while I was gone. But of course she did a great job on her own.

We were surprised how upbeat most runners were. I expected to see folks just hanging on by a thread. But I only saw that a couple of times. Boy you guys and gals are tough!!!

Finally I could see the sun starting to come up. We figured we would have to stay at this AS till 9 am or so. We had some very cold runners who DNF'd at our AS. We put them in our car with the heat on. Soon they got rescued by crew members. We packed up some stuff and Gail headed back to the finish. The last runners came through around 8:30 or so. I had to tell one guy a couple of times how fast he would have to run to finish under the cutoff time. He was a bit woozy and hopefully he figured it out.

Soon Susan and Bob the Sweep team came through. They were cold so we warmed them up with tea and coffee. When they left we broke down the camp and ensured we left zero trash behind.

At the finish we talked with some of the runners and Olga. Soon I headed out for home. Gail still had to drive to Seattle that night. Later I figured I stayed up for 29 hours straight. I can not tell you the last time I did that in my life? Maybe never? It was crazy but I had a great time. Thanks Mike and Olga for a great race. I will do this again next year, either by running or the AS. But I will be back!
(Pictures up later as I am out of town without the camera)