Running a Home Town Race - Willamette Valley Marathon

 During Covid I had some interesting goals. In June of 2020 I started a running streak of at least 2 miles a day. I always wondered what that would be like. So I ran 157 days in a row until I had to have hernia surgery, which I found out I had for over 4 years which every doctor but what thought was something else. It hurt most every time I ran so long training was super hard and painful. So a week after surgery I started another streak in December of 2020 that lasted 101 days. It was fun but I found my long training would be better without the streak at my age. So I became more focused on getting back to what longer events, which brings us to this blog.

I ran the Willamette Valley Marathon in the town I grew up in, Salem, Oregon. I had never run anything further than a half marathon here. Plus I would be running in some areas that I hung out as a kid, Minto-Brown Island Park. The interesting thing about this park is a lot of it is built over the 2 largest dumps in Salem's history. We lived in the country with no garbage service so every month off we would go to the dump with the family pickup. Who would have thought one day I would be running 26.2 miles over my old shoes, footballs, clothes and unfinished green vegetables that I refused to eat off my plate as a kid. You smell methane there?? That was me! 

We started at the Salem Riverfront park which is just a great area on the Willamette River in downtown Salem. (Trivia note: My over achieving mother was on the early development committees to bring this park to life in the 1980's and 90's). Race started at 8:30 which was nice as Gail and I drove down from Lake Oswego that morning. Detour was running the half as she is a world Pickleball Ace now and doesn't have much time for silly race training. We had about 120 runners at the start and the temperature was perfect in the low 50's and overcast skies. We had a 10 to 15 mph wind at times so that was a bit painful but not brutal.  I felt well trained for the event with mileage of 36 to 40 miles a week over the last 3 weeks and one 20 mile training run. I also had run the Vernonia Marathon back on April 10th so I had a good base. 

I settled in to a nice 10:15 pace or so. My goal was to run just under 4:30. I always start a bit slow as my heart rate is always elevated for about the first 20 to 25 minutes. For example I was at about 145 bpm and then settled into 125 bpm until about 2 hours, then fatigue elevates my rate slowly until the last 6 miles when I get back to about 140 bpm. (My resting rate is 52)

Around mile 2 ish we hit the dirt part of the course. It got a little muddy along the Willamette then it got real muddy, I mean ultra mud. Some runners you can tell are road runners and they were avoiding the mud at all cost. I tried to avoid of course but at times had to get dirty. This went on for maybe a 1/3rd of a mile. Then we got back on the very nice bike paths with lots of shade.

Around mile 5 we pop out of some road, it was very empty and was actually a nice change. Then back in the park and on the bike paths. With all the heavy rain Western Oregon has gotten this spring I new portions of this trail is prone to flooding. Sure enough, water running across the trail a nearly ankle deep. I just plowed through knowing wet shoes won't kill me. Both times I crossed this I saw people sitting down taking off their shoes and wringing out their socks. Really? I guess if you have never run for an entire race with wet feet it could freak you out. 

I didn't pass many folks the first lap and this was a two lap Marathon. At the split at the half I was at 2:14 so I was a bit surprised I had a chance for my 4:30 goal. I had some really bad leg pain just below my knee and on the side of my shin for about 3 miles. It was pretty intense and was really hoping this would settle down and go away. I took 2 IB's and sure enough 20 minutes later no pain the rest of the day. 

Nutrition was a 2.5 bottles of  Nuun and Salted Carmel Gels. I would take water from cups at most Aid stations which were 2.5 miles apart. I specifically thanked the RD's after the race for having cups for me to add to my nutrition. I am not for this no paper cup race policy and I will avoid most races under a 50k that follow this. I know its great PR for you to take a picture of your only 2 bags of garbage for your "green" race but it really sucks for me to have to stop and wait for someone to fill my bottle. Ultra Marathons, fine, seconds don't matter as much but when I am racing I want the best performance I can get (and yes I am paying you for!) and not stopping but grabbing that water on the run means a lot to me. A 10k or 5k, I can understand but you are not supporting the runner in the best way possible by forcing a runner to carry a cup and wait in line. Sorry...my blog my soapbox.

The second lap I actually felt better. Got into a bit of a groove and just kept nearly the same pace. I picked off 17 runners and was only passed by one runner who I passed back at mile 23. I did slow down a bit after mile 21 but only about 10 to 15 seconds per mile. 

I had a nice tailwind the last mile so I decided to kick a bit and see if I had gas left as I was tired but actually feeling semi strong. I increased my arm pumping motion which really seems to drive my legs when I am tired. I ran a 9:30 the last mile and had a couple small climbs to the finish. I never looked at my watch the entire last 13 miles until mile 25. I didn't think I could break 4:30 but the racer had to try. 

As I came up over the bridge I saw Gail ahead waiving. It was a great feeling to see her as often it is me cheering her on as I finish first.But she ran the half and got done this time before me. I kicked even a bit more but not a sprint. I crossed the line without slowing down. (Btw why do most runners slow that last couple of strides before the line? I see even the elites do that often. Don't get that.) I looked down at my watch and what do you know? I saw 4:29:38! Woo Hoo! Damn that feels good. I tried to run 4:30 at Vernonia but ended with 4:41. 

Got my medal and gave Gail Faux Hug (she hates sweaty/stinky old men). That was fun!

We hung out and had amazing free food, beer and wine. You could have Pizza, tacos and up to 3 beers or wine each. Probably one of the best finish line food events I have seen. 

 

 I ended up finishing 3rd fastest guy over 60, so got a nice wineglass as a prize. 2 women over 60 smoked the course and beat all the men over 60. 

After having beer and food we were walking back to the car. My sandals kept folding over in the front and I would stumble a bit. Sure enough, crossing the parking lot in front of a car I did a face plant on the pavment! Took off some skin on my foot and some bruises but nothing broke. Even dropped a stemless wine glass and it didn't break!

So I highly recommend this race for a couple of reasons. One the course is great, as it has a nice mix of dirt (probably 3 to 4 miles worth), and paved trails and road. And the finisher food is great and they had plenty go around even for the back of the pack crowd. So I will do this one again someday.

Whats next? Not sure? I would like to do another marathon in late June or early July. Maybe Missoula? Maybe Sauvie again for the ka-gillionth time? Maybe a few halfs over the next month. I just want to try and stay injury free and waddle til I drop. I hate running but I sure love racing, even if it is just against myself and the clock. Let the juices flow!

 

Life, Blogs and Running Goes On

 Blogging died but I didn't. I miss blogs. I like the detail. I am tired of our soundbite society. News is headlines, Facebook is short, twitter even shorter. Never did Instagram or Tik Tok or much of anything else.  We don't talk we just text because it is faster. Social media changed everything. But I want to read my fellow runners blogs and feel the pain and the happiness they feel. 

My last post was March of 2016, I thought it was last year. Oh well, I am 62 now and my blog laid dormant for 6 years. What have I done since then in the running world? Well as you know I had some major injuries then in 2017 a Brain Virus. Then had an mis-diagnosed groin hernia for about 4 years that kept me from running long. But all is fixed and I am doing what I can. 

I ran many a 10k and half marathon over the last 6 years. I did Vernonia Marathon in April of 2016. 27+ miles at Elijah Bristow in 2017, Marathon at Operation Jack in 2018 and 2019. 2020 covid killed the Marathon yearly streak I had going since 2000. 

In 2021 I decided at 61 my hard trail Ultra days were probably coming to a close. I always loved SOB 50K at Mt Ashland and so Detour and I decided to give it one more try while we had the legs. We trained pretty hard. Ran the "Light at the end of the tunnel" marathon as a training run. I did 4:25 which was great for not pushing on rainy day but a sweet gentle downhill course.

I was very excited for SOB, it was a beautiful sunny day with just a bit of smoke. The plan was just to go easy and finish well. At mile 6 or so you start a great downhill on soft trails. But I was getting severe knee pain out of nowhere! It wouldn't go away even when I slowed down. As soon as I hit uphills no pain. I also noticed I was getting a arch blister, at mile 7. Crazy as I had used silicon on my feet and have not had foot issues this early in a race. The knee recovered as soon as we start that big grind climb up the forest road and I was just power walking with local young guy I had met on the trail. Chatting is always a great way to hide the discomfort. At the halfway point we get some nice downs on gravel road then make the quick turn to go around Red Rock Mountain. I hit that trail and my energy died. I was walking much sooner than I expected. About two miles later I got severe sharp hip pain on my bad hip side. This was about a 8 on the pain scale. I tried stretching and even resting for 5 minutes. I could hardly even walk it hurt so bad. I think it took me about an hour to go the next 1 or so to the aid station. No way I could even run a step. I sat and thought of my options. Call it a day or just try. I figured it was a hard climb to the next AS so I might try. I got 100 feet out of the AS and was in agony. Never had pain like this in a race. I turned around to head back to the AS, went about 10 steps and said "F*** it!" and going to try. I don't think I ran a step to the next AS which was probably 5 miles or so. I got there and sat for maybe 10 minutes. I was exhausted and uncomfortable but I knew in my head I could probably walk it in. So out I went gimpy and limpy! After a while I could trot a bit on the downhills but was super slow. Many of the older runners were passing me know. Didn't really care, just wanted to finish this great 50k one more time. I finally finished in crazy slow time of 8:50, by far my slowest 50k ever. But I finished. Gail came in a bit after me and was exhausted too. She really is so tough. That night it was beer and trivia at a local pub. I was so happy to have been able to complete this dream one more time. I think my trail Ultra's are done as my body just can't hold up. But running road marathons and some 50k's I think should be fine.

                                                               2021 SOB Record Slow but Finished!
 

In October of 2021 Gail and I ran Autumn Leaves 50k. We were RD's for 8 years and due to Covid and injuries this was our first chance to run the event. It was a great sunny day with a bit of a breeze. Gail and I just ran together all day. What a way to experience an event you loved for the past 15 + years with your partner.  We finished in 7:37. Plus I had tons of great junk food at the aid stations!! Oh yeah, I tore my calf muscle 3 months earlier and couldn't run for 7 weeks, so I was woefully under trained. Damn that Pickleball :). 

In March I went to Longview to run Pacific Rim One Day Run or Pac Rim as we call it. I was going to do a 20 mile training run then just walk the 12 miles to get a 50k finish. I ran into my good old running buddy Sarah Duncan. She and I hung out for the last 15 miles or so. We ran the straights and walked the ends. I ran way more than I thought I could but as we have said, being with others makes it so much easier. Plus we caught up on the many years of life since we last chatted. I got my 32 miles in 6:56 and called it a Great Day! So fun to see friends on that 1 mile loop course. I think I could do this every year.

                                                                Old Friends getting Loopy!

 This April I ran Vernonia Marathon, such a great trail and nice course. But this year was cold, even snowed on us for a few miles. I really wanted to run sub 4:30 but speed has left my body. I ended up with a 4:41 which is fine but it's hard to see times slipping away when you are working just as hard as you did when you ran sub 4 hours. I was pretty much on track until the half way point, which marathoners know is 20 miles. My pace just went straight down every mile after that. The legs just didn't have the miles on them. Gail did the half and ran in the last half mile with me, which was fun. 

Well its late May now. I have another marathon this weekend in Salem. I grew up there so I have always wanted to run a marathon in town. This one runs out towards the area I grew up. I wasn't a runner when I lived there. I hope to run 4:35 this weekend. 4:30 would be a gift that I am not trained for but a finish and feel good is now my favorite goal. Thanks Blogspot for keeping this alive. I have missed you. Even if no one reads this I know I can someday.

Pac Rim Part 7

So Gail and I are training for the Vernonia Marathon in early April. We needed a 20 miler this weekend and we were bored running 'round da hood. So we haven't been up to Longview for Pac Rim 24 hour run for about 4 years. Life happens and we just missed it. Fred is awesome so we figured we would donate to the cause and do our 20 miles in one mile loops.

Gail had to work late on Friday so we just showed up at the start 3 hours late at noon. "Hey, it's a chip timed run and we were not going to run for 24 hours!". I know lazy bums we are but it was great to sleep in a bit. We finally started running about 12:20 and the weather was perfect, clouds and about 60 degrees. I ran the first 5 miles with Gail then wanted to push a bit to get a strong 20 in. Now strong to me is quite different than it used to be. With the bad pelvis injury and a bit of arthritis in both knees and my good hip I run much more contained these days. Like you have heard me say, "I am just happy to be able to do this". My run went well, I ate plenty and stayed well hydrated. At mile 20 took a break and Gail and I started walking together. We walked 4 or 5 miles then started jogging a bit. Later Karen  came out and it was great to have her with us for the last 5 miles or so of our WOG. I got my 50k in and Gail had one more lap to do. We got very cool sweatshirts from the race. Not sure what brand but they are cozy!

I felt pretty good about being able to finish a 50k with not having done a 20 mile run in the last 5 months so I think we are both on a pretty good track to finish Vernonia in pretty good shape. Hopefully no death march to the finish.

The good news is I have more miles in this month by the 22nd than I have run in any month since last July! Yeah for actually training. It is such a new concept to me!

Oh yeah the title? I have ran this race 7 times now. A few 60+ milers, 50 milers...40 and a couple of 50k's or something like that. I like gettin' loopy.

6 X 5k = 30k Champoeg Race

Gail and I decided to run the ORRC 30k at Champoeg as a training run. We have a goal race of doing the Vernonia Marathon in early April. Neither of us ran much this winter. I think I got 65 miles in January and barely 100 in February. I got out often just short distances. So we both made out training plans and figured a while back that we better get the long runs in if we were not going to die at Vernonia.

Champoeg park had an issue with the wooden bridge this year so instead of running 3 10k loops we did 6 5k loops, which by the way I really enjoyed. It seemed to go by much quicker running the nice 3.1 mile loop rather than going all the way out to the east end of the park before turning around. The weather turned out to be perfect! Probably 57 at the start and mid to low 60's by the finish with touches of blue sky.

Ever since my injury my training pace is just over a 10 min/mile. Slow yes but it is what allows me to continue to run. My goal for Vernonia is a 10 min pace or about a 4:25 marathon. So I figured if I could do a 9:30 pace for the first 20k then see how I feel for the last 10k. Well I felt pretty darn good. I had some great chats with other runners and the volunteers. So I figured I would just keep on doing what was working. I ended up running exactly a 9:30 pace. So I finished under 3 hours and felt great after the race.

I will most likely get a 50k at Pacific Rim One Day Run in two weeks at Longview. I always enjoy this course and I will just make it a run/walk but ensure I get at least 20 miles of running in. I will probably just do a 11 minute pace, so I don't over due it. Take some good breaks and just enjoy the day. I would like to get one more 16 to 18 mile run at race pace so that will probably happen two weeks prior to race day.

Mt Hood 50k & Some Other Little Stuff

Well.......It has been awhile hasn't it? Like the 80's hit "Video Killed the Radio Star". Well Facebook killed the Blog. I really use to like to sit down and put my thoughts on the screen, but FB turned us all in to soundbites and pictures. Not that I am complaining but you don't get too much deep thought anymore.

My last post was just after the NYC Marathon in 2013. Gail and I then went to Honolulu and ran that marathon together and had a great time. Then on December 30th my life changed forever. While at work (flying) I slipped and fell and shattered my right pelvis. I spent the next week in a hospital after a 2.5 hour surgery and 9 pins and 2 plates. My first words to my doc was "Will I ever run again?". I was told "We are not sure".

I lived for 4 months with a walker and slept in a Lazy Boy recliner because I couldn't lay flat in a bed without pain. I started pool therapy, then after a month was allowed regular PT. After 6 months of hard work Doc said "You can start jogging". Boy that was the best words I had ever heard. I ran a 5k a month later at a 11 minute pace. Soon after that I was doing a 10k, then a half marathon. I was slow, it was painful every single step but I was happy.

In August I told Gail, "I signed up for the Portland Marathon and you did too". She was "WHAT? BRET!!". Well we had a great time and ran that whole race together in near record slow time. A few months later we did another marathon. I still couldn't lift my foot more than about 3 inches vertically but running slow you don't need much more than that. I would trip now and then and Gail's heart would stop thinking I was going to fall but I never did.

A year went by and I still couldn't work. I can't get in and out of the cockpit seat, as I had very little flexibility due to the cutting of certain muscles and tendons during the surgery. I can't sit for very long due to some pain I still have and I got 64 staple scares on my bum, wanna see? I continued to run and do PT 3 times a week. I hold the record at my PT office for something like 135 visits. Well we then signed up and ran the Vernonia Marathon. That is such a great course to run as the hard part is the first 13 miles and the last is a breeze. I ran on my own this time and pushed to my max. I did a 4:21 which is about a minute per mile slower than I used to run but was the same time as my very first marathon 16 years ago. I was thrilled I could run that pace.

I was told trail running is hard on my arthritic knee, so I turned in my trail running badge a few years ago. The uneven surface causes pain and swelling in my knee, so I am mostly a road guy now. But...Mt Hood 50 put out a FB post that said only a few spots were left in the new 50k race. So I signed up as the last entrant. What the heck, I can do 31 miles in my sleep...or I "use-ta-could". (thanks for that word Pole). So I did a few trail runs at Forest Park and a few up on the PCT and told myself that my quads will hate me but I will survive.

Race day was Sunday July 12th and it was perfect. Normally we get sunny and 85 for the Mt Hood 50 miler but not this year, cloudy and probably 55 at the start. It was fun to see a few familiar faces at the pre-race gathering. I had been going to Ultra's but only as a RD, friend or Mobile Aid Station Volunteer (ask Detour about that). I love folding my race bib into the required ultra little card deck size and pinning it on your shorts (never on your shirt!!).

My plan was to finish. That was all I cared about. To come from wondering if you will walk normal to running 31 miles in 18 months a big fricking deal to me. At 8 am I gave Gail the required pre race kiss and I waited to be last to cross the start line, I didn't want to hold anyone up. As the race progressed I passed a few folks, had some nice coversations and saw some old friends. The course is pretty easy as Ultra's go, only about 2800 feet of climb and mosltly really nice running trails.

The climb starts about mile seven and goes on for a bit. I power hiked and chatted with other runners. They time flew by. I kept waiting for the hard climb and it never came. I walked all the ups and tried to run the rest. At the mile 14 turnaround I felt pretty good. As we headed back towards Timothy Lake we have that nice down section.The fun part this year was the down seemed longer than the up! Now that doesn't happen often. My quads got tired on the downs and I new I should take it easy. Pulling into the AS at mile 18 or so I got a nice hug from Karen and all the volunteers took great care of me.

At around mile 21 we hit the loop around the lake. I felt fine, just tired. I cam upon many runner walking now as we approached the mile 24 area. That is when I looked up and saw Detour the Wife. Yeah, a happy sight. She had run out the other direction to get some miles in and then ran the rest with me, no Mr. RD not a pacer just a buddy.  I felt pretty good until the last AS at mile 26. Then we had a bit of an uphill climb and I knew I was done. The last 4 miles were not new to me but they still are uncomfortable. I was tired and ready to be done. I could do the downs and the flats pretty good but the uphills were all walking.

As we approached the finish Gail went ahead to get some pictures of her fat husband finishing his first Utlra in over 2.5 years. Yeah I am done! 6:13 which I was pretty happy with. I wasn't DFL like I thought I might be.  But I am so overjoyed in the fact that I can still be out there. I won't ever be what I used to be but that is OK with me. As long as I can do a few longer distance races a year I will be just fine. Running forever is more important to me than running fast or far. "2 miles a day" is what I told my Doctor while laying in that Spokane hospital bed, "2 miles a day, and I will be happy." Well I ran 29 more than that and I am pretty dang happy with that too.

A Subway, A Ferry, A Bus, A Marathon and 2 Mile Walk

In 2012 Detour (Gail)  and I got "Sandy'd" out of the NYC Marathon. Two hours after we arrived the race was cancelled. So we ran one of the best Marathons of our life in Central Park on our own. 26.2 miles with 10,000 plus other runners from around the world. It was an amazing experience.

We had to decide if we wanted to come back and run in 2013. The Race said if you want your money back that is fine. But you can't come back next year without going into the lottery. If you want to run in 2013 you can but you give up your entry fee for 2012 and have to pay full fare for 2013. Which imo sucked but they hold all the cards. So back we came. We had been trying to get in the race for years and I finally played the sad big eyed Race Director card with a phone call to the NYC RD. Hey it worked for 2012.

So off to NYC went again. Got the same hotel. Ate mostly the same places as last year, traveled on the same flights. But this year we got run. Both Gail and I are fighting long term injuries. We are an hour or so slower than a year or so ago. So we run marathons now not race them. It is pretty fun to run the entire race wth your spouse. Not many folks can or choose to do that. I think its a blast. We don't do it all the time of course but it is so much fun when we do.

So on race day we head out to catch the subway at 6:15 am or so. Take a jam packed, can't move, no one else will ever get in train to the Ferry docks. There we wait 20 minutes in line then get on the Ferry for a 30 minute trip to Staten Island where we sit for 2 hours then take another 30 minute bus ride to the start, hang for another hour then get ready to run. How they do this I do not know. Logistics are great, the crowds are too much for me.

So we are in wave 3 of 4. The gun goes off and we strip our warm clothes and head up over the Veranazo Bridge. It is very windy at 20 to 25 mph with temps in the mid 40's. So chilly but still doable. Once we get into Brooklyn it is pretty much crowds of fans everywhere. I feel good til mile 7 or so then my legs start to feel tired. I don't say anything to Gail as I don't want to whine and complain and upset her running day. I am a tad more quiet than usual I think. As we get to the Jewish section of Brooklyn I am fascinated  by what I see. Sunday is a work day for them so I enjoy seeing the culture as we pass by.

Around mile 15 I mention that my legs are tired but they felt bad at mile 8 too. Gail agrees and says she felt the same way. As we head up another bridge into Manhattan everyone gets real quiet. I can feel the pain starting to set in the runners. Gail and I think its a nice gradual up, not that tough for sure but others are suffering. As we come off the bridge back into "the city" the crowds are huge. Up to 8 deep in places and the sound is amazing. (I actually liked the quiet at times as the noise was so constant) We head up First Avenue on a gradual climb. Soon we head into The Bronx and cross mile 20. I had been doing some math and I wanted us to break 5 hours. We haven't done that much lately as we are just happy we can run at all.

As we come into Harlem then back in the big "M" I tell Gail I think we got 5 hours licked, as long as we keep up the same pace as all day. She kind of takes off around mile 23, I struggle to keep up but it was great to have her do this. My knee talks to me now and then but over all has been great most all day. Soon we hit Central Park where we ran our own Marathon last year. Gail keep us going. I force us to run the Tangents of the corners not follow the other sheep. One thing I noticed was with this group around 5 hours you usually see a bunch of folks walking after they have bonked. This race I didn't see that. Not sure why? Maybe after $250 entry fee walking doesn't taste so good. Well we press on. We cross the finish line in 4:53 hand in hand again, just like Portland last month. So fun to do that!

We get your medals which to me are not very good compared to whats out there these days. I really don't care about most medals as many just go in a drawer, but such a big event should have a "special" medal.

Well now they make us walk for I would guess close to a mile. Cold winds blowing and mid 40's many folks are starting to drop to the ground. They have great first aid folks anytime someone looks bad or sits down they are right on top of it.Good for them! Well finally after freezing we get this very cool, bright orange poncho that has a hood and warm liner. Oh man that was the best thing of the race. But now we continue following the sheep to the get out of this place. We think we will hail a cab but they are all taken. We don't get cold but we are tired. Gail suggests we just walk the 20 blocks back to our room. I shrug, but agree. She is so strong to just press on after this 10 hour plus day we just had. We grab some food finally at a store and get back to our room nearly 2 hours after the race finish in the dark. Wow what a day.

I am very glad to have done the NYC Marathon but I probably won't be back. 50,000 runners is too huge for me. But...it was a bucket list item and I have no regrets in completing it.
  

Where did he go?

Been almost a year since I posted on this blog. The dreaded FB kind of took over my posting. It is kind of like our society. A drive up blog, quick and easy. The life of the soundbite. Who needs details when I can say it in two or three sentences.

Well lets review what has happened since my last post. I ran the Mt Hood 50 Mile Trail Race again. Qualified for Western States but didn't get in. Died at mile 42 and hated life, but regrouped and finished.

Went through training and got checked out in my new plane at work.

Ran one of my favorite races, the Haulin' Aspen Trail Marathon in Bend. Had a great race in my road shoes as I forgot to bring my trail runners with me. Doh!

Ran Waldo 100k but had to drop at mile 32 because of some ongoing issues I was having with neck pain. (Still have it and is quite frustrating.

Couldn't run the beautiful McKenzie River  50k due to the neck problems but paced Gail for almost 8 miles to a PR for her. We had a great time that day.

A week later Gail and I were in Reno for our annual trip to the Reno National Championship Air Races. The second day of the races an aircraft lost control and crashed in to the crowd about 50 feet from where we were sitting. There was no fire or I would not be writing this. I had numerous little breaks in my nose and face. Got a little concussion and was hauled off to the hospital. Gail got all cut up and banged up pretty bad too. We survived, that is what counts. We were the lucky ones as 10 people in the crowd didn't make it. Life luckily went on for us.

Three weeks later I thought I would run a few miles of the Portland Marathon with Gail. At first I thought I would drop at 4 miles. The it was at mile 7. Then mile 11 where are friends would be. Then mile 20. Then it was fun just to run with my wife and to celebrate the fact I could still run. We finished the marathon. I was probably stupid to do that but it just  felt like the right thing to do.

In late October Gail and I put on the Autumn Leaves 50/50 again. The little 50k/50 mile race at Champoeg State Park. This year was much less stressful than our rookie year. We had a great group of runners, volunteers and weather. Looking forward to next year.

December we went to Vegas for the Rock and Roll Marathon. What a joke that cluster was. Poorly organized and way to big. But we did have fun with our friends!

Christmas again was a celebration of life. I was the house husband and tried to keep everything in line. I think I passed.

December 26th Gail and I did Steve's 6 hour run just a few miles from our house. I think I ended up with 34 miles or so. Was a cold fine day to get loopy in the park.

I decided to try and get a Boston Marathon qualifier. I hired coach Nikki again and she sent me off on a quest for speed. My pr for the marathon was 3:50. I needed 3:30 to get a BQ. 20 minutes faster than I have ever run. Interesting....

February I ran a half Marathon and got a PR on a tough little course of 1:44

In March Gail and I did the Pac Rim 24 hour run. Even though we both just used it as a training run and did 32 miles each.

In April I ran the Vernonia half as a training run and got another PR with 1:43. Gail ran the Marathon that day and got a new PR by over 7 minutes. And that was her 63rd marathon or faster. Who says you slow down after 50?

Eugene was my target race. I knew the course and it is a fast one. I felt ready but knew 20 minutes was a huge leap for me. Could I run 8:00 pace for 26 miles? Come to find out I couldn't. I ran that pace for about 18 miles then started to burn out. By mile 25 I was at a 9:30 pace. I finished with a PR of 3:39. Eleven minutes faster than I have ever run a marathon. I am very happy with that time. Never dreamed I could be that fast.

Boston is still a goal. Just something new to try and get. I do hate the idea that I need to stop some of the trail races to get fast. I love running these races in the woods in the summer around here. But I got to keep pushing this new idea and see where it takes me.

I am back flying now. Just finishing up my training. Life will be returning to its more normal ways. This summer I turn 20 as a runner. It was a torturous 4 mile run in Alaska in 1992 that created this crazy hobby of mine. I don't love it. I don't crave it. I don't like running for running. But it is who I am. What I do. It is a part of my life that I can not really explain why I do it. I just know if I go more than a week without doing it I feel something in my life is missing.

Hope this gets me back to this Blog. I enjoy the witting. Maybe I will post some pictures next time!