Hi Friends,
I finally found the finish line video for the 2013 Eugene Marathon and was able to cut my little snippet out so I can go back and relive it anytime I want.
Thought I would share it here just in case you missed it the first time too.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
My Eugene Marathon Adventure "Finally Race Day"
Hi Friends,
Finally it is race day. Well actually race day was April 28th but it has taken me a couple weeks to get this multi part story finished. You see it sometimes takes a while for me to germinate an idea worth sharing, and this adventure was so big it is just now starting to sink in.
I was up early on race day. The Team in Training group was getting together for last minute instructions (smile, don't get lost, don't miss the bus etc.) and one last team photo. The busses picked us up at the hotel at 5:30 am and dropped us off right at the Start line. Wow, that was easy!
My first real start line. I wandered over to corral D and just took it all in. When our group arrived there were only a few hundred people waiting and I watched as more and more racers made their way to their respective corrals. It was fun to watch as runners of all sizes and shapes made their way to the start line and got ready for the starters gun. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I think my Garmin noted my pulse as about 170 just before the start, but it quickly returned to normal as we made the first turn.
My plan was to stay with the pacer for a 4:30 time so I would have less to worry about during the run. And there was so much to take in, it almost took my breath away. First I was amazed how beautiful Eugene was. It had been about 30 years between visits and I knew I loved visiting, but still the beauty of this town is breathtaking. I also enjoyed everyone that came out to cheer the runners on. Some of the most memorable folks we ran past were the Ridgeline Montessori ukulele band. They were amazing and were one of the first cheer stations that really made me smile. Bravo!
I loved the aid stations that offered a half a banana that were served by volunteers dresses in gorilla suits. All the bands that offered musical pick me ups along the route were fun too. Thanks to all, even if I don't remember exactly where you were or what type of music you played.
At the point that the half marathon runners turned back towards the finish line, we turned right and headed down the most beautiful path. We found ourselves completely surrounded by trees with green grass and trails everywhere. It was awesome! I was so busy just checking out the surroundings and trying to take it all in, in no time at all I was completely out of range of the 4:30 pacer. Actually I had passed him sometime back but never saw him again. He must have run passes me at a restroom stop as I was about 15 minutes behind him at the finish.
We crossed the Willamette River twice, what an experience. We were warned that at about mile 18 we would be running past our Hotel. We were also cautioned about stopping to take a break or even worse a nap. I didn't but I did remember that the bed was pretty comfy the night before. Oh well, we were headed back towards the Finish line and the excitement was really starting to build. As we got nearer the finish we passed Autzen Stadium the home of the Oregon Ducks football team. Very coolio place and one of the prettiest stadiums I have ever seen. And from what I hear they are pretty proud of their sports teams around here.
At mile 22 I decided to give Brenda a call. It seemed a bit odd to get out my cell phone to make a call during a race, but just felt it was the thing to do then. And it turned out it was just the right thing to do ...
Brenda asked how I was doing and I told her I was a bit tired. Then she asked where I was and I mentioned I was just passing mile 22. When she said, just 4 miles to go, it finally started to sink in. I was just 4 miles from the finish and I was going to be a marathon finisher. We finished our call with me feeling pretty excited about the finish line.
A few more turns and then there it was, Haywood Feild, Track Town USA! I was going to finish my first marathon and I was going to finish in the same stadium that hosted the Olympic trials. I entered the stadium a bit overcome by the whole experience with my name being announced over the loud speakers. It was the thrill of a lifetime, a feeling I hope to be able to replicate again with all my my races. I crossed the finish line and got a beautiful medal to remember the day with.
To say I loved this run would be an understatement. I send my thanks to everyone at Team in Training and all the volunteers that made gave of their time for days or weeks preparing for us to come run in Eugene. And thank you to the town of Eugene for being so open and accomodating as we ran through your streets. You helped us make memories that will last a lifetime.
And a special thank you to Brenda for putting up with my endless chatter about Eugene and running and marathons for months. It must have been like listening to a stranger ramble on about nothing in particular. Now we can talk about something you Love for at least a few weeks, until i star chattering about The California International Marathon.
Don
Finally it is race day. Well actually race day was April 28th but it has taken me a couple weeks to get this multi part story finished. You see it sometimes takes a while for me to germinate an idea worth sharing, and this adventure was so big it is just now starting to sink in.
I was up early on race day. The Team in Training group was getting together for last minute instructions (smile, don't get lost, don't miss the bus etc.) and one last team photo. The busses picked us up at the hotel at 5:30 am and dropped us off right at the Start line. Wow, that was easy!
My first real start line. I wandered over to corral D and just took it all in. When our group arrived there were only a few hundred people waiting and I watched as more and more racers made their way to their respective corrals. It was fun to watch as runners of all sizes and shapes made their way to the start line and got ready for the starters gun. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I think my Garmin noted my pulse as about 170 just before the start, but it quickly returned to normal as we made the first turn.
My plan was to stay with the pacer for a 4:30 time so I would have less to worry about during the run. And there was so much to take in, it almost took my breath away. First I was amazed how beautiful Eugene was. It had been about 30 years between visits and I knew I loved visiting, but still the beauty of this town is breathtaking. I also enjoyed everyone that came out to cheer the runners on. Some of the most memorable folks we ran past were the Ridgeline Montessori ukulele band. They were amazing and were one of the first cheer stations that really made me smile. Bravo!
I loved the aid stations that offered a half a banana that were served by volunteers dresses in gorilla suits. All the bands that offered musical pick me ups along the route were fun too. Thanks to all, even if I don't remember exactly where you were or what type of music you played.
We crossed the Willamette River twice, what an experience. We were warned that at about mile 18 we would be running past our Hotel. We were also cautioned about stopping to take a break or even worse a nap. I didn't but I did remember that the bed was pretty comfy the night before. Oh well, we were headed back towards the Finish line and the excitement was really starting to build. As we got nearer the finish we passed Autzen Stadium the home of the Oregon Ducks football team. Very coolio place and one of the prettiest stadiums I have ever seen. And from what I hear they are pretty proud of their sports teams around here.
At mile 22 I decided to give Brenda a call. It seemed a bit odd to get out my cell phone to make a call during a race, but just felt it was the thing to do then. And it turned out it was just the right thing to do ...Brenda asked how I was doing and I told her I was a bit tired. Then she asked where I was and I mentioned I was just passing mile 22. When she said, just 4 miles to go, it finally started to sink in. I was just 4 miles from the finish and I was going to be a marathon finisher. We finished our call with me feeling pretty excited about the finish line.
A few more turns and then there it was, Haywood Feild, Track Town USA! I was going to finish my first marathon and I was going to finish in the same stadium that hosted the Olympic trials. I entered the stadium a bit overcome by the whole experience with my name being announced over the loud speakers. It was the thrill of a lifetime, a feeling I hope to be able to replicate again with all my my races. I crossed the finish line and got a beautiful medal to remember the day with.
To say I loved this run would be an understatement. I send my thanks to everyone at Team in Training and all the volunteers that made gave of their time for days or weeks preparing for us to come run in Eugene. And thank you to the town of Eugene for being so open and accomodating as we ran through your streets. You helped us make memories that will last a lifetime.
And a special thank you to Brenda for putting up with my endless chatter about Eugene and running and marathons for months. It must have been like listening to a stranger ramble on about nothing in particular. Now we can talk about something you Love for at least a few weeks, until i star chattering about The California International Marathon.
Don
Sunday, May 12, 2013
My Eugene Marathon Adventure "I Finally Get It"
Hi Friends,
So I made it to Eugene and checked in at the race expo.
From there I still had some time to kill before the hotel room was going to be ready. So I decided to wander around a bit and see a few of the sights I had been reading about. I put the location for "Pre's Trail" into the GPS and was on my way. Eugene was hopping as there was a baseball/softball game going on and the football team was having a Spring scrimmage. Oh and a little running race with about 9000 people running around town.
I made it to Pre's Trail and then stopped along the side of a beautiful narrow road to pay my respects to Steve Prefontaine at a spot called "Pre's Rock." It is the spot that he was hit while running in 1975. I brought along a little bit of Reno in the form of a shirt from Reno Running and Fitness and placed it on his marker. After taking a few photo's and helping others capture the moment for their scrapbooks, I was off to see if my room was ready.
Having not been part of any activity as a member of Team in Training before I was curious to see just what was planned for the team dinner Saturday evening. I got checked in to my room and showered just in time to get my slow moving rear down to the conference room for dinner.
Whatever I had expected was thrown right out the window when I walked in on a group of adults dressed in every form of purple hat, wig or funny shirt. Yes there were cheer leaders greeting all of the runners as they made their way in the conference room. After first adjusting my expectations from that of a nice dinner and a few speakers, to a cheer filled and emotional evening, we were eating and laughing with others from all over the country. I guess I was a little apprehensive but finally got the big picture when Katie made her way with her Mom to say a few words.
Little Katie and her Mom, Robin told us about what it was like to learn that Katie now 7 had Cancer. She learned when she was 2 that she had Cancer and Robin told us what it has been like to live with her diagnosis. Reading her bio you are immediately heartbroken when you see on the line that says status of illness ...
"All available options have been used and have failed. She is now listed as terminal and not getting any treatment at this time."
So I made it to Eugene and checked in at the race expo.
From there I still had some time to kill before the hotel room was going to be ready. So I decided to wander around a bit and see a few of the sights I had been reading about. I put the location for "Pre's Trail" into the GPS and was on my way. Eugene was hopping as there was a baseball/softball game going on and the football team was having a Spring scrimmage. Oh and a little running race with about 9000 people running around town.
I made it to Pre's Trail and then stopped along the side of a beautiful narrow road to pay my respects to Steve Prefontaine at a spot called "Pre's Rock." It is the spot that he was hit while running in 1975. I brought along a little bit of Reno in the form of a shirt from Reno Running and Fitness and placed it on his marker. After taking a few photo's and helping others capture the moment for their scrapbooks, I was off to see if my room was ready.
Having not been part of any activity as a member of Team in Training before I was curious to see just what was planned for the team dinner Saturday evening. I got checked in to my room and showered just in time to get my slow moving rear down to the conference room for dinner.
Little Katie and her Mom, Robin told us about what it was like to learn that Katie now 7 had Cancer. She learned when she was 2 that she had Cancer and Robin told us what it has been like to live with her diagnosis. Reading her bio you are immediately heartbroken when you see on the line that says status of illness ...
"All available options have been used and have failed. She is now listed as terminal and not getting any treatment at this time."
Oh, I finally get it. This is the reason I am here on this night. I needed to learn about this and understand that I am running not only for the medal at the end. And not just for the accomplishment of setting a goal and sticking with it. I am here because I needed to understand that this little girl, Katie has little chance of growing up unless something is done and a cure/treatment is found and very soon. I get it now. What I did may have made a difference. I did this race for Katie she was the super star.
Katie finally sat down and her Mom continued to tell about life with little Katie, and we all laughed and cried a bit and celebrated her being with us on this night to share her love. Thank you Katie and Robin and Team in Training for opening my eyes to this World I could not see without making this trip.
Off to bed we have a race to run in the morning.
Don
Saturday, May 11, 2013
My Eugene Marathon Adventure Part 1 Getting There
Hi Friends,
On April 28th I finally became a Marathon runner when I finished the 2013 Eugene Marathon. But before running the race I had to get to Eugene and do all the things that need doing before the gun goes off.
Brenda and I left Reno on Thursday headed to our first stopping place in Medford, OR for a couple of nights. The weather was beautiful and the traffic was relatively light making the trip pretty uneventful. After a day resting in Medford, I left early Saturday morning for the trip to Eugene. To say i was excited would be an understatement. I felt like a kid that was waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.
The highway to Eugene was so beautiful. Everything was so green and clean it really needed to be explored at a more leisurely pace. Time was not on my side this trip but I learned my lesson. Next time make it a real adventure and take some time to enjoy the drive without blowing through neat places along the way.
I made it t to Eugene in about 3 hours. Really it felt like less as I was so looking forward seeing Eugene again. Had it really been about 30 years between visits? The little town had grown up quite a bit but I could still see the town I explored as a you dude with my friend Chip Crouse.
My first stop was the expo to get my bib and my race tee. I thought the expo was fun. To be honest this was my first expo and I was having a blast checking out all the neat booths with all kinds of products and services. My favorite booth was the one from The Oregon Track Club. They were staffed with fun and informed people at their large booth. They even took my picture in front of a photo that made it look like I was a finisher at the Olympic Trials in Haywood Field. It was way too cool.
While at the expo I saw a post of a Facebook friend, John Bouvier and he was ... he was standing in front of that same backdrop looking like he had just finished a big race. I sent him a text and was lucky enough to be able to shake his hand, share a couple stories and take a picture before we parted.
With the expo behind me, it was off to the Hotel and the Team in Training Dinner ....
Don
On April 28th I finally became a Marathon runner when I finished the 2013 Eugene Marathon. But before running the race I had to get to Eugene and do all the things that need doing before the gun goes off.Brenda and I left Reno on Thursday headed to our first stopping place in Medford, OR for a couple of nights. The weather was beautiful and the traffic was relatively light making the trip pretty uneventful. After a day resting in Medford, I left early Saturday morning for the trip to Eugene. To say i was excited would be an understatement. I felt like a kid that was waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.
I made it t to Eugene in about 3 hours. Really it felt like less as I was so looking forward seeing Eugene again. Had it really been about 30 years between visits? The little town had grown up quite a bit but I could still see the town I explored as a you dude with my friend Chip Crouse.
While at the expo I saw a post of a Facebook friend, John Bouvier and he was ... he was standing in front of that same backdrop looking like he had just finished a big race. I sent him a text and was lucky enough to be able to shake his hand, share a couple stories and take a picture before we parted.
With the expo behind me, it was off to the Hotel and the Team in Training Dinner ....
Don
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