Friday, November 6, 2009

Good, Bad, I'm the Guy With the Gu

This is my pre-race report for the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon. To say that it has been a great two days here in Ashland would be an understatement. I am here with my wife, daughter and close friends, Anne, Jerry and their daughter.

Here are couple of highlights from our time here.

Yesterday, while walking around downtown a bunch of runners past us. I recognized three of the. They were Hal Koener, Jenn Shelton and Erik Skaggs. We said hello and wished them well. I know I am a total goober, but I got all nervous being around them. Me! Nervous? WTH? I work with celebrities, political heavy weights, famous dignitaries, etc. It was kinda funny. I realize that running is such a niche, but I couldn't help but be a little giddy about seeing these people together. What a neat life. To have buddies with the same passion at such an extraordinary level. Cool beans.

We ate chow at the Black Sheep. I had a great pint of amber from a local brewery. Tasty.

Today we started off the morning with breakfast at Morning Glory. One of my all time favorite restaurants. I walked in and low and behold, Bruce Campbell is there eating his breakfast along side Ted Raimi (Brother of Sam Raimi, director of Spiderman). Who is Bruce Campbell, you say? If you have to ask, you don't need to know. I wanted to say hello, but I hate it people recognize me when I am in a public place, especially when I am with my family. GRRRR. It rarely happens, but it does. So I refrained from extending out my hand while he had a mouthful of chicken sausage omelet.


This, is my BOOM stick!

The six of us descended upon Rogue Valley Runners. I got my race packet. As I was rifling through my swag bag another runner checked in. The sales rep asked, "What's your name?" The man replied, "Scott Dunlap."

Holy smokes, there is Scott Dunlap. Okay, who is Scott Dunlap? He is another runner. I came across his trail running blog some time ago. You can check it out here. I knew he would be up here and was hoping I would get a chance to say hello. I really like how he writes. He is an honest and creative writer. His blog was my inspiration for starting this one. I introduced myself. We ended up having a nice chat. A very friendly fellow.

Our caravan pulled stakes from Rogue Valley Runners and went down to Lithia Park to let the kids run crazy. I was able to take a short walk with the family. Quite possibly my favorite moment here.


My favorite part of the trip.

Later in the day I headed over to Lithia Park for a 2 mile jog with my friend Anne. Lithia Park is so beautiful this time of year. We were blown away from the scenery. The local runners are so lucky to be blessed with this park. After .75 miles we the trail climbed up. In no time at all we were running above Ashland Creek. The park was quiet, with exception of the creek below, our shoes stomping in mud, our lungs working oxygen in and out and rain falling all around us.

I can't wait to climb up 8 miles tomorrow.

After the run Anne and I headed back to RVR to buy shoes. I bought a pair of the New Balance MT100s. It's a minimalist shoe. I probably have no business wearing them, but I am a sucker for lightweight shoes. It could be the worst buying decision ever, but who knows, I might surprise myself. Erik Skaggs designed the shoe with a fellow ultrarunner. Since Erik was there I asked him to sign my shoe. He was very cool about it. Thanks Erik. I can't wait to slip them on.

So I am back in the hotel room enjoying the creature comforts. I will have my second race report tomorrow.

See you on the trail.

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