Intro:
Wrap:
When will we ever learn...
Oh, and sorry for the comment at the end of the wrap vid - delirium!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
50@50 Project - Event 48 - Portland Trail Series - Intro and Wrap
Note the difference in light. Someday we'll figure it out!
Intro:
Wrap:
When will we ever learn...
Oh, and sorry for the comment at the end of the wrap vid - delirium!
Intro:
Wrap:
When will we ever learn...
Oh, and sorry for the comment at the end of the wrap vid - delirium!
Running In the Dark - Take Two
Event 48 was the 3rd race (for us) in the Portland Trail Series in Forest Park. As you (of course) recall, these runs are held on Wednesdays in the evening. And this time of year, it's a'gettin' dark before the start of the race. But we learned our lesson from last time! Yessirree, we sure did. This time we brought our handy dandy headlamps! All prepared, just like Boy Scouts!
Yeah, except here was our conversation prior to leaving the house:
'Ya think the batteries are okay or should we change them out?'
'They should be fine, don't you think?"
'I guess so. We haven't used them that much, I guess.'
Yeah, they should be just fine.'
'Awesome! Let's go!'
Oy.
As stated above, it was pretty much dark before we even took off to start this thing. The course was just under five miles and we felt this would be plenty easy enough. Yes, it was Forest Park so there would be plenty of up and down, but 4.something miles - pffft! Piece of the proverbial cake. Or 'pie', for my wife.
The course started up Leif - okay, visible enough even in the waning light. No twisted ankles, feeling good. Then we veered off, up Wild Cherry and it was all over. In the trees, it was dark! Camera Crew was in the lead as we started the first climb up the hillside. We got about halfway up and she turned on her light. I held off, using the glow from her headlamp and the line she was picking up the trail to guide me. But soon enough, that wasn't really working for me. I turned my lamp on, stopped running for a moment, then held my hand up in front of my lamp.
Okay, it was on but not putting out a lot of light. Hmmmm. I thought at first that maybe it just wasn't all that dark and so it just was too early to do any good. But then I looked at Camera Crew's light and realized hers was a lot brighter than mine. Insert joke(s) here re: intelligence, brain, etc.
After a quick consultation and realizing that it was getting damn dark, we tried swapping one AAA battery of the three in each (Camera Crew's idea) and that really helped. But unfortunately it still wasn't enough. We came to the conclusion that we were pretty much done in. Camera Crew was doing okay; I couldn't see shit in front of me and kept finding the edge of the singletrack trail as I moved forward. Yep.
Fortunately, there was a battery salesman on the trail... just kidding. Fortunately, the route for this evenings run was a sort of figure eight. Started up Leif, a loop up and back down the hill to Leif and down toward the start, then another loop up and down, to Leif and the finish. Well, we were still on the first loop and couldn't see much of anything. We made the command decision to cut the route short, opting for safe rather than sorry. We got back to Leif and headed toward the finish, skipping the turn off for the second loop-de-loop. Even on Leif, which is a gravel road and not completely covered, we still had trouble seeing our path. A couple of times we wandered toward the edge of the road, one of us pulling the other back as we made our way down.
The race coordinator still counted our times, which was nice of her. Apparently, some others had issues with the dark. We still covered three+ miles and so also made the decision to still count the self-shortened run as an official event in the 50@50 Project. Don't judge. We didn't see YOU out there. Of course, we couldn't see anything, really. For all we could tell, everyone we knew was in Forest Park that night!
So, yeah, fresh batteries would have been awesome.
Yeah, except here was our conversation prior to leaving the house:
'Ya think the batteries are okay or should we change them out?'
'They should be fine, don't you think?"
'I guess so. We haven't used them that much, I guess.'
Yeah, they should be just fine.'
'Awesome! Let's go!'
Oy.
As stated above, it was pretty much dark before we even took off to start this thing. The course was just under five miles and we felt this would be plenty easy enough. Yes, it was Forest Park so there would be plenty of up and down, but 4.something miles - pffft! Piece of the proverbial cake. Or 'pie', for my wife.
The course started up Leif - okay, visible enough even in the waning light. No twisted ankles, feeling good. Then we veered off, up Wild Cherry and it was all over. In the trees, it was dark! Camera Crew was in the lead as we started the first climb up the hillside. We got about halfway up and she turned on her light. I held off, using the glow from her headlamp and the line she was picking up the trail to guide me. But soon enough, that wasn't really working for me. I turned my lamp on, stopped running for a moment, then held my hand up in front of my lamp.
Okay, it was on but not putting out a lot of light. Hmmmm. I thought at first that maybe it just wasn't all that dark and so it just was too early to do any good. But then I looked at Camera Crew's light and realized hers was a lot brighter than mine. Insert joke(s) here re: intelligence, brain, etc.
After a quick consultation and realizing that it was getting damn dark, we tried swapping one AAA battery of the three in each (Camera Crew's idea) and that really helped. But unfortunately it still wasn't enough. We came to the conclusion that we were pretty much done in. Camera Crew was doing okay; I couldn't see shit in front of me and kept finding the edge of the singletrack trail as I moved forward. Yep.
Fortunately, there was a battery salesman on the trail... just kidding. Fortunately, the route for this evenings run was a sort of figure eight. Started up Leif, a loop up and back down the hill to Leif and down toward the start, then another loop up and down, to Leif and the finish. Well, we were still on the first loop and couldn't see much of anything. We made the command decision to cut the route short, opting for safe rather than sorry. We got back to Leif and headed toward the finish, skipping the turn off for the second loop-de-loop. Even on Leif, which is a gravel road and not completely covered, we still had trouble seeing our path. A couple of times we wandered toward the edge of the road, one of us pulling the other back as we made our way down.
The race coordinator still counted our times, which was nice of her. Apparently, some others had issues with the dark. We still covered three+ miles and so also made the decision to still count the self-shortened run as an official event in the 50@50 Project. Don't judge. We didn't see YOU out there. Of course, we couldn't see anything, really. For all we could tell, everyone we knew was in Forest Park that night!
So, yeah, fresh batteries would have been awesome.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Yes, I Know - I Am Waaay Behind!
So here it is - finally - the post for Event 47. This race was The Great Columbia Crossing 10k in Astoria, OR. Heads up, though - I may have trouble posting the videos for this event, at least until I get the phone thing figured out down here in Central America. Cuz - yeah, that's where I'm sitting whilst writing this post. To be exact, I and Camera Crew are currently on the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. Google it.
The Great Columbia Crossing is a very cool race. It's a unique opportunity to run over one of the coolest bridges in the PacNW - the Astoria-Megler Bridge, spanning from Astoria 4.2 miles across the Columbia River to... to... well, the closest thing on the Washington side is a rest stop called Dismal Nitch. Ummm... yeah. Nice work, Washington. For this one day a year, they close down one lane of the bridge so that 3500 crazy people can get dropped off at a rest stop and then run back over to Astoria. That's how we roll.
Camera Crew and I have done this run twice before, a few years back. It's such a neat and well run event so we were excited to do it again, and even more so because our good friends Kyle and Raynee Miller were joining us!! You loyal followers will remember Mr. Miller from the Inland Empire 50 Mile ride back in May, event something-or-other in the project. In fact, it was a few text messages exchanged between Kyle and I that got us signed up for this race. There was probably beer involved on one or both ends of the texting, I'm sure.
The race was Sunday morning but we had arranged to meet up in Astoria Friday evening because nothing says race preparation like walking around drinking with friends. Since Camera Crew and I had the luxury of an early getaway from Portland, we arrived in Astoria around 2 PM, stopped at the Chamber of Commerce office to pick up our race packets and then checked into our digs at the Hotel Elliot. This place is NICE. The beds are fantastic, the rooms are comfy and THE BATHROOM TILE FLOORS ARE HEATED!! Highly recommend staying here - rooms are a little spendy but affordable and it's a great location to explore the restaurant and bar scene in town. www.hotelelliot.com
Camera Crew and I had dinner at T Pauls Urban Cafe, a cute funky little place with great food and live music. www.tpaulsurbancafe.com The Millers showed up a little later and once they checked in, we checked out the Silver Salmon for drinks. We like this place because when you order a cocktail, they not only serve the glass filled with your drink of choice but they also serve even more cocktail in a shaker in a bowl with ice. It's like getting a full milkshake and then getting the blender pitcher with in it!!! Awesome. After a few drinks and some good-natured banter with the bartender, we hit the hay. When in Astoria, though, go to www.silversalmongrille.com
We thought about going out for breakfast the next morning but the hotel puts on a pretty damn good buffet, so we opted for that. Plus it's included in your room price, so why not? After some chill time, we walked around town a little, then stopped into the Wet Dog Cafe and Brewery for a beer. Cool place - huge space, gift shop, extensive menu, good beers (mostly). www.wetdogcafe.com After some more walkin' around, we hit the Fort George Brewery for lunch and more beer. See, I told you that were getting race ready, right? This brewery is quite a success. Started up with partial funding by the Oregon Lottery proceeds, it's been wildly successful and they've expanded once or twice since opening. They put in a canning line a year or so ago and make some really interesting and tasty brews. www.fortgeorgebrewery.com
After some down time at the hotel, we met up on the Hotel Elliot's beautiful roof top patio for wine and BSing around the fire pit.
(Note: I've been in Central America a week now, sweating profusely in the heat and humidity, so it's hard to think about sitting around a fire pit...)
The views of Astoria from the roof are pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, a big part of that view is the damn bridge we were going to be running over the next morning. I've said it before - we rarely travel anywhere without working in an event somehow. Could we just come to Astoria to the great hotel with dear friends and just hang out? Nope.
We headed out for dinner and had drink sand appetizers at Baked Alaska, right on the water www.bakedak.com This place is huge, with a formal dining room overlooking the river, a wood-fired oven pizza place facing the street and a long skinny bar connecting the two. We opted for the bar - the restaurant was booked until late and pizza wasn't the majority choice for dinner. After drinks and snacks, we decided to walk around town a little before deciding on a dinner place.
Lo and behold, it was Second Saturday in Astoria, an evening where the numerous art galleries open up and people meander around looking at stuff. But wait! Lo-er and behold-er, we soon discovered that many of the galleries serving snacks, wine and beer!!!
Two words: Yum. Yum. (Trademark 'KyleMiller, Inc.')
After entertaining ourselves for quite some time, with art commentary, wine and people watching, it was time for some dinner. We went back to Baked Alaska and had dinner in the restaurant, although we ordered pizza, as it turned out. Back to the rooms for some rest before our big run the next day!! Woohoo!
We met in the lobby and loaded into the Miller's rig for the drive down to the staging area. The walk from where we ended up parking should have counted towards the actual race mileage! But soon enough, after a short wait in a quick moving line, we found ourselves on a school bus heading over the bridge to Dismal Nitch. We unloaded and enjoyed an hour wait with 3496 of our closest friends. Runners were supposed to start at 8:45, walkers at 9 but due to some delay in getting the bridge cleared and ready, we runners didn't get going til about 9:15 or so. Meh, it's all good.
The race was underway! It's about a mile from the start to the turn onto the bridge, then 4.2 miles across and another mile winding around under the bridge to the finish. After getting onto the bridge proper, I looked up and not only saw Camera Crew ahead of me and pulling away, but also the big tall part of the bridge enshrouded in fog. In fact, I couldn't even see the trusses until I got to about Mile 3+, almost 4. It was clear on the WA side, but the bridge was fogged in! Once I got to the top of the bridge, I looked around and couldn't see much below, either. Surreal.
I crossed the finish line and found CC waiting for me, smiling. She rocks. And after a short time, Raynee and Kyle finished up. Good times! I'm sure it was because of the race prep the night before. (ahem)
Back to the hotel, showers and check out. Goodbye hugs to the Millers. Back to PTown. Another event in the books.
Sorry about the late posts! I'll get Events 48 and 49 posted this week! Promise!!
The Great Columbia Crossing is a very cool race. It's a unique opportunity to run over one of the coolest bridges in the PacNW - the Astoria-Megler Bridge, spanning from Astoria 4.2 miles across the Columbia River to... to... well, the closest thing on the Washington side is a rest stop called Dismal Nitch. Ummm... yeah. Nice work, Washington. For this one day a year, they close down one lane of the bridge so that 3500 crazy people can get dropped off at a rest stop and then run back over to Astoria. That's how we roll.
Camera Crew and I have done this run twice before, a few years back. It's such a neat and well run event so we were excited to do it again, and even more so because our good friends Kyle and Raynee Miller were joining us!! You loyal followers will remember Mr. Miller from the Inland Empire 50 Mile ride back in May, event something-or-other in the project. In fact, it was a few text messages exchanged between Kyle and I that got us signed up for this race. There was probably beer involved on one or both ends of the texting, I'm sure.
The race was Sunday morning but we had arranged to meet up in Astoria Friday evening because nothing says race preparation like walking around drinking with friends. Since Camera Crew and I had the luxury of an early getaway from Portland, we arrived in Astoria around 2 PM, stopped at the Chamber of Commerce office to pick up our race packets and then checked into our digs at the Hotel Elliot. This place is NICE. The beds are fantastic, the rooms are comfy and THE BATHROOM TILE FLOORS ARE HEATED!! Highly recommend staying here - rooms are a little spendy but affordable and it's a great location to explore the restaurant and bar scene in town. www.hotelelliot.com
Camera Crew and I had dinner at T Pauls Urban Cafe, a cute funky little place with great food and live music. www.tpaulsurbancafe.com The Millers showed up a little later and once they checked in, we checked out the Silver Salmon for drinks. We like this place because when you order a cocktail, they not only serve the glass filled with your drink of choice but they also serve even more cocktail in a shaker in a bowl with ice. It's like getting a full milkshake and then getting the blender pitcher with in it!!! Awesome. After a few drinks and some good-natured banter with the bartender, we hit the hay. When in Astoria, though, go to www.silversalmongrille.com
We thought about going out for breakfast the next morning but the hotel puts on a pretty damn good buffet, so we opted for that. Plus it's included in your room price, so why not? After some chill time, we walked around town a little, then stopped into the Wet Dog Cafe and Brewery for a beer. Cool place - huge space, gift shop, extensive menu, good beers (mostly). www.wetdogcafe.com After some more walkin' around, we hit the Fort George Brewery for lunch and more beer. See, I told you that were getting race ready, right? This brewery is quite a success. Started up with partial funding by the Oregon Lottery proceeds, it's been wildly successful and they've expanded once or twice since opening. They put in a canning line a year or so ago and make some really interesting and tasty brews. www.fortgeorgebrewery.com
After some down time at the hotel, we met up on the Hotel Elliot's beautiful roof top patio for wine and BSing around the fire pit.
(Note: I've been in Central America a week now, sweating profusely in the heat and humidity, so it's hard to think about sitting around a fire pit...)
The views of Astoria from the roof are pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, a big part of that view is the damn bridge we were going to be running over the next morning. I've said it before - we rarely travel anywhere without working in an event somehow. Could we just come to Astoria to the great hotel with dear friends and just hang out? Nope.
We headed out for dinner and had drink sand appetizers at Baked Alaska, right on the water www.bakedak.com This place is huge, with a formal dining room overlooking the river, a wood-fired oven pizza place facing the street and a long skinny bar connecting the two. We opted for the bar - the restaurant was booked until late and pizza wasn't the majority choice for dinner. After drinks and snacks, we decided to walk around town a little before deciding on a dinner place.
Lo and behold, it was Second Saturday in Astoria, an evening where the numerous art galleries open up and people meander around looking at stuff. But wait! Lo-er and behold-er, we soon discovered that many of the galleries serving snacks, wine and beer!!!
Two words: Yum. Yum. (Trademark 'KyleMiller, Inc.')
After entertaining ourselves for quite some time, with art commentary, wine and people watching, it was time for some dinner. We went back to Baked Alaska and had dinner in the restaurant, although we ordered pizza, as it turned out. Back to the rooms for some rest before our big run the next day!! Woohoo!
We met in the lobby and loaded into the Miller's rig for the drive down to the staging area. The walk from where we ended up parking should have counted towards the actual race mileage! But soon enough, after a short wait in a quick moving line, we found ourselves on a school bus heading over the bridge to Dismal Nitch. We unloaded and enjoyed an hour wait with 3496 of our closest friends. Runners were supposed to start at 8:45, walkers at 9 but due to some delay in getting the bridge cleared and ready, we runners didn't get going til about 9:15 or so. Meh, it's all good.
The race was underway! It's about a mile from the start to the turn onto the bridge, then 4.2 miles across and another mile winding around under the bridge to the finish. After getting onto the bridge proper, I looked up and not only saw Camera Crew ahead of me and pulling away, but also the big tall part of the bridge enshrouded in fog. In fact, I couldn't even see the trusses until I got to about Mile 3+, almost 4. It was clear on the WA side, but the bridge was fogged in! Once I got to the top of the bridge, I looked around and couldn't see much below, either. Surreal.
I crossed the finish line and found CC waiting for me, smiling. She rocks. And after a short time, Raynee and Kyle finished up. Good times! I'm sure it was because of the race prep the night before. (ahem)
Back to the hotel, showers and check out. Goodbye hugs to the Millers. Back to PTown. Another event in the books.
Sorry about the late posts! I'll get Events 48 and 49 posted this week! Promise!!
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