If the miles behind me could be put into words before you, you would feel my efforts, my struggles, my desires. Most of all you would see my joy. Watch me from afar run the trails and hills and miles upon miles and you will see ...

Friday, February 20, 2009

Close To Home

Yesterday I was out riding my bike when my good friend Evelyn called on the cell. I don't usually hear the phone when I'm riding, but I'm glad I did this time. I came to a stop on the side of 24th near 192nd st. She asked me if I read my emails this morning. Right away I knew it was something bad, don't ask me how, I just knew. I said I hadn't seen my emails since around 9am. She broke it to me that Doug Preston, whom we used to ride with a few years ago (and whom I hadn't seen in a year, but she talked to him at Costco a couple weeks ago) was hit head on by a car while riding his bike down Old Yale Road between 128st and Scott Road on Wednesday. He was killed instantly. If anyone knows that stretch of road it's a very steep hill and one can easily reach speeds of 60kph or more. Apparently the woman who hit him had fallen asleep at the wheel and drifted across the road and hit Doug. She had two small children in her car so it would have been much worse for her had she hit a car instead. It's strange to think that literally one or two seconds sooner or later and he would have either had more time to swerve out of her way or she would have drifted across the road behind him. I know how your reactions suffer at high speeds and I just hope Doug didn't have too much time to consider what was happening.
Needless to say I was not in the best mood for riding after that but as I continued on I thought a lot about Doug, life, and how things can change literally in a heartbeat.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Trail Running Again

Wow I'd have to look back in my '08 log to see the last time I ran in Chuckanut Mountain ... okay I just did and it was about ten days after the actual race last March. That was the last time so I haven't been to my favourite training grounds in over ten months. Way too long. I would have done more there in prep for the many trail races last season but I did Diez Vista in the beginning of Apri,l then the Sun Run, then the shin splints caught up with me. After that it was mostly riding with some races
thrown in for running training.

Today I ventured to Chuckanut and although my legs feel good now, they felt like crap during the steep hills and I'm sure I'll be walking funny tomorrow. I think my heart is in better shape than my legs but they can't admit it. A couple more weeks and I'll be ready for the race but too bad it's my only real trail race this year. The views were as far as the horizon, Mt. Baker loomed large, and the ocean was spectacular. Although I was doing a run by heart rate, I had to stop several times in my favourite spots to absorb the views and the total lack of man-made sounds. I only fell one time!! Amazing. No injuries. I didn't even injure my injured finger after my fight with the table saw (the saw always wins). This time I was cutting baseboards and near the end of a long cut the board kicked out and whacked my finger resulting in an avulsion of the tip and what felt like a broken middle knuckle.



This is what it looks like under the bandage (picture from google pictures, you can find anything there). It cut my nail nicely too. X-rays were negative for fractures of the knuckle which I figured because it feels better today and there's more mobility in it. Geez I've had more exciting injury stories than I have running stories. Good thing the house is almost done. It's amazing how fast I've learned to type with my third finger for the middle finger.

I got a DVD from Spartathlon yesterday that I'll try and load on the site. It's cool if you have an hour to kill to watch it.