Potlatch, Day 1.

Well, technically, it's d-day minus 3. I'd played Solstice with a young Oregon college team from UofO, and had a good time, and I was feeling friskee. Sunday night, mon, tuesday, at somepoint I was shooting the shit with John Hammond and he invited me to play on Dave Bestock's Potlatch team. Under normal circumstances, that might not qualify as an invite from the Kid, but it's pretty much how I landed on Sockeye in the first place, and Dave's a pal, so I figured it was worth a shot. As an aside, it's pretty much how I landed on my Solstice team, so I was game.

Thursday night I played City league, and dominated (whatever that means in city league), and was feeling friskee. I roped ryan, league coordinator, into going. He was iffy about playing, and I guaranteed him no guarantee of our team, but told him he'd have a spot on SOME team. Plus, selfishly, It's a long drive. And gas was costing $4.00 per.

Friday night, we prepared to leave. My car was sitting outside the house, minus the fuel pump, stolen 2 weeks earlier (great story, I'd solved the crime, but not troubled myself to replace the pump, more on that to follow). So I was riding over with housemates Scott and Chris to portland, where Ryan and I would take Scott's car up to the fields. Scott Had been go to play until thursday night until a family emergency took him out. I'd actually promised to squeeze him onto the team with what was known as the Ketner clause (when, 3 years earlier, the last player to be named later I'd brought watched all weekend, played 2 points, and one of them was in the quarters where he played one point and delivered the game winning block. So my scouting rep was better than my own playing rep). Anyway, Scott's out, so he was being pretty cool with the car loan.

Ryan, guest of guests is late, so we don't roll out until about 7. Drop Scott and Chris off at the family hacienda in Portland around 10 or so, fumble around Gresham for a while, and then roll north. I think we arrive in Remond, or Kirkland, or wherever the hell potlatch is held (I don't know, garmin and google take care of those details, I just knew I could guide it in from the exit). I think we get there around 2.

As we approach the fields, the mist shrouds 40 acre soccer complex. A fox crosses the road in front of us. The scene is pastoral, and I'm relaxed to know that I'm going to get a good, peaceful nights sleep prior to 3 days of ultimate.

And then I turned off the ignition, and opened the door, and was greated with a cacaughanous roar from the fields.

No, The fox was fleeing drunks, the noise was terrible, and I simply hung my head. I'd been there on the other side of this debacle before, and now it was my turn to reap the whirlwind. It was loud, and it was time to suffer.

I set up my tent in the quietest (my thoughts) corner of the fields, in an area that would receive latest sunrise due to the location of the hill. I was a saavy vet, even if I'd not achieved countal levels of eye patches and neck pillows.

And then I notice ryan standing around with a sleeping bag and a pillow. "Uh, where's your tent ryan?," I asked. "Kind of don't have one," said Ryan.
Great. And now I'm stuck with a room mate. How could this tournament get worse in the next 6 hours. Games at nine, not technically on a team, some dopey giant taking up air in my tent, and the loud noise of 1200 twenty somethings freed from normal societal rules. I was being confronted with every painful transgression (Well, at least 15% of them) I'd ever made at a frisbee tournament, but now on the other end of the stick. It was Lord of the Flies. I was treading on Piggy territory. How could it get worse.

Turned out, Ryan snored.

To be continued.

(Non frisbee corner. Ran 80 min yesterday, and lifted. Rode 90 minutes recovery today, and did IllioTibial Band rehab)

xc districts, minimal frisbee content.

summit sweeeeeeeeeeps.
boys, girs, jv, varsity.
the hugest upset was in boys, where a great runner of ours who had not run for 3 years turned in a third in the district time and summit defeats a talented, and classy hermiston team 29 to 30.
.
they were great kids, and came over to shake hands after the match. when state comes up next week, its still up for grabs: their best runner is the best runner in the state, and due to the nature of scoring, they could defeat us by running the exact same, but having 2 runners from other teams finish after their first runner, but before ours. at the same time, we could widen our gap if the boys all run the same, and there are more scorers between the runners.

our girls were dominant, pack running, and our favored runner had her worst run of her year. she's suffered 2 fractured femurs in her hs career, and we're always concerned about that, but she was fine. and if she just had a 'bad' day, that's fine, it's just important to know that she just had a 'bad' day but is healthy.

our JV boys won the 'jv crown' for the first time ever. the heartbreaks come with the boys, where the varsity (7) battles with the first 3 jv guys for positions on the state team. All 7 were given sweet tights, but it's tough to see a guy who poured his heart out qualify as an alternate, not a primary runner. (that is, we carry 7 runners on the team, and 2 alternates).

On the girls, it was arguably tougher, where our JV girls team may have been the 2nd or 3rd best team in the district: it's got to be tough for a girl who knows she could go run for another school in the city and make it to the state team, but instead, she 'settles' for being on a more competetive team that drives her to be better. there is probably an ultimate metaphor here.

personally, i went out to forerun the course this morning, with the goal of running it in a sub 20 time, but within 800m, i felt the fatigue that is 'supposedly' associated with post marathon blues, so i just settled into a tempo run. so 2.5 miles at 8 min pace, then a tempo 5k at 21 min with no kicking. Frustrating, in a sense, but fine, and smart in another.

Then saw tropic thunder, which is hysterical.

no frisbee conten

today, i ran a 10 minute warmup, then 3x6min miles with 2 min rest, then a 10 min cooldown. that's ok, since i'm recovering from the marathon. technically, i should have run 6xmiles, with 1min rest.

i MIGHT play frisbee tomorrow, but likely not. that said, when 6pm rolls around, yeah, i'll probably be out there under the lights with tights on, and a big vacant look on my face looking off bad cuts with the mindset of chucking it deep to the only slightly worse long cut.

Fan mail

Hey, I've been receiving a lot of fan mail and comments lately, and I just want all you fans out there to know, I just don't have time to reply to every individual note. But know this: your thoughts matter to me, so, keep those messages coming.

I mean, you could could be choosing to read about how Match carried Furious to the world championship, fulfilling his lifelong dreams.

But instead you choose to come to my little corner of the world. So keep those letters of encouragement coming!

moving forward

the kids played ultimate today, i rode my bike for 2 hours, then played ultimate for 1.5 hours. pretty fun. first time i'd played since july. i was mainly looking for some extra excercise after the bike ride... I think half of my turnovers were on uncalled fouls (i mean seriously, who calls a touch foul in pickup), and the other half were on long throws out the back (i mean seriously, who set up this field).

pretty fun, ran around a bit, really didn't try to play every point. got a bunch of old guy poach d's a couple run by d's, got beat a couple times deep, stopped some deep looks, hooked up long a couple times, your basic fun pickup game with a bunch of new players.

since the marathon

since the marathon, i rested for 4 days, biked and lifted friday, ran 7 sat, ran 7 sunday, plus 10 points of low key HS ultimate, mon 5.5 mile, tues 7 miles (2 at 8, then a progressively faster run of 7:50, 7:20, 6:40, 7:20), wednesday, ran 4.5 miles in 31 min, with the last 2 fast, thursday rested, friday rested, today, 7 miles.

tomorrow, there will be a mountain bike ride, and maybe play frisbee with the kids, or both. hard to say.

feel pretty good, my shins hurt a little.

more to follow.

first marathon...

As I look back over my marathon training, It's true, that you really learn a lot about yourself. Yes, as the many month (Sic) went by, I came to value the long runs, the training, even the rest days.

Yes, when I overdid it, in day 20 of the training program, I trusted that the month and month of training would see me through... so I just sat on the couch for 2 weeks.

Anyway, it went fine, 3:29:23, I won't say it was easy, but mainly the legs just got stiff: It wasn't really labored, it was just long. I felt worse after the Hood to Coast, I'm just a little stiff, calves and quads. Just a nice long conversational jog.

In the pouring rain.

I'd hear that you needed to show up 1 hour early, we showed up at 6:50. Got to the crowd at 6:55, fought our way to the right place by 6:58.... and away... we... go...

I'll shoot for 3:15 for next year, and if I train right, it should be just as 'easy.'

XC season is coming to an end, going to look to an early season frisbee tournament with the students...

Taking a few days off to rest up, maybe a litle light spinning... next race in november, 10km with maybe a time trial on Oct 1.