Adventures in Onionism

[I started writing this post two months ago am only finishing it now. My foot still hurts a little, but I'm still running.]  Greetings from the couch, dear reader. I have a sore throat, and I am a little worried that I have a stress fracture in my foot. I am icing it and wearing a boot, and I made an appointment with the podiatrist (but that's two months out, so I expect the situation will have changed by then.) How did this happen?  The short version is: I ran a lot.  The long version is: I ran Hashawha Hills 50K Feb 28 (see my previous blog entry), Elizabeth Furnace 50K March 14, Hone Quarry 40-miler March 28, and Gorge Waterfalls 100K April 11. The full-length version is: Elizabeth Furnace 50K was a nice VHTRC fatass. I got a ride out there with H & N. I started out at the very front--the instant I pulled up my shorts from a poop in the woods that happened to be in the direction of the course, people ran by me--I guess we're going! Obviously that didn't last long...

It's been too long since this happened, so the report will be quick. I ran a couple races and watched the sun disappear. In August I drove up to Portland, dropped George off with a friend, and continued on up to Washington. It was hot, there was smoke in the air, and the hotels in Packwood, WA were all out of rooms. They mostly looked like meth dens, so I wasn't too disappointed; I was only looking for a room because it was so hot. Thankfully, it cooled off, and thankfully I had an umbrella, which I used in the heat of the day to run through the Mount Saint Helens blast zone at the beginning of the Bigfoot 200. Johnson Ridge Observatory in the Wrong Direction The first night was OK, I slept for about an hour. Apparently this section has great views, but having covered it all at night, I didn't enjoy it much and kept wondering when on Earth I'd get to the Norway "Pass" aid station. Second Morning: Less Haze All day two (Saturday) was unevent...

I've been on the road for the last few weeks. In telling you about it, I think the most important thing is that I deactivated my Facebook account and deleted Twitter, Slack, and Instagram from my phone. As a result, I read a book. ( Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver.) I'd tell you how long it's been since I read a book, but that would require that I log in to Facebook since my Goodreads account is linked to Fb. So let's just say it's been a while, and that  I hate the Internet and want my old brain back. I visited six places on my trip: Nevada, Southwest Oregon, Portland, Chicago, Ann Arbor, and the Oregon Coast. First, I drove to Nevada (with a brief detour to Royal Gorge on the American River in the Sierras) and ran the very nice Ruby Crest trail with Brian. We also tried to do the East Humboldt range the next day, but it didn't work out because the trail doesn't exist anymore. Second, I drove to remote Powers, OR, where I locked myself in a ...

I spent a weekend in Bend, OR. Unfortunately there was a smudge on my camera lens the whole time. I had a fun time visiting friends, meeting new folks, running around Smith Rock State Park, and sweeping the course of the Peterson Ridge Rumble 40 mile race outside Sisters, OR. The race course was fairly flat and the views weren't as good as Smith Rock, but it was a well-organized race. Coincidentally I ran into the race director last month when we ran R2R2R on the same day. This was pretty standard. Dry ponderosa(?) pine forest with very little understory growth. Smith Rock State Park Monkeyface The view west from Smith Rock South, Middle, and North Sisters More Smith Rock A nice place to rest during the race Smith Rock run: Peterson Ridge course sweeping. The course had a couple mile loop at the beginning I didn't bother to do since I was sweeping the course, not racing. Even if I had, I still think the course is a mile or so ...