Trails for Two

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Hi Nancy! Alita is feeling fewer and fewer niggles with her knee and ankle. She wants to try extending the distance a little starting next week.

We're able to run first thing in the morning now, which means nice cool temps, but it's rough getting out bed sometimes. We're too far removed from the farmer's life, I guess! That afternoon run was warm but enjoyable. Once I'm acclimated to it, heat doesn't bother me all that much. (Before I'm acclimated, though, it's like kryptonite.) I ran for years in Northern California summers and was fine even up into the 90s, as long as I didn't have the sun beating down on me.

105, however, would be way too hot. I'm in awe of the people who deal with those temps running the Western States 100. Crazy. And let's not even get started on Badwater, where you're running on Hell's roof.

Update on the weather forecast.   

Tue - 102
Wed - 108   is right!  
Thur - 107
Fri - 93
Sat - 83   Race day...what's the chances it will actually cool off that much?

Hope your weather isn't as extreme as ours!

Bits and pieces from the NWS in Pendleton:
[url=https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=Area Forecast Discussion]Area Forecast Discussion[/url]
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
245 PM PDT Tue Aug 7 2018

The heat will peak
Thursday with highs around the Lower Columbia Basin region
approaching 110 degrees and even around 100 in the cooler mountains.
Relief will arrive on Friday as an approaching [url=https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=upper level]upper level[/url] trough
pushes the ridge off to the east. Cooler marine air will begin
spilling over the Cascades Friday producing breezy conditions which
will lower temepratures 10 to 15 degrees across the western portion
of the forecast area and 3 to 10 degrees in the east. The convective
threat looks to be confined to the Washington Cascades Friday after
noon and night.

Good agreement among models
in showing a mid to [url=https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=upper level]upper level[/url] trough moving across the interior
Pacific Northwest Saturday.

The trough passage puts the CWA in the drier southern flank of the
trough by virtue of a predominantly westerly component to flow aloft
producing sinking air east of the Cascades thus yielding dry
conditions Saturday, except for a [url=https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=slight chance]slight chance[/url] of showers along the
east slopes of the Oregon Cascades Saturday morning and a slight
chance of showers in the Washington Cascades east slopes through
Saturday afternoon. The trough will push a dry cold front through
the forecast area Saturday with tighter pressure gradients bringing
breezy conditions to the lower Columbia Basin, adjacent valleys and
the foothills of the WA/OR Blue Mountains. The aforementioned trough
moves into Idaho Saturday evening. Sunday night through Monday
morning models show a slowly amplifying ridge over the southwestern
states that allows dry conditions to continue through Tuesday.

ounce wrote:SCZ APPROVED!!!!!!!!

When you start doing tic-tac-toe, I'll worry.

Been away a bit. I was on vacation last week. I'm just getting back in to work.

Running has been kind of nonexistent, unfortunately.

I promise I'll be a more diligent poster.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:SCZ APPROVED!!!!!!!!

When you start doing tic-tac-toe, I'll worry.

Been away a bit. I was on vacation last week. I'm just getting back in to work.

Running has been kind of nonexistent, unfortunately.

I promise I'll be a more diligent poster.

According to the rules, regulations, and by-laws of the Forum, a thread must be first declared "SCZ APPROVED" before tic-tac-toe can legitimately commence.

Well I hope you had a most relaxing and supported the economic trickle down process.  Did your subeditor perform adequately?  I presume 'subeditor' is short for 'substitute editor.'  

Finally, I presume Fluff did not create any 'working art' while y'all were away?

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:SCZ APPROVED!!!!!!!!

When you start doing tic-tac-toe, I'll worry.

Been away a bit. I was on vacation last week. I'm just getting back in to work.

Running has been kind of nonexistent, unfortunately.

I promise I'll be a more diligent poster.

According to the rules, regulations, and by-laws of the Forum, a thread must be first declared "SCZ APPROVED" before tic-tac-toe can legitimately commence.

Well I hope you had a most relaxing and supported the economic trickle down process.  Did your subeditor perform adequately?  I presume 'subeditor' is short for 'substitute editor.'  

Finally, I presume Fluff did not create any 'working art' while y'all were away?

My “sub” editor has done such a good job that we promoted her from reporter to manager, so yes: quite adequate, indeed.

Fluff behaved himself, which makes me suspicious. 

Our trip was very nice. We spent two nights in Yachats, on the Oregon Coast, and enjoyed a respite from the heat and smoke from all the wildfires. We did a little hiking, went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and had some wonderfully fresh salmon. 

I’m back at work now, and Alita and Alec may return to school next week if there isn’t a gigantic teacher strike. Not holding my breath.

Excellent.

You know, I notice that the word 'editor' and 'janitor' end with '-itor' which made me curious if there was any significance to that -itor suffix.  I could not, but it makes me ask you the question, Are you to words and facts as an editor, what trash, mopping, sanitizing, and cleaning is to a janitor?

ounce wrote:Excellent.

You know, I notice that the word 'editor' and 'janitor' end with '-itor' which made me curious if there was any significance to that -itor suffix.  I could not, but it makes me ask you the question, Are you to words and facts as an editor, what trash, mopping, sanitizing, and cleaning is to a janitor?

Yes, I'd say that was an apt metaphor.

By the way, the online etymology dictionary has this to day about the subject:

janitor (n.)
1580s, "an usher in a school," later "doorkeeper" (1620s), from Latin ianitor "doorkeeper, porter," from ianua "door, entrance, gate," from ianus "arched passageway, arcade" (see Janus) + agent suffix -tor. Meaning "caretaker of a building, man employed to see that rooms are kept clean and in order" first recorded 1708. Fem. forms were janitress (1806), janitrix (1818).

editor (n.)
1640s, "publisher," from Latin editor "one who puts forth," agent noun from editus, past participle of edere "to bring forth, produce" (see edition). By 1712 in sense of "person who prepares written matter for publication;" specific sense in newspapers is from 1803.




The commanality of the two terms is in the -or wod forming element, as described by the previously referenced source:

-or 
word-forming element making nouns of quality, state, or condition, from Middle English -our, from Old French -our (Modern French -eur), from Latin -orem (nominative -or), a suffix added to past participle verbal stems. Also in some cases from Latin -atorem (nominative -ator).



Yes, I'm a word nerd. I'm sure you're shocked.

Mark B wrote:
My “sub” editor has done such a good job that we promoted her from reporter to manager, so yes: quite adequate, indeed.

Fluff behaved himself, which makes me suspicious. 

Our trip was very nice. We spent two nights in Yachats, on the Oregon Coast, and enjoyed a respite from the heat and smoke from all the wildfires. We did a little hiking, went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and had some wonderfully fresh salmon. 

I’m back at work now, and Alita and Alec may return to school next week if there isn’t a gigantic teacher strike. Not holding my breath.

I drove through Yachats earlier this summer.  I love that part of the Oregon Coast but haven't stayed there in years.  Do you have a favorite place to stay?  Favorite place to eat?

I heard about your teacher strike...Marty has a young relative who is supposed to start her first teaching job at a Monticello Middle School.  I think it's in Longview.  Hope they resolve the strike issues it quickly.  Alita and Alec may enjoy a longer than normal summer holiday!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:
My “sub” editor has done such a good job that we promoted her from reporter to manager, so yes: quite adequate, indeed.

Fluff behaved himself, which makes me suspicious. 

Our trip was very nice. We spent two nights in Yachats, on the Oregon Coast, and enjoyed a respite from the heat and smoke from all the wildfires. We did a little hiking, went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and had some wonderfully fresh salmon. 

I’m back at work now, and Alita and Alec may return to school next week if there isn’t a gigantic teacher strike. Not holding my breath.

I drove through Yachats earlier this summer.  I love that part of the Oregon Coast but haven't stayed there in years.  Do you have a favorite place to stay?  Favorite place to eat?

I heard about your teacher strike...Marty has a young relative who is supposed to start her first teaching job at a Monticello Middle School.  I think it's in Longview.  Hope they resolve the strike issues it quickly.  Alita and Alec may enjoy a longer than normal summer holiday!

Yes on both counts! We love staying at The Fireside motel, which sits right above an ancient lava flow that makes for an amazing interaction of waves and land. There’s a fancier place just next door called the Overleaf Lodge, but the views are better at The Fireside. 

As far as eating goes, we’re big fans of Luna Sea Food House. It’s on the main highway and looks like a hole in the wall, but the fish is fresh caught by the owner, and it tastes out of this world. 

All but one school district in our country is facing a probable strike next week. The Legislature passed a bill to improve school funding but completely screwed up the job, leaving teachers and administrators at loggerheads. Alita’s union is still bargaining and hasn’t had a strike vote, but they’ll be out if the teachers don’t get a settlement and follow through with a strike.

It means lots of uncertainty for Alita, a possible extended vacation for Alec and an extremely crazy news week for me next week.

Mark, the link below isn't about running, but I thought you might want to see what happened to a media outlet during Harvey.  To give you a bit of perspective, KHOU was 2 miles from downtown and the length of a football field from Buffalo Bayou plus about 50' in elevation...more or less.

If not, sorry.  It's 8 minutes long.

https://www.khou.com/article/weather/harvey-anniversary/khoustronger-harvey-destroyed-our-building-not-our-spirit/285-482517095

ounce wrote:Mark, the link below isn't about running, but I thought you might want to see what happened to a media outlet during Harvey.  To give you a bit of perspective, KHOU was 2 miles from downtown and the length of a football field from Buffalo Bayou plus about 50' in elevation...more or less.

If not, sorry.  It's 8 minutes long.

https://www.khou.com/article/weather/harvey-anniversary/khoustronger-harvey-destroyed-our-building-not-our-spirit/285-482517095

No need to apologize for that, Ounce. It was an outstanding piece, and it brings back many memories of my days working in TV. It's something about the news business and its mission of public service, which sounds hokey but is something we newsies take very seriously. We get it done, no matter what. (Lump in throat, misty eyes, much respect for the team at KHOU.)

Thanks for sharing it.

Been a few days since I've posted anything, so here's a quick update.

School was delayed for about week after a teachers strike in our district (and many other in our county). Alita wasn't technically on strike, but she was effectively furloughed until they got a settlement and school started. Which is today! (Which explains why I'm posting at 5:52 a.m.) Of course, Alita's classified employees union is still negotiating their contract, but we're hoping they can come to terms without a labor action.

With all the additional stress, we've barely even though of getting out running right now, though we both know we really ought to. Oh well. I guess it'll help us heal up whatever lingering injuries we had, right? Now that we're hitting the routine for the nonsummer part of the year, maybe we'll get into a rhythm again.

Alec didn't seem to mind the lack of school. It gave him time to finish a big AP English summer project he'd been putting off all summer.

Mark B wrote:Been a few days since I've posted anything, so here's a quick update.

School was delayed for about week after a teachers strike in our district (and many other in our county). Alita wasn't technically on strike, but she was effectively furloughed until they got a settlement and school started. Which is today! (Which explains why I'm posting at 5:52 a.m.) Of course, Alita's classified employees union is still negotiating their contract, but we're hoping they can come to terms without a labor action.

With all the additional stress, we've barely even though of getting out running right now, though we both know we really ought to. Oh well. I guess it'll help us heal up whatever lingering injuries we had, right? Now that we're hitting the routine for the nonsummer part of the year, maybe we'll get into a rhythm again.

Alec didn't seem to mind the lack of school. It gave him time to finish a big AP English summer project he'd been putting off all summer.  

Glad to hear that Alec is back to school.  Hope Alita's union is able to reach a settlement without more disruption.  Marty's relative...his cousins daughter...does that make her a cousin once removed or a second cousin?...is supposed to start her first year teaching at Longview and I think they may still be out on strike but I haven't heard anything for a few days.

Here's to a routine that includes running...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Been a few days since I've posted anything, so here's a quick update.

School was delayed for about week after a teachers strike in our district (and many other in our county). Alita wasn't technically on strike, but she was effectively furloughed until they got a settlement and school started. Which is today! (Which explains why I'm posting at 5:52 a.m.) Of course, Alita's classified employees union is still negotiating their contract, but we're hoping they can come to terms without a labor action.

With all the additional stress, we've barely even though of getting out running right now, though we both know we really ought to. Oh well. I guess it'll help us heal up whatever lingering injuries we had, right? Now that we're hitting the routine for the nonsummer part of the year, maybe we'll get into a rhythm again.

Alec didn't seem to mind the lack of school. It gave him time to finish a big AP English summer project he'd been putting off all summer.  

Glad to hear that Alec is back to school.  Hope Alita's union is able to reach a settlement without more disruption.  Marty's relative...his cousins daughter...does that make her a cousin once removed or a second cousin?...is supposed to start her first year teaching at Longview and I think they may still be out on strike but I haven't heard anything for a few days.

Here's to a routine that includes running...

Yes, Longview is still out. Several districts still are. It's been quite disruptive.

For us, it means the last in our series of photos of Alec in front of our door on the first day of school. If you're on Facebook, you can check out the entire progression.



It was his first morning getting up early in a long time, so I thought he didn't look too unconscious...

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Been a few days since I've posted anything, so here's a quick update.

School was delayed for about week after a teachers strike in our district (and many other in our county). Alita wasn't technically on strike, but she was effectively furloughed until they got a settlement and school started. Which is today! (Which explains why I'm posting at 5:52 a.m.) Of course, Alita's classified employees union is still negotiating their contract, but we're hoping they can come to terms without a labor action.

With all the additional stress, we've barely even though of getting out running right now, though we both know we really ought to. Oh well. I guess it'll help us heal up whatever lingering injuries we had, right? Now that we're hitting the routine for the nonsummer part of the year, maybe we'll get into a rhythm again.

Alec didn't seem to mind the lack of school. It gave him time to finish a big AP English summer project he'd been putting off all summer.  

Glad to hear that Alec is back to school.  Hope Alita's union is able to reach a settlement without more disruption.  Marty's relative...his cousins daughter...does that make her a cousin once removed or a second cousin?...is supposed to start her first year teaching at Longview and I think they may still be out on strike but I haven't heard anything for a few days.

Here's to a routine that includes running...

Yes, Longview is still out. Several districts still are. It's been quite disruptive.

For us, it means the last in our series of photos of Alec in front of our door on the first day of school. If you're on Facebook, you can check out the entire progression.



It was his first morning getting up early in a long time, so I thought he didn't look too unconscious...  

Won't be long before you and Alita have an empty nest!!

Sounds like Longview may have finally reached a tentative agreement.

How'd the repair to the buggy come out?

ounce wrote:How'd the repair to the buggy come out?

Oops. I knew I was forgetting something.

The problem was the alternator. They replaced that, and they also replaced the battery terminal clamps, which were so shot they couldn't tighten down. It wasn't ridiculously expensive, so that was nice.

Now, just yesterday, the battery light came on in the car, so... looks like I'll be testing their warranty system.

No running lately, though I did get in a good walk at lunch yesterday. We're talking about wanting to get back going again, so that's a good first step. It's been stress overload lately, though, with job uncertainty for Alita and a super-newsy few weeks for me. At least it's not 90° all the time now.

We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday by attending curriculum night at the high school. (Oh, wild partiers that we are.) We're also volunteering on Saturday at an aid station for a 100-miler happening this weekend up by Mount Hood. It's a 3:30 to midnight shift, so that ought to be interesting. It's technically Aid Station 9 AND 12, so we get to see runners at 55 and 75 miles in. It'll be interesting to see how they hold up.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:How'd the repair to the buggy come out?

Oops. I knew I was forgetting something.

The problem was the alternator. They replaced that, and they also replaced the battery terminal clamps, which were so shot they couldn't tighten down. It wasn't ridiculously expensive, so that was nice.

Now, just yesterday, the battery light came on in the car, so... looks like I'll be testing their warranty system.

No running lately, though I did get in a good walk at lunch yesterday. We're talking about wanting to get back going again, so that's a good first step. It's been stress overload lately, though, with job uncertainty for Alita and a super-newsy few weeks for me. At least it's not 90° all the time now.

We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday by attending curriculum night at the high school. (Oh, wild partiers that we are.) We're also volunteering on Saturday at an aid station for a 100-miler happening this weekend up by Mount Hood. It's a 3:30 to midnight shift, so that ought to be interesting. It's technically Aid Station 9 AND 12, so we get to see runners at 55 and 75 miles in. It'll be interesting to see how they hold up.

I had to laugh when I read about your anniversary celebration.  Sounds like us.  We often spend our anniversary in the tractor...actually two separate tractors.  Who knew we'd be farmers when we chose to get married in July!

Hope the volunteering went well.

How's Alita feeling?  Hopefully better...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:How'd the repair to the buggy come out?

Oops. I knew I was forgetting something.

The problem was the alternator. They replaced that, and they also replaced the battery terminal clamps, which were so shot they couldn't tighten down. It wasn't ridiculously expensive, so that was nice.

Now, just yesterday, the battery light came on in the car, so... looks like I'll be testing their warranty system.

No running lately, though I did get in a good walk at lunch yesterday. We're talking about wanting to get back going again, so that's a good first step. It's been stress overload lately, though, with job uncertainty for Alita and a super-newsy few weeks for me. At least it's not 90° all the time now.

We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday by attending curriculum night at the high school. (Oh, wild partiers that we are.) We're also volunteering on Saturday at an aid station for a 100-miler happening this weekend up by Mount Hood. It's a 3:30 to midnight shift, so that ought to be interesting. It's technically Aid Station 9 AND 12, so we get to see runners at 55 and 75 miles in. It'll be interesting to see how they hold up.

I had to laugh when I read about your anniversary celebration.  Sounds like us.  We often spend our anniversary in the tractor...actually two separate tractors.  Who knew we'd be farmers when we chose to get married in July!

Hope the volunteering went well.

How's Alita feeling?  Hopefully better...

I'm sure that's an interesting story, Nancy.  You being a tax whiz turned farmer.

So, Mark, did the runner's outlook change much between miles 55 and 75?

So, volunteering!

Alita and I signed up for the 3:30 p.m. to midnight shift at the Clackamas Lake Ranger Station, which was the aid station for runners at Mile 55 and Mile 70. It was also the hub of the racecourse for a good part of the day, with runners coming and going in both directions, depending on how fast they were going. After they passed through the first time, they'd do a bit lap around Timothy Lake and return to us before heading off back toward the finish, a mere 30 miles away.

To answer your question, Ounce: There actually wasn't that much of a difference between the runners we saw at 55 and 70. That's a bit of self-selection, since we only saw the fastest runners on the 70-mile return trip. Some of them looked a little more haggard the second time around, but a surprising number of them looked pretty fresh. The fact that it was cool day probably helped that.

The cool wasn't such a good thing earlier on, though, since it rained at the start of the race. By the time some of the runners got to 55 miles, they looked pretty haggard. One of them came in incoherent, and there were a few others that needed some extra special TLC. You could see it in their faces, but a shot of defizzed Coke or Ginger Ale usually got their brain working enough to start feeding. A few of them went into the warming tent and decided they'd had enough. One guy couldn't stop throwing up. There were others who were struggling to hit the midnight cutoff at 55 miles that I'm pretty sure didn't make it much farther. All told, there were 121 finishers and about 40 DNFs.

We had a large aid station with all sorts of offerings besides the usual PBJs, chips and whatnot. We had fresh pirogues, grilled cheese sandwiches, mashed potatoes, broth, bacon and waffles. I was pressed into service as the chief waffle maker, and while they weren't as popular as the pirogues and grilled cheese, the runners who wanted them REALLY wanted them.

In addition to making waffles, I teamed up with Alita as the food (and soda) pushers. We helped out on hydration packs and bottle-filling, too. We did our best to stay upbeat and positive, helping the runner with fuzzed-out brains figure out what they needed. It was gratifying to help, and a lot of run.

Oh, and guess who was also at the aid station? Mr. Western States! It's pretty funny that my nickname for Brian (that's his other name) stuck, but it has. In a different race, they even named the aid station team after him. It's pretty funny. We had a good conversation before he headed out after midnight to sweep around the lake.

The only downside of the whole event was the 4-5 cups of coffee I drank all evening. It was getting chilly, and we wanted to stay alert and energized and it tasted pretty darn good. It made the drive home at 1 a.m. quite safe.... but getting to sleep after got home? Yeah, not so much.    I'm still feeling jet lagged. But it was totally worth it.

One thing that helping out did was get me thinking about maybe this is something I might actually want to do? It didn't help that Mr. Western States asked me straight out if I was going to be running it next year. Hm... I'd love to be able to do it. But can I get there? Are my dreams crazy enough? We'll see.

Enough talking. Photo time.



Us early on, before the runners started coming in.




The basic ultra table fare. The hot food came later, as the fast runners started coming in after 4:30 p.m. The aid station cutoff for 55 miles as midnight, and we had somebody make it out just in the nick of time. The cutoff for the 70 mile pass-through was 5 a.m.



A different view of the station. We were fortunate to have a cover over our heads, since it rained during the afternoon, fairly hard a couple of times. But it cleared out in the early evening and the moon came out. It cooled off pretty fast, but it was pretty.



We had a generator and NFL-level stadium lights for when it got dark, which was very helpful for all the crew members who had gathered to help their runners. We had strictly enforced runner-only areas (the aid station to the left) and the crew area to the right. Runners often ran straight to their crew and then doubled back for food, though sometimes their crew or pacer made a food run for them.

One thing is certain: This experience underscored the importance of fueling in long events. It's always been a challenge for me, but there was an obvious difference in the condition of the runners who were taking in food and those who weren't. If they were eating, they were doing well. If not? Doomed.

Yeah, doing the aid stations can be as fun as you make it.  It seemed like, when I did it, that anything goofy to lift them from their funk, while tending to their needs, is appreciated.  Goofy comes easy to me. 

As far as Mr. Western States, he was at Brazos Bend in December 2017 for the BB100.  An acquaintance was crewing for a runner and Gordy was at the race.  Don't know if he was paid to be there or if his entry was comped, but he took a picture with her.  I razzed her that he looked like a dirty old man, not willing to let go of her.



Well done, you two.  Enjoy your training for that 50!  You need another rock.

ounce wrote:Yeah, doing the aid stations can be as fun as you make it.  It seemed like, when I did it, that anything goofy to lift them from their funk, while tending to their needs, is appreciated.  Goofy comes easy to me. 

As far as Mr. Western States, he was at Brazos Bend in December 2017 for the BB100.  An acquaintance was crewing for a runner and Gordy was at the race.  Don't know if he was paid to be there or if his entry was comped, but he took a picture with her.  I razzed her that he looked like a dirty old man, not willing to let go of her.



Well done, you two.  Enjoy your training for that 50!  You need another rock.

Goofy, you? i'm shocked, shocked, I say!

And my Mr. Western States is not THE Mr. Western States, Gordy Ainsleigh, the guy who invented the event. But meeting Gordy would be cool, though.

50? Hm. Well, you're halfway right.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Yeah, doing the aid stations can be as fun as you make it.  It seemed like, when I did it, that anything goofy to lift them from their funk, while tending to their needs, is appreciated.  Goofy comes easy to me. 

As far as Mr. Western States, he was at Brazos Bend in December 2017 for the BB100.  An acquaintance was crewing for a runner and Gordy was at the race.  Don't know if he was paid to be there or if his entry was comped, but he took a picture with her.  I razzed her that he looked like a dirty old man, not willing to let go of her.



Well done, you two.  Enjoy your training for that 50!  You need another rock.

Goofy, you? i'm shocked, shocked, I say!

And my Mr. Western States is not THE Mr. Western States, Gordy Ainsleigh, the guy who invented the event. But meeting Gordy would be cool, though.

50? Hm. Well, you're halfway right.

I knew you meant 100...and yes you can do it!!!!!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Yeah, doing the aid stations can be as fun as you make it.  It seemed like, when I did it, that anything goofy to lift them from their funk, while tending to their needs, is appreciated.  Goofy comes easy to me. 

As far as Mr. Western States, he was at Brazos Bend in December 2017 for the BB100.  An acquaintance was crewing for a runner and Gordy was at the race.  Don't know if he was paid to be there or if his entry was comped, but he took a picture with her.  I razzed her that he looked like a dirty old man, not willing to let go of her.



Well done, you two.  Enjoy your training for that 50!  You need another rock.

Goofy, you? i'm shocked, shocked, I say!

And my Mr. Western States is not THE Mr. Western States, Gordy Ainsleigh, the guy who invented the event. But meeting Gordy would be cool, though.

50? Hm. Well, you're halfway right.

I knew you meant 100...and yes you can do it!!!!!

Personally, I thought he was on drugs.  But hey, go for it with all the gusto and hit a homer.  I know, it's not a running metaphor, but the Astros won the division, last night, so it was the best I could do.

We'll be here to spur you on from a distance and encourage you to get Alec to be a pacer!

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Yeah, doing the aid stations can be as fun as you make it.  It seemed like, when I did it, that anything goofy to lift them from their funk, while tending to their needs, is appreciated.  Goofy comes easy to me. 

As far as Mr. Western States, he was at Brazos Bend in December 2017 for the BB100.  An acquaintance was crewing for a runner and Gordy was at the race.  Don't know if he was paid to be there or if his entry was comped, but he took a picture with her.  I razzed her that he looked like a dirty old man, not willing to let go of her.



Well done, you two.  Enjoy your training for that 50!  You need another rock.

Goofy, you? i'm shocked, shocked, I say!

And my Mr. Western States is not THE Mr. Western States, Gordy Ainsleigh, the guy who invented the event. But meeting Gordy would be cool, though.

50? Hm. Well, you're halfway right.

I knew you meant 100...and yes you can do it!!!!!

Personally, I thought he was on drugs.  But hey, go for it with all the gusto and hit a homer.  I know, it's not a running metaphor, but the Astros won the division, last night, so it was the best I could do.

We'll be here to spur you on from a distance and encourage you to get Alec to be a pacer!

I would actually consider committing to spend some time cheering...volunteering...or even pacing if Mark ran!  It's close and not a bad time of year for me to sneak away for part of a day...