33 Years And Getting Younger

I gave myself a cool gift for my 33rd birthday. I went out and ran six miles.

Not your idea of a cool gift? Well consider this. It has been a long time since I have run that kind of distance. Can't remember the last time. With my past two injury problems, the wheels have always come off at five miles.

The sun come out around the lunch hour and I headed out on a loop that I know well, but haven't run on for at least five years. The shoulders along Stringtown Rd., west of Forest Grove, are minimal at best, but the lack of car traffic makes it ideal. Not much activity going on other than the action at the surrounding nurseries and the occasional person working in their yard.

It was nice. I moved along at what felt like a smooth pace, determined to go farther than I have in a while. I didn't really start feeling things until I got off B Street and headed towards Main St. The legs kept pumping, but it was obvious that they were working hard.

I came through at 46:03. A pace of around 7:55 per mile, which is faster than I wanted. Even though I should be running the longer runs more slowly (want to keep any injuries from flaing back up), I smiled. My fitness is improving, and it shows.

Hopefully I am not jinxing myself, but it feels good to be back. Thirty-three is not old at all, but this body has taken its share of injuries. I certainly don't want to revisit any of those by doing too much, too fast. I want to keep getting younger and getting faster. The journey has been good so far. I think its only going to get better.

I was on a great streak with my running until the end of March when the job and a chance to work the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament stunted things a bit. I am just now getting back to where things are feeling easy and I have that desire, that taste to hit the roads. It feels great. Gotta keep it going.

It was a birthday gift and a birthday challenge. How did you challenge yourself on your birthday?

Fulfilling The Dream...Vicariously

Those of you who are close to me know that I will be spending the end of June and beginning of July at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene. I have the honor to be part of the media relations staff for what many consider to be the world's greatest track meet.

Working high-profile sports events is something I really like to do, but the Trials are special. It's a dream come true and the fulfillment of a dream that was never truly realized.

In Oregon, the large high school state meet is held annually at Hayward Field, which is Mecca for American track & field enthusiasts. I was always good enough to make it into the field at the state meet as a prep runner, and probably would have run well against those loaded fields in the 3,000 meters.

Unfortunately, qualifying standards kept me from towing the line on Hayward's Mondo lanes. My junior year best time of 9:08.7 would have been competitive in the 1993 state meet. A third place finish, however, behind a winning of 8:55 by Grants Pass' Steve Reynaud and an 8:59 by Klamath Union teammate Russ Bjerke, kept me out of the meet. Another third place finish my senior year kept me home again.

I watched the 1993 Oregon state meet from the stands. My parents tried to sooth my disappointment by taking me to Eugene to watch the meet.

Fifteen years later, I still remember that disappointment. The satisfaction, however, has been that I am good enough as a sports information director to be trusted to be a part of the media relations effort at the Trials. It's not the same as being on the track, but still an honor to be part.

Maybe I can live a little through former KU runner Ian Dobson, who has the fifth fastest qualifying time in the 5,000 meters.

THE CoSIDA TAKE: To be a part of the Trials, I did elect not to attend this year's CoSIDA Convention, which takes place June 28-July 1 in Tampa, Fla. I weighed that decision heavily as I take my role of the organization's Board of Directors quite seriously.

I am sure I will take some heat from those who feel that I am shirking my board responsibility by not attending the decision, especially from those who feel like I should not be on the board in the first place for a second term. The fact is, working the Olympic Trials is a personal and professional opportunity that I truly could not pass up. The CoSIDA Convention is every year. The Trials are every four years and won't always be in my back yard.

Hopefully people will agree with what CoSIDA President Charles Bloom said when I consulted with him about the decision. "Your leadership in CoSIDA is a year-long effort, not just at the Workshop. You need to take this opportunity."