Eugene Oregon - 2016 Olympic Trials - Pt 1

I was fortunate enough to be able to take a trip of a lifetime this month when I traveled to Eugene, Oregon to attend the 2016 Olympic Track and Field Trials. It was a better experience than I even hoped for. I bought my tickets last year online and didn't know where my seat would be, just the section of the track I would be seated near. I wound up in the 2nd seat from the aisle in the second row of the bleachers right by the steeplechase water jump and the seat turned out to be great for watching a lot of the meet. While I wasn't near the finish line, they had two large screens where the finishing stretch could be seen. And like I told a friend of mine who asked if I didn't wish I was closer to the finish line, "I coached track for 28 years and never sat at the finish line, I don't need to start now".

While the competition was exciting and everything that could be hoped for at a meet, the meet itself was just part of the overall experience. I had an opportunity to visit my niece's new home for the first time and have breakfast with her a couple of times. I stayed with a very good friend, Smitty, whom I met in the Navy in 1968 and his wife, Denise and another of our Navy friends, Joe Palmer came out with his wife, Judy from Tennessee and stayed for several days. We had some great times together. Ate a lot of good food, shared a lot of wine and beer and shared a lot of memories. A lot of good healthy laughing!

It's ironic that this will be the last post for this year's blog because it was a trip that had some of everything that I have found to be important to making a trip successful, family, friends, nature, history, racing, travel, good food and drink, new experiences, and lots of laughter and fun. I would normally have one more post to end this after my birthday because I have a race on the day before my birthday but the site I use to print my blogs has a sale right now and it ends before my birthday. So this will be an event filled post and will be the final one for "This Running Journey".

On the way to Eugene I drove East on Historic Highway 66 to visit the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. It was a nice drive and not to far off the beaten pass so to speak. I drove to Green Springs and was fascinated to cross the Pacific Crest Trail, a trail I have read so many books about. Then I drove on to Smitty and Denise's and we had a great reunion including prime rib that Smitty had done on the grill.

Mt. Shasta

The Trials started on the 1st of July and went through the 4th. Then the 5th they had just the hammer throw and the 6th off before starting up again on the 7th and running daily through the 10th. It was an amazing meet with many incredible highs and lows. I made it a point to be there every day and sat through bright hot sunny days and days when we had the stereotypical Pacific Northwest rain. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. In addition to watching the competition I had an opportunity to meet several current and former competitors. The first was Craig Masback who presently is an announcer but was a world class miler. Others were Nick Symmonds Olympian and multiple National Champion, Lauren Fleshman professional runner and Stanford grad; Frank Shorter Olympic Gold and Silver medalist in the marathon; John Carlos 1968 Olympic medalist and activist, Devon Yanko this years 3rd place female at the Western States 100, Becky Wade an Olympic Trials participant, professional runner and author, Joe Vigil a coach I have known for many years from when I coached in Colorado and he was at Adams State winning multiple National Championships, and Dan O'Brien, Olympic Gold Medalist in the decathlon.

Craig Masback

Nick Symmonds

Frank Shorter

John Carlos

Lauren Fleshman

Becky Wade

Dan O'Brien

Devon Yanko

Coach Joe Vigil

Between the Trials themselves and family and friends there were some long days and maybe none longer than the first. I met my niece Brandy at her new place in Creswell, Oregon and got the tour and met the newest members of the animal family, the pigs, Chip and Dale and the goats. They were fun to play with and feed. The pigs would actually sit and wait for food if you told them to and the goats were funny because one was so pushy with the other that they were fun to watch. Then we went to Joe's Diner for breakfast and had a good visit. 

After the Trials I went back to Smitty's and we waited for his high school friend, Gary and his wife who were traveling through and parking their RV there for the night. We grilled and shared wine and stories until after midnight. 

The 2nd and 3rd were both Trials all day followed by BBQ's at friends of Smitty and Denise. Both were attended by others who had been at the Trials so it was a lot of fun talking about what had happened. I went back to meet Brandy for breakfast again at Joe's on the 3rd so I could see her once more before she left for vacation with her brothers and their families. If you ever get to Creswell, Oregon I highly recommend Joe's Diner!

BBQ @ Pete & Laurie's July 3rd

The 4th was a big day that started early with a race. I did the 5K while John and Denise did the 4 mile. It was a fun event and after we met two of their friends and Smitty cooked breakfast on the river. Then there was finally a little down time before going back to the meet and then meeting more of their friends at the Art in the Vineyard at a park. They stayed all the way through the fireworks but I called it a day and headed back to the house about 8:30.

Blueberries picked right out of their yard!

Since the 5th was an off day for the Trials Smitty and I drove over to the coast for the day. It was my first time visiting the Oregon coast. I couldn't believe how much huge driftwood there was all over the beach. We spent some time at the beach looking at the structures people had built from the driftwood and then went back to town and had lunch on the river. Before we returned home we did some yard work at a place that their friends own. When we got back to town we stopped at Hops Brewery to see a couple of Smitty's friends and Denise met us there for dinner and then Smitty and I went to see the "Tracktown Movie" downtown. Another long day but another good day.

Since the 6th was the second down day for the Trials I decided to just run around a little in the morning. I started at the Creswell Bakery for breakfast and then found the Smith Family Bookstore in Eugene. Then I went back to the house, looked at my maps and tour books to plan a return trip and balanced my checkbook. Smitty and I went to Plank Town Brewery in downtown Springfield for lunch and then we worked in the yard and just hung out because it was going to be a late night with Joe and Judy Palmer arriving late and Gary and his wife coming back through for the night. The neighbors also came over and we wound up once again sharing stories and wine this time until 2:30.