America on a runner's high

The Spaghetti Western

The small sign said, “Visitor Friendly” as I rode into town. It was high noon in the dusty little town of Big Timber, Mont.

The bank sign said it was 91 degrees. The air was hot, the town was small, and I was tired. Sounds like a combination that can only lead to trouble.

Oh yes, the town is small. I could describe it as a one horse town but I saw three grazing. The girl working at the visitor center (Kelly) described Big Timber as “Itty bitty”. I had heard they filmed a lot of the movie “A River Runs Through It” here so hoped for something special. This town is old with buildings that date back to the late 1800s. The Yellowstone River runs through the edge of town and the Crazy Mountains are in the near distance.

So what should my workout be? I asked if there were any trails around town or close by and I was steered towards the Natural Bridge, 24 miles south of town. I also asked if it was long enough to get a good run in. Kelly said, “Well, I’m too lazy to walk all of it.” It must be good sized, then, right?

I wanted to make sure that I was headed in the right direction so I stopped by a campground to ask. I was told, “No, you don’t want to run there.” “Is it too rough?” “No, it’s too small. It’s only about a half mile long!” So, Kelly is too lazy to hike a half mile – that’s a shame.

After much thought and since there are few trails, I decided to just hit a gravel road. I picked the Big Timber Canyon Road – a 10 mile stretch that leads up to the base of Crazy Peak (11,000 feet).

It was a 10 mile paved road and a 2 mile gravel (large rock) road that got me to where I wanted. A sign said winding road and I said, “That figures.”

I parked my car on the side of the road thinking that it would be safe. It is a “visitor friendly” town, after all. I strapped on my Adidas Supernova Cushions, and I was off. I decided to just get in about 30 minutes of running time so I planned to go out in 16 minutes and come back in around 14.

Going out, I hit hill after hill, with one being at least a half mile if not three-quarters of a mile long. I got to the top of that monster and my watch said 16 minutes. I turned around. 

I start to think about my car. Worry set in. What if some gringo spots it and decides to stage the Great ’97 Rodeo Robbery?! I started hauling rear and, with the aid of downhills and a strong tailwind, I came back in 11 minutes. Car was safe. I was done. Time to leave.

On the way to Big Timber, I passed the highway that would take me a few miles south to Yellowstone National Park. I thought about changing plans but stuck to my guns – too bad. You can call this one a run and dash. I’m outta here with a quick 4.5 mile run and my belongings. I can now tell my kids (if I ever have any) that I have been to Big Timber, Mont.– quite impressive.

Tomorrow is a new day and one that will be spent at my home away from home – the Black Hills. I’m on the home stretch! Just a few more miles to go!

Notes from the road:

1) Coming into Big Timber, I saw a smoothie stand that looked really good. Decided to stop by on my way out. I drove by about 10 minutes later and the OPEN sign was changed to a FOR SALE BY OWNER sign. That was fast!!!

2) On my way to Big Timber Canyon Road, I came to a hill. At the base of the hill, a sign was placed that said “HILL”.

Road song of the day: “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne

Peaceful in daylight – Eugene (day 2)

While traveling and running in Europe, Steve Prefontaine took a strong liking to the European cross country courses and their type of terrain. What they did to make their trails special was to cover them with wood chips and bark. Upon his return to the US, Pre had a vision to build a trail in that fashion in Alton Baker Park. His vision would come to fruition but not until after his untimely passing in 1975.

Since there is a huge timber industry in Oregon, bark chips are easy to come by. And with the strong will of the Oregon Track Club, there are now three bark chip trails in Eugene – the Adidas Amazon Trail (that I ran on earlier), the Rexius (a 3.5 mile path which connects with a paved trail), and Pre’s Trail that starts in Alton Baker Park (where he wished it to be). Last evening, I ran all 4 miles of Pre’s Trail and loved it.

Things of note:

1) Alton Baker Park is gorgeous.

2) Freshly layed bark chips feels like you are running on pillows (just guessing – I have never run on pillows).

3) Pre’s Trail has a series of loops and the first is lighted (I believe it is 1.3 miles).

4) Pre’s Trail partly runs along a creek. One section of this creek is called the Canoe Canal which is a calm, clear stretch that separates the trail and some beautiful homes – of which have gorgeously landscaped backyards that lead right down to the water. And yes, when I ran by a man was canoeing.

5) Two short sections that are truly special are natural tunnels, canopied by trees. All around you the vegetation is a brilliant emerald green. In the first tunnel you see a small boulder that is engraved with the Kalapuya saying Ga-Ach-Li, which means Peaceful In Daylight. That’s just what it was.

In the short time that I was here, I found it hard to keep to a certain distance - you just want to keep running! It may be true for others here, as well. My gracious guide to everything running in Eugene, Bob Coll, had planned a 20-mile run for himself – he ended up going 25. No offense, Bob, but I’m glad that I didn’t run with you this morning. I would have been a hurtin’ unit for Big Timber!

What I did do this morning was meet up with Joe Henderson and his marathon training team. Joe has taken his extraordinary energy and running knowledge and has shared it with the Eugene community, and they have benefited from it. They are lucky to have someone like him to lead them towards their running goals, and this ultimately leads to having fun with the positive progress that they see.

This morning’s group run was scheduled for 11 miles. It turned out to be a little more than that due to construction but was anyone going to complain? Not here. What does a few more strides matter when you are in Eugene?

I ran in a group of five - Nathan, Lyda, Stefanie, Sarah and myself. All are great runners who, even though they don’t realize it, exhume the Eugene spirit. I could not have asked for a better group to run with. Thanks, Nathan and ladies! Sorry, I didn’t get to hang out and talk more afterwards! Good people as well as a beautifully sunny and COOL morning!

Nearly all of our route was on part of the MANY miles of bike trail that run all over and around this town (a lot of it lighted). I wasn’t just following them because I didn’t know where we were going – they were running at a good clip! A great pace for a Sunday morning run. And just to add to the experience, we got to see Joe with all of his positive encouragement, twice along the route!

Nathan, himself, has been running for only about a year and a half but it’s easy to see that he has the bug. He already has a true runner’s mentality. He is in for the long run (pun intended).

After the run, Bob Coll (another high energy and hard-working individual) guided me through everything running in Eugene. From the great memorabilia in his store, the Eugene Running Company, to all landmarks within the city. I consider myself knowledgable on running but compared to Bob – he has a doctorate while I am a 1st grader. And with this being Eugene, Ore. (where running has been reinvented and polished), there is so much to soak in!

Every spot with historic significance, we saw. Areas with even obscure significance, we saw. Although, I am sure to Bob, there is nothing obscure around Eugene – I may have to agree. There were many highlights, but the biggest was when he drove the route that Pre took on the night of his accident. Seeing Kenny Moore’s house (where the party was held) and around the curve of the road to the crash site, which is now a memorial (known as Pre’s rock).

Placed at the site is a stone with an image and a dedication to Pre on it. Placed around the stone are a number of personal running items that fans have left in his memory. There were race numbers, medals, shoes, wristbands and a team photo. My donation will be my race number from the Summer Solstice 8K – he would have loved everything about that race, I am sure.

Thanks again, Bob, for taking time away from your busy schedule to show me around. Your generosity is unmatched and won’t be forgotten. Hopefully, I will be able to return the favor, somehow.

It is hard to leave Eugene. It is an amazing place with great people. When I asked my running group what the negatives to Eugene are, the only thing that was replied was “rain” – if you don’t like a lot of it, anyway. But the rain, I understand, stops within the summer months. As for the winters? Mild with very little snow. When it does snow, everything stops because the city doesn’t own a plow.

So, I leave not by saying goodbye to Eugene but by saying, “I will see you again.”

Next up - Big Timber, Mont. What’s there you might ask. I am expecting a lot of really large trees, but I may be surprised.

Web links that you MUST check out:

www.prefontaine.org

www.eugenerunningcompany.com

www.oregontrackclub.org

Notes from the sidewalk:

1) I walked around the University of Oregon campus last night and came across a slightly inebriated woman who had this profound thought to share, “You know. Sometimes when you need something really bad and you look for it, you find it.” I agreed.

2) While trying to find Alton Baker Park, I asked a group of ladies, “How do I get to Alton Brown Park?” I realized soon after that Alton Brown is the guy from the Food Network and I just sounded like a twit. I laughed hard.

Sidewalk song of the day: “Still Standing” by Brule & AIRO