Catching Up

We are so behind on the race report. Since we last blogged about races, Robert has run 5 ultras and 1 marathon. The marathon was the Flying Pig on May 4th in Cincinnati (12 of 50 states). The big excitement was a fire along the course. The race had to be diverted and was a little longer than the usual 26.2. No pictures - but the runner was 3rd in his age group and received a Flying Pig Plaque.

He also did well at the Washington State University 100K. There were only 4 solo runners (3 finished) and a lot of relay teams. Robert was the 1st solo finisher. Probably due to the great support along the course (see above right).

The picture above left is from the McDonald Forest Trail Run (50K) near Corvallis, OR. It was kind of nice to be back in the western Oregon coast range for awhile. And we got to visit Silas and Sara on our way down (pre-Eli) and Melinda, Jeff, Bryce and Joel on the way back home.

New Beginnings

It's been awhile since our last blog. The biggest and best news since then?

We have a new grandson! Elijah was born May 18th. Another boy to join the grandchild ranks, along with Bryce and Joel. By the time we got to the hospital, he was nine hours old, but his mom was as cheerful as ever. His dad looked kind of tired... so T-Papa was happy to hold him.

11th State

Robert completed 11th of 50 in his all-states marathon quest this morning. He ran in Austin Texas and finished at 3:08:28, 2nd in his age division. Not bad for a training run for the Western States 100! No pictures, since Tanya is at home in snowy Spokane Valley. Yesterday Austin had thunderstorms and tornado warnings, but the runner reported that the weather today was perfect.

It's good to be an experienced runner. A co-Austin runner new to marathoning thought the Vaseline handed out on sticks at the aid stations was an energy gel. Yummm.

Last night was the awards ceremony for the Bloomsday Road Runners Club. Robert was awarded Senior Male Runner of the Year. See his award below.

The Training Has Begun

WooHoo!

Big News! Robert's name was selected from the lottery for the Western States 100 Mile Trail Run. There was only a 16% chance of selection this year and he was selected on the last draw. It starts June 28, 2008; ends the next day. He was hoping Forrest could be his buddy runner during the night hours, but since Forrest is having Achilles problems, that might not be a possibility, although Robert is willing to perform surgery on Forrest's foot. Maybe everyone could come camp with us to be part of the EVENT! Now the planning begins - our lives will be affected by this for the next 6 months. We're considering going to Miami in January so Robert can run the Miami marathon - as one of his training runs.

What else would we blog about?

Anyone who reads this blog probably already knows Silas and Sara announced that they are expecting a baby in May. Exciting! Even after being grandparents twice over, it still seems like a strange concept to be a grandparent. The grandchildren we have are great (how could they not be - they have great parents) and how could that not lead to a picture? Joel, wearing his dad's shoes, with his dad's keys, going to work like dad does.

More running news - Robert ran the Route 66 marathon in Tulsa, OK. Fairly flat course, but hilly at the end - the worse place for hills. Are you wondering how he did??? 12th overall, first in his age group. 3:03:56. Not only did he run well, he was interviewed by the Tulsa World. If you're interested in his (brief) quote in the paper, look here: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?articleID=071119_2_B5_ONWor06475

Tanya gimped through the Quarter Marathon (she switched from the Half 'cause her feet were bothering her), but she still got a cool Route 66 medal.

Tulsa was interesting. We stayed at a downtown hotel since it was only a mile from the start line. Downtown was almost empty. We walked down the middle of streets with no cars on them. We had to walk ten blocks to find a place to eat (it was a fun place-we were told to try the sweet potato fries and they were good!). I guess there are other sections of town that have a night life, but downtown wasn't it. The motel owner told us they're hoping it will change once the new stadium is built. It was great weather - we walked around in shirtsleeves at night, while in Spokane it was snowing.

Tulsa was the tenth state Robert has run a marathon in - 10 being the amount needed to join the 50 states club (a marathon or longer in each state). He filled out his entry form as soon as we got home and is already mapping out next year's runs. If he runs 2 a year, he'll be 75 when he's done, but as is usual with Robert, when he's passionate about something, he goes all out. Watch for him to run at least 4 next year.