Guest Post by Lewis (lowercase) Taylor
Editor’s note: This post is part of a series on the Michigan Bluff Training Camp. Check the blog each day to see lc’s report on how the Oregonians are doing at camp and how lc is doing in his efforts to simulate camp back home in Eugene, Ore.
The problem, I’m realizing, is that Eugene ain’t on a bluff. In fact it’s kind of the opposite of on a bluff (in a depression at about 500 feet above sea level).
Eugene's answer to the Swinging Bridge.
There are no canyons right off the front porch for me to drop into, no screaming downhills that go for 16 miles, no 22-switchback climbs (or whatever Devil’s Thumb is) in my backyard. Each day, I think “How can I find some elevation, and fast?” I keep telling myself that the Willamette Valley is just one big stretched out canyon right? That if dudes in Florida can train for hills on 100-foot-high bridges then I can find a way to do this. Today I hopped in the car at 4:30 a.m. and drove to Patterson Mountain Road, which was to be my Dusty Corners for the day (sharp downhill followed by a steep up). It wasn’t even close. It was dark and rainy and cold and not nearly steep enough. It sucked. I wouldn’t recommend virtual training camp to anyone, but I’ll keep doing it since I’m on the hook for this blog. No Cougarbait, you can’t take over!
What They Ran: Today the boys conquered two major canyons, traveling from Dusty Corners to Michigan Bluff. They hopped in the car, stopped when the snow got too deep, then ran four miles to the trail. Bev and Alan Abbs joined the Oregonians for another chilly April run.
More homoerotic camp fun.
Nobody ran Devil’s Thumb as advertised on the schedule (wimps). The boys saw Paul from New Zealand, LB talked GM out of her USATF hat and Bili made a mess of his gel flask.I heard surprisingly few comments about his run, which offers some major climbing and descending through the heart of WS canyon country. This leads me to believe AJW’s theory that these guys are saving themselves for Saturday. Either that or they’re keeping their cards close to their chests.
What I Ran: Patterson Mountain Road to South Willamette Trail to Eula Ridge Trail and back (Down, UP, Down, Up), plus 1 mile to/from Sandpiper Auto, plus 6 miles from home to work via riverbank trail.
One of the the three, count'em, steep switchbacks I ran on my Devil's Thumb simulation run.
Their total distance/time: 21 miles/3:20 to 3:40.
My total distance/time: 13 + 1 + 6 = 20 miles/1:55+10ish minutes+51:21 = 2:56:21
What they saw: Pacific Slab mining area.
What I saw: Rain, darkness.
Camp Conditions: Today SLF tipped the scales at 126 pounds after the run (up one measly pound from yesterday). He also showed off the ridiculous roadmap of veins in his legs. SLF says he learned two valuable training camp lessons: 1. Never let Thornley borrow your hat. 2. Don’t bring anything you care about to camp. It will get ruined.
On the camp schedule for tomorrow: Cal Street Tempo, good for 18 miles.
Rob's so vein. I bet he thinks this blog is about him.
Four of us were out there yesterday, Matt Keyes, Derek Semanski, Marty Hoffman and myself. We ran MB to Dusty Corners (up the rod and returned via Pucker Point. The Oregon crowd, obviously having superior intelligence to us avoided Pucker Point which had a nasty amount of small branches and litter on the trail.
Jeff ran from MB up the trail, we met abut half way between Swinging Bridge and the top of the canyon (on the LC side). A few minutes later, the rest of gang come crashing down the hill from up above us. A. Abbs was leading the charge. We re-grouped at Swinging Bridge. Our group of four got a 1-2 minute head start but were quickly caught on Devil’s Thumb by the Training Camp crowd (especially that tapeworm dude). We re-grouped at the top of the Thumb and again at the pump and ran down Eldorado. I stopped halfway down to massage the some plantar problems out of my foot. Derek from our group was first down to the bridge – heralding our first (and only) victory over the Campers of the day. I don’t know where LB was, I think he must have taken a detour to look at Deadwood Cemetery.
Matt, Derek and I made a smart ascent to MB but were rudely passed by LB and Rob only 200-yards from the top (and we had a head-start). We joined the campers for a Pepsi afterwards. A fun day in the canyons was had by all. I have to say I felt pretty strong, but those guys (and gals) are in a completely different league to me.
If you are doing the icecream sandwich run on Saturday I’d suggest just leaving milk and sugar outside your front door – it will freeze on its own.
Cheers,
Paul Charteris
@Cougarbait – OK, CB. I’ll take your advice. I’m never moving to Iowa!
@Paul Charteris – Thanks for the details on the run, Paul!
This is what happens when you f*&k a stranger in the ass!
@roguevalleyrunners – Shomer f-king shabbos! Keep ’em coming, RVR!
@roguevalleyrunners – i am totally missing the point of the comment.
Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
8 year olds, dude. 8 year olds…
Uh, yeah. White Russian?
@Cougarbait – Shut the f–k up, Donny.
@roguevalleyrunners – You flash a piece out on the lanes, I’ll take it away from you, stick it up your a– and pull the fu–ing trigger ’til it goes “click.
@MonkeyBoy – It’s a league game, Smokey.
@yellow shorts – Donny, these men are nihilists, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
vee come bak and cut off ur johnson…