Another day in Portland, Oregon with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees.  Having lived in Austin, Texas for several years, this is not as big of a shock on my system as it is with my native Oregonian acquaintances.  My body is finally warm after months and months of rain and cold temperatures, and the sunshine feels great.  I took a drive to Sandy, Oregon this morning, the site of the first leg of three on my Hood to Coast journey later this month.  I will run a total of 17.2 miles in 24 hours, so I’m making every effort to be prepared.  Unlike a typical long race, I will rest for 11 hours between each segment.  This is good news and bad news, as muscles tend to tighten and patience wears thin.  Also, being in a cramped van for that long, or trying to sleep on the ground, may be the biggest challenges of this adventure.

I ran four hilly miles this morning and then drove a little over an hour to get to first segment of the race.  I checked out the second section yesterday, but it was a little bit less of a drive.  This initial segment will be 7 miles long, and looked mostly downhill on the map and elevation change charts.  It turned out to be much hillier than I expected as I drove to my starting point.  Yesterday’s drive left me optimistic, but today I found the need to work a little harder.  There are a couple of tough inclines that initially psyched me out.  I parked the car and started to run, but the stiffness in my thighs from sitting so long was immediately apparent.  I then drove the course one more time, hoping to gain some optimism, and slowly ran the two main inclines, despite the hot sun and busy highway traffic.  There was hope!

In total today, I completed about 6.5 miles, but will have to do some more hill-work to get through this.  I spell hill with an “e” instead of an “i,” having never enjoyed an uphill run!  I found myself trying to channel the spirit of my father-in-law, who was one of the most skilled long-distance runners that I’ve ever known.  He passed away 17 years ago yesterday, before my wife and I were married, so I was never able to acknowledge him as a “father.”  Although, I did get the opportunity to ask him for his daughter’s hand in marriage, and that request got me an unforgettable smile.  I regret that I never got the opportunity to know him better, but I do have possession of his press clippings, ribbons, and medals that I will always treasure.

He died in pain, fighting pancreatic cancer, and that unfortunately is another unforgettable memory.  He also fought for our country as an Air Force pilot, and had a lot in common with Louis “Louie” Zamperini from the book and movie, “Unbroken,” by Laura Hillenbrand.  They were both distance runners in the same era, who may have never known or raced against each other, and whose track careers were interrupted by World War II.  My wife is very proud of her father, but I knew little about him before he died.

He was an Indiana high school track star in the late 1930s, earning dozens of blue ribbons and some gold belt buckles for the 440-Yard Dash, various relays, and Mile runs.  His 1938 school record times were :52 for the 440, 2:02:04 for the 880, and 4:53:00 for the Mile.  His relay teams also posted school records for the Mile at 3:39:00 and the Half-Mile at 1:38.5.  Most of these records stood for many years.  He made a difficult college decision, choosing Indiana University over nearby Notre Dame, based solely on the opportunity to work with legendary coach Earl C. “Billy” Hayes.  He even passed up a full scholarship to be part of Indiana’s team.  In 19 years, Hayes guided Indiana to 3 NCAA indoor team titles, an outdoor title, and 8 Big Ten Conference Titles.  He was also the assistant U.S. Men’s track coach for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, guiding  one of his student-athletes, Roy Cochran, to eventually earn two Gold medals in the 1948 London Games, since the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled by World War II.  Hayes himself died of pneumonia in 1943.

While at Indiana, my wife’s dad ran both Track and Cross-Country, and missed a World Record by a fraction at the Drake Relays.  His times had greatly improved under the direction of Hayes.  His Indiana teammate, Campbell Kane, actually qualified for the 1940 Olympics that, as we all know, never happened, Both of these young men, as well as the far more famous, “Louie Z,” who ran for U.S.C., had their Olympic dreams shattered by service-duty.  Zamperini won the 1938 and 1939 NCAA Mile championships, but fell short in 1940, while Kane won the 880 race that year.  My father-in-law -to- be was financially forced to drop out of school and join the service, something he probably could have avoided had he gone to Notre Dame on scholarship. Any future in track was forgotten!  My wife and her mother will have to fill-in some of the details that I obviously missed by never having a conversation with him about his college years.   There’s probably a lot more to add!

My wife’s dad never knew that his future son-in-law and his college track coach both went to Albion College.  He did know that I was a runner, as was his son, who also had several high records at the same school.  His son had the honor of inducting him into the high school’s Hall of Fame.  I had the honor of marrying his daughter, who is responsible for getting me on her company’s Hood to Coast relay team.  As I continue to pound the pavement in anticipation of this event, I will look to her father for strength!