Handicapped Mountain Goats and a Desert Fish

Richard Haight and I (the Handicapped Mountain Goats) finished Race Across Oregon yesterday in 32 hours and 32 minutes. What a blast! Our crew (Matthew Rider and Robert Johnson) was awesome. The weather was great. The course is spectacular. And the competition kept us on our toes.

This morning I ran across an article in the Oregonian and learned that Greg Pressler is competing in the 135 mile Badwater Ultramarathon as I type. I've met Greg a few times at Paula's road races. He has a blog titled Desert Fish. Cool!

Photos of several pages from the premier issue of Marathon Magazine, predecessor to Runner's World, are posted on the Badwater website. They describe in detail Al Arnold's first ever Badwater to Mt. Whitney adventure. I especially like the following paragraph from the article. It captures some of my sentiments about the effect RAAM has had on me.

I'm less anxious and more patient than I was before the run. The ability I developed to last longer with a set of conditions as brutal as I went through enhances my living. I wasn't necessarily an impatient or frustrated person before the run, but now, it's not even part of my vocabulary. I have the ability now to analyze a situation and convert it into a learning experience rather than have it frustrate me.

Speaking of running... Did you hear about Alen Webb? On Saturday he ran 3:46.91 to break the American Record in the mile and post the eighth fastest time in history! I also learned about this historic event in today's Oregonian. Greg, you picked a nice day to be featured in the sports section. Of course, Dyestat has great coverage of the race.