So, I've posted about this and that, motivation, getting out the door, but I'm sure those of you who continue to follow this blog are asking yourself "Well this is all great stuff, but does he even run?"
Why Yes, Yes I do Run, sometimes far, sometimes short, sometimes fast, sometimes faster, sometimes slow and sometimes s-l-o-o-o-w-e-r. I've won a few races, had some great trips, have continued my longstanding sponsorship with the best running specialty company on the planet, Brooks Running, and most importantly have and continue to have great runs with friends and training partners I've made over the years, athletes I've coached and continue to coach/advise/consult, my wife Lori, who will tell you I run 3-5 steps ahead of her because "it's an ego thing", which I immediately deny, and some runs with my 12 year old son Alex, (above) who while a great swimmer, does not yet realize he has the talent and genetics to make more than a few cross-country and track podiums, potentially at the highest level if he chooses.
When it's all said and done, one experience and memory which always remain at the top of the list is Team Black Flag and our quest in August of 1990 to The Hood To Coast Relay; 200 rolling miles from Mount Hood to the coastal city of Seaside, Oregon.Why? Because It's A Team Thing.
Our team captain, Joe Rubio of Asics Aggie and Running Warehouse fame wrote this little recap some years ago:
This is probably a bit old for many of you on this list, but back in 1990 a giu by the name of David Frank (Frankie to all of us) was trying to convince a bunch of us Aggies to run this Hood to Coast thing. He (Frankie) got some real good guys who were social Aggies and people knew, and he also got some very good guys that nobody heard of. The known were Jeff Atkinson (1988 Olympian, 353 miler), Greg Whitely-sub 13:30 5k type; Harry Green-sub 28 10k runner and winner of several major road races including Red Lobster Run, Orlando, FL and Marc Oleson, sub 4 min miler while in high school, mid 13:30 5k and multiple Canadian National Team member. The unknowns were the rest of us, Victor Santamaria, Mike Livingston, Rob Anex, Kevin Ostenberg, Rick Brauer, Ron Faith, Dave and myself. (all low to mid 29 min 10k types, but nothing like the cast of known characters). Like I said, a bunch of nobodies. The defending champs for the previous five years were the Killer Bees, so we named ourselves Team Black Flag, our goal being to destroy the Bees. Jeff Atkinson's girlfriend at the time worked for a designer who made our uniforms. Not knowing a thing about how they were to fit or how they were supposed to appear, we ended up looking like a bunch of clowns with Twiggy impressions across our chests. We had a Portland, OR brewing company sponsor us in the form of a keg of beer that actually was confiscated by the Seaside Police the evening following the race. We left the San Francisco Bay Area at 10:00pm on Thursday night and drove all night to Portland. We took a nap at Dave's mom's house and then headed off to Mount Hood for the start. On the way to the start, we stopped at a 7/11 store and bought the employees black apron because Greg Whitely said it was stupid to be called Black Flag and not have a black flag. We hung the apron.flag on a pole we took from Dave's sister' closet. We also acquired some Jason style hockey masks from said 7/11 so we would be unrecogniseable.
When we got to the start at the top of Mount Hood, it was snowing (this is August) and it was then we heard about the team Jim Hill had put together, The Team From Eugene. Jim is the President and CEO of SportHill running apparel and a very fine runner in his own right, sub four miler, low 13 minute 5k type, a real stud. They had guys like Art Boileau (LA Marathon winner in 1990), Don Clary, Pat Haller, Brad Hudson, etc., a bunch of real well knowns, They had drivers, a motor home, chefs, massage therapists on board, etc. We had some borrowed vans, a box of Powerbars, Toby Cook as our driver and REM on our radio player. That was about it. We were nervous, scared or both. Can't remember, all I knew is we had a challenge ahead. About 10 minutes before the start of the race for our section (the first section started at 12 noon; our section, the last would start at midnight), our team Black Flag gathered around a pin'ata of a bee and proceeded to beat it to death with the pole while dancing around to MC Hammer's Hammer Time blasting from our radio. Mid you we were dressed like clowns, with hockey masks on, it's pouring snow and there are the other nine remaining teams left as the last to leave the resort start at the top of Mount Hood. Everyone just stopped and stared at us.
Black Flag won in a course record 16:03:24, making up a 12 hour stagger and being the first team to reach the beach of Seaside, Oregon. We averaged 5:04 miles over nearly 200 miles (193). The Oregonian News called us a bunch of hired guns brought in from the Bay Area to take down the record. If you ask anyone there, the hired guns were in the Jim Hill motor homes. It cracks me up til this day that all of the Nike, Adidas and whatever teams in the years after just barely beat the time we established that day. We ran fast because we were racing and wanted to win, not because we ever thought we were special. It is not about Personnel Records, it is about doing it that day, as a group, as a team and beating the odds.
Moral of the story is what Knute Rockne said, "The secret to winning games (or races in this case) is working more as a team and less as individuals. I play not my 11 best, but my best 11."
A part of the best group of guys I've trained with, raced with, drank a few beers with and developed long lasting friendships with. Merry Christmas fellas to each of you and your families.
Here is a little recap from the reunion run.
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