By request...

Some of your were asking for an update on the Butte to Butte, so here ya go. I actually took no pictures of the event, but I thought this guy looked blog worthy. There was also a person dressed up like the statue of liberty, and there was a fireman in full firefighting gear. This guy is actually relatively normal looking compared to some of the things I saw that day.

For those of you who don't know, the Butte to Butte is the place to be in Eugene on the 4th of July. It is a 10K race running from Spencer's Butte to Skinner's Butte (a Butte is small hill or mountain out here I guess). The course basically runs through the whole town of Eugene. It starts with a mile long hill at the beginning, then a mile long down hill, and then the rest is relatively flat.

I don't think you can be a true Eugenian unless you participate in the Butte to Butte. So, this year Derek had the goal to run the Butte to Butte. But, there were just two obstacles standing in his way: running 6.2 miles and that mile long hill. We started training last year for it, but I could not get Derek past 3 miles. Also, Derek had never run hills in his life, and he really doesn't like running hills. What I can barely tell is an incline Derek always complains is a hill. I ran the Butte to Butte last year with my neighbor (who took Derek's place last minute because like I said he never got past mile 3 in his training). And, I'm not going to lie...I had serious doubts that Derek would make it up this hill.

However, we trained long and hard. He increased in mileage every week, and we tried to do a hill work out every week. I was very impressed at the way he stuck to the training schedule and started to even enjoy running (though he would never admit to this).

The weather was perfect on the day of the race. We were all set with our numbers securely safety pinned to our shirts and our timing chips tied to our shoes. I had two packets of runner's goo in my shorts in case of an emergency (that's right two- I think marathoners maybe use one...maybe--Derek wanted two). The gun went off, and we started up the hill.

Overall, Derek did great. I was super impressed, and I think he felt pretty good for most of the race. There were only two times when I thought he might give up. The first was towards the top of the mile long hill. It gets super steep. And along the side of this super steep part, someone had set up a table with a sign saying, "free donuts." After running uphill for almost a mile and knowing he still had 5 miles to go, I was really worried for a minute that Derek would stop at that table and never leave. But, donuts were no match for Derek on Butte to Butte day! He blasted right past that table.

The second time I sensed he might quit (and I am still paying for this moment) was just after the 3rd and final water station. I really didn't want any more water, so I didn't pick up a water cup. Derek had his cup in hand and was jogging towards the trash which I mistook for him intending to throw away the cup. So, I asked Derek if I could have a sip of his water and then tossed it in the trash for him. Derek immediately got a panicked look on his face. He said, "I wasn't done with that, and that was the last water station. I really wanted to dump the rest over my head." I honestly thought he would give up then and there. He was ticked. But, he pressed on.

So, there you have it. Derek ran 6.2 miles including an entire mile up hill! Donuts did not deter him. Me throwing away the his last opportunity for water didn't phase him (well not too much anyways). He did great, and I was super proud of him. In fact, he didn't even use the emergency running goo (though I offered after the water incident). What was even more amazing was that we both still had enough energy to spend the rest of the day wake boarding, but that doesn't mean we weren't very sore for the next few days. So, that was our 4th!