40th Sub-3-hour Marathon State: The Oregon Redo

Libertyville Running Club invades Oregon

This was one of those rare trips that I booked far in advance, a redo of Oregon after narrowly missing my sub-3-hour goal at the Bend Marathon 2 years ago. A surge within the Libertyville Running Club, including Melissa, was planning to run the race, which offers a half and full marathon distance. Due to a painful Coffee Milk Marathon 3 weeks prior, I supplemented much of my training runs with walks, and even sought the help of a doctor to work on the resulting hamstring injury. I was resigned to not run this race.

Chapter 1: Not About Running (Tue/Wed/Thurs)

Melissa and I flew into Oregon Tuesday morning to spend time in Willamette Valley rekindling our love of wine - we married in Napa and honeymooned in Burgundy and Champagne. Of course, we had to go through Portland first and I've been there enough to know I will ingest beer, food, donuts, ice cream, and coffee in excess.

Within hours of landing we sampled all 16 beers on tap at Burnside Brewing Company (try Sweet Heat - an apricot wheat beer with hot peppers), walked a few miles to Powell's Book Store, Blue Star Donuts (the best Portland donuts, I'll happily debate with you about the unwarranted acclaim for Voodoo Doughnuts), ice cream at Ruby Jewel, and coffee at Stumptown before the scenic drive to McMinnville via US-26/OR-47, stopping at Montinore Winery along the way. With an impending DNF (did not finish), I was off the wagon this week with regard to all that nutrition work I had been doing this year... it was marvelous!

We set up camp in McMinnville at McMenamins Hotel Oregon for a couple of nights. Unique to Oregon, McMenamins is the proprietor of several historic buildings turned hotel, restaurant, brewery, and/or winery throughout the state. We enjoy staying at their properties and basking in the local lore each exhibit. Their Kennedy School, a grade school converted into a hotel and entertainment property in Portland, is the best place to start.

One of many peculiar paintings adorning the hallways of Hotel Oregon

Hotel Oregon highlights the varied business owners once operating within this old, stately building and also pays homage to one of the most credible UFO sightings in America - a series of 1950 photos shot by a farmer near McMinnville (you may recognize one from the opening credits of the X-Files t.v. series).

Real UFO or photoshopped? You decide.

After a Wednesday morning trail run in Miller Woods reminding us we're not in Illinois anymore, we were ready for a day of wineries. McMinnville is the Heart of Oregon Wine Country, a wine region established by The Eyrie Vineyards when its founder brought French winemaking to an area peers thought unconducive to viticulture. It's a great place to start for crisp white wines and a history lesson.

A short drive into the farmland outside of town is Beaux Frerés. Willamette Valley stands in contrast to Napa Valley in that you get the sense these are farmers before investors. Tasting rooms are less extravagant, and since they're not the primary focus, several require reservations. As the only visitors this afternoon, Melissa and I had a private tour of Beaux Frerés and a tasting that felt more like sharing wines at a good friend's house. Their Pinot Noirs are superb.

Bud break on the vines and a winery dog at Beaux Frerés

Symmetry in wine

Next stop: Domaine Drouhin - a French wine house that set up shop here after Eyrie proved successful, has both a great patio view overlooking vineyards and a solid Chardonnay. Our 4th and final destination was White Rose Estate. I should tell you now that Melissa really likes wine. You know what a jeraboam is? Come back in a few days for a picture of her hugging it after it shows up on our doorstep. EDIT: As promised.

Bottle / Magnum / JERABOAM!

We were back to Hotel Oregon for dinner at their Rooftop Bar in unseasonably warm weather with a 360 degree view of the Valley. Third Street is McMinnville's Main Street and is lined with wine tasting rooms and restaurants. I'm not sure you can find a bad place to eat in this town. It was a short walk over to Grain Station Brew Works for a nightcap.

Before driving to the coast, we had another run then breakfast at Crescent Cafe. We didn't have a destination booked as we drove up coastal highway US-101, stopping to walk beaches, eat ice cream and cheese at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and enjoy a crossword puzzle at Source for oysters and wine.

Unattended children will be given a Beetle Bus and ice cream

In Cannon Beach, we had clam chowder with seaside views at Mo's, booked a room at the Inn at Cannon Beach, then walked the length of the beach, 4.5 miles round trip, with a bottle of rosé from Domaine Drouhin.

Maybe?

Haystack Rock is located along this beach. April thru July, it is the nesting place for puffins (we saw them!) and accordingly, a protected wildlife refuge. Employees of the Haystack Rock Awareness Program are on site to ensure no one climbs on the rock. Why? In part because THIS is THE Goonies rock! We didn't realize that until after our walk. Similar rocks protrude all along the Oregon coast so who could tell?

Goonies! Puffins! Long walks on the beach! 

The Inn is a great stay for the price with an above average continental breakfast, fresh baked cookies all day, and ground zero for wild bunnies. Seriously, I've never seen so many bunnies in one place: black, brown, white, grey, spotted, big and little. Since I was off the nutrition wagon, I left Friday morning with a cookie-eaten-to-bunny-sighting ratio of 1:1.

That's 6 cookies right there!

Chapter 2: Race Weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun)

Let the LRC weekend begin. We rendezvoused in McMinnville on Friday. We ate, we drank, we drove to Eugene, making a few stops along the way (notably 2 Towns Ciderhouse and Block 15 Brewpub - that PB&J burger was killer!). I've set up several LRC trips to align with my 50-states goal but this was the largest gathering with 41 of us registered to run. Melissa and I settled into Excelsior Inn, a bed & breakfast near the race start for the weekend.

Eugene is TrackTown USA - a Mecca for runners. I'm not one to idolize professional athletes or famous people - I rather find inspiration in regular people doing remarkable things - but there was something extraordinary about Steve Prefontaine. I admire his go-your-own-way style. Jared Leto's portrayal of him in the 1997 biography, Prefontaine, helped. Watching this movie on the eve of a marathon was my only ritual for my first 20 or so marathons.

LRC met for a shakeout run on Pre's Trail, a 4-mile soft, wood chip trail near the University of Oregon campus. We were quite the presence in our STOP LRC shirts. We visited Pre's Rock, then humored ourselves with beers and pickled eggs at Max's Tavern, the bar that inspired Moe's Tavern in the Simpsons. Our B&B had an Italian restaurant which made for a convenient dinner the night before the race.

Who ordered the pre-run beers?!

Pickled eggs, as good as pre-race nutrition gets

Melissa and I walked to the race Sunday morning. We anticipated a rainy day but it turned out to be ideal running weather: mostly cloudy in the 50s with light rain holding off until late morning. I was apprehensive yet slightly optimistic when the race started. I planned to assess the pain at mile 8, then mile 16. Both checkpoints were close to the start/finish area where I could walk off course. I didn't take a pain reliever; I wanted to be honest to myself and not aggravate the injury.

This is a fast field of runners. By mile 2, an impromptu sub-3-hour pace group formed. It was a good distraction and mile 8 came and went with the same dull ache in my hamstring and tendon that I started with. I could work with that, eventually clocking a half marathon time of 1:28:08. I was feeling comfortable at this pace and succeeded with a nearly even split (second half was 1:28:36) and a total time of 2:56:44. Thankfully, the injury never worsened.

What the hell is THAT GUY doing with his hands?!

This is a great course for those of us that like rolling hills. The variety and scenery is nice and the finish into legendary Hayward Stadium is remarkable. As impressive as the finish is, seeing all the LRC cheering wildly at mile 26, the field entrance, and along the track as I closed in on my 40th sub-3-hour marathon state is something I will never forget. I'm thankful for them, my wife, and excited for all of their race accomplishments and camaraderie they exhibited in staying to cheer for the friends made from a club I started just 4.5 years ago.

The entrance to the final 200 meters onto the iconic field

And that deserves a celebration worthy of not one, but two post-race breweries. Ninkasi Brewing was a good kickoff to the festivities before heading over to Elk Horn Brewery for a free beer they offered all LRC race participants the previous day. They figured us out and they surely benefitted as we lingered for dinner and more drinks.

The 2nd to Last Supper at Ninkasi Brewing

The Last Supper at Elk Horn Brewery

The drive back to Portland is about 2 hours. Two years ago, Melissa and I stumbled into one of my favorite breweries and made it a point to finish our night there. Great Notion Brewing has doubled in size since our last visit and it's obvious why: the beer is good. If you go to one brewery in Portland, make it this one.

Beautiful beer

Ok, I lied. We finished our night at Salt n' Straw for more ice cream. See ya in Missoula!

44/50 - Coffee Milk Marathon

Mmm, coffee milk.

This sure doesn't come easy; have I said that before? Feels like I have. 4 weeks after a marathon personal best in Maryland, I found myself in a marathon death march in Rhode Island, narrowly accomplishing my sub-3-hour goal.

But why so difficult? I've hit my stride with nutrition tracking and (most of the time) healthy(ish) eating as well as religiously doing body weight workouts 3 times a week - all the stuff that I found helpful these past 2 marathons and part of my 2018 resolution to make these remaining marathons go smoothly.

I was set to fly to Providence, RI on Friday evening when I got ill Friday morning (which unfortunately made its way through the family all weekend). This, coupled with a left hamstring injury sustained by some overzealous running in the week after the MD marathon - after a year of nursing a right hamstring injury - didn't have me hopeful for a successful race. The flight was a struggle to quell the lingering sickness. I didn't eat much all day. I found a hotel as soon as I landed and went right to bed.

After a good night's sleep, a shakeout run around Providence, my first real meal in over a day at Sydney, and a weird experience with an 8-year-old and his inattentive mom in the hotel hot tub (he sat in my lap and sneezed in my face while his mom just looked on), my umwelt was back to normal.

Art, as seen during my run

Political art

Wall of Hope, also seen during my run

"What the hell is an umwelt?", you ask. I know what you're thinking, "word nerd!" I did hear it on NPR's Radiolab podcast so that's probably justified. Umwelt is the world as it's experienced by the person experiencing it. This world of running, as experienced by me, is always fun, regardless of the conditions: I'm here to visit 2 of the most talked about New England breweries, I've never been to Providence (cute town, friendly people!), I enjoy writing about my adventures, and I am able to run, which is something we able-bodied folks need to remind ourselves every now and then.

Back to those breweries... Treehouse Brewing Company, only around since 2011, is a great example of how to seize upon and capitalize the hell out of hype. You know that hazy NEIPA (New England IPA) you're drinking that tastes and looks more like juice than beer? It started with Heady Topper (brewed in Vermont by The Alchemist) in 2004. Nowadays, it's almost harder to find a clear, filtered beer with every brewery in the country obsessed with cashing in on this NEIPA trend.

See?! It's so hazy that even the picture turned out blurry.

Their pristine, rustic brewhouse sits on a hill overlooking a picturesque wooded property located in a small, middle-of-nowhere, Massachusetts town. The property is massive; they have their own shuttle for the backup parking lot, which I had to park in when I arrived at open! Demand is so high that they stopped distributing their product to stores and bars and on any given morning, people will line up (about an hour wait) to buy their allotment for the day and then, if the taproom is open (only on a couple of days a week), line up for 2 draft beers max - no flights, no samples.

A panoramic view of Treehouse - great outdoor space, food trucks, live music

It was stupid, but there I was. Beer-nerding in New England is far more intense than anywhere I've been in the country (see also my 2014 NH & ME marathon weekend). It's even worse than Belgium! The hunt and the hype will have me convincing you the beer is great, however, if you try it blindfolded, you're likely to opine a bit of truth: it tastes like beer we can readily buy at the grocery store.

I made it back to Providence in time for dinner at Al Forno and I'll be damned if I'm not standing in another line of people waiting for an establishment to open! This was another Facebook suggestion and that feature has yet to steer me wrong. I've taken to eating an entire pizza the day before a marathon and this pizza was worth the hype.

Sunday morning, it's cold and a bit windy, but these East Coast races tend to start at 8am so I'm rested. I had planned to treat this like a training run for the Eugene Marathon in 3 weeks. I knew the hamstring would be a hinderance so I tried to bank time on the first half, crossing it in 1:26:00. At mile 2 I thought, "Rhode Island is pretty, I wouldn't mind coming back." It wasn't until mile 15 that I believed I might not have to return.

Wincing in pain but still managed the Stehling pose - 2 fingers and a smile!

There began the numerous pace calculations going through my mind. At mile 13: "how much slower can I run and still finish in under 3 hours?" And again at miles 16, 18, 20, 22, the last 5K, miles 24 and 25. I've never been so consumed by the math, I think in part, because it helped keep my mind off the hamstring that was not at all happy for most of the race.

It was a small race, about 100 marathoners (joined by 175 half marathoners), and I was alone from mile 1 to the finish. But, I finished in 2:58:39, 2nd place and a few meters from pizza and coffee milk. For a small race, it had more than you would expect for $50: attentive race director out on the course all day, enthusiastic volunteers, course markings everywhere, a good food spread, and a fairly flat and fast, certified marathon course.

I had an evening flight and just enough time for the 45-mile drive to Trillium Brewing Company (in Canton, MA) for a few hours of nurse-my-wound beers and to pack a suitcase full of them to take home. Things are less grandiose here, but they're still in the hype business and there are lines. What's nice is they don't have a beer limit (well, 2 at a time then get back in line!) and they offer half pours so, in lieu of a flight, you can at least sample through their 20-some eclectic beers on tap.

Asian Pear Saison and Cabernet Wild Ale

At the airport, the United bag check attendant laughed and knew all about those "New England beers we're all flying home with." My bag of only beer was 54 lbs., 4lbs. overweight. She was nice and only had me throw away 2 beers.

Oh, right, I had 2 socks in there also.

I hate to dump you, That's What She Said!

Oh, and about that coffee milk - the state drink of Rhode Island... it's horchata, don't let anyone tell you differently.