Home to the PNW for Fall/Winter

Anyone who knows me or just follows my blogs knows that Fall has always been my favorite season. I loved trail running and the weather and scenery were never better. Fall races were plentiful and usually had the best weather conditions. Cross Country season was going on and the deeper into Fall we got the better season it was if we were still competing. Turkey Trots have been traditional and always a good way to kickoff the holiday weekend and those are just running reasons to love Fall. 

Then I got sick and any kind of running has become almost impossible because I simply can’t get fit. I can’t even maintain minimal fitness. For that reason alone Fall has lost some of its appeal. I just can’t get out and enjoy it anymore. Oh well enough whining. While my PNH isn’t curable at least it’s treatable so I can do more than simply exist. 

I was tired after this cross country trip and I was relieved that I had completed racing in 48 states. It was obvious after treatment that it helped but not so much this time. I had to recover more hopefully. It was at this point I was actually drafting a blog post about no longer racing. It was just getting to difficult mentally as well as physically. I had signed up for a 5K trail race in November because Joe was coming to visit and he wanted to do a half. Unfortunately due to his mom’s failing health he was having to drive back and forth to New Mexico weekly something I remember all to well when my father in law was near the end. Joe decided a trip up had to be off the table for now. 

I was still unsure about my own race because it was on a Friday late afternoon and after the time change. I just wasn’t sure that after a trail race I could drive over two hours home in the dark. (Spoiler - I didn’t do the race). 

I did however wind up signing up last minute for a race that was held at noon at UO. The weekend before I got a text from a friend and former assistant telling me another friend had passed away. It was just four days after his 69th birthday and crazy as it may sound my first thought was that was just to young. My second thought was that I’m grateful to still be able to mostly function. I knew that race was coming up and decided at the last minute to try to do it. 

It was a free race including the shirt that cost me $45 for a parking ticket. 🎫🤷‍♂️ I knew I was risking it when I finally found a place to park close to the race but it was in a mostly empty permitted lot. The cop was just getting back in his car when I got back to mine and almost every car in the area had a ticket on their windshield. The race itself was slow as usual but went much better than I had hoped. 

So will there be any more “races”? It’s hard to know because they really take a toll now. Just the anxiety brought on by the anticipation is draining. But for now I’m hoping to do the Turkey Trot in Springfield that I’ve been doing because Smitty and Denise have signed up and then spending Thanksgiving with them because Mom Smith is in town for the holiday. 🤞