For runners or non-runners who've never done a relay event like the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (RTO) that I just wrote about, here's a an explanation followed by a chronology of my team's experience this past weekend. The chronology will turn the abstract into the real.

A course of up to about 200 miles is divided into 36 separate legs of varied distances and difficulty. No two segments are identical.

Teams of 12 runners compete, with each runner responsible for three separate legs. For instance, the first runner runs legs 1, 13, and 25. Runner 2 has legs 2, 14, and 26, and so on.

Could you do it faster with some friends, each of whom ran one portion then tagged another runner to continue the challenge?

How about if you had a team of 12 runners in which each runner ran three separate segments?

In this past weekend's Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (29-30 May 2009), my 12-person team named DNR ("Do not Resuscitate") completed the course in 22 hours 52 minutes and 1 second for a per mile pace of 7 minutes 43 seconds.

Expressed in a different way, we left downtown Reno on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and returned 178 miles (286 km) later on Saturday at 12:22 p.m. In the meantime we ran through Truckee, along the entire west and south shores of Lake Tahoe, and through Carson City, and Virginia City.

We ran day, night, and day again to get from Reno back to Reno. New relay legends were created ("fish tacos' [don't ask], Roseann's mad dash to start Leg 34) and old ones were recycled (Van 1's victory Bloody Marys at the Bucket of Blood Saloon, "You look pretty"). Time expanded and contracted in the weird way it does when people do an awful lot in a relatively short period of time.

Congratulations to my team for a terrific finish! And a big "thank you" to Eric Lerude, event director, and his team of associates and volunteers for putting on another great relay run.

DNR AFTER FINISHING AT RENO'S IDLEWILD PARK
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, 30 MAY '09
(l to r) Greg, Megan, Sean, Paul, Lisa, Chuck, Carla, Tom, Brian, John, Chris, Roseann

This is the first of four posts inspired by this past weekend's Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (RTO). The second post will be about "big relays" like this. The third will be a look at the creation of the RTO. And the fourth will be about the continuing evolution of downtown Reno.

I'm sorry not to be able yet to report a repeat of that detour but Amtrak announced today that the California Zephyr (trains 5 and 6) between Denver and Salt Lake City will detour via southern Wyoming on numerous occasions in July, August, and September.

Choice 1: I want the lowest fare and I'll give you my first born if necessary to get it.

Choice 2: I need the full fare in case I need to change or cancel the trip altogether.

Usually you make your choice when typing in your flight criteria as in the example below.

If you select the "Refundable" check-box you'll get full fare prices for both your outbound flight and return flight. Leave it unchecked and you'll see the lowest prices with the usual restriction of non-refundability, and changes only for payment of a fee, a huge fee.

Yesterday driving back from Eugene after the marathon I made a long-planned stopover in order to have lunch at the Palace Café in Ashland, Ore.

If you're a regular Planes, Trains & Automobiles reader than you may recall the post I wrote last month about Ashland's Railroad District, an area of the city close to the tourist epicenter but largely ignored by visitors.

The Eugene Marathon is now history and I'm happy to say it went well.

My time was 3:24:38 for a pace of 7:49 per mile.

I felt good for the first 17 miles and outpaced the 3:20 pace group I started with. But then around Mile 19 they passed me and I slowed up slightly. At Mile 21 I slowed up more and then from Mile 23 it was just a blur in order to finish.

There were some last minute weather worries.

Last night I was woken up by driving rain and thought to myself, "Uh-oh". But by race start at 7:00 a.m. it had quieted to gentle Pacific Northwest sprinkles which ceased altogether within the hour.

The temperature was perfect for distance running: high 40s at the start topping out in the high 50s.

In the afternoon I crashed the party of Fleet Feet Chico's marathon training group that ran Eugene. We went to Steelhead Brewing Co. in downtown Eugene which was doing a land office business serving hungry and thirsty runners. Congratulations to everyone but especially to first time marathoners Rebecca, Aldo, Todd, and Vince! Rebecca qualified for the Boston Marathon in her first try at the distance.

HAPPY MARATHONERS AT STEELHEAD BREWING CO.
(from left) GREG, ALDO, JOE, ALAN, REBECCA, TODD, VINCE

So after almost 19 years I ran another marathon. I liked it. I want to run another one. I want to run it faster.

It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m watching the rain come down. And stop. And start again.

But the weather forecast for tomorrow only calls for “showers” (today it was “rain”) and I’m hoping they’re later rather than earlier. Please, Mother Nature, get (most) of it out of your system today.

I did a slow, half-hour run this morning just to stay limber and saw many other runners out and about. This is clearly a runner's town as it most certainly should be considering its storied history.

I drove the portion of the course (the first 9 miles) that is drivable. The remainder is mostly on trails and bikepaths along the Willamette River that ought to be pretty flat. What I learned is that there are a few hills along the way, including an incline right at the start along East 15th Avenue.

The race starts at Agate and East 15th on the University of Oregon campus, next to historic Hayward Field.

   RACE START - QUIET TODAY BUT NOT TOMORROW
Tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. this is where the marathon and half-marathon get underway. The finish line is in almost the same location.

I knew I was in Texas when on the drive from the Austin airport to the city I saw a car dealership named "Howdy Honda". Yee haw!

Keith and I spent 4 days in Austin visiting his childhood friend Rob and his wife Toula, and their oldest child Sarah and her family. In November 2002 Sarah married Garrett and now, 6 1/2 years and 3 sons later, they are very busy keeping after the likes of Spencer, Lucas, and baby Corbett. Yet they still played starring roles as tourguides (while still being parents and grandparents) affording us a good look at Austin and nearby environs. The city and the region definitely merit a return visit.

Thanks to the sour economy, elite status in the big network airline frequent flyer programs is available for half of the miles normally necessary, provided you fly by 15 June.

Since United is the only carrier that serves Chico I’ll focus on it, but similar offers are available at American and Delta and probably US Airways and Continental, too.

My speedy Reno-Tahoe Odyssey teammates did superbly in Boston this past Monday.

Take a look at their great performances.

Out of nearly 23,000 finishers Paul Smith came in 97th overall and 91st among males!

Congratulations to the other Chico area finishers. If you want to check the results click here or on the logo above. You can search for a specific runner or simply by city/state, etc.

Explanatory note for non-runners:

Sometimes when the subject of a marathon comes up a non-runner will ask how long a particular marathon is. It’s a good question because the term is thrown around often in a non-running context (example: “That test was a real marathon”). With running it can be perceived by non-runners as a generic term for any running race.

But so there’s no confusion, a marathon is exactly 26.2 miles (42.164 km) in length. All of the Boston Marathon finishers (or finishers of any other marathon) run 26.2 miles. A half-marathon is 13.1 miles and if you hear the term “ultramarathon” it means any running race in excess of 26.2 miles.

I’m lucky to be on a great team (team name: “DNR”) of runners who are doing this year’s Reno-Tahoe Odyssey relay race again next month.

Four of them are so good that they qualified to run the 2009 Boston Marathon, which takes place this Monday, 20 April.

So please think good thoughts for pleasant weather, legs that don’t cramp, and negative splits to my four friends:

Lisa Duke
John Maretti
Paul Smith
Sean Murphy

Have you ever driven down Bayliss Road on your way to I-5 and wondered about the little library there?

In my first post about Ashland I wrote about how this small town lures me in ways beyond its well-known Shakespeare Festival. Now I’d like to acquaint you with an area that unfortunately many visitors miss: the Railroad District.

ASHLAND, OREGON

(from the Ashland Chamber of Commerce with permission)

Don’t get me wrong.

The reason I first went to Ashland in 2002 at the not so tender age of 46 was to see some plays. And that’s always a great reason to go there.

But Ashland’s appeal goes far beyond the great stuff taking place on its stages. Keith and I have made several trips there over the years in which we did not take in a single performance and still had a marvelous time.

How could that be?