New Route

If you're on Facebook, your probably already know that this year Ed is running from Blaine, WA to Federal Way, WA.  We haven't firmed up the details for the end of the race, but the plan is to finish with a police/fire escort from 272nd to the Community Center.

Mike is planning on riding/running with his dad the entire way, just like last year.  Kim will keep me company in the support vehicle and run with her dad when she can.  We'll probably work on wedding plans and get a bit accomplished as we wait on Ed and Mike.

We're not sure where we'll be staying.  I've left those details up to Ed.  I know the night before we start, we'll be staying at our condo in Lynden.  It's on a golf course and looks beautiful.  This will be our first time staying in Lynden at this particular condo, so we'll let you know what it's like.  We're member of Vacation Internationale, have condos all over - just not that many in the state where we need them to be.  So we're actually looking to borrow a motorhome  for5 days (Sep 8 - 11). 

If yoy'd like to donate to the cause , keeping elementary track alive and well in the Federal Way School district, here is what you do:
  send a check/money order made payable to FWSD #210; in the Note field of your check make sure you write For Elementary Track.  You can either mail it directly to the school distric office:  31405 18th S, Federal Way, WA 98003  OR
mail it to Ed Barney, P O Box 26400, Federal Way, WA 98093.

Remember, 100% of all money raised goes to Elementary Track!  We don't receive a dime for doing this. we do it because we feel this program is important.  With all the budget cuts the district is facing, we don't want Elementary Track to be on the "cut" list.  You've heard it before, it's one of only a handful of programs like it in the US. 

Please say you'll help!  Donate to the cause!  Meet us at 272nd and Pacific Hwy S on the 11th and either Run with us or Cheer us on!

Til next time,

The Start of Another Season

Well, here we go again! Elementary Track is underway in the Federal Way School district. It survived this year's budget crises.

This Saturday, May 1st is the very first 5k/2k run & walk! The E T Classic (Elementary Track Classic) is the first of we hope many 5k/2k run/walks. It will be at Celebration Park with registration begining at 5:30 pm. The 2k is for children 6 & under and starts at 6:30pm. The 5k is for everyone else and starts at 7:00pm. T-shirts will be available until they run out!

Pre-registration had an error on it. The mailing address was supposed to be P O Box 26400 but the 6 and 4 were transposed. We're very sorry about the typo and the pre-registration cost of $25 is valid day of race; the $30 late registration is dropped this year due to the mistake. Checks should be made out to FWPS-Elementary Track.

If you've already pre-registered, but had no confirmation that your check was received, please let us know when you check in. You will need to cancel that check and issue another one for the run or pay by cash! Unfortunately, we are not set up to accept cred/debit cards.

We hope to see everyone at Celebration Park for this run. The races will start near the main parking lot, on the soccer field, where the city hosts the 4th of July celebration and where Decatur High School has had some cross-country races.

Oh and by the way, keep your eyes on this blog and watch for the next Ultra Xtreme run that Ed is doing this summer! It's 140 +/- miles!

Happy Running!

Pictures

I've added some pictures to this page. The rest of the pictures will be posted on Facebook as I'm not sure if I have enough storage on our website to put the pics.

I have to apologize to you all for not taking more pictures! I just plain forgot that I had my camera most of the time! I also had my video camera, which I also forgot about. Mike took some pictures with his camera and said he'll post them to his Facebook account.

Did I say that Ed was not the only one exhausted????? I wish I had remembered to use my camera more, but I'm glad I was able to be there for Ed and Mike as they ran/biked to Portland.

I don't know if I can put video on this blog, but I'll at least try to upload a video or two on my Facebook page, sometime before Ed & I fly out to Cape Cod.

Thanks for following along with us.

Until next time, we'll See You Down the Road!

Reprise

Yes, it is done.
It was awesome to come across the finish line to all the cheers (from the folks waiting for family and friends to ride through the chute. The even gave me a commemorative patch for completing the event
I even have two crispy calf muscles (sunburned); two bruised palms and a hip, a scraped up shoulder and elbow (from my little stumble in Chehalis); a bout with heat exhaustion (from the heat on days three and four); two tender knees (from the constant pounding on the concrete) and a whole bunch of tight muscles as a momento of this awesome adventure.

This is an adventure I will never forget. It would not have been possible without the support of Brooks Running who provided all the gear for this event. Thank you Brooks for all of your support (Melody, Brooks Bothel store and Corporate Office; Susan, Brooks Outlet store in the Auburn SuperMall; and Tamara, Brooks Corporate Office). You folks are awesome and your gear is top notch.

Every time I wear my gear I will think of your kindness and support.
It was a long run and there were a few times that I thought about giving up. The cheers from the folks who saw the clips on KING 5 and NW Cable News kept me going.
Once I crossed into Oregon it was a whole new story. The bike riders started flying by. Their words of encouragment pushed me on. I tried to stay out of their way and I hope that they weren't upset by this crazy guy running in on their parade.

Now that I have completed the run I have been asked, what's next? I am going to recouperate for a few days working and then I am headed to Cape Cod for a much needed vacation.

As far as what is next for the Elementary Track program? It ain't over yet. I have had a few discussions on what to do and it does not include me running to Portland either.
We have ideas and would love to hear other ideas from you, the followers and supporters of track and running.

Last thought from Ed & Barb:

We would be very unappreciative if we didn't take this opportunity to say how proud we are of our oldest and youngest children. Mike and Kim, you were AWESOME! This journey was bearable because of your love and support. Thank you just doesn't cut it to express how we feel about you coming with us. Mike, you deserve just as many kudos as your dad for riding the entire way on your mountain bike - including a stretch of 10 - 12 miles all by yourself when the heat got to be too much for your dad. Kim, I'm so glad you were there to keep me company and your dad too! Without you, I may have fallen asleep behind the wheel and that would have been bad!

To our other children: Ed couldn't have run and I couldn't have been away from home without your help. Angela, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for taking care of the house and dog(s) while we were away. Dave and Carol, THANK YOU for your support, gifts, knowledge & help. We love you and the boys very much. Wish you could have come with us, but understand why you couldn't. Rick and Lisa: THANK YOU for your support, knowledge & help. We love you both and appreciate your help. We understand why you, also, couldn't make the trip with us.

So until next time, we'll SEE YOU DOWN THE ROAD!

Finish Post

It's over. It's done. Fini. Ed crossed the finish line at 12:30pm to cheers from complete strangers! Kim and I got there ahead of Ed and Mike and told the finish line people what he was doing. Tim, one of the guys at the finish line, took Ed's card over to the podium and let the others on the line know he was coming. The gal at the podium announced he had RUN from Seattle to Portland and had started on Wednesday. (She announced Saturday as his start but Kim and I yelled up to her the correct day!) When I saw him coming, I yelled "He's here, he's here" and started snapping picutres. She got the crowd to cheer him on (and Mike too!) What a rush! He actually did it!! WOO HOO! People lining the chute reached out to high five him, including many children! I didn't get any pictures of him in the chute as I wasn't allowed in the chute area.

There was a point about 4.5 miles from the finish line where members of the Goldwing Club had set up a cheering station. I went over and introduced myself and let them know about Ed and Mike. They hadn't heard of a runner, but one of the guys had seen Ed and Mike out on the road. I was parked across the street from them waiting for my guys. When they got there, we got out the maps and I told Ed that I would meet them at the finish line. Kim went over to the Goldwing tent and talked to them. & gave them one of Ed's cards. They gave her $10 for our cause (Elementary Track). Thank you Columbia Goldwings, Chapter P (?), for your generosity.

We're home now. I'll unpack the rest of the stuff out of the motorhome tomorrow and return it to Chris and Mike, cleaned up and ready for them to use. Or Chris & Debbie. LOL Thank you very much Evans family, we grately appreciate your support, friendship and love.

Thanks everyone for following us as we went through this journey. What's next? I'll let Ed tell you in his blog. Watch for it!

Last night out????

Another day has run by me, or rather over me. It was 87 degrees today. So today I was only able to cover 35 miles . I lost a few miles looking for a place to stay Friday night and a few more today after I died from the heat. Mike however made up the miles for me on his bike. And it was toasty.

So that makes a total of 158 miles. Tomorrow there is only 22 miles left. Scappoose to Portland. I am hoping to cover the distance and arrive around 12:00, noon. I run better when it is a wee bit colder outside.

So retiring to Arizona isn't going to happen anytime soon.

The first of the bikers passed us on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. They were very supportive and cheering me on to the finish. It really helps me remember why I am doing this. Especially, when I am dying of heat exhastion.

Well, tomorrow is the last leg of this adventure. It will be over but not ever forgotten and at this point never attempted again by the likes of this "Old" man.

More tomorrow after all is said and done.

And Now Barb has a few choice words.

Oh, Thanks, Ed! LOL I'll be glad when this journey is at an end. We're all on edge, nerves are shot. The heat has gotten to us all - even us non runners as we sat waiting for Ed and Mike to catch up to us. Tired bum for me, I pulled a muscle on my right leg, inner thigh. This climbing in and out of the motorhome is for the birds! (But it is nice to have the motorhome! ! ! ! )

We're very grateful to Mike & Chris Evans for use of their motorhome. It was so nice not to worry about sleeping on the hard ground in a tent or paying for a motel/hotel. The fees for the rv parks were so inexpensive compared to a Motel 6. We stayed at Offut Lake Resort which is just up the street from Wolf Haven Int'l the first night. And , NO we didn't hear the wolves howling. I listened and didn't hear a single howl. It was nice and Ed got to soak his legs in Lake Offut.

Friday night found us at Toutle River RV Resort, fairly new, AWESOME facilities. The hike to the river was about 3/4 of a mile, not so good, but at least Ed got to soak his legs in the icy water. The only thing is the trains. they came by just about all night long, tooting their whistles. That's ok, the SHOWERS made up for it! LOL

Tonight we're at the Village Inn & RV park in St Helen's, OR. It's is totally paved, but the facilities are good. No river or lake for Ed to soak his legs, but that's ok, he can use the shower to spray his legs with cold water.

Kudos to all these places for taking us without us having made reservations. They all had electric hook-up and, most importantly WI-FI! ! ! ! ! FREE! ! ! ! YEAH! ! ! ! ! Otherwise, we would not have been able to keep the blog updated. WOO HOO!

That's all for tonight. More tomorrow once we get HOME! Ahhhhhhhhh, home sweet home! My own bed! It will be so nice.

I’m sitting across the street from Napavine High School waiting for Ed and Mike, in the shade. He made slow progress today because of the heat. We took a 1 hour break from 4 – 5pm due to the heat. The plan now is to get into Portland on Sunday. Wish this heat would let up some. Besides being slow, it has been eventful, but I’ll let him tell all about it, when he has recovered sufficiently and his brain is once again functioning.

It has been such a blessing to have Kim & Mike with us. Mike has ridden the entire way on his bike next to his dad. He carries a backpack filled with necessities: first aid kit, sports gels, snack bars, water etc. I am go very grateful he is here. Thanks, Mike, I love you!

Kim has been such a joy to have along on this trip. It is difficult for me to get in and out of the motorhome because of the way it is. And she has been so willing to get water or anything for me. She has run some with her dad, but not much because of the heat. She slept a lot the last couple of days, but who cares, she came whenever I needed anything. Thanks, Kim, I love you!

We're at an RV park with wi-fi. Exhausted doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping tonight. As long as my legs don't cramp. Yeah, I know, why are my legs cramping, I'm not running. They are. Climbing in and out of the motorhome is not good on my body. I'm gonna eat some spaghetti and go to bed.

Here's Ed:

It was a hot one today, I was told by one of our RV neighbors it was 88 degrees when he pulled into the RV site earlier today.

That would explain why I could only cover 45 miles today. So out of three days this one has been the hottest. So far we have covered 121 miles and I am dead.

While running through Chehalis I found the only pot hole in the whole STP trail, and before you ask, yes I went down. I have a road rash as a souvenir. As well as a little heat stroke. I trust I will be well enough to run tomorrow. It is supposed to be another hot one.

Well then, until next time.