Greetings from Room 107 of the Motel 6 in Springfield, Oregon – we are within a stone’s throw from Interstate 5, which I can hear buzzing outside my room window. More importantly, we are a few miles from historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Nick Hughes and Isaiah Miller are in adjoining Room 108. As always seems to be the case in hotel stays, there is some discrepancy as to room temperature. I like it warm; they like it cold. For some reason, their A/C is blowing hot air and mine is blowing cold air. So no one is happy. But it’s getting better.
Why would I want hot air, you ask? Well, the weather is perfect for running out here – overcast and in the 60s. But a bit on the cool side for our usual summer weather. No one is complaining. It’s all good.
Our trip to Oregon was long but mostly uneventful.
After picking up Hughes and Isaiah and Nick’s house in Rockland County, we had a stressful, traffic-filled trip to JFK. Put it this way: Having to drive the entire length of the Cross Bronx Expressway is not recommended. That’s what we did. My oldest brother has called the Cross Bronx Distressway the “worst Interstate highway in America, perhaps the world.” I would have to concur.
Factor in two bridge crossings (GW and Throgs Neck), various traffic delays for bad weather, bad driving and bad roads … and the short drive was long and stressful. Anyway, our Jet Blue flight was delayed due to weather in the area. And it is a looooong flight … six-plus hours.
By the time we checked in to the hotel in Portland last night, it was the equivalent of 4:47 a.m. back East. Of course, we got lost driving from the airport to the airport hotel. I was wondering why, as I checked my email in the Portland hotel room, I felt wide awake. Well, 4:47 a.m. is pretty close to the time I wake up every morning to get ready to meet my friends for jogging. Not quite, but close enough.
Suffice it to say, I did not meet my friends for jogging. We got some much-needed sleep before the two-plus hour drive south to Eugene this morning/afternoon.
Our boys race at 9:30 a.m. local time. Isaiah is nursing a foot injury and is currently questionable to go. He wants to try, but we’ll see. Hughes did his pre-meet run and strides and is good to go.
We plan on staying at Hayward Field for a few hours after our race to check out other Northeast-area friends who are racing. I will update the blog from the hotel at some point later in the afternoon or evening.
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