Not Quite Done in the Garden - Yet

I picked a few tomatoes from the garden yesterday and saw the cucumber has new and pretty flowers. Since October is in close pursuit, and the goblins will arrive soon after the first frost, I doubt I'm getting any more cukes this year.

In truth, we didn't get a whole lot earlier in the year. The cucumber was a purchase from the Asotin greenhouse sale that the FFA holds every year. (I think it's the FFA.) I got a steep discount on the plant. It was the last one they had this season and scraggly, with just one little leaf.

Mr. Landris charged two bucks for each of the pepper plants I was also buying, looked at the cucumber, and sighed.

"We'll only charge you a dollar for the cucumber, since it might not make it."

I nodded, handed him a ten, and told him to keep the change. Firm rule on charity sales and auctions -  I over pay, cheerfully because the money goes to causes I believe in. Don't believe me? Bid against me at a charity auction. Someone will be paying above retail for the item. I'm annoying like that.

Anyway, I carried the plants two blocks down the street, slipped into the back yard, and put them in the my once portable greenhouse. Early June is no time to plant cucumbers. The nights are much too cool yet.

Three weeks later, I planted the little guy. He was up to three leaves and I felt unduly optimistic. The cucumber never really bushed out, not like the cantaloupe and the watermelon (this was an experimental year because I was bored with the normal choices.) One long vine was all that developed, but in July we got the first cuke.

The deer got the next two and that seemed to set the ratio for the entire summer.

Now, the nights are getting nippy. For those of you who have raised cucumbers, you understand they are the wimps of the garden. A hint of frost and they swoon.

Except not this little guy. The runt of the litter, he's game for more. Cucumbers can be hard to transplant but I might try and buy this one some time by getting him back into the greenhouse.

Who knows, maybe it'll work. If it doesn't, it won't be from a lack of trying.

Ruby Creek Trail

After I got done working yesterday, I went for a short out and back on Ruby Creek Trail. I probably need more time to explore the area since it's the first I've managed to get out there. Normally, I head farther out to Giant White Pine and run there.

Directions: From Potlatch, follow Highway 6 through Princeton, then Harvard. (Fast fact - the locals say the Hoodoo Café is pretty awesome. The meatloaf is especially good.) Approximately two miles outside of Harvard, you cross the Palouse River. Right after the bridge, you'll see the sign for the Ruby Creek and Mt. Margaret Trailhead. Make the next right, and then a tenth of a mile later, the next right. You'll wind back past farms for about 1.5 miles. Watch for the cows.

The two trails share a parking lot. Plenty roomy, but no facilities.  

Both trails are OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) trails while I prefer MTF (My Two Feet) single track. I didn't see any motorcycles or four-wheelers while I was running. The advantage of running while the Seahawks play. There was one couple hiking with their dogs. One of the dogs, a good-looking boxer, seemed to have a perpetual look on her face that said "Cookie?" Fresh out, alas.

I ran up the trails to the first fork (about five minutes up, your time may be faster or slower, with faster more likely) and went left staying on the Ruby Creek Trail. The right fork takes you up, if the sign is to be believed, to the Mt. Margaret Loops.

I ran 2.5 miles up the trail. Up is operative here, as there was little flat ground and no down to run. The trail rises at about 250 feet per mile and I didn't top out for the short ways that I went.

Lots of eagles along the trail and two large mule deer which startled as I slogged past. I saw a couple of deer trails diving off to the side but I skipped exploring for now while I got a feel for the place. I'll need to come back with a topo - I'm betting there's a way to get to Giant White Pine, staying on trails.

The view from the gate.

Ruby Creek, I presume, is a seasonal event. Still very pretty.

The gravel gives way to packed dirt. The footing is great. In the background, you can see an old burn that was logged and is regenerating.

Working Today

I've posted over at InlandXC.com for the races yesterday at the Inland Empire Klassic.

Today, I have to work, so no more posting until tonight at the earliest. I am going to try and sneak away on to a new trail, provided the toe I clobbered with a bed frame yesterday doesn't get worse.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Links from Here and There

I interviewed Tim Tays a couple months ago about his book, Wannabe Distance God. Earlier this week, LetsRun.com ran a review and interview with Tim and named him their second Blue Collar Runner.

Sometimes I wonder what happens at large schools on the East Coast. Having grown up part-time in Maryland, I've got some good guesses. In this case, it certainly looks like the school was acting vindictively. Legally Blind Runner Allowed Back On School Team .

Over at JillWillRun, a tutorial on her garden. I do my own small garden and share with the neighbors. My process is mostly benign neglect and seems to work. Certainly the deer enjoyed it as the poor tomatoes retreated into their cages. Any protruding branches got nubbed at the wire. The habanero peppers were safe though.

Lauren Fleshman has a training journal coming out in a month or two. I'm going to get one to look it over - I handed out a couple of run-of-the-mill logs to a pair of my runners this year. Lauren was one of the few people that I sent a copy of Finishing Kick to, even though she told me she wouldn't have time to read it as a new mom and pro athlete. Okie-dokie, someday she will have time.

I need to get ready for the Inland Empire Klassic meet today over in Lewiston. I'll have some articles on it tomorrow over at InlandXC.com but probably not all the races. They kind of drag on until the middle of the afternoon and I need to be on the work site by 2PM. Don't think I'll get to varsity boys.

When it rains, the trails turn muddy

It rained, so I think I owe Hells Gate Park a visit. I ran there early this month but the ragweed pollinated the air, my throat, and my lungs, leaving me hacking at the edge of the trail. Most unpleasant but I did finish the run- at a walk, though.

{Update: runny eyes, itchy throat, hacking. Nope, the ragweed is hanging on . . . changing run plans.}

Oddly, I just realized I've never taken pictures there even though I run the park frequently. Heck, I can see it from my house and, if a river didn't run through, could run there in about four minutes - Paul minutes, not Roger Bannister minutes. It really is quite close.

Instead of staying on the lower rolling trails, I think I'll wander up some of the steep grades with the GPS and get them dialed in for planning later. I love those hills, especially the couple that I've never made it all the way up running. Devil's Slide will be a slick muddy mess, though a friend said the trail washed out and rutted. We'll see.

Tomorrow will be coaching at the meet in Lewiston on the same course that LCSC runs. I think the race will be chipped timed which the kids think is very cool and big-time.

Sunday, after work (seven days this week so I can take a vacation next week,) I figure on trying a new trail off of Hwy 6 in the Princeton area.  I'm only planning a short 5-6 mile scout but more pictures when I'm done. I'm also going to start adding driving directions to all the trails.

Have a great weekend. Those of you with youngster racing, cheer loud. The kids won't admit it but they need you to be their biggest fan.

For the runners, run gently and enjoy the changing season. See you on the trails.

Colfax Rail Trail

First off, this trail can be a bit of a bugger to find, so directions.

Headed westbound on Highway 26 from Colfax, you will cross over the bridge over the Palouse River. West River Road is immediately on the other side of the bridge, on the right. Turn here. Follow that gravel track as it winds through the industrial zone, past the rock plant.  Along the way, you'll pass a stick with a faded cone perched on it. You're on the right path. Follow the road as it turns into a dirt track until you reach a green gate. Easy, if you know where to make the first turn.

Now the trail.

The first gate and the trail beyond. Parking is to the right. It's wide enough to pull a U-turn or fit multiple vehicles.

The trail parallels the Palouse River and, early in the run, there are expansive views of the wheat fields.

The footing is varied but mostly good. Watch for the occasional rock. Also, bear, deer, elk, and cow poop. The Colfax Rail Trail just after the abandoned trestle.

The natural basalt provides some protection from the wind and adds texture to the vistas.

The end of the line. Between this point and that tunnel is the river. A portion of the trail curls up to the south. I didn't check it out. Instead, I played.

From the middle of the Palouse River. Fording the river to check out the tunnel . . .

The inside of the tunnel - or what's left of it. Native basalt is visible at the rear of the tunnel. The thin ribbon you see is the remaining concrete that didn't get taken out by the cave-in. Almost certainly unsafe for entry.

I saw the bald eagles again while I ran, along with a blue heron. The heron was at the beginning part of the Colfax Rail Trail. The eagle was in the first copse of trees on the return trip. Couldn't have been more than ten yards away and thoroughly magnificent.

From the droppings, elk are frequent visitors though I only saw a pair of mule deer and a herd of cows.

I think I spent more time fording the river (don't try this trick in spring or we'll have to retrieve your body from Palouse Falls!) and exploring the tunnel than I did running. Fun way to spend an afternoon.

Smash it flat and send it to China

Years ago, I went car shopping, hoping to unload a Chevy Lumina minivan that belongs in the pantheon of terrible vehicles. We eventually did trade it, for a Ford Ranger pick-up that I used for work. The dealer managed not to laugh and gave us a grand for the pile o' crud we had been using.

My girls were little then - we could actually fit all five of us into the supercab - and wanted to know what was going to happen to the Lumina.

The headline above, "Smash it flat and ship it to China", was undoubtedly blunt. What I hadn't realized was that they were attached to the vehicle. I had thee girls burst into tears and my wife had to explain that I was just 'joking.' I was busy shaking my head, but no one was paying any attention to mean old dad.

We're out car shopping again. Now it's time to replace that Ranger. It's got a lot of miles on it, but runs decently well. We've put some work into it to make sure that it does. When we let this go, I'm going to be the one attached. It's been a nice little truck that has served us well. All three girls got their first lessons on how to drive a stick in that truck and we had given it to the youngest daughter - but she had a baby and the pick-up isn't really suitable so we got it back.

It's not suitable for grandmas either, so it's time to bid it goodbye. I'm hoping to find something that we'll like as much.

And we're hoping to find a good home for the Ranger. No "smash it flat and send it to China" this time. The Ranger deserves better than that.

Blogging over at InlandXC today

Race Reports from the Seaport Invite are up at inlandxc.com.

Also, pretty sure that cold pizza and hot Starbucks is not the breakfast of champions.

New Job at the Seaport Invite

Traipsing over to Clarkston for the Seaport Invite today. Coach Denton always sets up and runs a nice race and I like the course, but this meet will be a bit sad.

For the first time in nearly a decade, I won't be working as a volunteer at the Invite. I've acted as timer - apparently my right thumb is useful to cross country  - for nearly a decade. Last year at this race, I watched the immortal Les McDowell starting, and thought that when he laid down the gun for the last time, I might try to fill his shoes.

Les does a great job of starting, and gets less appreciation than he should. I've never seen a bad race start, cross country or track, for any age group, when he ran the show. I asked him at last year's meet if he would mind training me.

He agreed. And at a track meet this past year, I had to apologize and guit on the idea.

I had a new one, a new role I wanted to fill. Being somewhat an overachiever (when the mood strikes,) I get to create something both new - and old, at the same time.

We used to have reporting on the races that happened around the country. Local newspapers carried the results of road races, and the seasons at the local schools. School newspapers did, too.

Somewhere, that disappeared. Costs, not just for materials, but for labor was a part of it. A larger part was the growing dependence of local papers on the AP. There is little real reporting in most newspapers, just regurgitations of the national line.

That's the old.

The new relies on two simple ideas - pixels are free, and writers like to write (and like to see their name on a byline.)

A community of young writers learning their trade (and yes, it's a trade. Once upon a time, newspapermen had high school educations and worked their way up to reporter) can do so for next to no cost, maybe a couple of hundred dollars for the website. I front the cost on that (folks that buy my books help because ten percent of the profits head back to local teams.)

Why the newspapers, who already have the infrastructure, don't run with this is beyond me except perhaps they've forgotten that they serve communities of readers.

So today, instead of timing, I'll be looking for story ideas, pictures to highlight the athletes, and keeping my sense of joy while I watch it all.

I find it very exciting, even if it's also hard work. I think I'm going to miss timing. It was a small job, but I knew I was helping. Now I hope that I'm helping and I won't know either way for years to come.

This System Fails the Kids

News came out in the last couple of days that two kids,  Olga and Yelena Paushkina of Russia, flunked doping tests. One, Yelena, was the gold medal winner at the Europe Youth Olympic Festival.  Her twin was a 4:25 1600M runner.

I can imagine that parents and coaches in the States are saying, "Yeah, that's over there, though."

I wonder. The pressure to win overwhelms common sense too frequently, and not just overseas. People are people, regardless of origin. The human genome is a remarkably homogenous mish-mash of DNA.

We have teenagers signing pro contracts. Pros are expected to win, perhaps not immediately, but eventually, and there's none of the "scholar-athlete" excuses to be made. We know that high school athletes in football, basketball, and baseball have been busted for steroids. It's not that large a leap to think that a near great runner is experimenting with PEDs.

It's a shame, both for the runner who's health is being risked, but also to the clean athletes who are competing uphill. And, even if they are successful, the misbehavior of the others potentially taints their accomplishments. Go to message boards like those at LetsRun.com and you'll see the suspicion.

I want my sport clean. If that means fewer World Records, so be it. Immortality doesn't come with asterisks. It takes drive, dedication, hard work, and more luck than a record-holder might want to admit.

Making stuff up as I go

I had a nice conversation with Jack Welch yesterday that eventually will be an article here. If you're a runner, by the way, and want to see the difference between runners today and in the far, far past, all the way back to 1980, Jack's Book, When Running  Was Young and So Were We is a terrific read.

Something that Jack said that was writing related rather than running caught my attention and riffed with an article I came across about the legendary runner, Marty Liquori. Jack said he wrote well on deadline, with money on the line. We'll get to Marty in a second.

I found this interesting because I write. I have no deadlines except as I choose to impose on myself (such as trying to be interesting here every day! A little applause -or a comment - from the audience would be welcome.)

My books I published on my own timeline and, right now, I'm stressing over getting to Lonesome Mile again while I finish my non-fiction book. I'm writing the articles over at InlandXC which will never earn a dollar. I know that going in, and I'm cool with it.

I'm not writing so much for the money as for the chance to share a few thoughts and emotions.

Cue Mr. Liquori:

“So if you love running, you’ll become a good runner because it’s fun to you. If you hate running, then you probably should be playing baseball or something else.

“The process in music, if I practice for two hours, those two hours are fun. It doesn’t seem like I was working at it. Whereas in running, when I ran for two hours, there was no getting around it—it was work.”

The quote comes from a site called Gainesville Observed and is part of a larger article on the jazz playing nature of this great runner.

It sticks with me because, more than ever, I'm doing things that I love. It's hurt my income to an extent since I'm a male in prime working years who has deliberately scaled back. That, for those that want to know, is a scary thing to do and the trepidation does not take a rest break. It shows up each work hour that I spend coaching or writing about runners. Deep breathing helps, a lot.

For me, the writing is play, making stuff up as I go. That might be something I should add to my list of things to be grateful for.

St. George's School

I was up at St. George's School yesterday for the xc meet. The write up is over at InlandXC.com. Beautiful campus and course. I'll add to this post with the pictures later today . . .

I was busy this morning interviewing Jack Welch, author of When Running Was Young and So Were We. Cool dude!

Sore Knee Day

Gonna have to skip my run today because my left knee feels like a spike got inserted into the joint on the inner face, low down on the joint. It's not the first time I've had joint problems. People with gout get to learn all sorts of things about joints and how painful they can be.

That doesn't mean I'm not doing anything, though. One thing I figured out years ago is that whining about what I can't do is a losing strategy. Much better to determine what I can do, then do it.

Perpetual forward progress - it may not be fast but it should be relentless.

Run gently out there. Mind the smoke.

Is He Good Enough for D1?

That was a question that someone asked at Saturday's meet. It wasn't about Chandler Teigen who had just broken the course record for the third year in a row, but about his brother, Chase.

The question irritated me and it took a few minutes to understand why. We'll get to that in just a sec.

First, for those who didn't have the pleasure of watching Chase Teigen, the young man ran in the front, battling for the lead. He also, as with his brother now, did it with an old-fashioned graciousness. His times were good, very good in fact, but not the kind of times that garner full-ride scholarships at Pac-12 schools.

Now he's up at WSU, studying (last I heard) mechanical engineering. It's a tough major. He still runs - his freshman year he walked on with the cross country team before a tender knee parked him for a bit. I don't know if he still runs with the team. I do know that he's advancing in his field of study - my daughter was a teammate of Chase's and is studying electrical engineering at Idaho, eight miles away. The two of them swap messages occasionally. I ask for updates because I like seeing people succeed and Chase is doing that.

And that is where my annoyance came in.

The question, "Is he good enough for D1?" places exactly the wrong emphasis on high school athletics. It's that same thinking that led North Carolina into the minefield of academic fraud that still explodes with new articles of no-show classes and fake papers.

The athletes are supposed to be student-athletes and the student part should always, always come first.

Chase probably could have gone on to be a scholarship athlete at the D1 level - but maybe not in a power conference like the Pac-12, but somewhere. He might not have been the star of the team, but he would have been a solid contributor and a great teammate (and don't underestimate the latter!)

If he had, studying for a challenging major such as ME might have been discouraged, because the twin demands of athletics and study would have been too much. I remember Miles Plumlee, a Duke basketball player, started studying mechanical engineering, only to change majors in his sophomore year. Very few athletes can handle the additional time demands.

So was Chase good enough for D1? Yeah, he is, where it counts - in the classroom.