Today was a fun day outside. Every year there is a Run to Stay Warm race. You can do a 5k, 10k, or a half marathon. Proceeds go toward helping people pay their electricity bills, specifically people who are in financial hardship at risk of having their electricity shut off.
I showed up early… waaaay too early. I learned that this is not like a biking event – you can’t just go when you want. They have start times that they stick to! I’ve been to a couple of biking events like that, but they’re usually a bit looser. After all, it’s not officially timed, like this even was.
The sun was rising, but at 7:45am, it was a brisk 22 degrees. COLD. I watched them set up the start/finish line and get things ready. I waited for nearly two hours, so this was a lesson for me: Read the emails thoroughly.
This is part of a newer development in Eugene. I like it!
After a long, cold wait, we were off! We crossed over the Willamette River a couple of times.
Here’s a closer picture of the stacked rocks. In the summer, there are tons of these. When the river starts to rise, however, it’s like a giant etch-a-sketch that just got shaken.
In the land of Prefontaine, there are tons of biking and running paths. This is part of a bike path I used to ride on a lot, when I didn’t work 12-hour shifts.
Hello Autzen Stadium!
I’ve never been in a race with pacers before. That is so interesting that they know exactly how fast they run, and consistently! When I run, I just try to survive.
This is part of Alton Baker Park.
I don’t know why this made me chuckle, but it did.
More of Alton Baker. The ducks and geese like to frequent this area. I had a fair amount of goose poop on the bottom of my shoes at the end.
Not much farther…
The bottom of that bridge. I guess that’s obvious.
At the finish line! My friend Carol was cheering me on (she finished earlier) and rooting for me!
We finished! I actually walked, but I’m hoping to run/jog an event at some point. Carol had a fantastic run!
While I enjoy hiking a bit more, I think, I wouldn’t mind doing more of these. Especially the ones that have a good purpose. It was great to see so many people joining in for good health and a great cause.
The Happy Viking 