The Lasik is something I've been thinking about for a while but never really had the guts to go through with. It finally seemed like the right time and the right place. The surgery itself only took about 20 minutes and I was awake the whole time. Carl even got to watch the procedure through the large viewing windows and TV screen on the wall. He said it was pretty crazy watching the surgeon carefully pull aside the flaps created in my corneas, and then squeegee them back down afterwards. I got a front row seat for all that. I just pretended I was watching a trippy movie with lots of intense lights and weird sounds; the Valium helped with the disassociation. The next day I was able to drive myself to my post-op appointment.
Having worn contacts for the past 14 years, being able to see without anything on my face doesn't feel that foreign. But then I realize that I'm not even wearing contacts, that there's nothing between me and the world, and I start grinning like an idiot. It's a pretty amazing experience.
Surgery on Wednesday was no hindrance to running a race on Saturday. Since Crater Lake is a two hour drive away, we opted to spend the night at Union Creek Resort, nestled in the thick dark woods by the upper Rogue River. Before dinner we went to check out the Natural Bridge, which is a section of river that flows through an old lava tube, and the Rogue River Gorge, a chasm formed when the roof of that lava tube collapsed. This is the outlet of the river from running underground.
I thought this sign was particularly hilarious. Oh please feed the animals, we're just worried about their cholesterol. As long as it's not salty it's okay.
Looking up into the Rogue River Gorge, all basalt rock covered in ferns and moss.
Next morning we were up before the sun to make the trek up to Crater Lake. The race day instructions were rather vague so I wanted to be there in plenty of time. We were. It did give us the opportunity to watch the sun rise over the crater rim.
Carl and Bubba were the best support team ever. There was one lane of traffic open so they could position themselves for cheering and photographic opportunities, then race ahead again to find another spot. Bubba acted as the lookout.
Still smiling at mile 5 as I dump a layer.
Stopping by later on for some Bubba lovin'.
It's funny how small this world is. While milling around at the starting area I ran into two guys I went to college with who live up in Portland, Nick Benjamin and Dan Dunning. Funny enough, they were also there to do some running. Nick is an athletic freak of nature and disappeared way out front, but I caught up with Dan and his friend Adrian, and ran with them for a stretch before leaving them behind on the hill. I didn't get the memo about a pink shirt.
Running with the gorgeous lake in the background, more than halfway through.
Coming in to the finish line - I caught that girl in the last 20 feet or so after a four mile uphill climb. Mt. Thielsen is in the background.
Finished! I was blown away by my time of 2:09:19, averaging just under a 10 minute mile on a course that ran between 5800 ft and 7800 ft above sea level with several big climbs. I was 6th in my age bracket (20-29), and 54th out of 141 runners. All that training really paid off. Special thanks to my support team - I couldn't have done it without you guys!
On our arrival back home we found another treat waiting for us - our very first egg! One of those silly chickens finally figured out what it was meant for. Now we just need the rest of them to catch on.
...yup, one heck of a week.
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