I joined my buddy Bart Sessa, the Syosset, NY coach and one of the directors of The Running School, to meet some friends at a local spot about a quarter mile from Hayward Field. We met up with Steve Josepher and Jerry Farrell, both of who coach at East Meadow, NY.

One thrill of the evening was sitting at the table next to Nick Symonds and Christian Smith, both of whom qualified in for the Olmypics in the 800m. The town is still buzzing about that race which was now almost three days ago. When I went to the track yesterday Symonds time of 1:44.10 was still on the scoreboard. It was surely one to remember.

Thursday morning Chris, Steve, Bart, Jerry, and myself ran up the Ridgeline trails. We ran for about an hour and the first 25 minutes (after the 15 minute jog) was all up hill, though never too steep. My ankle felt fine, a little sore coming down but overall I was so excited just to be out there. The trail was very well maintained and the air was so much cooler in the forest. Large, fluffy moss covered everything as we switch-backed up the Oregon terrain. I finally warmed up around 30 minutes. As we started the top portion of the trail, I said to no one in particular, "I could run forever in this air." It really is that nice.

Steve, whom I have known for years from the coaching ranks in NY, is just a great guy to run with. He’s primarily a trail runner like myself and we just clipped along the whole way back. It’s been great to get to know some people I don’t always get a chance to talk to at meets.

Runners always have connections. Jerry knows a bunch of guys I know from Green Mountain Running Camp. But no one knows more people than the mayor, Bart Sessa.

Bart loves to talk. He’s got the gift of gab (or maybe BS) and he just talks to anyone and everyone. He’s in town being a track bum, sleeping wherever he can find a bed, and with the amount of people he knows, that’s not a problem.

After the run we stopped where so many visitors to Eugene do – Pre’s Rock. Signs were posted at every turn on the way there, though at one point they pointed through someone's yard. We consulted the GPS system Steve had and found our way up Birch Lane and around a sharp corner.

What struck me about the Rock was how small it was and how close to Hayward Field it is. It’s really just around the corner and up a nice hill. There were about ten other people there at the time, including one lady who seemed to have known Steve. She was acting as a tour guide for a family that was there. We paid or respects to the legend and left after only 5 minutes. Still, it was something we just had to do.

Lunch at the dining hall was unspectacular. A small salad and some baked ziti was about all I had. Not great.

This afternoon is sort of the calm before the storm. I expect the campus and town to really be hopping tonight as many people left town for a few days. There are some great races on tap tonight and I can’t wait for the 400m. We’re heading over to the FloTrack/Brooks/Hanson House as well as the Warton’s later on. My next entry will be about my first meet ever at Hayward Field.

SIDE NOTE: Steve Josepher started his trip to The Trials in Buffalo. After the NY State Championships he drove to Eugene, stopping all across the country at National Parks. He even encountered a Bear at Glacier National Park while on a run - alone. He dropped his camera as a distraction as he backed away, and when he came back, the camera was gone. I'm not sure I would have went back. Steve is pictured in the top picture on the right, with Bart Sessa on the left and myself on the right.

Olympic Trials TV Coverage