Gachnar's Blog

If you aren't a golfer, or an Oregonian, you've probably never heard of Bandon Dunes. But if you are, you probably know it's the most talked about resort in golf these days.

I'm not usually one to get caught up in media hype. I generally don't trust movie reviews, and I certainly don't buy into whatever the fitness craze of the day is. (I have remained a loyal fan of carbs throughout the atkins fad). But in this case, I have to agree with the golf media, there is just something special about Bandon.

Even living only a few hours away, I've only had the opportunity to go down and play there twice. The first time was a 3 day trip with a couple out of town golf buddies, where we played 4 rounds over 3 days in weather than ranged from torrential downpour to sunny and warm. Then just a few weeks ago I was able to spend a couple days playing there with my brother, who was visiting from out of town. (My mother also came along, but she only played at Bandon Crossings, a nearby course worth checking out if you are in the area.)

Every time I set foot on that property, it's like all the cares of the world just float away. There are not many places in the world where I truly relax, but Bandon Dunes is one of them.

The courses are all great, but it's more than that, it's the attitude, the setting, and the simplicity. Their slogan is "Golf as it was meant to be" and I couldn't agree more. It's a testimony to the place that as soon as I leave, I start planning how to get back over

Here's a shot of me sizing up a tee shot at Pacific Dunes with the gorse in bloom and the ocean off in the distance.

As I mentioned back in October, my wife decided she was going to run the half marathon. After many long weeks of training, she ran in the Eugene Half Marathon today. Not only did she train and complete the half, she got several other people to train with her, met her time goal, and crossed the finish line with a smile.

I was able to be there to watch her round the final corner, smiling and laughing with her friend, and I can't remember ever being more proud of her.

I also had a work buddy who flew out from Florida and ran his first full marathon. I met him around mile 18 and ran about 7 and a half miles with him.

As for me, my continuing struggles to overcome my knee issues kept me from being ready to run the full, so I ran the half marathon. I haven't been doing any speedwork, so I had no idea what kind of time I could manage, so I just played it by ear. I ended up a few minutes under my best guess, so I was pretty happy about that. More importantly my knees held up pretty well, though the 7 miles I ran an hour later didn't feel so good.

The positive side was I was able to get up to 32 miles or so per week in my training without too many issues. I'm going to take it easy building the mileage back up until training for Portland starts in June, and hopefully they will be able to handle the 40+ mile weeks. All I can do is take it one run at a time.

Speaking of Portland, my wife enjoyed her half enough that she's ready to try and train for Portland. Hopefully all will go well, I know she will love the experience.

Yesterday I accomplished a lifelong goal, completing my first marathon. It was an amazing experience, and I'm already looking forward to running another.

For me the marathon was a symbol of completing my journey to get into the kind of shape I want to be in. It's been a long journey, starting back in June of 06. I spent a year losing 140 pounds and then training for the marathon. I started running back in February with a goal of being able to run the 10k by July, which I was easily able to do. I still remember my first 1 mile run. I could barely walk afterwards for 2 days

I have to say it's pretty nice to be standing here, days from my 31st birthday and be able to say I'm in the best shape of my life, and I've accomplished something most people never even attempt.

The race took me almost exactly 4:20 to complete, which ends up being a 10 minute per mile pace. My goal was to finish in under 4 hours, so now I have a goal for the next one. At least next time I will have a better idea of what to expect.

Running up that final hill, with the finish line in sight, my wife cheering me on was one of the best feelings ever, though nearly matched a minute later when I was able to stop running and eat an ice cream bar.

My wife enjoyed the experience of watching so much that she is planning to run a half marathon in May.