I did it!!!!!
I did the Prefontaine Memorial run this morning and it was AWESOME!!! I ran 6 miles in 1 hour and 30 minutes!!!!!!
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!
My husband some how got past all the road blocks, and was standing on the sidewalk watching me run! He took a little video and a couple pictures! I wanted to share them with you all! Click on the picture to make it larger.
And here's the video...
On the 18th of September, I did 6.55 miles in 2 hours and 37 minutes. I was pretty proud of myself for running that far in that amount of time. I thought that I would run 6 miles in the same amount of time today. I don't know how I did it, but I did! I took 1 hour off my run time!!! Running with about 200 people helped too. It helped me keep pace with some of the runners, and to not focus as much on the pain I was feeling. It's amazing when you really test yourself on something how far you'll push yourself. I'm glad I pushed myself today!
For those of you who don't know who Prefontaine was, here are some awesome quotes and facts about "Pre". Tell me your not inspired when your done reading about this awesome man! I dare you!
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!
My husband some how got past all the road blocks, and was standing on the sidewalk watching me run! He took a little video and a couple pictures! I wanted to share them with you all! Click on the picture to make it larger.
And here's the video...
On the 18th of September, I did 6.55 miles in 2 hours and 37 minutes. I was pretty proud of myself for running that far in that amount of time. I thought that I would run 6 miles in the same amount of time today. I don't know how I did it, but I did! I took 1 hour off my run time!!! Running with about 200 people helped too. It helped me keep pace with some of the runners, and to not focus as much on the pain I was feeling. It's amazing when you really test yourself on something how far you'll push yourself. I'm glad I pushed myself today!
For those of you who don't know who Prefontaine was, here are some awesome quotes and facts about "Pre". Tell me your not inspired when your done reading about this awesome man! I dare you!
**********
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
This picture of Prefontaine was taken during his last race before he was killed.
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine
(January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975)
•A STORY OF “PURE GUTS”
" A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more."
•UNSTOPPABLE COMPETITOR
"Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."
•PRE'S PEOPLE
" I don't just go out there and run. I like to give people watching something exciting."
No one who saw Pre run ever forgot him; he was the most popular track athlete in the world. When Pre ran, the screaming and stomping in the stands was deafening;
•THE REBEL'S CAUSE
" I'm going to work it so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."
•SOUL OF NIKE
" I like to make something beautiful when I run. It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative."
•PRE LIVES ON
"Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started… self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
Pre ran and won his last race on May 29, 1975, at Hayward Field in Eugene . He died in a car crash the next morning at age 24.
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine helped inspire the "running boom" in the 1970s along with contemporaries Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. Born and raised in Coos Bay, Oregon. Prefontaine was primarily a long-distance runner who once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Prefontaine died at the age of 24 in a car accident. As a freshman at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, Prefontaine found some success in cross country. With help from the Marshfield cross country coach, Walt McClure, he placed 53rd in the Oregon state meet. During his freshman year, Prefontaine established relatively modest personal bests of 5:01 in the mile and 10:08 in the two mile. Determined to improve, Prefontaine undertook a high-mileage training plan during the summer, and placed sixth in the year-end state meet.
His sophomore season was unspectacular, with the exception of the district cross country meet, where Prefontaine stayed close with the state mile and cross country champions. He continued rigorous training at the end of the cross country season in preparation for track. He followed up with a 4:31 indoor mile, but his fourth-place finish in that spring's district track meet failed to qualify him for the high school state meet in his primary event, the two-mile. His training might have been too strenuous causing Prefontaine to not qualify for the state meet.
Prefontaine's junior and senior years proved highly successful. He won every meet, including the Oregon states, and set a national high school record his senior year in the two mile race with a time of 8:41.5 (breaking Rick Riley's 8:48.3 from 1966) a record that would stand for four years until Craig Virgin broke the record by half a second and was quoted saying he was unimpressed he only broke the national record by a half a second whereas Prefontaine broke the old one by 6.8 seconds.
On May 30, 1975, returning from a party and after dropping off friend and distance champion Frank Shorter, Prefontaine was driving down Skyline Boulevard, east of the University of Oregon campus near Henricks Park, when he swerved his blue 1973 MGB convertible left to avoid crashing into an oncoming car and hit a rock wall along the side of the street. The overturned car trapped Prefontaine underneath it. The first witness on the scene, who lived nearby, heard two cars, and then a crash. When he ran outside, he was almost run over by the second car. The witness found Prefontaine flat on his back, still alive but pinned beneath the wreck. After attempting to lift the vehicle, the witness ran to get help. By the time he returned with others, the weight of the car had crushed Prefontaine's chest, killing him.
Prefontaine is buried at Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay, Oregon.
The Pete Susick Stadium at Marshfield High School dedicated their track to honor Steve Prefontaine in April, 2001. The track is appropriately named "The Steve Prefontaine Track."
In Prefontaine's hometown of Coos Bay, there is the Prefontaine Memorial, featuring a relief of his face, records, and date of birth located at the Coos Bay Visitor Center.
The Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay contains a section dedicated to Prefontaine. This section includes medals he won during his career and the pair of spikes he wore when setting a record for the 5,000 meters at Hayward Field.
In 2008, 10 memorial plaques were laid along the Prefontaine Memorial Race route, the former training grounds of Prefontaine. The plaques bear an image of Prefontaine from his high school year book and various quotes and records from his time in Coos Bay. The plaques were part of a grant from the Oregon Tourism Commission, the Coos Bay - North Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau, and the Prefontaine Memorial Committee. Also that same year, a never before published letter was shared with the VCB by Pre's high school coach, Walt McClure. The letter was written a couple months before Prefontaine died and Prefontaine shared his intentions of training for the '76 Olympics.
Each year, on the 3rd Saturday of September, over 1000 runners engage in the Prefontaine Memorial Run, a 10k run honoring his accomplishments.
In 1983, Prefontaine was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, where several exhibits showcase his shoes, shirts, and other memorabilia. Nike used video footage in a commercial titled "Pre Lives", advertising his spirit for their product. On the thirtieth anniversary of his death, Nike placed a memorial in Sports Illustrated, and aired a television commercial in his honor.
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
This picture of Prefontaine was taken during his last race before he was killed.
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine
(January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975)
•A STORY OF “PURE GUTS”
" A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more."
•UNSTOPPABLE COMPETITOR
"Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."
•PRE'S PEOPLE
" I don't just go out there and run. I like to give people watching something exciting."
No one who saw Pre run ever forgot him; he was the most popular track athlete in the world. When Pre ran, the screaming and stomping in the stands was deafening;
•THE REBEL'S CAUSE
" I'm going to work it so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."
•SOUL OF NIKE
" I like to make something beautiful when I run. It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative."
•PRE LIVES ON
"Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started… self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
Pre ran and won his last race on May 29, 1975, at Hayward Field in Eugene . He died in a car crash the next morning at age 24.
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine helped inspire the "running boom" in the 1970s along with contemporaries Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. Born and raised in Coos Bay, Oregon. Prefontaine was primarily a long-distance runner who once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Prefontaine died at the age of 24 in a car accident. As a freshman at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, Prefontaine found some success in cross country. With help from the Marshfield cross country coach, Walt McClure, he placed 53rd in the Oregon state meet. During his freshman year, Prefontaine established relatively modest personal bests of 5:01 in the mile and 10:08 in the two mile. Determined to improve, Prefontaine undertook a high-mileage training plan during the summer, and placed sixth in the year-end state meet.
His sophomore season was unspectacular, with the exception of the district cross country meet, where Prefontaine stayed close with the state mile and cross country champions. He continued rigorous training at the end of the cross country season in preparation for track. He followed up with a 4:31 indoor mile, but his fourth-place finish in that spring's district track meet failed to qualify him for the high school state meet in his primary event, the two-mile. His training might have been too strenuous causing Prefontaine to not qualify for the state meet.
Prefontaine's junior and senior years proved highly successful. He won every meet, including the Oregon states, and set a national high school record his senior year in the two mile race with a time of 8:41.5 (breaking Rick Riley's 8:48.3 from 1966) a record that would stand for four years until Craig Virgin broke the record by half a second and was quoted saying he was unimpressed he only broke the national record by a half a second whereas Prefontaine broke the old one by 6.8 seconds.
On May 30, 1975, returning from a party and after dropping off friend and distance champion Frank Shorter, Prefontaine was driving down Skyline Boulevard, east of the University of Oregon campus near Henricks Park, when he swerved his blue 1973 MGB convertible left to avoid crashing into an oncoming car and hit a rock wall along the side of the street. The overturned car trapped Prefontaine underneath it. The first witness on the scene, who lived nearby, heard two cars, and then a crash. When he ran outside, he was almost run over by the second car. The witness found Prefontaine flat on his back, still alive but pinned beneath the wreck. After attempting to lift the vehicle, the witness ran to get help. By the time he returned with others, the weight of the car had crushed Prefontaine's chest, killing him.
Prefontaine is buried at Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay, Oregon.
The Pete Susick Stadium at Marshfield High School dedicated their track to honor Steve Prefontaine in April, 2001. The track is appropriately named "The Steve Prefontaine Track."
In Prefontaine's hometown of Coos Bay, there is the Prefontaine Memorial, featuring a relief of his face, records, and date of birth located at the Coos Bay Visitor Center.
The Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay contains a section dedicated to Prefontaine. This section includes medals he won during his career and the pair of spikes he wore when setting a record for the 5,000 meters at Hayward Field.
In 2008, 10 memorial plaques were laid along the Prefontaine Memorial Race route, the former training grounds of Prefontaine. The plaques bear an image of Prefontaine from his high school year book and various quotes and records from his time in Coos Bay. The plaques were part of a grant from the Oregon Tourism Commission, the Coos Bay - North Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau, and the Prefontaine Memorial Committee. Also that same year, a never before published letter was shared with the VCB by Pre's high school coach, Walt McClure. The letter was written a couple months before Prefontaine died and Prefontaine shared his intentions of training for the '76 Olympics.
Each year, on the 3rd Saturday of September, over 1000 runners engage in the Prefontaine Memorial Run, a 10k run honoring his accomplishments.
In 1983, Prefontaine was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, where several exhibits showcase his shoes, shirts, and other memorabilia. Nike used video footage in a commercial titled "Pre Lives", advertising his spirit for their product. On the thirtieth anniversary of his death, Nike placed a memorial in Sports Illustrated, and aired a television commercial in his honor.
**********
I'm SO proud of myself that I did so well! I almost cried when I ran through the Finish Line because I had accomplished something that I never would have thought possible 1 year and 6 months ago! I am officially half way to accomplishing my goal of wanting to run a half marathon! I'll get there! Just you all wait!
I'm SO proud of myself that I did so well! I almost cried when I ran through the Finish Line because I had accomplished something that I never would have thought possible 1 year and 6 months ago! I am officially half way to accomplishing my goal of wanting to run a half marathon! I'll get there! Just you all wait!
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