Teague goes to Washington

My week began with a morning run at our nation's capitol. I'll be the first to revel in a secluded trail run vs. an urban jaunt, but running past the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and walking through the Vietnam Memorial was awe inspiring. I went to Washington DC on behalf of the Oregon Natural Desert Association to lobby for the proposed Badlands Wilderness Area. Senator Wyden has sponsored the bill and we we're there trying to keep it moving forward to hopefully be passed before the end of this legislative session. I PR'd in # of consecutive hours spent in a suit, and found out you can just wander through the halls of congress (after you've passed through security). I traveled with Brent and Gena from ONDA and Stan Shepardson who has practiced medicine in Bend for more than 30 years and served on the Board at St. Charles for several more. Unquestionably the best caveat from the trip was a run I did with Stan where I learned that he ran hurdles at University of Oregon under Bill Bowerman. He swore he wasn't any good and said that he wished he'd been able to read that "Men of Oregon" book before he went there because Bowerman proved to be such an enigma. I just loved hearing about it and really gained respect for all my companions on the trip. I won't bore with my ramblings on government and my initial impressions of DC but it was certainly inspiring on some levels and frustrating on others. I didn't have much time to see the sights so the early morning exploration runs were great. Cheers-Teague