JP flew out of Nashville on Thursday morning, early, with his MBA varsity cross country teammates. They connected in Seattle, WA, and had an uneventful and not time trip to Portland, OR. Jude, Joe, and I connected in Denver, CO, where we suffered through a three hour delay before getting back in the air. As a result, we didn't arrive in Portland, OR, until almost 8 p.m. PST.
Things quickly smoothed out, though, as we had a great meal late Thursday night at Grassa, an Italian restaurant downtown. Pasta made in house and red wine in small mason jars. Just what the doctor ordered after a long day of traveling across the country. Tarah, Jude, Joe, and I were the last ones in the restaurant before the manager politely ushered us out and back to our two bedroom cottage at the Kimpton Riverside Hotel.
Today was a day to remember. Coffee for me, early, at Cafe Umbria, where I drank a great coffee and read a long obituary written for Sandra Day O'Connor, who died yesterday.
Later, we toured the Nike headquarters which was, quite simply, amazing. What a campus, nestled on 250 + acres in Beaverton, OR. Paul, our tour guide and a native Englishman, is a longtime Nike employee on the retail side who came to us through an MBA connection. We learned so much about Nike as a company and got an inside look at the sprawling campus and the many buildings where approximately 10,000 employees work on site three day a week (home the other two days). Afterwards, we stocked up on a ton of Nike gear at the Nike employee store.
From there, Jude, Joe, and I went to Powell's Bookstore, a bucket list stop for me. I've always wanted to go to Powell's in downtowns Portland, OR, as it's a book lover's dream. There was so much to see and I saw it all, wondering from room to room and floor to floor, taking it all in on my first visit. I restrained myself and left with five or six books.
After stopping by Patagonia to get Joe a rain jacket, we drove to the hotel. I parked our rental SUV and had a glass of wine at McCormick & Schmick's, a couple of blocks away. Later, we had an excellent dinner there, too. The calamari was to die for and all our entrees were fantastic.
Tomorrow is the big day for the boys. The Nike NXN race, which will take place in the rain on the track at a nearby golf course. The big one - the Nationals. It's been a great weekend for the team, who have stayed together in a hotel downtown, eaten their meals tougher, and attended various Nike sponsored events. They had a practice run not the course this morning, in the rain.
MBA is seeded 22 out of 22 teams running tomorrow. The biggest of underdogs to be sure but I am thinking they will surprise some teams. I would be beyond happy if the boys finished 15 or higher. Realistically, that's a tall order. Still, I'm anxious to see how they measure up against the competition from all over the country.
MBA is hosting a watch party at school in the Burkholder Wellness Center Film Room, which is cool. The school recognizes this is a big deal, which it is. No cross country team from MBA has ever qualified for Nationals in the past. So, this is huge for the school and the cross country program.
I think JP is ready. He called Austin Weaver, a friend who won three cross country state championships at FRA and ran in college at Notre Dame. Austin gave him great advice on running a big race like this in muddy conditions and, likely, in the rain. It's great for JP to have a resource and a role model like Austin.
Whatever the outcome, JP and his teammates will remember this season, and this weekend, for the rest of their lives. The bond they share will last a lifetime. That makes me the happiest of all.
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