Via Byway, My Way.

* My Vegas time is posted — http://devine.doitsports.com/vegas/. It’s official. 4 hours, 8 minutes and 27 seconds, or about a 9:30 pace per mile. I think I could have done better since I felt like I had a lot of energy at the end of the race–it could be the 10 energy gel packets and 2 clif bars I ate while running helped.

* Pics of the race are also posted here at

http://www.marathonfoto.com My bib number is 3570.

* The car is still hanging in there–burning oil and a back tire that the gas guy exclaimed should be replaced–he even offered to put on my spare cause he said it looked that bad. But I took it to a tire place and the tire dude said I could probably drive another 500 miles on it…so I will!

* Phoenix is one urban network of never ending strip malls and sprawl sprawl sprawl everywhere. Can there be anymore people driving and clogging the streets with smog? There are some nice places to visit in Phoenix, which I go into greater detail later–including an intense hike up Camelback Mountain that just about did me in because I have not fully recovered from the marathon.

* I’m now in Tucson, using the public library computer and I have 2 minutes left!! It’s on to El Paso, TX tomorrow… my Dallas contact, Phil, called me tonight and said that they are having freezing rain and snow, and added that Texas drivers drive CRAZY when there is snow and ice…hopefully I’ll avoid that come Friday.

* Thanks for your comments, public and private, and Nicole & Hope’s infrequent horoscope updates and Family Circus comic strip interpretations. Until the next library I find, over and out!!

Okay, so I typed out a great blog and due to my lame limited knowledge of blogging, I erased it. So here is the short version:

I brought the horrible Oregon weather with me from San Francisco to Las Vegas, with another close call. It also didn’t help that in the morning, I added oil to the car but forgot to replace the oil cap. So 200 miles later, a burning oil smell wafted into my car and traces of smoke emitted from my hood. I spent the next 30 minutes backtracking to Los Banos, CA, to an auto supply store and buying a replacement oil cap.

My visit to Vegas was to compete in the new Las Vegas Marathon, which starts at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino and proceeds 7 miles up along the World Famous Strip to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown. My goal was to complete it within 5 hours and with limited injuries. I’m staying with my pal Sarah, who I’ve known since high school and she is currently an art teacher for an elemtary school. We spent Saturday at the Health & Fitness Expo where I picked up my race packet, and we also drove the marathon course and visited a few sites along the Strip.

Finally, Sunday morning, race day. I tried to turn in early at 8:30 the night before, but my sleep was in and out and my mind kept turning to the marathon. I haven’t trained for this! Two 12-mile runs in 3 months, and I was supposed to complete 26.2 miles? I woke up at 4am to beat the traffic rush and did all my pre-race prep in time for the 6am start time. A colorful display of fireworks greeted the crowd of 12,500 runners, in chilly 39 degree temperatures.

4 hours and 15 minutes later, I crossed the finish. Unfortunately, my finish is not posted in the official results at http://www.lvmarathon.com. But I should have my official pictures shortly posted at http://www.marathonfoto.com (select the Las Vegas Marathon and enter my last name ‘Tanedo” and my race number 3570.

I am proud to say that I finished strong and I ran a smart race. I never bonked out, never developed the crippling cramps of debilitating pain, and kept hydrated the whole race through. The last 2.2 miles were quite the mental challenge, but positive self-talk and passing other runners made for an encouraging and satisfying end to the slowest marathon I’ve ever run–but hey, with no training, I’m on a cloud 9!

With my marathon finish, it’s now on to Phoenix, AZ….

Pretrip festivities with some my basketball teammates “Under the Rim”. Jeremy, Chris, Adam and Mike. Rene is in the Philippines on vacation, and Jonas decided to volunteer as a basketball couch instead of hanging out with his buddies. Yeah, you better win your basketball games Coach Jonas!

UPDATED: I also forgot to mention our other teammate, Eric. Eric was absent that evening because he was facilitating the annual meeting for the Beaverton Chapter of the Little People of America. It is easy to miss Eric, but not when we play basketball because without him we’d have lost every game…

Salem, happy hour with Betsy at the Original Roadhouse

Eugene, Aliscia and Jason. Congrats to Aliscia as she is a new homeowner with a wonderfully comfy home.

The drive from Eugene to San Francisco was horrendous, with traces of snow, torrents of rainfall and severe gusts of wind that toyed with my steering and challenged my tire’s tread. Had one very close call with a truck that cut me off and I was forced to the median. With near white-out conditions with the spray, he didn’t even know I was there….

San Francisco, Ezra, Tim & Dan. These were my hombres in AmeriCorps NCCC program in San Diego over 10 years ago. Ezra is an interpretive dance instructor for the blind, Tim is a wine sommelier for the local Scientology pit bull owners club, and Dan is an accomplished Hollywood screenwriter with such hits as “We Bad Boys Three” and “To Catch a Monkey, Eat Creamed Spinach” to his credit. His next feature, “Honduran Housewares,” is due out in a few weeks in time for Academy Award consideration.

Welcome to my personal travelblog, which will detail my road trip journey across the States in my $500 beater car. Some of you have entered into the Honda Death Pool, in which you have pre-selected the state where my car will finally meet its destined demise and fall apart. If you guess the state correctly, you’ll share in a pot of $40 amongst the other contestants that have also picked the state. However, if the car successfully makes it all the way to New Jersey, I keep the money (which helps defray the cost of keeping me well fed and my car full of gas).

Here are some wonderful pics of the cool, hip & stylin’ CAR…would you dare drive it cross country?? Don’t lie, I know you would! (click on the pic to enlarge and see all the fine details!)

Here are the roadtrip stats:

Travel from:

Portland to Eugene
Eugene to San Francisco
San Francisco to Las Vegas
Las Vegas to Phoenix
Phoenix to Tucson
Tucson to El Paso
El Paso to Dallas
Dallas to Austin/San Antonio
San Antonio to Houston
Houston to New Orleans
New Orleans to Montgomery
Montgomery to Atlanta
Atlanta to Charlotte
Charlotte to the Outer Banks, NC
Outer Banks to Richmond
Richmond to Baltimore
Baltimore to Colonia, NJ, where I will spend Christmas with my brother

I’ll be taking the Amtrak back home to Portland, via New York’s Penn Station through Chicago along the Empire Builder. I’ll be gone for almost 4 weeks. That is, IF, my car can make it all 5,350 miles.

The total pot to split is $44.

Below are the percentage breakdowns, by state, on where most people have predicted where my car will break down:

Oregon: 3%
California: 9%
Nevada: 9 %
Arizona: 16%
New Mexico: 4%
Texas: 18%
Lousiana: 5%
Mississippi: 10%
Alabama: 11%
Georgia: 11%
South Carolina: 0%
North Carolina: 0%
Maryland: 0%
Delaware/New Jersey: 2%