Last week we managed to catch up with MCTC Elite athlete, Eddie Owens. Eddie shares with us his journey over the past six months amidst the global pandemic.
Antony. How have you tackled the challenges with training through the pandemic and stayed afloat?
Eddie. Well, in a lot of ways it has been a really good period for my training because I can be a lot more
flexible with my work hours. I can get out for a run or a ride in the middle of the day sometimes. I don’t
spend any time commuting. I think overall, I have had a higher training volume than previously. As far
as challenges, I wanted to race in the spring and obviously I couldn’t do that. Staying motivated or doing
any sort of hard work out was the challenge.
Antony. Do you have a group that you usually train with?
Eddie. No, I don’t and it’s something I have lacked… having consistent training partners. I’ve
occasionally trained with some people like you, and people you have introduced me to, and some
people in Oakland. But I haven’t really had any consistent training partners since moving out here (to
the Bay Area).
Antony. There are times when it’s nice to have a little bit of company while training. How have you
stayed connected with your runner friends?
Eddie. Well, I have met up with some people during Covid-19 so when I’ve wanted training partners, I
can find them.
Antony. What has been your mindset through this pandemic and how has that affected you in any way?
Eddie. Early on I was kind of liking it because of the novelty of working from home hadn’t work off.
Also, I had my roommates I was living with, then my girlfriend started living with me so, I was having fun
around the house and not having to go out. But I was getting plenty of outdoor exercise in. Then it did
start getting harder to get my work done. So I made the decision to move out of the house. I spent July
with family and that was a great month. It was really nice seeing family in person.
Antony. Right, so family is not so local for you where you currently live. Did you have to take a flight?
What happened there?
Eddie. Yes, I had to fly out there (to the East Coast). We kind of trekked and just moved out way down
the east coast.
Antony. Yes.
Eddie. There were like 5 different stops in total. Yeah, it was good fun. Since being back it’s been a lot
more low-key, since it’s just the two of us now and none of my roommates. We don’t really have people
we see around here on a daily basis so it’s a little bit isolating for us so far.
Antony. Sounds like a double edged sword. On the one hand you can be super productive and get a lot
of stuff done without too much distraction. On the other hand, with all the restrictions still in place, it’s
not like one can freely go out and have the luxuries of pre-covid.
Eddie. The last few weeks I have really started to feel like the pandemic is getting really old. I would
love to comfortably invite people over to my house and go back into the office and get more of that
normal routine going.
Antony. You mentioned earlier that you were hoping to jump in a race at some point in the spring.
Could you tell us a little about that?
Eddie. I had my eye on some local trail races. I’m trying to remember the name of this race series… the
Brazen Trail series. They have prize money for the season series so my goal was to do one of those a
month through the spring/ summer of 2021. I’d also like to try the Dipsea Race. This is the first race
that anybody mentions around here.
Antony. Yes, the famous Dipsea Race. Well, now that you are living and training in Marin, the Dipsea
course is right on your back door.
Eddie. I know, I will have to run the course one of these weekends.
Antony. Yes, absolutely. It’s the third oldest footrace in the country.
Eddie. That’s pretty wild. Is that true?
Antony. Yes. The oldest footrace is the Buffalo Turkey Trot (1896), followed by the Boston Marathon
(1897), then the Dipsea Race (1905).
Eddie. My goodness.
Antony. Quite different challenges, sizes or race, but all historic.
Eddie. Yes, those races are incredibly different.
Antony. Yes. Well, that’s exciting
Eddie. There’s one more race. I would have liked to have done the US Mountain Running
Championships (in August).
Antony. Now, is mountain running and trail running something you’ve had a focus on to compete in for
a while or is this a relatively new thing?
Eddie. Definitely a new thing. I didn’t get the opportunity to do trial races when I lived in NY. But it was
something I knew I liked and I’ve always considered myself a good uphill runner. So, when I got out
here, I began seeking out trail races with a lot of vertical.
Antony. Well, Marin county is one place where you can be very spoilt with that type of terrain.
Eddie. Yes. For example, I really like Larkspur where I am in right now. I have explored the local area
fairly well at this point. As far as running is concerned, there are good trails south and actually, I have
been meaning to do a run up to the top of Ring Mountain and kind of loop back around there and it’s
basically like a 10 mile run from my house.
Antony. Yes, you’d probably run around the back of Paradise Drive and get you’d get right up on Ring
Mountain from there.
Eddie. Exactly.
Antony. Since the pandemic have you observed any silver linings?
Eddie. I think the silver lining has been that I’m able to get out and exercise more.
Antony. Yes. A little bit more flexibility with the schedule?
Eddie. Yes, that’s the silver lining. Another silver lining, I wouldn’t have been able to do that month of
July to see family under normal circumstances. I was working remotely for most of that and would
never have been able to get a month of vacation so that was really nice.
Antony. Right. Any other points of note from 2020 so afar, Eddie?
Eddie. I am actually going to do a race on Labor Day weekend.
Antony. Ok, where is that?
Eddie. So, it’s the Mount Tam Triple Crown. They’re doing it this year. It was always really low key and
an under the radar kind of race.
Antony. What date is that?
Eddie. September 5th, 6th, and 7th – the weekend that includes Labor Day.
Antony. This is on a bike, right?
Eddie. Well, it’s two bike legs and a running leg.
Antony. How have your preparations been going for it?
Eddie. Ah, not too bad. We’ll see on the day.
Antony. Well, we wish you all the very best as you put the finishing touches on your preparations for
that race and for the rest of the season. Thank you for spending the time to chat with us today.
Eddie. You bet!
