Sheer Guts and Muscle Memory

Well, I've had a tough couple of months, getting over Plantar Facsitis in my right foot. It started when I was relegated to pavement running, while on a business trip in Texas for a week. I should've just not run for the week!


Anyway, after running on it for a while and "hoping" that it would go away (with the pain getting steadily worse), I figured out that I just had to stay off of it and do my therapeutic exercises, stretching, yada, yada, to finally get over it. It's been 3 weeks since I've run, and I'm feeling like a pent-up Crack Head on steroids. But the foot is more flexible and feeling better, now. I'll run a little this week and next.


Am I still going to do my 7th consecutive Rocky Raccoon 100-mile trail run on February 7th??? Yep, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm going to do it on "sheer guts and muscle memory." I had a lot of pain in last year's race, due to a "wardrobe malfunction." Hopefully, this year pain won't be as much of a factor. It's interesting, but Willie Lambert is basically in the same boat with his foot, and he made the same "muscle memory" statement about his ambitions for this year's RR100. I wish him and all of the other Midwesterners good luck for this year's Rocky. We'll also have our Texas contingent, the Tejas Trail Nerds there and participating (in their own back yard).


I'm still collecting for the American Cancer Society for the Rocky Raccoon 100. It'll be a rough one for me, but I'm just crazy and tough enough to be up to the task. Please participate!


Speaking of tough, Kyle Amos and tony Clark pegged another 100-miler together...probably the toughest in the Western Hemisphere, just shy of Hardrock. Yep, the HURT 100. They came in together in 17th place, overall. With more than half the field either DNF'ing or dropping out at the 100K distance, this is an impressive finish for two Kansan Flatlanders!


Part of the root-infested course.

Goodbye, Dear Buddy

I just learned of the unexpected passing of a dear friend of mine.


My friend Scott Derrick was quite a character. He had kind, joyful, and sarcastically-playful way about him. We met at a birthday party for a mutual friend (way back in 1974), and we hit it off well.

We did a lot of hell-raising and crazy stuff back in those days. When we were together, we were the very definition of Steve Martin's "wild and crazy guys." And for almost 10 years on every Sunday morning in the Fall, we would play full-on tackle football with our "Beer Football League" on the outdoor soccer fields by Albi Stadium. We did this until our poor bodies couldn't take the pain anymore, (and still get up and go to work on Monday). I'm going to miss not seeing him in the emergency ward...one of our usual post-game meeting places, (after consuming a few post-game beers at the bar & grill in River Ridge shopping center, of course).


We all had nicknames back then, and coincidentally, I was given the moniker "Bad Ben" for the first (and obviously not the last time). Not because I played football badly, but because I was a bad-ass on defense with quite the sacking record, and was a glutton for taking serious blocks and blind-sided hits, and just shaking them off. My offensive record was not so stellar...I wore glasses back then, and I would always take them off to play. As my (football card) description stated: "Ben has the eyesight of a cave-dwelling fish."


Scott always had a kind word for everybody. Even when his soon-to-be-ex-wife tried to run him over by driving her VW Scirocco in reverse across the football field, (while he was running his ass-off to keep from being killed)...all he said of the incident later was, "Patsy has gotten to be quite the driver! If I were to rob a bank, she'd be my first pick for a wheel man."


Kids loved Scott. Mainly because he always had that kid-like quality about him. Just one look at his smiling face, and kids knew that this guy was a Fun Factory, ever ready to climb a tree or pantomine some crazy gag that would make them laugh their heads off.


Even though Scott and I haven't talked much since I moved away from Spokane, we always knew that we were "out there" and available for each other as friends. I'm going to miss him dearly, but I'll remember his gentle soul fondly.





DERRICK, Kevin Scott
(Age 54)
Scott was born June 23, 1954, in Spokane and died December 11, 2008, in Spokane. He attended Hutton and Wilson elementary schools, Sacajawea Junior High School and Lewis and Clark High School. He graduated from LC in 1972. Scott worked many years for Bestway Fuel and Spray. He formerly owned the Running Iron Tavern on North Freya and was co-owner of Chili Headz Restaurant in Spokane Valley. Scott had special mechanical skills and was known for his outgoing nature. We will miss his entertaining stories. Scott enjoyed cars, fishing, Montana, Christmas, the New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the cartoon character Bill the Cat. His dad, former sportswriter Merle Derrick, was his hero. Merle spent his final years living under Scott's care. Scott was preceded in death by his father; mother, VonzaaStoker; and grandmother Eva Stoker, who had a special kinship with him. He is survived by children Zak and Heather Derrick, of Spokane; siblings Mike Derrick and Chris (Denise) Derrick, of Spokane, Kerri (Craig) Day, of Spring, Texas, Staci (Rich) Schipanski, of Bothell, WA, and Shelli (Jay) Schindler, of Vancouver, WA; former wife P.J.Derrick, of Spokane; stepchildren Janine (Kirk)Worthington, Nicolle Burgess and Bradley Burgess, all of Spokane; stepgrandsons Anthony, Justin,Josiah and Joshua; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. Private services are pending. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Published on 12/21/2008