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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, May 2, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 9, 2004 Donnie Lewis trains for his fifth Pear Blossom Run on the Bear Creek Greenway hoping for a top-50 finish. Running changed his life Donnie Lewis can hardly wait for Saturday’s Pear Run By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Six years ago, Donnie Lewis was 30 pounds overweight, stressed out from his job and frequently mad at the world. Lewis’ doctor, alarmed that his blood pressure had climbed to 150 over 100 and concerned that he was experiencing intermittent chest pains, urged him to exercise. A good friend — Eric Niemeyer — talked him into jogging a few miles per week. "I ran one mile the first day we hit the road and thought I was going to die," Lewis says. But the Medford builder, who turns 37 today, stuck with it. Before long he was running three, then five, then seven miles per outing. Each time he toiled on the streets of Medford or along his favorite training ground — the Bear Creek Greenway — Lewis stomped on whatever stress he was under and turned it into the legendary runner’s high. Advertisement And that excess weight that had clung to his belly? It began to drop off like mud from a rain-soaked hillside. "Some days when I go out running I’ve got so much negative stuff running through my head, it’s scary," says Lewis, a passionate and animated man who wears his emotions on his sleeves. "But by the time I get back I’m singing and laughing and wondering why I was so upset. "Running is one of the best things that’s happened to me. It’s changed my life and made me a better person." Now a comparatively svelte 5-foot-8½ and 179 pounds, Lewis will enter the Pear Blossom Run Saturday for the fifth time. Don’t be surprised if he crosses the finish line in the top 50. With no formal training or running background and looking more like a baseball catcher than an elite runner, Lewis really has no business being that close to the front. But he was 57th out of 1,100 runners last year, covering the 10 miles in one hour, five minutes and 22 seconds. Lewis’ per-mile pace was 6:32. "I’ve run a PR (personal record) every year and I plan on doing it again Saturday," says Lewis. "My goal is to run a 1:04 and see my name in the top 50 in the paper Sunday morning." Unlike many of the elite runners who mix in speed work with short and long runs, Lewis simply goes out and hammers the pavement each day for six or seven miles, with a little weight-training and treadmill work mixed in at the Medford YMCA. And that’s after framing houses for the better part of the day. "I’m just a working stiff who loves to run," shrugs Lewis. "I never ran in school and I’m not up on all the training tactics those elite runners do. "I’m just out there having a good time." And leaving his worries behind. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times