Recap of my first year of running

I’m fairly certain 1-year-ago-Marya would not believe what current-Marya has accomplished this year. Several 5k’s, 10k’s, and SIX half-marathons! As of a few days before New Years, I have run 801.5 miles, and will probably add a few more on before rolling over into the new year.

Overall, I think it was a successful year! And I can’t wait to see what next year holds…including the Eugene Marathon! Here’s a run down of the past year:

January:
We ran our first running race, the First Run 5k at the strike of midnight. What a great way to ring in a great year of running! We finished in 29:16, and were ecstatic to finish under 30 minutes. Our times have improved, and we’ve certainly run further, but it was our first great running accomplishment, and I’m still proud of it!

Unfortunately, while I was finishing the Couch to 5k plan, I got a little too goal-oriented and injured myself. Too much running for my legs coupled with the wrong running shoes = injury in the form of shin splints and I was sidelined much of the rest of this month.

After purchasing some new shoes, I thought I had been magically cured, and attempted my first 1 mile race, the Be The Change Mile (pictures can be found here). I finished in about 9-ish minutes, but I'm fairly certain I can finish faster than that now… Looks like I need to find another miler to race!

The rest of the month was full of cross-training in the form of hiking and recumbent biking. Blah. I continued my shin splint self-care, and hoped February would be better.

February:
I continued my road back to recovery, with more hiking and more self-care, and I eventually got back on my feet. It was a slow, hesitant recovery, but I ended the month running nearly 3 miles, relatively pain free! And that’s all I could ask at that point.

March:
I continued my recovery this month, and made my triumphant return at the Shamrock Run, with a new 5k PR: 27:40! We also signed up for 2 races: Bridge to Brews 10k and the Helvetia Half Marathon! I must have been feeling better; I was getting ambitious!

In preparation for half marathon training, we completed our first “long” runs of 4 and 5 miles! Hey that was a big step back then! :)

We also did our first volunteer gig at the end of the month, at the Fort Vancouver Race, and we made a very important running friend!

April:
This marked our first opportunity to run on vacation, down in sunny so-cal! It was hot and I contracted allergies, which impacted my running for the rest of the week after I got home, but I still ran a successful 6 miler!

I eventually was able to breathe again, and was able to celebrate J and my one year anniversary, with our first 10k! (pictures can be viewed here) We finished in 56:07, good enough for a PR (you know, since it was our first one! :)

We finished out the month by volunteering again with friends at the Earth Day Races, and attempting a 7-miler on a difficult trail, on full stomachs, and trying Gu for the first time, and ultimately failing by completing only 5.3 miles. Oh well…

May:
We started the month with something new and fresh. Our first track workout! Later that week, I “ran” an almost-5k with my Girls on the Run buddy…Oy.

Our follow-up week included a second trip to sunny so-cal, where we failed on yet another long run, but came back the next day to complete 8 flat miles for the first time ever!

We completed our first “Tempo” workout the next week, and took part in our first of many First Thursday Runs. We finished out this very successful week with a 10-miler on Leif Erickson!

We followed up this “best week of training ever” with a very poor showing with a too-fast track workout and a terribly disappointing long run on the Banks-Vernonia trail.

We made up for it the next week with a passable 12-miler, and J totally smoked a 5k race, getting first in his age-group, and setting a new PR in 21:34! Holy smokes fasty! This also marked our 3rd volunteer gig, at the Rum Run. Overall, we completed this peak week with 26 miles, and were quickly closing in on our first half marathon!

The last week of May was devoted to tapering, and our long run was only 9 miles! Totally easy after a 12-miler! Only 1 more week until Helvetia!

June:
I started out the month with the Starlight Run with Girls on the Run…it only took us 55 minutes to complete the 5k, but hey, we beat the bus! :\

In preparation for our race, we adopted a new kitten. Hey, why not? But soon enough, it was time to get ourselves to the start line, and do this thing!

And then we did it. We completed our very first half marathon! I was slightly disappointed just after the finish, since we were so close to breaking 2 hours…but in retrospect, I think 2:01:46 is pretty respectable for our first 13.1 miles! I learned some lessons that I was able to take into my next goal race, about aid stations and fueling, as well as confidence that I could complete the distance! It was so great to complete that first half, and I think it gave me a bit of a bug for the distance, as we will see later in this recap.

After the race, I continued on with my new addiction, yoga. The week after the race was devoted to yoga only, 3 yoga classes in the first week, and I became more familiar with the types of yoga that suit me best.

We finished up a great month with the Epic Oregon Relay. It was a great fun time with running friends, and I can’t wait to do another one of these relays, maybe next summer. I still had a great time even after biting it on my last leg. I think you look pretty bad-ass with blood streaming down your leg as you cross the finish line!

July:
This month started the theme of running for fun and continuing with yoga. With no real “race” planned, we just ran/yoga’d when we wanted to, and it was really fun!

I started the month out by taking part in my friend’s Sleepover Marathon. I honorably completed my “half” as my friends struggled to complete 15-17 miles. It was a very hard endeavor; much harder than we had anticipated, but it was still fun to be with friends. We also volunteered at an aid station for the Flat Half/Full Marathon; fun with cowbell!

I continued on with fun running, finding new routes, and even getting lost sometimes. Then we decided to finally “race” again at the Bowerman AC 5k, where I got a new 5k PR (24:25) in the heat! (85° is hot to me) and got to meet Kara Goucher! Overall, a very fun month!

August:
We continued on the with the running theme of “fun”: First Thursdays, volunteering, track, all while still continuing with yoga.

And then I did it; I made plans! Well, first of all, we officially joined the Red Lizard Running Club. We’d been running with their group for awhile, so it seemed only right to make it official. And as for plans, I signed up for several half marathons, including a “goal” race for November: EWEB’s Run to Stay Warm…Soon enough I would be “training”, although I didn’t really end up following a “plan” as I did previously!

September:
I started out September by running a half marathon for fun (old Marya would say, “HUH?!”) The inaugural Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon. It was a fun time, except for that few miles of gravel…

Next up, a 10k race, and a new PR (49:47) at the Pints to Pasta 10k race. I left my old PR in the dust! Woot!

Continuing on with the shorter and shorter races, the next weekend I raced the Oktoberfest 5k, and ran yet another PR (23:28). Guess I got a bit faster than the beginning of the year!

We finished the month with a wedding, and just kept running!

October:
3 race reports, none actually “raced”.

First up: Fall Finale 5k, pacing a 30 min 5k. It was fun preparation for the next weekend’s activities, and I won free shoes! Not bad!

Next: Portland Marathon Pacing. So. Much. Fun. I ran 17 miles total with my pace group, and it was fun to see who was still with the group after a bit of a break at the aid station. I definitely want to do this again next year!

Finally: Nike Women’s Half Marathon + San Francisco Vacay. What a great way to sightsee, first walking around with J, then running a half marathon with thousands of my closest friends! I don’t think I would ever want to “race” a destination marathon, but we’ll see!

November:
The month of my new half PR. It started with a trail half marathon, our first ever race on a trail. Super difficult, but really fun! The perfect adventure for a camera! I got a lot of great pictures out of it.

I finished my last week before the race with lots of trail running. Excuse me. Lots of muddy trail runs. Super fun and super dirty. It’s what fall is all about!

And then it came, the race I've been running toward the last few months. I didn’t really stick to a “training plan”, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t train. I did track and long runs, plus other “easy” mileage throughout the week. I got my miles in, but I was still nervous! And then I ran what felt like a perfect race. Pretty even splits throughout, it wasn’t tough until the end, and I finished with a smile on my face; completely satisfied. A new PR of: 1:48:49; I’ll take it!

After this run, I officially became Half Fanatic #652, and fessed up to signing up for our first full marathon!

I also took it easy, but still managed a turkey trot, and paced a 30 minute 5k again. This race was packed, though, and I’m not sure too many people knew we were there. We still managed to get one kid across under 30 minutes, and he was definitely proud!

December:
Lastly, we have the Holiday Half; another fun run with friends. We got a great cowbell/finishers medal at the end, and I’m sure I’ll be able to use it to cheer on fellow runners at some point!

I’ve got some plans lined up for next year, but I need to get things somewhat more finalized. I’ll try to get a plan/goals post after the new year. Until then! Have a Safe & Happy New Years!

Holiday Half Run Report + Weekly Recap

Another weekend, another half marathon! ;) But first, recap of the week:

Monday:
Day Off

Tuesday:
Back to Track
This week’s workout:

1 x 600 @ 2:48 (200 recovery)
1 x 800 @ 3:44 (200 recovery)
2 x 1000 @ 4:41 (400 recovery)
1 x 800 @ 3:44 (200 recovery)
1 x 600 @ 2:48

Here’s how it broke down:

600 @ 2:37 (a little speedy)
800 @ 3:37 (a little less speedy)
1000 @ 4:41 (dead on)
1000 @ 4:44 (oops)
800 @ 3:44 (dead on)
600 @ 2:42 (strong finish!)

It was a good, dark workout. Nice to run fast again. I was afraid that I forgot how! It was my first track workout in (probably) over a month; before my Achilles started to bother me. No pain afterward (well maybe a little sore…)

Wednesday:
Fulton Pub Run
5.22 miles (9:16 min/mi)
A tad bit speedy, but it felt pretty good. Nice run with friends, and trivia afterward! Good times!

Thursday:
3.1 miles (un-timed run, with a story)
We had a bit of rain just before rush hour, which caused traffic to be horrendous. Literally the second worst commute of all time, right behind the time it snowed right at evening rush hour. That night it took me 4 hours to drive 12 miles….yeah, it was awful!

To be fair, it only took me 1.5 hours to drive 10 miles (to NW Portland) where I was supposed to be taking part in Fit Right NW Light Up the Night Holiday Fun Run. When I finally arrived, everyone was just finishing up their 5k run, and I was so upset (I absolutely hate traffic, like it tops the list of everything I hate in the world…) so I decided to do my own 5k. I had no Garmin, no plan, and no watch, so I just took off. I know I was running fast, but I didn’t care, I just needed to run.

I looped down to the Pearl District and made my way back. I got a side cramp from running so fast unprepared, and had to walk just a bit. Now, while I was driving, there was hardly any rain, and the other runners had a fairly dry run. As I was walking, it started pouring, and I was so happy. It felt good, and I felt so much better finishing my run by getting drenched!

I arrived back to the store, drenched to the bone, the raffle long past completed. Luckily, J had won me a nice reflecty beanie, and saved me a beer. I don’t even know what kind it was!

Moral of the story: Best. Run. Ever!

Friday/Saturday: rest days

Sunday:
Holiday Half Run Recap
13.1 miles: 2:19.04 (10:37 avg pace)
Pretty good run for an inaugural event! The starting/finishing area was located at Adidas Headquarters, and there were a good group of people there when we arrived at 7:30am. We picked up our race bibs and shirts, then went to find the bathroom…line. Oy! What a line. We didn’t stick around for long, since we didn’t have to go too bad, and weren’t too worried about waiting in a shorter line along the race course. There were 3 porta-potties in the parking lot, and another few at the starting line. Needless to say, not enough potties for 1500 runners. I heard it took 30 minutes to get to the front of the line! Wow!

The race started just about right on time, and we all funneled through the starting line. We started on a bit of an incline, then wove through some neighborhoods surrounding the Adidas campus. I would definitely prefer to weave for extra mileage at the start of the race versus the end! As we wove back to Greeley, we continued on to Willamette Blvd. There are some nice houses that line this road. The Willamette River was towards our left side, just on the other side of an industrial area below the bluff we were on. What I remember most about this part? THE WIND!!! You had to fight to stay upright! I was certainly happy it wasn’t raining, as I thought it might be. I can handle the wind, as long as we don’t have sharp rain hitting us sideways, as well.

Eventually we passed by the St John’s Bridge, and ran through a few more neighborhoods, and turned around at about Mile 7.5. We looped back around the neighborhood we just traversed, and made our way back past the St. John’s Bridge. Soon enough, we were back on Willamette Blvd, honing in on the finish. We turned the last corner to a nice downhill through the finish line. After we finished, we received our finisher’s medal (a cow bell! for real!) I can foresee using this medal in the future for spectating. Very cool! It was also awesome that those who had already finished, and were walking back towards the race could use them to cheer on the rest of us runners!

All in all, a pretty good race. We spoke to the race director at the end, who knew about the bathroom situation, and also knew that many of the carolers that were supposed to be along the course didn’t show up. Oops! I was a bit disappointed that there were not as many carolers along the way, but I was really having too much fun to notice they were missing until the end!

I wore my Half Fanatics shirt for the first time during this race, and got a few cheers along the way because of it. I also got to meet a few fanatics at the after party, which was fun!

K and I before the race: Race swag:

One half marathon a month for a year:
So, since September, I’ve managed to run at least 1 half marathon each month, and I want to keep this streak going for 12 months. So far I have the Cascade Half Marathon in January, and the Hagg Lake 25k in February. I’m keeping my eye out for more each month through August! If you have any “must-do” halves, let me know, and I’ll see if I can squeeze them in!

Taking it easy

My legs have been a bit tired since the race, which is to be expected, so I’ve been trying to take it a bit easy. But I’ve still gotten out for a few runs!

Thanksgiving Day:
Give N’ Gobble 5k
My friend K and I dusted off our fancy pacing skirts to pace another 30 minute 5k. A lot of people showed up to this race, and I’m not sure too many of the surrounding people knew what we were up to, but we tried to grab a few people in the last couple of miles so they could reach their goal. We even had one kid thank us at the end for pushing him through the finish! Very fun and rewarding!

I was a little nervous going into this “race” since my legs were still a little fatigued (especially noticeable the previous day for my first post-race run). But they actually felt a lot better on this day. Maybe it was the “race” atmosphere that helped! All around it was a good time! Instead of a Turkey Dinner later that day, we had pizza! Mmm!

Post-Thanksgiving Weekend:
Hot Buttered Run Volunteering (Bag Check!)
Although I didn’t run this race, I had a great time volunteering, and it looked like all those out there actually participating had a great time too. There was a 5k and a 12k, and everyone (of legal drinking age) got delicious Hot Buttered Rum at the end (hence the name). Before or after the race you could enjoy the Festival of Trees in the Pearson Air Museum. Overall, a great festive event!

Last week:
I ran a few times this week, and even did a long run yesterday. Group run from Lululemon! My legs were pretty tired the whole way through, but I made it, and feel fine today!

After the run, J and I attended the Holiday Ale Festival during the Civil War game (in order to avoid the crowd.) Good planning! My favorite of the day (got 3 tasters of it, it was so delicious!):
Hopworks Brewery Kentucky Christmas!!

Next week:
Next weekend my friend K and I will be running (for fun) the Holiday Half. It looks like a really festive fun time! (Carolers!) Until then!

EWEB’s Run to Stay Warm Half Marathon Race Report

Freezing temps, wind, and rain. The weather forecasters could not have been more wrong! It turned out to be a beautiful, clear, sunny day! I was getting pretty nervous in the days leading up to my first goal race in a long time; I was really just hoping there wouldn’t be any ice or snow to slip me up! But I couldn’t have hoped for the weather to be any better than it was!

The race didn’t start until 9am. And, since we drove down the night before, that meant we got to “sleep in”! (Anything past 6am is sleeping in to me!) I ate some of a cinnamon roll (since the oatmeal included in the continental breakfast was inedible) and started feeling a bit nervous.

We got to the packet pickup area at a little after 8am, and waited in a brief line. The pickup was inside a heated building, which was nice, but the room was a bit small for all that was going on, and I think with the large turnout, it got a bit jumbled up in there. No worries, though. I got my bib number, picked up my chip, and stayed inside to be warm. Half an hour before the start time, I used the (real) facilities, and just counted down until it was start time. Soon enough, it was time to line up, so all the half-marathoners headed out to the start line.

The race started right on time, and there was plenty of room at the start for everyone to spread out. After we finished weaving through EWEB’s River Edge Plaza, we found ourselves on the bike paths that would make up most of the race course.

Just after the start (I’m in the green shirt!):

About a mile into the race, we crossed over the Willamette River for the first time, and went around a bit of an extra loop on the North side of the river. We came back around toward our initial river crossing near Mile 4, where we met up with the 10k and 5k’ers. At first, I thought this would throw me off my race, but it was actually a bit of a mental boost. Up until this point, I felt like there were a lot of people passing me (although I would eventually see many of them later), but it was pretty empowering to be able to pass people running a shorter race than me. It definitely made me feel fast.

I went into the race wanting to hold an 8:30 min/mi pace, but I definitely started out faster than that. I was just hoping I wouldn’t pay for it later.

Mile 1: 8:02
Mile 2: 8:20
Mile 3: 8:15
Mile 4: 8:31

My friend K was nice enough to jump in with me from Mile 4 to Mile 7, to keep me company, and make sure I was feeling good. I was definitely feeling good, and able to keep a little bit of a conversation up at this point. Everything felt nice and smooth, and really pretty easy! J cheered me on from Mile 4 and Mile 7 (he was helping drive K around, and also there to cheer me on!) so I had him grab my gloves and hat since it had warmed up so much!

Meeting K and J:

Running with K, still feeling good:

Mile 5: 8:33
Mile 6: 8:21
Mile 7: 8:16
Mile 8: 8:04

About a mile after K took off to meet me on the other side of the river, things started to feel not quite as easy. Mile 8 is also where we had about a 0.4 mile out-and-back, which felt a bit discouraging, but after we made it through that, we crossed the Mile 9 marker, and crossed over the river for the final stretch.

Mile 9 wove through some neighborhoods, but soon enough we found ourselves back onto the bike path system. Mile 10 is when it really started to get hard. I told myself “Only 5k to go!”, but really, 5k seemed like an awfully far way to go! I told myself just to keep going. Although I was feeling tired, I still sped up a bit during this section, which may be because I was passing a few familiar faces.

Mile 9: 8:09
Mile 10: 8:01
MIle 11: 7:54

I think my friend K and J saw me during Mile 11, so maybe that’s why it was so quick? But I know I saw K again about halfway into Mile 12. She ran with me to the finish, and I’m so glad she did. I was struggling, and mentally I just wanted to slow down a bit, but K kept me focused on my breathing and on keeping a smooth, even pace. I stayed strong, and the time just kept clicking away. Soon enough, K told me to charge ahead, so I did! One final turn and I could see the finish line. I totally didn’t catch up with the 2 girls in front of me, but that’s ok. My legs definitely gave all they had. Finally I crossed, with a smoking new PR!

Getting really tired! Can you tell?:

Me and J at the finish area:

Mile 12: 8:12
MIle 13: 8:13
Mile 13.1: 1:54 (6:48 avg pace)

Garmin Results:
13.28 miles: 1:48:44 (8:11 avg pace)

Official Results:
13.1 miles: 1:48:49 (8:19 avg pace)
Age Group: 6/44
Overall: 139/462

(Apparently, my chip didn’t work. But I’m not too worried about it. I was only a few seconds behind the start line, and those few seconds didn’t put me over into the next minute! ;)

I’m really proud of myself for this race. I ran it smartly, and really think I gave it everything I had in the moment. It was a great day to race a half marathon, and I definitely killed my time from Helvetia! Part of that is because the course was pretty flat, part of that is because I’ve learned to run smarter, and part of that is because I’m faster.

It was a great race, with a good course and good organization. And It was for a great cause! (From the website: “All proceeds benefit EWEB's Customer Care Program to help income-eligible customers who are having difficulty paying their utility bills.”) It was also a pretty great preview of a good portion of the Eugene Marathon! (Which J and I may or may not have signed up for…)

Since this was my 2nd half in 15 days (and also my 3rd or 4th within 90 days), I qualified to become a member of the Half Fanatics. Say hello to Fanatic #652! :)

I want to continue running half’s (hopefully 1/month for a year, if I can handle it in my schedule!) I really like them, and not all of them need to be races! :) We’ll see how I do!

In the meantime, it’s again time to run for fun! My next half is the Holiday Half on 12/12! And I have a turkey trot on Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Trails, trails, trails.

One more week to go until the Run to Stay Warm (aka My Goal Race)! I’m feeling fairly strong, now, even after my two week cut back for Achilles issues. I haven’t had any further Achilles issues (*fingers crossed!*)

The past week has been chock full of trail runs. Trails are NOT easy.

I had Thursday off (Veteran’s Day) and made good use of the free time with some friends up in Forest Park. We ran an 8 mile out-and-back starting at the zoo along the Wildwood Trail. Can you say switchbacky hills!? We made it up to Pittock Mansion before heading back downhill again. I was definitely breathing heavy as we made our way up to the top. The trails, on this day, weren’t too muddy, but there were definite patches of mud. The rain didn’t end up starting until later that day!

Saturday morning, I made my way back up to Forest Park for a 12-miler. This time I started at Lower Macleay Park, before making my way onto the Wildwood Trail (it’s a long one!) and running along the trail from about the Mile 5.5 sign to the 10.5 sign. There was a pretty gnarly uphill section to start with, and then a gentle climb for most of the first half. (I planned it that way! ;) I wove through a new stretch of the Wildwood I haven’t been through before, and it was beautiful. There were a lot of other runners out there with me, and I’m pretty sure I spotted Zach (Jen’s husband). As I was running along, I passed by a parking area that I knew I’d like to remember so I could use it on a later trip (and I did!)

After the turn around, there were a lot of gentle (and not so gentle) down hill sections. The trail was pretty muddy from the rain over the previous few days, but it wasn’t too bad with my trail shoes. I was feeling pretty good, and proud that I hadn’t yet tripped or slipped in the mud. And then it happened. I had slowed a bit for a small uphill section, and noticed some girls running up ahead of me, going in the opposite direction. I knew I needed to get a snot rocket out of the way before they passed, and in the brief time it took me to turn my head in preparation for said rocket, my foot hit a root (probably) and I hit my entire front side (well mostly the right - front) into a big pile of mud.

Things I am thankful for: 1) I had slowed down in preparation for the snot rocket, 2) I was going uphill and the fall was pretty short, 3) I fell on a muddy section versus a rocky/hard section. Of course, the girls in front of me saw everything, but they didn’t make too big of a deal out of it. They joked that they were waiting for the same thing to happen to them. I popped up just about as quickly as I had fallen down, and I was soon back up on my feet and running again. My hip was a bit sore afterward, but I only had about 2 miles to go, so no biggie. I have a bit of a lingering bruise, but overall, not too bad. I have to say, falling on top of mud is actually kinda fun. And makes you look pretty badass! :) I had J take a picture of my muddy legs after the run. I’m sure they were pretty muddy before the fall, but afterward, I was getting funny looks from hikers.

I had tentatively planned a run for Sunday, but scrapped it since I was pretty tired after Saturday’s run, and I had already gotten a good amount of mileage in for the week (over 30!)

So I moved my third (and final until after RTSW) trail run in Forest Park to Monday. I found the parking area I scoped out on Saturday’s run, and decided to keep going along Wildwood for some new scenery. This run was a bit tougher than the previous two. Trail running is definitely more difficult than road running. But my legs warmed up eventually. I made my way along the trail until I hit a crossing, and mistakenly took the wrong trail. Overall, I think the trails in Forest Park are very well marked, but I didn’t see the correct continuation for this crossing. I ran almost a mile on the wrong trail, before deciding I was going the wrong way. I eventually found the right way, but it took me down a rather wicked downhill section, which I knew didn’t bode well for the return trip. I was definitely breathing heavy on the way back, but eventually the trail evened out, and I finished with a pretty good pace (especially for on the trail). I ended up with 6 miles; that’s 26 miles total for the weekend trail runs! :)

After today’s run, I went to a Thai Massage that I had won many months ago. It was a free 90-minute massage that I had finally found the time to book and go to. Wowzers, it felt good but painful, especially my calves. I should probably get those babies massaged more often. I know how knotty they get, and if I have any pain with running, it’s usually due to them being too tight.

I’m going to take it easy the rest of the week, and rest up for my race on Saturday. I’m not nervous yet, but I know I will be in the coming week. It has been awhile since I've actually “raced” a race, but I’m definitely looking forward to it!

Silver Falls Trail Half Marathon “Race” Recap

Well, I haven’t blogged in awhile. I stopped for a bit when I was taking it easy due to some Achilles soreness, but I seem to be on the mend, and bouncing back ok. I got my mileage up to almost where it should be, and completed a really tough half marathon course on Saturday! (Recap coming soon!)

There’s only 2 weeks left until my “goal” race, the EWEB Run to Stay Warm, and I’m feeling pretty good about it at this point. I’m not sure it’s going to be as fast as I had initially hoped, what with my 2 weeks of recovery (stupid Achilles!) but I do think I have a pretty good shot at a PR!!

On to the race report:

This was an inaugural race, and as soon as I heard about it, I knew I wanted to sign up. With only 400 spots, I had a good feeling it would fill up fast, so I signed up within 24 hours of “thinking” about it. (That may be why I ended up with number 15! :)

What made me so excited about this course? I love Fall, I love waterfalls, and I love trees! And this had everything. The pictures I’d seen of Silver Falls were amazing, and I really wanted to be a part of it. Well, this race did not disappoint!

When I signed up for the race, I knew I wanted to use it as a “training run” rather than a “race”. When I saw the elevation chart, I knew I wouldn’t be going too fast… I still knew it would be perfect for a scenic jaunt through the forest with my camera. We carpooled down to the race with some friends, which was a great idea because it was a long drive. We got there with plenty of time to spare, hit up the restrooms, and picked up our packets. While waiting for our packets, we ran into Jen! and Zach Hi! After getting our packets, we went back to the car to keep warm before the start. Soon enough, though, it was time to line up, and off we went.

The first mile or so was on a wide paved section, which I’m sure allowed those out there racing to find their groove before hitting the trail section that followed. Soon enough, we were making our way through the trees and enjoying the fall scenery!

I’m so glad I recently got my hands on some trail shoes. They really do make trail running a little more enjoyable. I was definitely more comfortable climbing through mud and rocks! I don’t like slipping! There was one section that the line of runners in front of us stopped at. It was a short steep muddy decline, and without my trail shoes, I would have had to have J help me get down it, but with them, I felt a little more confident. (I’m a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to steep down hills, especially on trails, and especially when I’m running!)

Overall, the first few miles were relatively flat, and we were just soaking in the environment. We were in a relatively large group of people at this point, but it would clear up soon enough. Eventually, we made our way to the hills. But with the hills, came the beautiful waterfalls! Miles 6-8 were mostly downhill, and were followed by some nasty uphill, including a large amount of stairs! “House of Pain” was written at the bottom. I think that sums it up! I was feeling pretty good until about mile 9. A little sore, but I expected it since trail running is definitely a challenge, but this course was really challenging! It seemed the hills might just be over at Mile 12, when we could hear the cheers at the finish. But alas, the worst hill of them all was still to come. We walked that guy, and the subsequent downhill (holy steepness!) Although I had trail shoes, I have a huge fear of tripping and falling to my death. I probably just need to get out there and practice a bit, but with how heavy my legs were feeling, it was probably a safe choice to take it easy.

Soon enough, the downhill was over, and a few turns later, we were crossing the finish line! It wasn’t a PW (that still belongs to Nike Women’s Half :), but I like to think of it as a trail half marathon PR! Road races and trail races are definitely different beasts, after all!

Although this was a super challenging course, it was a lot of fun. We ran by 10 waterfalls, and behind 3 of the larger ones. Nothing beats running behind waterfalls! It was a beautiful course, and definitely worth all the soreness I had the rest of the day! (And maybe a little bit the next day…) The race was well organized, and the course was marked amazingly well; I never once wondered about a turn. There was no getting lost out there!

I would definitely recommend this race to anyone, and to get you excited, here’s some pictures I took while I was out there:

One of the many waterfalls:

The stairs we got to go DOWN:

Runner’s about to run behind a waterfall: 

Leaves on the trail:

J and I in front of a waterfall:

“The House of Pain”:

Me behind one of the waterfalls:

2 more weeks until it’s actually “racing” time! :)

Nike Women’s Half Marathon Race Report

After the awesomeness that was pacing the Portland Marathon last weekend, I was pretty excited about running. I had last Monday (aka the day after the marathon) off and needed to pick up my allergy meds at the pharmacy. I didn’t want to drive or take the streetcar, and I figured, “I’m just gonna run. It’s pretty close!” I got there, no problem, picked up my meds, and started making my way home. That’s when both my Achilles started to hurt. ARGH!! And they proceeded to hurt the rest of the week. I decided to hold off all running until Sunday (aka the day of the next race) and hope for the best. So, I was pretty nervous going into the race.

J and I drove down to the Bay Area on Friday. There, we met up with Alisa, and spent the night at her Father’s house. Saturday morning, we made our way to a BART station, and rode on into the city. Our hotel was just outside the station, and right near Union Square (aka the site of the Expo and Race Start). We checked into the hotel, and made our way down to the Expo.

The “Expotique”:
We managed to make it to the Expo before the crowds got too out of control. (An hour later, the line went around the block. We made our way through each station, got our bibs, corral bands, and then split up. While the girls went shopping, I took J out to see the sights, since he’d never really been to SF before. But first, we meandered over to Nike Town, and I found my name on the “wall”.

Sightseeing:
First, I took J down to the Embarcadaro. This is where my dad used to take my brother and I to get sticky buns on the weekends when I was younger. The sticky bun place was no longer there, but the fountain we used to hop around in was. There was also a Boudin Bakery there, so we enjoyed ourselves with some lunch!! Mmm.

My brother and I used to hop around in this fountain. P.S. I’m pretty sure they were doing construction on it the last time we were there….

Next up, we walked along the Embarcadero, and past Pier 39. We spotted the sea lions, and also Alcatraz, then made our way to Fisherman’s Wharf, and finally, to the Ghirardelli Factory! Double Mmmm!!

Alcatraz in the background

 

After we scarfed down our dessert, it was time to make our way back to the hotel. On they way, we passed by Lombard St (the crookedest street) and up some steep hills! (Probably not too great for the Achilles.)

                      Hills

Next, we ordered some takeout from the California Pizza Kitchen. That place was very convenient to our hotel, and therefore the race/expo area, and it was nearly empty when we went to pick up our food! Score! We finished the evening by lounging around in our pj’s, eating some pizza, and watching TV. With our race stuff laid out and ready to go, we hit they hay.

Race Time:
At 5:30am it was time to get ready. We got our gear on, scarfed down some bagels and cookies (mmm!) then made our way to the starting area. Holy moly that place was packed! I’d never been to a race this large before. (Alisa later told us it’s the 3rd largest half marathon in the WORLD! and I’m not surprised!) The race was a point-to-point race, and we wanted to have some warm gear at the finish line, so we maneuvered our way to the bag check area.

Alisa and I pre-race.

With our bags checked, we made our way to our starting corral. We lined up in the 10-11:30 min/mi corral for our leisurely journey! Eventually, we heard the gun go off, and we patiently awaited our turn to cross the mat. Soon enough, it was our turn, and we were off!

 

The first mile or so wove through the Financial District. Although the entire race, from our perspective (aka the slow, take your time and enjoy sightseeing area of the pack) was a cluster for pretty much the entirety of the race, it didn’t seem like we had to weave too much around runners just out of the chute. Although, I’m sure that could also be due to our leisurely pace…

Miles 2 and 3 ran along the Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf and by the many piers lining the water, including the touristy Pier 39. From here, we could see the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz, and I made sure to snap a few pics. It was an average cloudy morning for San Francisco, at least from my memory as a youngster growing up in the area, but you could still see the sights pretty well. Mile 5 brought us by Fort Mason, and our first potty stop.

Now, I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this before, but San Francisco has a few hills, and after passing Fort Mason, we got a nice view of our first big one. I have to say, the hills on this course (at least the first half) are definite walking hills. I probably wouldn’t suggest this half as a “PR” course… Pretty much everyone around us, at this point, was walking. But we got some great views along this “280ft over a mile” climb, and we savored every moment of it (and took some nice pics of the Golden Gate Bridge.) There were even race signs pointing out the best scenic views for pictures!

The next few miles included some “rolling” hills, at least by San Francisco’s standard. But remember, hills = good views! Mile 9 took us through a neighborhood with a lot of really nice looking houses, and oranges from Kaiser. Yeah, I grabbed some. Another great part of this stretch was the encouraging signs along the route, saying things like, “Reason [to run] #8: Because I Can”.

 
With every hill, comes a downhill, and Mile 11 was a quad scorcher! We rounded a corner, and got a great view of some beaches, and what appeared to be a finish shoot…but that couldn’t be right… It wasn’t. There were two portions near the end of the course with blown up arches with encouraging words. Not sure I would appreciate those if I were racing. I usually associate those arches with the finish line, but it was a nice gesture!

All we had left was a short jaunt through Golden Gate Park. This is where we split from the full marathoners (Good luck, ladies!) and made our turn down the “Chocolate Mile”, because, really, what would a women’s race be without Chocolate?! I grabbed some Ghirardelli from the volunteers and stashed it for later (I’d already eaten some Clif Shot Bloks and Luna Bars from a previous aid station, so I was no longer hungry at this point.) Finally, we wove our way through the final stretch, and through the finish line!

    Post Race:
What a hoard of people at the end! I managed to spot the tuxedo-clad fireman and got my necklace. Race officially complete. The finish line was a great use of the assembly line system. After making my way through the necklaces, and acquiring my space blanket, I was led into the “food area”. I was given a great re-usable shopping bag in which to stuff my goodies (including bananas, bagels, Kashi cereal, Luna bars, raisins, and Gatorade). I grabbed everything that was offered to me and stuffed it in my bag. Soon enough I was at the shirt station, grabbed my Pink Nike Tech Tee, and finally filtered out of the system. I collected my bag, and bundled up a bit to protect myself from the rain that had started just as we were finishing up.

Now, my absolute least favorite part of the race: Getting back to the hotel. Everyone in our group had purchased shuttle tickets for a ride back the start. Well, everyone but me…Oops! They ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes, but that was still better than what J and I ended up doing… We had the brilliant idea to take public transit. We ended up walking about 3.5 miles and getting passed up by 3 buses before finally getting picked up. We made it back to our hotel in just enough time for late check out. No shower for me. Bummer!

Luckily, I was able to get myself the largest Pumpkin Spice Latte I could, so that I could warm up a bit (rain+SF=cold). We made our way to the BART station, and rode back to our car. After a pit stop at Alisa’s in-laws (with very yummy dinner and breakfast! and a good night’s sleep) J and I made the long trek back up north on Monday.

It was a busy, but super fun weekend. And I got new bling! Both Achilles made it through the race ok; no pain really while we were running, a little achiness as we walked up those hills, but I made it through ok. My right heel gets sore when driving (from the pressure on the heel), and I’m definitely cutting back this week! I ran a bit today (Tuesday), but only about 2.5 miles. When it started hurting, I stopped. I’m gonna run just a bit again tomorrow, then take a few days off. Friday is my birthday, and, although I wish I could run on my Birthday, I think a massage is in order!

Here’s to a happy, restful, injury repairing birthday week!