Preparation

This week really felt like preparation for next week’s Portland Marathon Extravaganza! I increased my mileage (to the most weekly mileage I’ve ever run!) and practiced pacing with my pacing buddy!.

Monday:
4.1 miles (9:51 avg pace)
My friend, who had gotten married over the weekend, had a lot of leftover cupcakes, so we made our way over to the weekly WAMR group run. We don’t usually head over to these runs, because they’re a bit of a drive from our house, but it was worth it for the cupcakes. I have every other Monday off from work, so I’m sure I could make my way out there again in the future.

The run takes place mostly on the Fanno Creek Trail. It was a nice little run through a “park”-like area. I’m really glad this run was with a group, though, because I’m sure I would have gotten lost without them! And, yes, the cupcakes were delicious!

Tuesday:
Rest Day

Wednesday:
5.6 miles (10:04 avg pace)
This was the week for group runs! I was supposed to meet up with Alisa for a hill workout, but work issues prevented her from coming out. :( (Don’t worry, we’ll make it work sometime!) Instead, we made our way over to the Fulton Pub Run, for one of their last weeks of the “summer route”, which includes 1-2 miles of (what seems to me) moderate-difficult trail. My pacing buddy and I used the last few miles to practice our 10:52 pace for our Portland Marathon pacing duties. Nice and easy.

Thursday:
Last Thursday
3.6 miles (9:36 avg pace, with stop and go)
The last “First” Thursday of the year. This one seemed to be shorter than the other “routes”, and we were able to hit up each and every stop. There also seemed to be less people, which upped our chances of winning. Neither J or I were successful, but our friend won twice! Plus, we got delicious Jubelale for our recovery drink!

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Fall Finale 5k Pacer Report
My pacing buddy for the Portland Marathon had decided awhile ago to pace this race for any participants who would like to break 30 minutes for the 5k. So we pulled out the best part of our pacing outfits (the tutus) and got to work. We tried to hold about a 9:35 min/mi pace, and I think we did this quite well, until the last mile, but at this point, I think we had already lost a few folks. As we neared the end, I continued on with the pace, to lead those still with us to the finish line. Then I told them to finish strong, then hung back to cheer on those just behind me. There were quite a few people that appeared to finish PRs, even if they didn’t quite surpass the 30-minute mark! It was a lot of fun to help people reach their goals, and we’re totally going to do it again. We’ve already picked our next race to pace: The Give N' Gobble 5k, in Sherwood. If you know anyone looking to break 30 minutes, send them out our way, and we’d be happy to cheer them on!

5k: 29:17
0.4 miles of warm-up/practice = 3.5 miles total for the day

There was also a raffle after the race, and I am happy to report: I won new shoes!!!

Sunday:
Long Run
13.1 miles (9:36 avg pace)
I started this run with J, but he left after about 2.5 miles, so I was mostly on my own. I headed up Terwilliger, because for some reason, I love doing that?! Then I made my way down those hundreds of stairs down to the Willamette, up and over the Sellwood bridge, then back up the Springwater to the Steel Bridge, and then home. It was a pretty nice run. It was a little misty to start out with, and the leaves had begun to fall. Yeah, I love fall!! The first few miles were about 10:00 pace, and I ended up (on the flatter sections) running a few 9:00 miles. Whoops! Oh well. I was a little sore afterward, but not too bad. And I definitely enjoyed my pizza lunch afterward! Yum!

Total miles for the week: 30!! Yay!!

Next weekend (10/10/10) is the Portland Marathon. I will be co-pacer for the first half of the 4:45 group! I’m really looking forward to helping people try to reach their goals. At this point, we’re planning on running a little past halfway, then going to help at the Mile 24 aid station. Then, we hope to join the 4:45 group when they come through the aid station, and run with them through the finish!

Good luck to all those who are running the Marathon! Hope to see you out there!!

And just as an aside: After a year and a half of unemployment, J has finally received a job offer. He starts work tomorrow, and will finally contribute to society once again! Good luck J! I love you!