Portlandia

I didn't get lost in Paris, even though that was the last time I posted anything. We continued our vacation and I ran through some lovely towns in the Alsace region and also in Belgium. It was a fabulous vacation!

Since April I've been running and racing and recently completed my 8th marathon -- Portland, Oregon. One of my running friends read about the Portland Marathon in Runner's World and said, "It's well-organized and flat. Let's do the half." I was game but told her if I'm going to go to Portland, I'm doing the full.

I trained all summer and increased my total weekly mileage to 40-50 during peak time. I had a small setback (dog bite in the leg), which kept me from doing more than one 20 miler, but I still felt strong and confident.

SD and I flew into Portland on the Tuesday prior to the race. It turns out we know quite a few people in Oregon, so we rented a car and drove down to Eugene to see a friend of mine whom I've known since high school. We had a great visit and she asked me what I wanted to see in Eugene. I sheepishly said I wanted to see Hayward Field, even though I sounded like a running geek. She didn't mind and the three of us drove over there.

The track is open to the public during certain hours, but not when we got there. It didn't matter, because I wasn't planning to run, but once I got there I wished that I could run a few laps just to say that I did. What a gorgeous track! I'm used to the local high school track, but this one was in prime condition. I felt a rush of emotion as I remembered watching the Women's Olympic Trials on TV. That was when high-schooler Jordan Hasay ran and the crowd chanted, "Come to Oregon." And she did!

My friend asked if I wanted to go to Pre's Rock. This girl knows me! I did want to go, but I didn't want to ask. I wasn't a runner back in Pre's day, but of course I know of him and had read about his memorial in--where else--Runner's World. We were able to find it without too much difficulty.

We headed to Corvallis to visit some other friends who moved there a year ago. Had a nice reunion and then drove up to Portland, via the Willamette Valley Wine Country. SD is fond of Oregon pinots, so we stopped at a few wineries.

We arrived in Portland, smack in the middle of Occupy Portland. There was some concern they would disrupt the marathon, but it was all good. SD got us a great hotel room in Downtown and close to the start and finish. We had a great time visiting with friends who live in Portland and exploring the city.

There's not much to report about the race. I was running strong for about the first 15 miles, around a 12:30 pace. Years ago I read a race report from Naomi (No Ames) about her Portland Marathon. I thought about her as I ran, especially through the industrial area. I've lost touch with her after she moved to Africa. We spent a long time in the industrial area, but I barely noticed the surroundings. I felt good and felt I could maintain that pace, which would have been a 5:30 finish. I was wrong. About the time I got to the bridge, around mile 15, I hit the wall and from then on I was mostly walking.

There went my hopes for a marathon PR. I finished in about 6:37, which is my second worst finish time. The worst was Grandma's, but at least there I could blame the heat. But hey, I finished and got some cool swag, including a finisher's shirt, a participants shirt, a medallion, and a way cool medal. This was the 40th anniversary and they went all out. I'll try to figure out what I'm doing wrong, training wise, and look forward to my next marathon.