Category Archives: Race Recap

Race Report: Corvallis Half Marathon

One of my favorite things about being an Oregonian now is getting to sample some new (to me) races this season! First up was the Corvallis Half Marathon, chosen because it takes place in Ben’s hometown and because the finish line is on his beloved Beaver’s home turf in Reser Stadium.

If you like the ease and friendly feel of a smaller race, along with some really pretty pastoral scenery, you may want check this one out. And there’s also the 9:30 a.m. start time; not having to wake hours before dawn is always a luxury on race morning!

After completing our usual pre-race prep at home, we moseyed over to the start on Oregon State University’s campus. Another perk? Ample parking at the stadium, which is always much appreciated when those nerves start to kick in.

We warmed up by jogging to the porta-potties and back for one final pit-stop before lining up in the 8:00-minute mile corral. Of course, this is Beaver country, so prepare to see a fair amount of orange and black in the crowd!

Ben was gunning for a PR (under 1:50, but I predicted sub-1:45) so we said our goodbyes and planned to regroup at the finish. Usually I can pinpoint a goal for myself, but since my off-season was so heavy with cross-training (i.e. light on running and speed work), I felt like I was flying blind this time.

My best guess was somewhere between 1:50-2:00, so I figured I’d take some of the pressure off and simply run by feel. That way, I’d be able to see where I was at without forcing things, especially because I knew a specific time goal might cause me to push too hard with my SI joint (lower back) still acting up.

We crossed the start line to the sounds of the OSU marching band, and I tried my best to settle into a good pace as I watched Ben weave his way to the front of the pack.

Mile 1: 7:50 / Mile 2: 7:59 / Mile 3: 8:18

It took me a full three miles to really get warmed up. I know went out a little faster than I should have, as my shins and ankles were pretty tight for this first stretch.

The next few miles felt great, though, so I settled in and enjoyed the scenery as I hit my stride. My fueling plan was to grab a sip of water at aid stations, and I was experimenting with chunks of Barnana every two miles starting at mile four.

Mile 4: 8:31 / Mile 5: 8:22 / Mile 6: 8:06 / Mile 7: 8:09

The course was gorgeous; we did a giant loop through some agricultural areas and around the county fairground, so even though it was a ‘road’ race, most of it was super mellow. And even though I was starting to feel the effects a lack of long training runs in these miles, I rode a wave of adrenaline after air-high-fiving Ben’s dad at mile nine.

Mile 8: 8:31 / Mile 9: 8:05 / Mile 10: 8:11

My fueling plan was working well up until this point; despite a few low-grade, longer climbs along the course, I was feeling pretty strong and stable, energy-wise. As we neared mile 11, however, some mild nausea set in and I started having trouble with my fuel; it took me a while to talk myself into a final piece of Barnana, but I knew I needed one final hit, so I choked it down by mile 12.

The course was well marked, but there were no timers at the mile markers (a good thing, in my case). I had no clue as to pace or time, but I was guessing I was around the 1:50ish range.

Fortunately they had mile 12.5 marked (so helpful!). I told myself that all I’d need to do was hold it together for just five more minutes to finish strong.

Mile 11: 8:25 / Mile 12: 8:27

I remember running alongside a woman in blue for the last mile or so; she passed me, so I set my sights on her as we rounded the final corner into the parking lot. We ran side-by-side by the 13-mile marker and sprinted together down the ramp, onto the football field and across the finish line.

Mile 13: 8:27 / Final .1 Mile: 7:12

I spotted Ben in the crowd and could hear him cheering me on, yelling for me to to do an end zone dance. But, at that point, I was too pooped to do anything but smile as volunteers clipped off my time chip and handed me a finisher’s medal.

Final times:

  • Ben – 1:43:54
  • Me – 1:48:39

Ben PR’d by about seven minutes (so proud!), and while I was about a minute off mine, I was thrilled to have run a solid race. My back wasn’t feeling great (it had felt tweaky off and on), but it wasn’t horrible. And with a little recovery and some speed work, I’m not far off from my eventual 1:45 goal.

We soaked up some sun and took the opportunity to get a few photos on the field before heading over to the beer tent to celebrate. This one may just become an annual tradition for us!

Have you ever raced ‘by feel’ and been pleasantly surprised by the results?

Race Report: Hagg Lake Mud Run 25k

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The alternate title for this race write-up? There Will Be Mud. 

Our friends Matt and Christian came in from San Francisco to spend Valentine’s Day weekend in Portland, and we’ve got a little tradition every time they visit the Pacific Northwest: Trail runs of escalating distances, which are usually sprung on them at the 11th hour (I’m lucky they’re such good sports — and strong athletes).

Last time it was a half marathon, so this time it was only fitting to bump it up a few miles to a 25K. And since the Hagg Lake Mud Run has been dubbed by Runner’s World Trail Edition as one of the top trail races in Oregon, we figured it’d be a great way to round out their trip.

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If you’re interested in all the details, keep reading. But if you want the short version, I can illustrate the run in just three pictures:

First, here’s the “before” from when we made our way over to the start.

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Next is the “during,” which I took at the first aid station, a little more than six miles into the race. That right shoe had just been submerged (and was nearly lost) in a huge pile of muck.

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And, finally, the “after,” which pretty much speaks for itself, doesn’t it? This shows Ben’s and my feet about half a second before we hopped into the lake — shoes and all.

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If you want all the gory details from in-between, I’ll start over at the beginning…

After a few dreary weeks of fog and intermittent rain, we got lucky with some unseasonably spring-like weather the week before the race. And since our last event was a cold, rainy one, we were thrilled to have ideal conditions for this one: 40’s at the 9 a.m. start and up to mid-50’s by noon.

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Hagg Lake is about 45 minutes outside of Portland, so we left around 7:30 a.m. to allow time for packet pick-up and a port-a-potty stop. The parking lot is about a quarter mile from the start, so we had ample time once we got there to get organized.

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The start area itself was clean, quiet and super mellow — a.k.a. another reason why I love trail races!

We casually lined up, took a quick group selfie and waited for the round of pre-race announcements from the race director.

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After the gun went off, we shuffled over the start line chip-time mats and made our way down the road for the first portion of the race, which is a quick out and back on a gravel road.

They tack this portion on for two reasons: First, to make up the difference in distance (the path around the lake is just a little less than 25k); second, to help runners space themselves out a bit before they hit the single-track trails.

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Also interesting about this section? It’s the largest elevation change in the race, so we ended up climbing most of the first mile.

But the good news is that ‘what goes up must come down,’ so we also got to descend the same distance before hitting the lake trail.

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Talk about some great scenery — and terrific running conditions! We eased in with some lovely damp, spongy footing as we started out on the trail headed counter-clockwise around the lake.

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The temperature was perfect, the sun was shining, we were all warmed up, getting into our respective grooves and in high spirits. How much better does it get than this?!

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Well, it was right about then that the mud hit. And shit started getting real…real muddy, that is.

Any hopes I had for keeping my shoes clean(ish) and dry were dashed as we slogged through the slop.

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Try as we might to avoid the worst of it, we eventually gave in and just ran straight through. Between navigating the rolling hills, managing the slick footing and avoiding roots and rocks, it just simply wasn’t worth the extra mental and physical energy to go out of our way around it.

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In between the rolling stretches of single-track trail, however, we enjoyed a few breaks on pavement and through open fields. Both were a welcome respite — not only were they flatter so we could catch our breaths, but the surer footing also allowed for a mental reset for what would come next.

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And what might that be, you ask? Well, more mud, of course.

In my estimation, we got to experience pretty much every kind and consistency of the brown, wet, sticky stuff…from quicksand-like mud that grabs hold of your shoes to murky puddles that are deceptively deep with squishy bottoms…

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…and from fluffy brownie-batter mud with footprints that disguise dangerous tree roots to thick clay mud so slippery and sticky that they have to throw hay in it to keep you from going off the rails around corners.

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And then there’s a combination of ALL of these kinds of mud in one place dubbed the “Pig Pen.”

In fact, this segment even came marked with a warning that if you somehow managed to keep your shoes clean up to that point, you should abandon all hope of keeping them that way.

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It was around this point, as Ben and I slipped, slided and skidded through the nastiness, that I wondered if Matt and Christian might be cursing me and cancelling any future travel plans.

Last race it was “Nutcracker Hill” that was the final insult, yet this race may have had that beat with a muddy mess of a stretch that was both physically and mentally demanding.

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Even though the mounting mileage was starting to wear on us, Ben and I both managed to keep our shoes. Whew.

A small, but much-needed, victory to get us to the finish!

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After we emerged from the Pig Pen, we had about a half of a mile to go, so Ben and I picked up the pace to bring it home.

Because we were both admittedly under-trained going into the race, my loose goal for the day was to complete the course in fewer than three hours. We crossed the finish line together in 2:51:54.

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Matt and Christian, who are both training for the Big Sur Marathon this spring, finished together in an impressive 2:28.

The best part of the race, though? You cross the finish just steps away from “Hagg Lake Spa,” which is also known as wading into the water, shoes and all.

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Waterlogged and jello-legged, we then made our way up to the (heated!) pavilion for a delicious feast of chili, hot dogs, grilled cheese, beer, cookies, candy and all the other usual ultra fare.

After chowing down, we hobbled to the car and began the process of stripping off filthy clothing, scraping off caked-on mud and getting ourselves just clean enough to get in the car for the ride to our next destination…brunch!

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And, of course, my wheels are already turning when it comes to planning the excursion for Matt and Christian’s next trip up north…

I’m thinking we continue the trend and shoot for 26.2. What do you say, guys??

Race Report: LifeTime Fitness 2015 Indoor Triathlon

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Although I said I’d hold off on registering for another triathlon until I work on my swim, I couldn’t help myself when I found out that the Indoor Triathlon Hour powered by Life Time Tri and IRONMAN would be happening while I was in Michigan.

In an effort to inspire the community to consider and commit to racing triathlon in 2015, LifeTime Fitness created the event as a way to offer an inspirationally-charged, safe and indoor environment for athletes of all fitness levels to experience the nation’s fastest growing sport of triathlon.

I did a similar event last year at a different location, and while my distances were slightly shorter this time for the same time-frames (damn!) — 10-minute swim/30-minute bike/20-minute run — I can’t complain too much because my training has been consistent but not particularly focused lately.

My wave — the first of the day — started promptly at 8 a.m., so I arrived about 20 minutes early to check in, get my cap and number and get organized in the locker room transition area. And then it was go time!

Swim: 10 minutes = 17 lengths

Clean, clear water and only two people to a lane? Now, that’s how I start to get my swim mojo back.

And apparently my lane buddy, Eric, had the same idea. He’d done outdoor triathlons before but had a bad swim experience recently, as well, so both of us joked about just wanting to just get through that part of every race.

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Since the lap pool there has five lanes, they limited each heat to 10 people. By the time I had arrived, people were already starting to warm up, so I hopped in and swam one length to try to get the pre-race jitters out.

This is about when I also noticed that my wave-mates were a pretty athletic looking bunch. I was one of three ladies, and I could tell quickly that this wasn’t a group who was trying triathlon for the first time; these people were here to kick off their seasons, so I figured I’d just try to keep up.

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My adrenaline didn’t work in my favor because I went out way too quickly. And the combination of being against the wall (aka swallowing back-splash) and getting bumped a few times took me right back to my Olympic triathlon back in April, and I could feel myself start to panic.

This is where the giant countdown clock came in handy, though, because I’d raise my head at the end of the lane and think, You can do anything for five more minutes. Gradually, I got my rhythm back and, thankfully, the whistle blew for us to stop after I’d gotten 17 lengths under my belt.

Bike: 30 minutes = 7.7 miles

Although they gave us a generous 10 minutes to transition from the swim to the bike, the time flew by. I tugged off my suit in the locker room, threw on my Coeur kit and headed upstairs to the bike area that they had sectioned off by the cardio equipment.

For some added motivation, we could watch Ironman videos on the projection screen, so I snagged a front-row seat for the action. I didn’t have my bike shoes to be able to clip in, so I secured my running shoes in the pedals and prepped my nutrition: a bottle of water and a trusty Chocolate Peppermint Stick LUNA bar.

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And we were off again! The music pumping nice and loud, so I tried to ride to the beat and turned down my resistance as much as possible to gain some of the ground I lost in the pool.

I got the feeling that a few of my heat-mates train together because they rode in a group and were encouraging each other throughout the ride, which was inspiring to hear. We pedaled furiously as a small crowd gathered to watch us push onward, still dripping a bit from the pool, but smiling from ear to ear.

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I think the bikes may have been calibrated differently from last year’s race because my just-under-eight-miles seemed like a conservative estimate for how strongly I felt like I was riding (especially after getting a comment form one of my heat-mates to the same effect). But, regardless, I stayed pretty steady throughout, ate and drank consistently, and was proud of my overall effort.

The second wave came up to join us with about 10 minutes to spare in our ride, so we pedaled as a large group for the final portion. Their energy was a breath of fresh air after hammering away on the stationary bike, and just a few minutes after they got settled the whistle blew for our final transition.

Run: 20 minutes = 2.69 miles

We had five minutes to get from the bikes to the treadmills, but they were just a few yards away, so I grabbed a towel and got situated quickly because I already had my Hoka Conquests on.

My heat-mate next to me had a treadmill malfunction at the very last second, so he scooted over to another machine just as they started a countdown to the third and final portion of the event.

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Because I’ve been managing what I’ve self-diagnosed as some SI joint pain (note to self: must continue to work on my lack of ankle mobility, which is likely the culprit!) since my marathon, my plan was to run a conservative first 10 minutes and then gradually increase my speed over the next 10 minutes to warm up properly.

I started off at 6.8 mph and increased to around 7.5 when one of the volunteers came by, daring me, “I think can go faster than that.” Yep, she was right; I wasn’t really out of breath, so I pumped it up a few tenths of a mile every minute or two until I was up to 8.5 mph 15 minutes in.

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I was hoping to inch up the speed to 9.0 mph like last year, but I started feeling a little lightheaded with three minutes to go, so I gritted my teeth and ran on. Maybe increasing the speed wasn’t an option, but I sure as hell wasn’t backing down at that point!

When the final whistle blew, I ended at 2.69 miles. Not PR territory, but a solid performance with an average pace of 7:26/mile, so I’ll take it…especially considering I’ve eaten my weight in Christmas cookies over the past few weeks.

It was also a wake-up call: Fitness-wise, I’m close to what I was last March, so I’m happy to have been able to maintain. Training-wise, however, I’ve got to dial things in better if I want to progress. And, nutritionally, I think I did ok, but probably could have used some extra oomph for the run in the form of Osmo or Tailwind in addition to the LUNA bar.

All in all, it was an event I’d highly recommend, especially if you’re looking to kick off your training with a low-pressure race and get a baseline in place.

Congrats to everyone who participated, and cheers to a successful 2015 racing season!

Race Report: Portland Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis

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‘Tis the season for a themed holiday run! Throw some friends, costumes and a charitable organization into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a pretty great way to spend a Sunday morning.

We rounded up a fun crew for the event, too, including Kristin and Carolyn, two of my LUNA Chix PDX Run Team teammates. This was Carolyn’s first-ever race, so I planned on pacing her to a strong finish so she could set the bar for our upcoming 2015 season.

But first, Ben and Kevin demonstrated proper pre-race stretching technique, much to the horror of surrounding parents will small children 😉

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The course was a quick out and back near the waterfront toward the Pearl District. It’s been a while since I’ve done a 5K, plus I’m still in the process of easing back into running after my marathon injuries, so the shorter distance was a welcome one.

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About 10 minutes after we arrived, they released the first wave of runners and we were off! The boys led the way, and we ran to the sound of jingle bells attached to everyone’s shoes.

Carolyn and I had discussed using coach Jenny Hadfield’s yellow-orange-red plan in which we’d tackle the race a mile at a time and run by effort rather than a strict pace per mile. After all, any time would be a PR since it was her first race, and I wanted this initial experience to be a pleasant one.

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We stuck to the plan, and the first mile was smooth sailing. During mile two, we settled into a good pace, and Carolyn dug deep to push through the third and final mile to the finish. I was so proud! Not only did she run the entire race, but she also met her goal of finishing in under 30 minutes.

After the run, we dug into the post-race spread. Unfortunately, though, we were a little late to the doughnut table. As you can see, runners take their carbs very seriously!

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Injury-wise, I felt pretty good on the run. Cross-training for the past five weeks has been helpful for maintaining overall fitness, but I’m definitely waaaay out of running shape.

My left hamstring is also still giving me some trouble — literally, it’s a “pain in the butt” — and I’m thinking it’s something having to do with the attachments or tendon. So my plan is to slow my roll on my return to running and keep cross-training in the meantime.

As difficult as it is to restrain myself from 2015 race-planning, I want to make sure I start the year as healthy as possible. Forget visions of sugarplums; the only things dancing in my head for the next few weeks will be massages, foam rollers and lacrosse balls…happy holidays, friends!

Race Report: Silver Falls Trail Half Marathon

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Is it too late to change one of my responses in last week’s Best & Worst of Racing post? Because this weekend’s Silver Falls Half Marathon just took the cake as the most beautiful course I’ve ever raced.

Of course, it’s November in Oregon, so the start was cold and wet. Here are Hubby and me waiting for the gun to go off with our friends Christian and Matt, who were in for the weekend from San Francisco.

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And the finish? Well, that was just colder, wetter and even more windy, as you can see from this shot taken as we bolted from the post-race party at the pavilion back to our warm car.

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But the best part was all the awesome stuff in between. Here’s a quick look at the elevation chart to see what we were up against for the day. Note to self: Study this more carefully next time before the race, so you’re not surprised when you start hitting the wall during mile nine’s hills. 

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The half marathon started in two waves — one at 9 a.m. for runners who estimate they’ll finish in less than two hours and another at 9:15 a.m. for the runners and walkers who will take more than two hours. Knowing how trail races go (and knowing that it’d be a mere two weeks after my full marathon), I had signed us up for the later wave.

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After standing around casually at the start (love that about trail races!), we took off down a paved road for about a mile before winding around on a few smaller trails. The first four miles or so were pretty flat and uneventful — we looped around by the parking lots and saw some gorgeous fall foliage, but no sign of the waterfalls for which this race is famous.

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Between the chill in the air, the race-day adrenaline, the elation of being with friends and the awe-inspiring scenery, we ambled along, giddily bantering, and (in hindsight) probably took off a bit too quickly, considering the length of the race, the coming elevation changes…and the fact that I’m still not recovered from my 26.2.

But restraining yourself can be tough when there are mid-run WATERFALLS to be seen!

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Up and down we went over rolling hills before we headed out on the large Rim Trail loop, which took us along a whole series of waterfalls. The footing was technical, at times, with sharp rocks jutting up from the mud, a thick layer of leaves on the trail and plenty of slick stairs…but we made our way through the lush landscape, just trying to take everything in.

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That’s about when “racing” evolved into “stopping and taking photos at every waterfall” because each was more gorgeous than the next. Case in point: when we got to run not only directly next to, but also behind three of ’em.

I don’t care how fast you’re going or what kind of time you’re aiming for — seeing this mid-race will stop you in your tracks.

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Yeah, I guess you could say we were pretty pumped with the experience from the looks on our faces. And please disregard my knuckles in the shot; I was too excited to notice them at the time!

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Up and down, we ran.

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Around and around, we wound.

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Then came more stairs to tackle, and the fatigue started to set in.

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We stopped to catch our breaths on the ascent, turned around and saw this.

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Matt and Christian charged ahead like champs — it was Christian’s second half marathon and Matt’s first, although they’re pros at tackling the Bay Area’s trails. Hubby hung back with me because I tweaked my right ankle around mile eight just before the wheels started coming off around mile nine.

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I distracted myself with more picture-taking and tried to use the scenery to help inspire me to get through miles 10 and 11, but fighting through fatigue and trying to navigate technical terrain was starting to take its toll. I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when we saw the marker for mile 12 — one more mile! — although it was short-lived because we turned the corner and saw a sign for “Nutcracker Hill.”

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Hm, I thought, that can’t be good. And true to its moniker, we began trekking up the steepest, muddiest, slipperiest portion of the whole course, stepping gingerly to avoid rocks, sliding despite our best efforts to remain stable, and not making much progress compared to our overall effort.

But we continued marching forward with a purpose and soon found ourselves navigating the steep descent on the back half of the hill toward the finish. Arms raised above our heads, Hubby and I crossed together in 2:24:03, with just six minutes to spare to make my loose goal of “under 2:30” for the day.

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Awaiting us at the pavilion was a roaring fire, hot beef stew, apples, pears, peanut butter and gummy bears. After spilling half of my bowl of soup down the front of me, we proceeded to huddle in a corner and devour our remaining food before making a beeline through the wind, rain and cold to the comfort of our car.

All in all, a great race experience — I’ll battle the elements and crawl my way out of the pain cave any day to be able to see these kinds of sights along the way. And I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Trail running rules.

Race Report: 2014 Detroit Marathon

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They say that you learn more from the races that don’t go according to plan than the ones that do, and I learned two big lessons yesterday:

  1. Even though a race can go very differently from how you originally imagined, it can still be awesome for other reasons.
  2. Sometimes it’s best not to be left to your own devices; the guidance of a third party (i.e. a coach) can help immensely.

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But I’ll back up to the beginning… Even though I set two alarms — one at 4:45 and one at 4:50 — because I was worried I’d oversleep, I ended up waking up around 3:45 in a panic about my race-day attire. The weather, which had been hovering around the 50’s and 60’s all week, had dropped into the low 30’s and would only get up to the low 40’s toward the end of the race.

I only packed a tank, but once I decided to run 26.2 “ultra-style” with my gear, I bought a t-shirt as added insurance to keep my hydration pack from chafing. But when I tested my arm sleeves during my 10-miler last week, they rubbed the inside of my arms, so at 4:00 yesterday morning I made a game-time decision to run in a long-sleeve top with a t-shirt over it.

Like I said before, a lot can happen over 26.2 miles, and you don’t want chafing to be any part of that!

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Hubby dropped me off a few blocks from the start line at 6:35, so I had just enough time to dash into Cobo Center — Detroit’s big convention hall where they held the pre-race expo — for a quick bathroom pit stop before heading over to my corral. It was (literally) freezing outside, so a lot of runners were huddled inside until the last minute, but I got out of there ASAP because I’d have to fight the crowd to get to my corral.

Because my original anticipated finish time was 3:50, I was in corral D. I just happened to line up next to that pace group, bunching together with everyone to share body heat, and smiled to myself. Let it go; let them go, I thought, and made a mental note to check my ego because we’d be parting as soon as I started my 10-minute run/1-minute walk plan for the race.

As “Lose Yourself” blared on the loudspeakers, the horn blew for the start of each wave of corrals and, before I knew it, we were off! I hung with my group for the first 10 minutes, settling into a comfortable pace, and then watched the swell of people move off into the distance as I pulled over to the side for my minute-long walk segment.

“Save something for the end,” became my new mantra, as well as, “I might be seeing some of you later!”

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At this point, I still wasn’t sure if my leg would hold up, so I told Hubby and my parents that we’d plan for a few checkpoints along the way. The first of which was mile three, just before I’d cross the Ambassador Bridge into Canada. It’s one of my favorite parts of the race, but I knew that if my leg was giving me trouble early-on, I’d have to bail there because my cell wouldn’t work once we crossed International waters.

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Luckily, besides some minor twinges, I was feeling ok (definitely not 100 percent, but good enough to keep going), so we crossed over the bridge as the sun rose. My pictures don’t do it justice, but you get the idea; I was more focused my form while high-fiving the border patrol and then tackling the uphill portion.

I did, however, pull over and take a quick selfie during my next walk segment. Not only did these one-minute breaks become my lifelines later on, but they also allowed me to document some of the course, which I thought would be fun for posterity’s sake!

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Another one of my favorite sights on the course is the view of the Detroit skyline, as seen from Windsor. This is about five miles in and where I began fueling, which ended up helping immensely when it came to keeping both my energy and spirits up throughout the race.

During walk breaks I alternated a bite of Bonk Breaker and a few pulls of water with some sips of my Tailwind flavorless electrolyte drink (ok, and maybe a handful of M&M’s from someone along the course!). The goal was to take it easy to try to avoid gastrointestinal issues, and these all seemed to sit well on my stomach.

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Another one of my favorite parts of a marathon is the spectator signs. There were some along the Canada stretch that made me smile, including “You are NOT anywhere near the finish” and “USA runners, you only need to work 90% as hard here.”

I kept up my 10 run/1 walk ratio and felt like I had a steady pace, so I went into autopilot and switched back and forth between trying to keep my form in check and taking in all the scenery. Before I knew it, we were headed into the “Underwater Mile,” which is the tunnel that runs from Canada to the US.

Although it’s one of the race’s claims to fame, it’s actually one of my least favorite parts of the course. Not only is there not much to look at, but it also gets pretty stuffy in there. I had been heating up in the previous miles, and by the time we were three-quarters of the way through the tunnel, I could feel my shirt getting soaked with sweat.

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But it’s all worth it for what you see when you exit! There’s a huge crowd cheering loudly, plus a banner that we all slapped as we made our way around the bend toward mile nine.

This was the second checkpoint; as soon as I had reception, I texted Hubby and my parents that I was still going. We made plans to meet up around mile 15 as I headed toward my third checkpoint — more of a mental one — 13.1 miles.

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By this time, the sun was up and the air was crisp — perfect running weather. We ran along the Lodge Freeway, which I thought was pretty cool — especially because it was along here that the song “8 Mile” came on my iPod.

No better way to run through the streets of Detroit than with a little music from Eminem!

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I took the opportunity here to take another selfie during my walk break. Then we rounded the corner and went up the offramp, which I think was around mile nine.

This is where my legs really started to protest; oddly enough, it was more my left hamstring and knee, which started acting up — most likely because I was concentrating so hard on keeping my right shin happy. I kept going, but started wondering if I’d have to stop at the half marathon point.

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Around mile 11, I really started doubting myself. But right as I started slipping into that dark place, I felt someone reach out and grab me — my friend, former-XC-teammate-turned-pro-triathlete, Terra Castro! Her timing couldn’t have been better.

We hugged, and I told her about my legs as she asked how I was doing. “You’re good, just keep it up — you’ve got it.” she said, and it was just what I needed to hear to suck it up, re-adjust my attitude and keep moving forward.

The pain was more of a tightness than a sharp feeling, so I knew I could continue safely with with my 10 run/1 walk plan — the battle from here on out would just be as much mental as physical. But I was still going steady when we hit the turnoff between the half marathoners and the full marathoners, so I took the turn toward the full and texted my family that I’d see them at the fourth checkpoint — mile 15!

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The next few miles until I saw my folks were a bit of a grind; there was a long straightaway down a long stretch of road, and I just remember thinking how I had to thank my running coach after the race. I hadn’t run this far since August, and after taking five weeks off during peak training mileage, I was really starting to feel it.

Taking the walk breaks, as he suggested, were extremely motivating. Not only did they give me a chance to catch my breath, but they also were an ideal reminder to refuel and re-hydrate regularly, which I remained diligent about.

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The segment between miles 16-18 was actually another one of my favorite parts of the race. My legs were getting progressively tighter, so it was a welcome distraction to check out the beautiful tree-lined side streets of historic Indian Village with its huge, old houses.

Having spectators line up on their front lawns to pass out beer, play polka music and wave funny signs was also an awesome part of this section. It reminded me of my first marathon in Chicago where people in different neighborhoods would hand out food, drinks and really get into the spirit of the race.

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I spotted my family as we turned to exit the neighborhood — awesome, I made it to checkpoint five and was almost down to single digit miles! I stopped for a quick photo with my parents, and heard my mom say, “Go, Jennifer! You’re really going to do this!” as I headed off.

As I trekked toward mile 20, I knew that the toughest part was yet to come. Everyone around me was starting to slow as we all began to feel the effects of the miles. People were pulling over to stretch, I saw one gentleman with a bloody back from the pack he was carrying, and I started recognizing a few familiar faces from earlier on as we continued along.

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No, I hadn’t hit the wall, per se, but I was flirting dangerously close to it at this point, as were all of those around me. But all I could do was keep up my 10 run/1 walk pattern, keep fueling regularly and just put one foot in front of the other.

Although I did literally run through this wall. Couldn’t resist!

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Miles 20-22 took us to Belle Isle, which is a 982-acre island park in the middle of the Detroit River. It’s absolutely beautiful, but I had trouble fully enjoying it because I spent most of this stretch talking myself into not walking the rest of the race.

Knowing you’re down to just six or so miles is an incredible morale boost, but at the same time you’re questioning how the hell you’re going to keep your body moving for another hour. And by this point, my quads were screaming — I was paying for my under-training with a searing build-up of lactic acid — so I gritted my teeth and decided to try to make a time goal to keep myself motivated.

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I spotted Hubby between miles 22 and 23, and he ran alongside me for a few minutes to cheer me on toward the final stretch. He saw that I was majorly struggling, so he tried talking to me to keep me distracted, but I was in no mood for chatting.

At this point I knew I would finish, the only question was how long it’d take me. So try as Hubby might to engage me, I just smiled and thanked him, saying, “I love you! I’m trying to finish in under 4:30!” before popping in my ear buds and buckling down for the final 5K.

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By then I’d eaten my entire Bonk Breaker bar and drank up my 20 ounces of Tailwind, so I took half a Carb Boom energy gel (which I picked up at mile 16) along with a few gulps of water. I had a little more than two miles to go to the finish, and I wasn’t taking any chances by letting my blood sugar drop before the final mile or so.

Seeing the Detroit skyline come back into view helped — so close! — as did a change in scenery along the RiverWalk leading up to mile 25. Just. One. More. Mile. My legs weren’t locking up as badly as they did in my last marathon, but I was SO ready to be done already.

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My parents were lined up at mile 26, which was the perfect final distraction before the home stretch. The finish line wasn’t yet in sight, although I knew we were close, so seeing them right before we turned the corner gave me one last boost of adrenaline.

With the finish line in sight, I kicked it into whatever gear I had left and went as fast as I could for the final .2 miles. Regardless of how many marathons you’ve run, that burst of joy and relief you feel when crossing the finish line never gets old.

Official time: 4:17:17.

My legs were the angriest they’ve ever been after a race; I duck-walked down the chute to collect some food, get my photo taken and meet up with Hubby and my parents. But I was so thankful just to be able to complete this race — not to mention grateful to my PT for getting me to the start line and my coach for giving me a game plan to get to the finish in once piece.

The final to-do item on my race-day list? Kick-starting the recovery process with a deep-dish Pizza Papalis Chicago-style pizza and a warm Epsom Salt bath.

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Thank you all so much for following along and cheering me on for what’s truly been a roller-coaster of a training cycle. Looking through your tweets, posts and comments on race-day morning gave me just the extra “oomph” I needed to keep pushing forward, running happy and appreciating the small victories along the way.

And in case you’re wondering…yes, I still have that sub-four marathon goal on my list. But I’m going to give my body a bit of a break so I can heal fully, focus on becoming a better runner and try tackle some different distances in the meantime.

After all, they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So, I look forward to that next new adventure together!

Guest Race Recap: Hubby takes on the Portland Half Marathon

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Since I’m sidelined from racing while I prep for Detroit these next two weeks, I thought I’d hand the reins over to Hubby to let him share his race-day experience from this year’s Portland Marathon Half.

Although his pre-race plans are, ahem, “unconventional” (sorry, hanging out in a bar and drinking beers the day before the race does not count as carb-loading, hon), he did managed to fight for a strong finish and snag a shiny, new PR.

Here’s how it went down, in his own words:

Portland Half Marathon 2014

With Jen getting back into the swing of running, but not wanting to push it too much leading up to her Detroit Marathon, I ended up running the Portland Marathon Half myself yesterday. I thought, why not just run it for fun? But of course, once race morning came, I figured I’d push it a little. Having done the Portland Triathlon two weeks ago, I still had the competitive juices flowing.

The Start

Yesterday morning could not have been more beautiful. I am an Oregon native and always remember Indian summer in October, but it has been an exceptional last week. With a Saturday filled with watching Beaver football and Timbers soccer, however, you might say I didn’t really prime myself with an agreeable “diet,” although I did rest my legs.

I woke up early, put on my gear, decided to run in my new Hoka Conquests, and ran the mile or so to the starting line. I got in the corral and almost immediately the race director announced we would be singing the national anthem — only someone would start us off, and the crowd would finish the song ourselves.

I stood next to a older guy in orange and black, and assumed he was a fellow Beaver fan; he was hoping to get a 1:45, and I thought I’d try to do the same. The gun went off, and away we went.

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Miles 1-5

This was essentially the only uphill portion of this race. Compared to the last half I did in SF (Rock ‘n’ Roll), it was nice to only have a couple small hills and, really, the rest was pretty flat. I took off a little quicker than expected, around a 7:30 pace.

I will say that these are some fun miles with bands playing, high-fiving pirates, signs encouraging “cropdusting” and a picturesque loop up towards OHSU and above south waterfront. The climb was worth it, though, for the early morning views of Mt. Hood off to the right on the way back into town. My favorite parts were the bands playing music on overpasses and forklifts.

Then the route headed down towards the Willamette waterfront, and I could see our apartment building as we started a long straightaway up to mile nine in north Portland.

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Miles 5-9

These were miles where I could definitely feel the dehydration start to set in. It’s a long, pretty flat stretch that seems to never end. I downed Ultima at pretty much every fuel station and had a few gummy bears, which helped a little but seemed to upset my stomach a bit.

I decided at about mile eight to just do water from then on. I think this helped, although I could feel my pace slowing. My friend from the start passed me, and I stayed on his heels until about mile 11.

What I enjoyed most here was being able to run my first half along with full marathoners. It was inspiring to see these people make the turn around mile 10 toward the East side and still have another 16 miles that, thankfully, I didn’t have to run.

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Mile 10-13.1

I would call these the wish-I hadn’t-“dehydrated”-myself-yesterday miles. About mile 10 my legs started to feel really heavy, and I felt really thirsty. Just when I felt I needed a fuel station, there wasn’t one for about a mile and a half.

Around 11 miles in, I walked through the fuel station and drank two glasses of water, gave myself 30 seconds to walk and then started to plod along again. My pace had slowed considerably to about 8:45ish per mile as I got back into town and started the final stretch.

With the announcer congratulating me on a strong finish, I pushed across the finish line. My unofficial time was 1:50:27, which was about five minutes slower than I wanted, but still a PR and a fun morning run in my favorite city.

Final Thoughts

Today was one of those runs where I never felt like I got “in the zone.” I was also a bit frustrated with the last three miles, as this has always been my weak part of each half. A lesson learned today is that I need to prep my body the day before with something other than the fantastic Oregon IPAs and Moscow mules.

I was tasked to take a couple of pictures along the route, which I didn’t do a great job of. But I did get a picture of a girl’s tattoo that I though Jen would love. It’s a Dairy Queen ice cream cone — which, come one, we all love — and the word “Hustle.” Side note: My first job was at the Dairy Queen in Corvallis, Ore., where I unofficially invented the mint Oreo blizzard (Jen doesn’t believe this story, but it was corroborated recently by someone I worked with at DQ).

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All in all, it was a great day, and I wish I could have had Jenny there by my side, but I know she was there in spirit. And I was happy to have earned my Besaw’s Eggs Benedict and an afternoon of watching football and napping in the park.

Next up for me: the Silver Falls Trail Run half marathon on Halloween weekend with some great friends from the Bay Area. Uh oh, I have a feeling I may be “fueling” in the same manner as I did before this one, too. And can’t wait till next year’s PDX half…or maybe full???? I still don’t know how Jenny does it!!

Congratulations to all Portland Marathon participants, as well as anyone else who was racing this past weekend!

Race Report: Hood to Coast 2014

Courtesy of OregonLive.com

Courtesy of OregonLive.com

Two vans +11 runners + 199 miles = One incredibly-delirious adventure

All I can say is that in a race where you run down a mountain and over a coastal range to finish on a beach, the true highs and lows of the event happen inside the vans.

We laughed (a lot; thanks, Janelle!), we cried (Jen got injured during her second leg), we banded together (Mindy pinch hit a long, hot run as a result), we celebrated victories (Katy nailed her night leg along a particularly lonely stretch), we agonized over defeat (a few traffic-jam fails), we got sick (thanks, Paige, for playing nurse), we broke bread (well, PB&Js), we shared beds (less than one hour of zzz’s in a twin for the win), but when all was said and done and run, WE BROUGHT IT.

Final time? 29:27:17 (I think). And here’s a recap of my experience in the 33rd annual Hood to Coast race as part of the kick-ass Team “I’ve Got 99 Problems But the Coast Ain’t One.”

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The Start

The rest of the team met up on Thursday and trekked out to Mt. Hood for the start, but I had a prior engagement with Hubby, so the plan was to meet up with Van 1 (Michelle, Nikole, Jacquelyn, Karin and Kellie) on Friday afternoon to run leg 6 (the final one in Van 1’s first rotation; they were down a runner so we each would be running four legs instead of the usual three) before meeting up with my van (Van 2) at the first main exchange point to run my other legs (9, 21 and 33). Hubby dropped me off as I waited anxiously for my teammates.

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As I stood by the side of the road, I could tell everyone in the race was in great spirits; each van that passed shouted out of their windows, cracking jokes, saying hello and asking if I needed a team. No more than a half hour later I heard screaming and cowbells — yep, our team’s Van 1 — coming down the road. I knew right then and there that we were in for an awesome experience together.

I hopped in, we introduced ourselves, and then it was time to get down to business. They gave me the lowdown on logistics — Jacquelyn (our fearless leader and team captain) would be handing off to me, then I’d run to meet up with everyone at the first major exchange from Van 1 to Van 2 where they’d transfer my gear, Mindy would take off, and I’d head out with Van 2 for our first series of legs. Before I knew it, Jacquelyn came bounding up, we met (officially, in person, for the first time — here’s a shot), and I was off and running…

Run #1: Leg 6 

Distance: 6.86/ Difficulty: Hard/ Time: 5:12 pm/ Duration: 56:12/ Pace: 8:11/ Roadkills: 4

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I kept telling myself I’d take it easy and pace myself because we had quite a day…and night…and another day…ahead of us. But that all went out the window the moment Jacquelyn slapped the relay bracelet on my wrist. Pure excitement and race adrenaline took over, and I knew I was in trouble the moment I looked down at my wrist a ways down he road and saw I was running at a 7:20-something pace.

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Because it was hot, though, I forced myself to pump the breaks. Although I couldn’t resist speeding up every now and then to pass some people. It’s called a “roadkill,” and the runners on each team keep count throughout the race — partly in jest, partly as an ego boost and mostly to keep you motivated as the event stretches on into the 24+ hour mark. Having your van stop and cheer by the side of the road also helps with that, as you can see!

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After running along Highway 26 for some time, I entered the city of Sandy, Ore., and it was just a few more turns through town and onto some side streets before I slapped the bracelet on Mindy’s wrist and she officially kicked things off for Van 2. Here I am, following her out of the exchange area to meet up with the rest of the team and hop into Van 2, my home base for the rest of the race.

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Run #2: Leg 9

Distance: 6.91 mi/ Difficulty: Moderate/ Time: 7:41 pm/ Duration: 1:02:07/ Pace: 8:52/ Roadkills: 1

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I had a pretty quick turnaround (two legs) until I started my official Van 2 legs, so in between cheering our runners at exchanges, I used the time to refuel (PB&J and grape G2 hit the spot), recover (stretching and rolling are key before you get back into the van) and change into some dry clothes for my next run (the no. one morale booster on these overnight relays — trust me; you can’t underestimate the power of some clean underwear!).

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After gearing up in the obligatory headlamp, safety vest and blinking lights (front and back), I queued up with the ladies of Van 2 (above, from left: Mindy, Janelle, Katy and Paige) at the exchange point as we waited for Jen to come in.

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She rocked her leg under the heat of the sun, and I took off mine just as the sun was starting to weaken, thank goodness. This particular route took me down the Springwater Corridor, which was peaceful and not very crowded. In fact, I nabbed this shot while attempting to chase three fast men who passed me…and then I was on my own for quite some time as the sun began to set and I settled into the nearly seven-miler on some heavy-feeling legs.

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One of my biggest fears (besides the lack of sleep) for the relay was the night run, but thankfully I only had a few miles in the dark — plus, I think there’s a HUGE difference between “8pm-dark” and “2am-dark,” so I was happy it went by quickly. And my reward was to be able to change into another set of dry clothes and cheer on my van as we completed the final stretch into to the city of Portland.

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Janelle arrived to the second main exchange around 11 pm, so we handed the reins back to Van 1 and headed over to Jen’s aunt’s house in the city for a quick round of showers and a few minutes to lie down before we had to be off again for our early morning round of runs.

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I can’t tell you how wonderful a shower felt, and even though I barely scratched the surface of what I’d call sleep — seriously, according to my Runtastic Orbit, I didn’t even enter REM — being able to stretch out and relax for a few minutes really did wonders for our morale.

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My stomach was really “off” at this point; though. Although I wasn’t super hungry after my run, I did force down another PB&J and Gatorade to keep the calories coming into my body. But, of course, just as my head hit the pillow, my stomach decided it was ravenous…so I downed a KIND bar in an attempt to keep it quiet until our 2:10 am alarm.

Run #3: Leg 21

Distance: 5.00 mi/ Difficulty: Moderate/ Time: 6:14 am/ Duration: 44:12/ Pace: 8:49/ Roadkills: 0

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I awoke at 2:06 am to the sound of my teammates getting dressed and ready to go, so I gathered my things (helpful hint: sleep in the clothing for your next run!) and we packed up the van and were on the road again by 2:30. We anticipated it’d take us about an hour to get to the next exchange, and we also wanted to allow a few extra minutes even though we projected them to finish their section at about 4 am the earliest.

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Van 1 was looking strong as we did the hand-off, and I had two runners to cheer on before lining up at my own exchange for my third run of the race, leg 21. Because it was on a pretty desolate (read: quiet and remote) stretch of gravel road, I was crossing my fingers that I’d have some sunlight to help guide me. And, thankfully, the first slivers of light came just as I lined up to get the bracelet from Jen again.

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That relief was soon followed by worry, though, as she came limp-running into the exchange, wincing with pain. She had been dealing previously with some foot pain and had landed wrong during her leg. In fact, she heard a pop in her foot and it hurt to put weight in it, so as Paige helped her back to the van, I ran off wondering what shape she’d be in when I returned to the group.

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My legs felt ok, although the footing was a little more technical here. Hood to Coast had warned us that this stretch was dusty, too, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the five-mile sandstorm that was leg 21. Every time a van drove by, it would stir up a huge cloud, so by the end I could feel a layer of grit between my teeth, on my lips and all over my body (TMI: I’m still blowing it out of my nose!). Yes, they very aptly named this position the “Eat My Dust” portion of the relay.

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My favorite part of this run, by far, was the very end. After eating dust (literally) and being left in the dust (by a bunch of the elites who whizzed by), my morale was taking a dip. But there was one guy I had my sights on in the last half mile; he had passed me about a mile before, but I managed to stay on his tail.

And as I rounded the final corner, one of the volunteers smiled at me as I thanked her and said, “Go! Roadkill him.” That was just what I needed to give it a final push to the exchange — unfortunately, I didn’t manage to pass him (I just needed another few yards!), but it did make me smile, which makes all the difference at this point in the race.

Run #4: Leg 33

Distance: 7.72 mi/ Difficulty: Hard/ Time: 3:35 pm/ Duration: 1:13:31/ Pace: 9:31/ Roadkills: 1

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The next few hours of the race were probably the toughest, mentally, because we not only had to battle some heinous traffic, but we also all lost cell reception and our walkie-talkies weren’t working, so we lost touch with the other van and our spirits started wavering.

Suddenly, our well-oiled machine was not running as efficiently, but we powered on — thank goodness for Janelle’s van games! — and finally made contact at leg 32, in which Mindy had to battle some pretty intense heat and hills.

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Paige hung out with me at the next exchange, and we watched in amazement as Mindy trucked up her final ascent toward us. Seeing her muster all of her effort for the good of the team inspired me to give it my all, as well, as I started my fourth and final leg of the race.

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From the outset, I knew this leg would be the toughest. It was the longest, it was in the heat of the day, it was rated as “hard,” it was my fourth leg and it was to be done on little sleep and whatever fuel my stomach would allow me to consume (although by this point I was feeling much better, thanks to some TUMS and tummy meds). I started off conservatively, but ended up with an early road kill, so I figured I’d use that as my strategy to get me though: Pass as many people as possible.

But as I came upon my second person, she happened to turn to me and say something — I forget exactly what, but it made me laugh, so we chatted for a few minutes as we huffed and puffed up our first hill. I was pacing around 9:30 and feeling like I was already pushing it, so I turned to her and asked if she wanted to keep each other company. Enter Allison, mother of two, Hood to Coast veteran, and my “relay angel” for the day.

As the hills rolled on in the open sun, we pushed each other and strategized quick walk breaks every few miles to hydrate and catch our breaths before setting off and what felt like a much faster clip than it actually was. But, slowly, we ticked off the miles and even had a few laughs in the process, which was a total lifesaver when you’re feeling depleted on all levels.

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We finished strong, I handed off my bracelet to Paige and then got in a quick stretch before jumping in the van for one final change of clothes and another round of PB&J and Gatorade as we headed out on our final few legs toward the finish.

The Finish

Paige handed off to Katy, who kicked it into high gear to knock out a quick seven miles before handing of to Janelle for the last leg. By this time, the afternoon heat was a distant memory; it had been replaced by cool clouds and mist as we neared the coast.

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Once Janelle was off and running, the rest of us piled into the van to meet her and the rest of the team at the finish. And I’m not gonna lie — seeing this as we (finally!) drove into Seaside gave us all chills.

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By the time we parked and walked over, Janelle had technically finished and the timer had stopped for our team, but Hood to Coast has it organized so the whole team can do a ceremonial crossing of the finish line together. We reconvened in the team holding area, and Hubby snapped this shot of pure joy, relief, elation — and probably a bit of delirium — as we did what we set out to do nearly 30 hours earlier.

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The only thing left to do? Party on the beach, of course! We danced our way into the crowd and celebrated with the other finishers who were treated to cold beer, live bands, roaring bonfires and hot food, all topped off with a fireworks display later in the evening.

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As our friend Sierra, a Hood to Coast veteran, said to me before the race, “Sure no sleep sucks. But it’s way fun — it’s the worst/best experience, all rolled into one. That’s why I keep doing it every year.”

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We may have started the race as 10 strangers, but despite sharing claustrophobic corners, operating on minimal sleep and pushing our minds and bodies to the limit, we emerged as a team of 11 friends.

So you can probably guess where I’ll be next year, as well 🙂

HUGE thanks and shout-out to all of my teammates: It was an honor to run with you, and I’m so proud of everyone for pulling together for a strong race. It’s been broughten, and I can’t wait ’til we do it again!

Race Report: Beaverton Sun Run 10K

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Ok, let me cut to the chase — final time: 44:14 (1st age group, 6th woman, 20th overall).

First thought: Where the heck did that come from?!

Second thought: I guess I can’t complain anymore about the Hansons’ “cumulative fatigue” concept. 

But let me rewind and start at the beginning…

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Since we aren’t up in Portland just yet, Hubby and I had about a 90-minute drive to get to the race, which was slated to start at 8 a.m.

Factor in us not liking to hang around too much before the gun goes off with it being a more relaxed event (see start line shot above), and we arrived with 30 minutes to spare for packet pickup and a quick port-o-pottie pit stop.

At one point Hubby mentioned he’d like to try for a PR in an upcoming race, but that he was content to stick together for this particular one (he’s clearly the hare to my tortoise).

My response? I don’t think today is that day. Especially since I had been feeling pretty wiped out all week from the jump in mileage and accumulated fatigue in my legs.

So we agreed to keep the pace around 8:30-8:45 and play it by ear.

Famous last words.

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For the first mile, I had to talk Hubby down from going out too fast: We’ve got six miles to catch everyone who’s rushing out, I said. Let them go.

But after we settled into our own space and found a pseudo-comfortable rhythm, I looked down at my watch and saw that our pace was fluctuating in the 7:XX range. Huh. 

Despite my PF flare-up this week, my heel was feeling ok. And as we ticked off the miles, we kept checking in with each other. You good? Yep. Me, too. Cool.

So we held where we were at, and I saw 22:XX on the clock for the first 5K lap.

There’s no way I can maintain that for another three miles, I thought. We came out way too fast; we’re going to crash and burn this next lap. 

But we stayed steady and passed the time by thanking volunteers, shouting some brief words of encouragement to fellow runners and trying to figure out where we were in the pack as we focused on running the tangents.

I think all the San Francisco hills helped, too, because the course was super flat, fast and PR-friendly.

And before we knew it, we had the finish line in sight. Hubby started to pull away, but I had to save my last kick for the final 100 yards or so because I was battling a side cramp.

The best part? Seeing 44:XX on the clock and knowing we ran even splits, which means our pacing was on-point.

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There’s nothing like an PR early on in training to give you an extra boost of confidence, especially when I could feel myself slipping into a negative mindframe this week while fighting fatigue and injury.

As my Twitter friend Mike put it so well, “#CumulativeFatigue= sweet&sour.” 

Yep, I know that this training cycle won’t be easy, but the Hansons definitely know what they’re doing, so I’m putting my complete trust in their program from here on out.

I’m also looking to add an August race into my schedule! Anyone have suggestions in and around Portland for late in the month?

Race Report: Canyon Meadow 50K

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The short version? I LOVE TRAIL RUNNING!

The long version? I’m still processing things, and I don’t feel like words can fully give it justice, but I’ll give it a shot…

Wow. What an incredible day! I went into this race with a crazy mix of emotions: Excitement at attempting a new distance (my first ultra!), confidence at having an accomplished ultra runner friend pacing me, yet fear over the unknown of how my body would respond to a new distance over different terrain.

I set the alarm for 5 a.m. and even though I had crazy dreams the previous night — running naked through poison oak, for instance — I slept well and felt rested by the time my alarm went off on Saturday morning. I did my usual race morning prep, met up with Jamie (my trail angel), Casey (her fiance) and Maria (another ultra-awesome runner friend), and we were on our way.

The drive over to Oakland from San Francisco was uneventful, and we actually arrived early — a little more than an hour before the race was scheduled to start at 8 a.m. But by the time we did the three pre-race P’s (park, pee and packet pickup) we had just 15 minutes until go-time.

No corrals here; everyone just casually lined up for the start and we chatted with a few other friends who were running. I love how much more relaxed the environment is as compared to road races where the throngs of people only seem to increase my anxiety.

Right before we took off, Jamie and I got down to business and went over our game plan. As my pacer, she said her goal was to get me across the finish line without “bonking,” which would require a careful mix and continual monitoring of running strategy, smart nutrition and mental stamina.

After all, as the race distances grow longer, so does your potential chance of something going wonky. And Jamie was focused on having us run a conservative race to give me a great experience for my first ultra distance.

Loop One: Miles 1-13.1 (~2:37 total time)

We crossed the start line and immediately started climbing. And climbing. Jamie warned me not to get swept up in the crowd since we’d have to tackle this big hill two more times (at the beginning of each loop), so we stayed to the side of the path and went at our own pace, alternating jogging and walking.

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After we cleared the top of that first huge ascent, things leveled out a bit and we got to enjoy running through some rolling hills. The weather was a perfect 60ish with a mix of fog and clouds, so we crossed our fingers and hoped that it’d stay cool as long as possible.

Not too far into the first loop, Jamie and I ran into Vivi and Molly, my partners in crime from the Lake Chabot 30K back in February. They were doing the 30K to prepare for a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon run next weekend, so we ran with them for a bit; great conversation is always a welcome distraction, regardless of distance!

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Jamie wanted us to keep things slow and steady for the first loop, so we kept the pace conversational after broke off from the ladies. We also made sure to eat every few miles (I made rice balls and salty balls) and drink every few minutes.

There were aid stations at miles ~5 and ~11, so we stopped each time to fill up on electrolyte drink, salt tabs and snacks. For some reason PB&J sandwich squares and pretzel crisps were hitting the spot, so we’d grab handfuls to munch along the way.

At that second aid station, the volunteers told us that the next station was ~3 miles away, so we knew we were coming up on the finish line area (the first of three times we’d travel though it!). We were in high spirits, and I was proud that I hadn’t once checked my watch (Jamie threatened to take it away from me because of the mind games the mileage can play).

As we spotted the flags near the finish line, I was pretty excited to see that we had completed the first half marathon in ~2:37, and Jamie said she thought we were making great time. We pulled up to the aid station to refill as another friend, Marlana, flew up behind us into the finisher’s chute to complete her 30K!

Mentally, it was a little very daunting knowing that we’d have to pass through here again before coming in for the finish. But rather than dwelling on it, I tried to focus on the task at hand: the second half marathon.

Loop Two: Miles: 13.1-26.2 (~5:17 total time)

We started the second loop just as we did the first — with lots of climbing. Yes, it was tougher this time. But we were chatting away and laughing — as you can see, Jamie and I were determined to put the “fun” in 50K.

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Oddly enough, even though we were repeating the same 13.1-mile loop, there were parts that I remembered clearly and others that I didn’t recognize at all. I also experienced a few moments of “ultra-runner acid trip,” as Jamie called ’em and started seeing a few things out of the corner of my eye, like a runner crouched behind a tree or a polar bear (it was a stump and a fire hydrant covered in plastic, respectively).

Visions aside, Jamie said that this loop was a crucial one; if we could make it through smart and strong, we’d be in good shape for the last five miles. So even though the sun was starting to heat things up and our legs were showing the first signs of fatigue, we continued our strategic mix of walking and running.

This time, the aid stations seemed to come a little more slowly. But we passed the time chatting away and kept up our eating and drinking schedule, particularly at the aid stations where we upped our intake of S! Caps salt tablets to two at a time.

Before we knew it, we were at the mile 24 aid station, with the next aid station a mere 2.2 miles away at the finish line area. I knew that would be a big mental crossroads, so as we pulled in we kept our stay there pretty brief so as not to lose momentum.

I did pause long enough to look at the clock, though — 5:17 for the marathon! That was just the boost I needed. I still hadn’t checked my watch, so I’d been running “blind” with no idea how we were doing on time, although Jamie had assured me we were still steady and strong.

I didn’t want to let my mind get too far ahead of me — Jamie’s advice was to focus on the finish rather than the numbers, on which I tend to get fixated — but I did tell her then that I had secretly wanted to finish in less than seven hours.

And now it seemed within the realm of possibility (after the race, she told me she knew we’d be coming in under 6:30, but didn’t want to get me too hooked on expectations = an awesome pacer).

Loop Three: Miles 26.2-31 (~60 mins for final 5 miles)

Again, we went up that hill. Although this time (as you can see from the elevation chart above), it wasn’t quite as long. Well, maybe not in distance — but it sure felt about five times as long as the previous two climbs due to the accumulated fatigue in our legs.

But Jamie kept us moving forward — she gave me tips on not only how to maneuver up the hills and to take advantage of the downhills, but also how to keep consistently moving forward in the mounting heat, which was starting to get to me.

By the time we got to the turnoff where the trail split into the smaller final loop from the previous two loops, we knew we were in the home stretch. But at this point, moving was starting to be more of a struggle with stiff legs, achy knees and a flutter in my gut that I’d been managing over the previous miles.

Instead of backing off the food and water, though, we doubled down when I’d feel my gut start to go, which did help. And soon we were back running under a canopy of redwoods, so the cooler air combined with the softer pine-needle-packed running surface was a welcome respite.

After what seemed like a whole lot more than four miles, we made the final turn back toward the finish and saw a sign marking where the half marathon loop and the five-mile loop met. I started getting a little emotional because I knew we were so close, but Jamie reeled me back in to focus on the final portion, which was a series of paved paths through the park.

She warned me that it would feel endless. And it did. But at the same time, it flew by in a blur and we saw the finish line flags through the last set of trees. We turned the corner, sprinted (or as close to that as we could) toward the finish line, and Jamie slowed at the last second to let me cross first…

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Final time: 6:17:34 (30th overall, 8th female, 3rd age group)

I think my exact words were, “Holy shit!” as we saw the clock. Not only did we finish, but we finished strong and well under the time I was expecting. THANK YOU, Jamie! We hugged the sweatiest hug and collapsed in the shade under a tree near the finish line.

Only then did I check my watch, but unfortunately the GPS must’ve skipped when we were under the canopy, so it only read 30.58. Right then and there I told Jamie I was doubly thankful that I listened to her advice — I had a great run by feel without time, and I knew that the GPS being off would’ve totally thrown me for a mental loop.

Luckily, though, she had recorded it on her Strava, so I’ve got proof!

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What did I learn from this experience?

  • The company you keep can make or break your day — even though Jamie was feeling the effects of the later miles, too, I never knew it because she was so focused on keeping things positive for me
  • Nutrition and hydration are critical — Staying ahead of the curve (eating and drinking before you’re hungry or thirsty) is the most important part of maintaining efforts for long periods of time
  • Salt tablets are your friend on hot days — We took ’em at every aid station to help keep us drinking and ward off muscle cramps
  • Don’t be afraid to walk, but do so “with a purpose” — As with eating and drinking, don’t wait until you need to walk; use it strategically up hills to conserve energy so you can make up time on the downhills and go the distance
  • Training will only take you so far; attitude is everything — I agree 100 percent with Jamie’s philosophy: It’s not all about the miles; you’ve just got to build a good base of fitness and the rest is smart strategy on race day
  • Embrace the unknown — It’s damn scary to push your mind and body to a new threshold, but so worth it

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So there you have it. As I told Jamie yesterday, if you asked me a few years ago, I never would have considered doing ultra-marathon. In fact, a little over a year ago, I wasn’t even sure my body could handle the 26.2 distance again.

But now? Well, thanks to her encouragement and guidance I had an amazing day out there. Hitting that new 31-mile milestone was an incredible feeling; not just because it was about redefining my limits — it was about resetting expectations for myself.

And you know what? The sky really is the limit.

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Thank you, Jamie, for making my first 50K experience “ultra-awesome!” Now, when’s the next one??