4/10/16 was my first time running Vernonia. I first did the half marathon way back in 2007. It was only a half then, and they were just about to open the new Stub Stewart park, so there was a lot of mud and construction. We started at Vernonia High School and ran in the pouring rain up to Stub Stewart, and got bused back to the high school for the soggy results. A quick check of Google ("race results are forever!") tells me that I was third in my age group on that day. Memory tells me that I'd dropped my only energy gel in the honey bucket moments before race time, and that it was my slowest halfie to date. Still, it was a friendly, small race, and a good experience.
Seven years later, they had made a number of changes to the event, including the addition of a full marathon, which I ran as my 8th full 26.2 in April of 2014. The course was a long, beautiful, tree-lined and shaded point-to-point from Vernonia down to Banks, almost entirely on the recreation trail that runs between the two towns. I had a great race that day, notable in that it was the first time I ran a negative split in a marathon, and also that it was my PR for six months until I went to Chicago that fall. That year, the half marathon started with those of us running the full (although I believe they started later), and finished at what was our halfway point. It made for a lovely course, but it also required two bus rides for the half marathoners, one to the starting line, and one from the finish line back in Banks. I admit that sounded unappealing, so I was pleased to see that when I went to sign up for the half marathon this year, that they started it near the halfway point of the marathon (after a little out-and-back to thin the crowd), and it ended at the official finish line with the marathoners.
This race is my only event on my schedule this spring. With the kids getting older and having so many *things* in the springtime, I wanted to keep things easy. Last year, I ran the Newport Marathon on a Saturday morning, after seeing Averie's choir concert on Friday night, and returning for her second concert on Saturday night. It didn't make for ideal racing. Anyway, although my training wasn't quite as vigorous as I'd liked, I felt pretty good going into it.
My nutrition was pretty good prior to the run. For a week out, I was having oatmeal with Hammer Nocciola gel for breakfast, and keeping a good macronutrient ratio with lots of good carbs, but not necessarily bloaty starches. 4 days out I started using Hammer "Race Day Boost", which I had never tried before. I will absolutely use it for every race now, though, because the promised results: increased endurance and decreased lactic acid really seemed to be true. My energy was super strong, even though I hadn't sustained a sub-8:00 pace for that many miles for quite some time, and I really didn't feel sore afterwards.
On race day morning, I supplemented with all the usual supplements, Endurolytes, Anti-fatigue caps, and more Race Day Boost, which I'd packed in with me to take 60 minutes before race time. A lady saw me pull out my baggie of pills and demonstratively rolled her eyes at me. LOL. Whatever, they totally worked. My energy was strong thanks to those, and the 2 Hammer gels I had on course.
After a short uphill for the beginning of the race, the majority of the race was downhill, so I was careful not to overrun the first 5 miles. I was happy to let people pass me, knowing that I would see them again at the end, and sure enough, once I got past mile 5, no women passed me till the end of the race. In fact, I'm not sure anyone at all passed me until a guy zoomed by at mile 12, and another guy kicked at full clip in the last quarter mile as we neared the finish line. I ran a super solid negative split (4 minutes faster in the second half), even though the first 8 miles were mostly downhill and the last 5 were flat.
While it would have been nice to get first in my age group, I wasn't optimistic about it, as the 2015 winner in my AG ran it in 1:31 - WAY out of my range, so I set my sights on second place with a time goal of 1:44. I thought it would be realistic, based on my higher-than-hoped-for weight and spotty speedwork. I ended up with the second place, and ran it in a very solid 1:42:39. I wouldn't have hoped for better.
The race was very well run by the Oregon Road Runners Club, and I would definitely run the half or the full marathon again. Perhaps in 2017.
I came away from the race not with a PR, but with a really steely resolve to get all my ducks in a row for my big race this year, the Lake Tahoe Marathon on 10/9. Not sure how I'll prepare for the altitude, but I'm motivated to get my weight, speed work, and hill training well honed this summer.
