Vernonia Half Marathon

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.

Hagg Lake 25K Mud Run 2/14/16 - "My Muddy Valentine"

I ran the Hagg Lake 25K Mud Run in 2015, after a particularly dry winter. It was a lovely trail run with a fun mud pit (pig sty) at the end, but it was not the sloshy mud-fest I'd heard of. I did reasonably well in 2015, 3rd in my age group and 4th in masters (not that they recognize masters in this race, but I counted). 
I decided about a week before this year's race to give it a shot, as my morning had unexpectedly opened up. I hadn't run more than 12 miles since NYC in November, but I figured I probably had the stamina to make it, and all that mud would just be like permission to go slow.
Race morning, I fueled up with coconut water, a little oatmeal and Hammer gel, and all my best Hammer Nutrition Supplements - Race Caps Supreme, Endurolytes, and Anti-Fatigue Caps. I figured what my legs might lack, my blood can provide. I also grabbed a number of Hammer gels, for sustained energy on the trail. 
I figured the wet winter and ample mud would add a good 15-20 minutes to last year's time. Then my friend who was working the course the day before (double-loop 50K) said it was absolutely brutal, so I tried to throw out any expectation of time.
I got a good 15 miles from home when I realized I'd left my race bib on the dining room table. Dag! Luckily I always leave insanely early for these things, because I was able to drive home to retrieve it, and still arrive in time to use the facilities before finding the starting line.
I saw my friends briefly at the starting line before the gun. The first mile and a half to two miles were road miles, added into the course to spread everyone out before the single track mudfest. I felt comfortable, and reminded myself not to overshoot on the road and pay for it later. Once the muddy part came up, I was having a great time. It was just the right amount of sloppy. And trail runners are good people, by and large. I let people pass me, and other people let me pass them with relative ease. Around five miles or so was a big, slidey, wet hill. I almost went down, but didn't. I'd pulled out my first gel to eat right before I saw what I was getting into, so I'm glad I stayed upright, because my hands were busy.

(Protect that banana gel!)

After this part, we ran up and around. Some pavement, some mud, tons and tons of fun. Around mile 7-8 we crossed the dam, and started our northward trek back up the west side of the lake. There was an aid station that was nicely stocked with all manner of snacks, but I packed my own, so I powered on. 

Around mile 9, it started to get sloppy. My memory might be a bit skewed, but it seemed that the majority of the time between mile 9 and mile 14, I was running on ball bearings. I'm pretty comfortable running trail, and even falling over from time to time, but I felt like a cartoon character with my legs sliding in every possible direction. At one point, I was running along a little ridge, and all I saw in the mud were shoe prints sliding down toward the ridge. I didn't want to risk a more serious fall, so I slowed way down. I was still having fun, but I was a wee bit frustrated that although my stamina was holding up really, really well, I just couldn't get good enough footing to pull it off. I walked when necessary, and let people pass me when they came up on me. 

At what my Garmin and Nike+ said was mile 12, there was another aid station, notable only because the guy working it said it was only mile 11. I pressed on, assuming I was right, and that there were only 3.5 miles left. 

Right around mile 15 was the famous Pig Sty - shin-deep, squelchy mud. The kind that'll suck your shoe right off your foot if you're not careful. This was fun because there is mud, photographers, and you know you're almost done. The sticky mud is much better than slippery mud, so I started my final acceleration in the pit. From there, it hit the open road, so I tapped into my still-comfortable energy stores, and kicked it to the finish line.

I finished in 2:55, a full 28 minutes slower than last year, but feeling like I got the full muddy experience. I ended up with 4th in my age group, and I didn't bother counting the masters this time - there were some fast ladies ahead of me! All in all, an enjoyable kick-off to the 2016 running year.

(Coming out of the Pig Sty)

Five- and Ten-kilometer races this spring

If you train with me, you may be feeling pressure to sign up for a race. I don't really believe that everyone will enjoy running, but if you feel like you might, there is nothing like a deadline to keep you motivated.
Here are a select few races you might consider running this spring (click the links to the registration page):

• The Champoeg 30K, 20K, 10K. 3/5/16. I've not done this one, but it's run by the Oregon Road Runner's Club, which puts on a low-pressure, well-organized event. Besides, it's pronounced "Shampooey", which is fun to say. Don't let the longer distances discourage you - it is a very popular 10K run. 
• Tabor Challenge - 4/9/2016. It's a 5K on Mt. Tabor. What could be more fun? Hilly, shady, south-east-y vibe.
• Shamrock - 3/13/16. A Portland institution, and a tremendous number of people. They offer 5K, 8K, 15K, and a half marathon (which I don't personally recommend - the 15K gives the best views, IMO). 8K and up run up Terwilliger, which is hard but rewarding. The 5K stays low and fast along Naito. 15k and HM offer medals.
• Hip Hop Half and 5K 3/26/16. I haven't done this one, but I've done its sister event, the Holiday Half, and it's always a kick. Foot Traffic puts on a fun event, and always reward your effort with a medal the size of a manhole cover. This one runs along Marine Drive, so I'd expect it to be an easy course.
• Race for the Roses 4/17/16. 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon. This is another long-standing Portland tradition, and supports an excellent cause. It's also one of the only (maybe the only) race in town where all of the distances get to cross two downtown bridges.
• Hippie Chick 5/7/16. Half Marathon and Quarter Marathon. (Quarter Marathon is 6.55 miles, so only slightly over 10K). This race has moved around a lot, and now is held the day before Mother's Day in Hillsboro. It's a flat course with great crowds and fun swag, including mimosas at the finish.
• Rum Run 5/21/16. 5K and 10K options. This used to run in Tigard, but looks like they're moving to Beaverton in 2016 (on SW Barrows). Energy Events puts on a fun event, with lots of fanfare, vendors, and great swag. Including rum.
• Up The Lazy River 10K - Monday 5/30 (Memorial Day). A lovely trail-ish course in West Linn. If you've got the 3-day weekend, it's a great chance to sneak in a quick 6.2.

There are many more! These are just my recommendations. Let me know if you're doing any. I'm considering a few of these myself.

3 Reasons You Should Be Training With Kettlebells

3 Reasons You Should Swing Kettlebells

Kettlebell training can benefit every athlete. Even if you are already strength training with free weights or machines, you can reap the benefits of Kettlebell Training.

•      It can jump-kick your metabolism. Most standard strength training exercises are based on controlling your resistance through a range of motion. Kettlebell training utilizes power, a bit of momentum, and control. This sometimes-aerobic and sometimes-anaerobic activity gets your heart pumping and your fat-burning furnace kicking into overdrive. Adding strength while burning fat creates a leaner physique.
•      Activate your backside! Literally, kettlebell swings stimulate the “posterior chain” muscles – your back, butt, and legs. Strengthening these muscles balances your body and affords you stronger hip extension, which translates to better posture, as well as jumping, walking, and running.
•     Strengthen your core. Your core is basically everything that isn’t head, arms, or legs, and having a strong midsection is more than just six-pack abs. A strong torso means stronger shoulders (helping counteract “computer posture” and a slouched appearance), and a more comfortable back and hips. The good abs are just a bonus!

Now that you know, how can you incorporate this into your life? One good way is to sign up for TRX + Kettlebells. This total body strengthening and metabolizing workout takes you through the fundamentals of kettlebells and suspension training, giving you both the motivation and tools to add productivity to your workouts.

The next session of TRX + Kettlebells starts February 1 at the Bo Jackson. Classes are MW at 4:15, and $115 will get you 10 sessions of workout and instruction to get you started and keep you motivated. Sign up now on Spectrum or contact Tamera Clifton for more information.

New York City Marathon!

The New York City Marathon was an incredible experience!

So the way our family vacations tends to center around marathon running. We consider the races and the destinations and the timing and plan a family vacation around the race. It's worked out well for us, as we get to visit a city when it's dressed up for visitors and ready for a lot of tourists. We went to Boston in 2013, Chicago in 2014, and New York this year, which rounded out the U.S. part of the World Marathon Majors for me. We'd previously visited San Francisco for the Nike Women's Marathon in 2011 and Vancouver, BC for my first marathon in 2009, which is what got this marathon travel thing started. The others I've run (NYC was my 11th) have been semi-local.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because I wouldn't ordinarily walk 8-10 miles the day before a race. But we had 5 days to spend in New York, and the day before the race was Halloween, and my children wanted to wander about in costume. I was in New York for 2 days when I was 16 years old, and none of the rest of my family had been at all, and we had a lot to see.

That said, I was not expecting a PR (although I tried to train for one). I've been told that the sheer number of people and the various bridge-hills in this race are not conducive to a top-notch time. Thus, although I had trained for 3:30, I set my eyes reasonably on 3:45.

Needless to say, I neither PR'ed nor did I make my goal of 3:45. 

Here's how the race went:

The course was so crowded. You know how the first mile or so of a race is so full of people that you end up running more lateral than you intend to, just to get by people? This race is 26.2 miles of that. My Nike Plus at the end of the race showed 27.0 miles, and I'm inclined to believe it. There was such a mass of humanity from start to finish. Don't get me wrong - this is one for the "pro" column as well as the "con". While trying to get around a chain of five Polish guys at mile 21 is a bit more lateral than I like at this point, the energy and diversity and community within the crowd was unparalleled. 

The race starts out in Staten Island at the south end of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Half the runners are on the top deck, and half on the bottom. I was on the lower deck, presumably because I was at the very back of Wave 1. I was so happy to be Wave 1, I had no problem with the lower deck experience. After they count down to the gun, the runners take off to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." I had no idea of this tradition, and it was fabulous. I was full of emotion. I stayed in touch with my Garmin, and tried not to overrun the first few miles. I pictured myself as a rock in a stream, and watched as what I assumed were less seasoned runners barreled past me, up and down the incline of the bridge into Brooklyn. I remember feeling very zen about this, and staying on top of my speed like a real pro. A check of my split times indicated that I overran the first 5 miles by about 15-20 seconds. Adrenaline, man. At least I didn't open it up, because I wouldn't have finished even as well as I did.

Anyway, Brooklyn was awesome. I was trying to stay between 8:04-8:10 per mile, and enjoy the scenery. The varied ethnic and cultural neighborhoods were really great, and I loved the brownstones lining the streets. It looked just like NYC in the movies. We went from a relatively industrial looking area to a gentrified-looking area with lots of young families to a largely African American area to a very hipsterish neighborhood with lots of Portland-esque beards, and then into the Hasidic area. It was amazing. I held my projected 8:10 pace quite well, but was feeling more fatigue than I'd have liked as we approached the halfway point on the Pulaski Bridge, between Brooklyn and Queens. 

As we got into Queens, I started to come to terms with not achieving my desired time, and decided to try to enjoy the scenery a bit more, and relax my pace a bit. I slowed to 8:20-8:25 and took in the crowds. Queens was fantastic. Such a loud and enthusiastic crowd of what seemed to be every variety of person imaginable. People held signs from every state and country, and some funny ones, too. "Welcome to Queens. Now get the hell out!" was one of the best. We weren't in Queens long - just a couple miles, but it had one of the most memorable sensory experiences. The super loud crowd was booming, and the runners make a left turn to get onto the Queensborough Bridge to Manhattan, and suddenly: silence. There are no spectators allowed on this bridge, which I'm guessing was about a mile long, and mostly uphill. Going from screaming crowd to the near silence of breaths and footfalls would have been eerie if it weren't kind of amazing. People complained about both the hill and the silence later, but I liked it. I train on hills, so the incline didn't bother me much, and the silence was nice. I looked forward to cresting the hill, but was met with a headwind, so it wasn't as much of a relief as I'd have liked. However, as we went down the hill (off-ramp) into Manhattan, the roar of the crowd came up and we were once again in the tunnel of sound.

Queensborough Bridge: 

As we got into Manhattan at mile 16, my foot started to really hurt (I've been having low levels of pain for about 6 months), so I slowed way down. I tried to maintain 8:40-8:45 from here. Still, although I felt a little panicked that I wouldn't finish in under 4 hours, I thought there was nothing to do but enjoy the city, so I tried to conserve energy by at least staying consistent. In this particular pass through Manhattan, we were running up First Avenue, which is very long, very straight, and has some gently rolling hills. The visual was pretty exciting: crowds of people 5-deep on either side of the road, and a river of colorful heads bobbing up and down ahead of me for miles. I kept my eyes on the horizon and looked for the Bronx up ahead. 

As we crossed the bridge into the Bronx, the crowd changed, but the energy was great. The Bronx looked less densely populated than Manhattan, but the streets were lined with people cheering us on. There were a couple of musicians singing hiphop music, and some street dancers entertaining the crowds. We weren't there for long, but we passed the 20-mile mark up there, and there was a crowd gathered around that milestone cheering extra loud. Shortly thereafter, we crossed the last bridge of the marathon. There was a woman at the foot of the bridge with a sign saying "The Last Damn Bridge". I laughed out loud, and wished that I'd stopped to take her picture. (I needn't have worried - this may have been the most photographed sight on the course. I saw quite a few on Instagram). I was working hard as I approached the zenith, and two nice guys were right at the top offering encouragement - "Nothing but downhill to Central Park!"

Once we were back in Manhattan, we ran down Fifth Avenue through Harlem and some of the best crowd support of the race. The guy in front of me slowed to a walk, and a man on the sidelines, apparently reading the man's name off his shirt yelled out "I know you're not stopping here, Darren. You just gonna keep on running Darren!" Darren and I both picked up a little speed.

Central Park

At the north edge of Central Park begins a gradual incline. Oddly, this felt great to me, and I picked up a little speed. I'd been slowing to something like a 9:00 mile at this point, and I gained a bit of energy here, from about mile 23-24. At mile 24 the course started going back downhill, and my soleus (calf) went into spasm. (Fun fact: my calf has done this three times before, and every dang time it's been at exactly 24 miles). I pulled over to the side to stretch a bit, and walked for about a quarter mile before picking back up to a run. Everything was fine, but I logged a 9:45 that mile. Mile 25 brought us to the south end of the park, running past a handful of buildings all apparently named Trump. People appeared to be dropping like flies. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many people throwing up and collapsing in the last mile of a race. I'm sure my mind is exaggerating it, but I felt just fine plugging along at a 9:00 pace at this point. We turned north back into the park, crossed the 26 mile marker, and I accelerated as much as I could to get into the chute.

When all was said and done, I clocked a 3:56:39, squeaking in under 4 hours, but feeling quite good. The long walk to get the poncho (or to bag check for those who chose that option) was certainly a trek, but I wasn't complaining. I think it's good to shake out the legs a bit with a good walk.

 

Finish Line!

Bridge of the Goddess Half Marathon 9/19/15

What a great race! This one falls six weeks before the New York Marathon, and I'd heard it was a spectacular debut race last year, so I decided to sign up some time ago. As it happens, it fell right around the time I'd decided my training runs have been a little flatter than they ought to be, so I'd been adding a little more texture to my runs over the last couple of weeks.
I'd intended to keep this one fun and not super competitive, although you never really know how you'll be feeling on-course, but I did a pretty good job of not killing myself out there, and pulled off a respectable time, too.
The course boasts over 1,000 vertical feet along the 13.1 miles, and I am inclined (pun intended) to believe it. I was not aware of running on any flat at all. The nice thing was that the hills were rolling, but not insubstantial. 
The Columbia River gorge is really breathtakingly beautiful, and the whole race was visually delightful, even when we were running along Highway 84 (separated from cars by a barrier). The day was amazing. Nice, wispy clouds to accentuate the pretty sunrise (we were encouraged to be there by 6:30, as the race started on a bridge and they had to close off traffic).The course was an out-and-back along the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. There were a couple of tunnels where we passed under the 84, so we got to take advantage of both the overlook to the Columbia and some nice, shady, hilly climbs. One section at about 3 miles was the "stairway to heaven", which sounded worse in the description than it really was. I'd expected single-track bottleneck, but it was a nice, well-maintained, wide staircase. No trouble at all other than the quad burn that comes with climbing stairs. It was even monitored by a very friendly and enthusiastic volunteer.
I felt pretty good, and didn't worry as people passed me. I figured that even if I did feel like racing, I wouldn't kick it until mile 10, so I remained calm on course and enjoyed the scenery, and tried to go for even-effort rather than any particular time. When I started seeing the front-runners coming back from the turnaround point, I realized what a fast, competitive field it was. I decided to plug along at my non-aggressive pace.
As I neared the end, the race took us along the main street in Cascade Locks. Running on public streets can be a problem in some races, but the many volunteers and polite folks on the sidewalk kept it moving along nicely, and I was able to accelerate to the finish line.
I finished in 1:49:06, which is rather a slow half for me, but I am super satisfied with it. I was able to maintain an average speed of 8:13, which is just about 8 seconds slower than my desired speed in NYC in a few weeks, so I feel like I'm on target. I came in 32 overall out of a field of 640, and 5th in my age group out of 97, so I've got nothing to complain about.
Thanks Hammer Nutrition for the gels, anti-fatigue caps, and always for the Recoverite. These keep me running happy!

Belated Race Report - Whine On The Vine 7/19/15

I love X-Dog Events. I discovered them the first spring we lived here, which would have been early 2007, when I ran the Dirt Dash. For years I've run several races a year with X-dog, and have seen them grow from a pretty small operation that seemed to run out of an old school bus to the still small but glorious operation it is today. They were doing obstacle runs before obstacle running was a thing. Not that obstacles are *my* thing, but I'm willing to crawl over, under, around, and through some stuff to get where I'm going.

A few years back, X-dog offered their last Tillamook Burn race, as the private property on which it was held was sold. Bummer, because that was a hell of a challenging 7-mile run.

In its wake, however, we got the Whine On The Vine Adventure Run. This one is held at the lovely J Albin winery in Hillsboro. (FWIW, I'm always surprised this is Hillsboro - it must be the very bottom left corner of it, because it feels more like Newburg). This year was the third annual WotV event. The first year, I failed to follow the course properly and almost accidentally came in first place. I skipped a really big hill, and had to back-track until I found the people I'd been running near in the first place and picked the course back up. Disappointing, but so it goes among really rugged trails. 

Last year and this year I followed the course better and fared relatively well.

At J Albin winery in July, it is very dry and dusty. This year it was especially so, as we had a very hot, dry summer here in Oregon. As we weaved back and forth through the grapes, we kicked up a lot of dust. Usually after the grapes, we head out into a large, open field and traverse 3 or 4 obstacles. This year, it was so hot, and the race organizers opted to forego a couple of the obstacles and head us into the forest sooner. They elongated the forest part of the run to make up for the lost mileage. The terrain in the forest is beautiful. Sometimes the path is one-person wide, sometimes less than that. Blackberry bramble and even one instance of barbed wire threatened the shins as we went up and down the steepest hills. I fell twice, which is not unusual on this kind of path, although it was a little comical this year, as my two falls were about 20 feet apart. I'm sure the people running near me thought I might be one of the obstacles.

As tends to be the case in these races, starting off slowly worked to my advantage. As we got to about mile 3 of the 5.15-mile course, I passed many of the people who blasted by me in the first mile, and by the time we got to the Redneck Slip-n-slide (a big tarp running all the way down a steep hill, manned by a few volunteers with hoses), I was the third woman. I didn't gain any position after that, but I did keep third place female (and passed a few men on the last mile).

In the end, I was just the right combination of muddy, bloody, and dusty, and ready for the complimentary finish-line mimosas.