Portland Marathon

Okay, it's time to talk about the Portland Marathon.
This was my most disappointing race to date. Now with 3 weeks of perspective, I totally get what happened, and with another race under my belt, I can move on.
My intention this year was to run the Lake Tahoe Marathon. I was going to run it with my friend John Capurso, and Sean had hoped to run the half marathon ore even the 10k with John's wife Tanya. I registered months ago, because I like the commitment, and reserved a few days in the host hotel, a schmancy resort hotel. It seemed like a great little vacation, and would allow us a few days also to visit some of our people in the Bay Area as well.
But this year has been wrought with some unexpected expenses for the house, the cars, and with our oldest daughter just starting college, it seemed like a bad idea to drop a couple grand on a vacation just a couple weeks into the school year. Also, John had to drop out of the race, and it just all kind of fell apart.
I was pleased to realize that I could still capitalize on my training, as the Portland Marathon was the very same day as Tahoe. I wasn't excited about the race, as this was to be my 4th running of this race - my third time running the full marathon, and I also ran the half marathon a number of years back.
The thing is, Portland is a pretty city, but the race is not a pretty race. Instead of staying on the waterfront, in cute neighborhoods, or crossing our many bridges, it is a big out-and-back through the industrial northwest district, and then a tedious stretch out highway 30 toward the St. John's Bridge. I love the SJB, but I'm not sure it's worth 4 miles of blech to get to it. Anyway, I digress. I wasn't excited about the race, but I was glad to have a marathon to do, as I had not run a spring marathon because of So Many Kids' Activities this spring).
As the weeks progressed, I decided that the good thing about running Portland was that it would be a pretty easy chance to re-qualify for Boston. I ran Boston in 2013, and would like to return in 2018 and get the full, non-bomb experience. Anyway, I got a little excited about using this marathon for that purpose.
As the day approached, it looked pretty good. The weather had been crummy, but they had race day predicted to be a clear, cool little oasis in the otherwise dreary weekly forecast. My nutrition was on point, and I was a few pounds above where I like to race, but my weekly speed work was coming closer and closer to hitting my target. I felt confident that I could hit my goal pace of 3:44, which should have been an attainable goal for me. My PR was 2 years ago in Chicago at 3:34, so I figured I could make it with an easy window for Boston qualification (I would need 3:55).
The day before the race, they changed the forecast from clear and cool to stormy and windy. Yuck. But okay, I've done it before. Race morning, I woke up early, ate, and got myself downtown in plenty of time. It wasn't raining while we were waiting for the gun, which was nice, and everything seemed to be fine. I consulted my Garmin regularly, making sure I didn't over-run the early miles. I stayed between 8:10-8:25 pretty well, and felt strong. I am so familiar with the course, I didn't really look for mile markers in the early miles, although I noted that it said 30 minutes as I passed the 5K mark. I thought that was odd, and figured maybe that was a bit off, and dismissed it from my mind. By the time I passed the 7 mile marker, I was just in front of a pacer group, and they were saying they showed 7.5 miles. I chatted with them a moment, mentioning that I was showing more miles and faster time than the course was giving me. I was wondering why I felt like I was working so hard and showing a slower time than my efforts indicated. At around mile 8, it started to rain. After mile 10, the course turns and heads into the northwest neighborhood, and we got hit with a strong headwind. I started losing my confidence, but determined to press on to the half, and check in there. 
Once done with the interesting part for many miles, I went into the sparse, boring, Highway 30, and arrived at the halfway mat. I was dismayed to see that although I had been monitoring my pace rather obsessively, my halfway point target of 1:51 to 1:52 was an alarmingly off-pace 1:55. This is where I lost my race, right up in my head. I considered calling my husband at this point, and asking him to meet me north of the SJB and picking me up, but I figured, that's where the course gets interesting again, so maybe I should just press on. I don't think I really would have opted out, but I resolved to take it a mile at a time. At mile 16, on the approach to the bridge, I texted my husband that I wasn't going to make my goal time, and to stay tuned. 
Suffice it to say, things didn't get better. I ran along through mile 21, where my stomach started to give me trouble, and I felt nauseous. I took about 5 or 6 walk breaks, but really just fell apart at the end. My stomach cramping was so bad that I had to walk at mile 26. I ran it in, and managed to not throw up just yet. I got my medal and my t-shirt, but not my BQ. My official time was something in the 4:15 zone. 30 minutes slower than my goal time. My worst marathon to date.
The worst thing about it is that I couldn't even say why I did so poorly. I felt so good earlier that day, and I'd been more successful in the rain. I couldn't figure out why I felt like I was running 8:15, when I was apparently running 9-something. I got down on myself, figuring that I had been overly confident, and maybe I was aging out of my ability to obtain that pace anymore. I thought I didn't know how to feel my pace anymore. Pretty dramatic, but I'm that kind of chick. I didn't even remember the pacing inconsistencies from the early part of the race. I just thought it was me.
When I found out about the mistakes made by the marathon in the first mile, that caused us to run an extra half mile, I was irritated, but also relieved. It meant that my defeat was really the mental part of the marathon. When I gave up, thinking I was 3-4 minutes behind my goal, I had really been about 30 seconds ahead. I have no doubt that the mental defeat led to the physical breakdown. The Portland Marathon went back and corrected my pace to eliminate the extra half mile, but it brought me to 4:05. My poor second half sealed my fate.
I have more chances to qualify for Boston next year, and I feel confident that I will, but this one goes down as a disappointment. Next time I'll just trust my vibe and my devices a bit more.

Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon

On August 13 I ran the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon. I had initially signed up for it because a friend was going to be visiting from out of town to run it, and I decided to join in. She ended up not participating due to a conflict, but I was happy to run it anyway! 
Since I have about 8 weeks of hill training in my current cycle, in preparation for the Lake Tahoe Marathon in October, I thought that a chance to test my speed in the wine country would be a good idea. 
I ran this race before, in 2011 or 2012, back when they were still running it on Labor Day, and pulled off a 1:45-something with a glute issue, so I figured that was a good target for this year's race. 
Since my speed work has been a bit slower this year, I decided to start out slowly and see if I could manage a negative split. I figured if I ran 8:00 miles for the first 5 miles, which were pretty rolling hills with a gradual "upness" to them, then I could try for a 7:45-7:50 the second five, and hold steady around 8ish for the last 5k, since the last stretch offers up a 2-mile gravel road.
Pre-race I fueled with a banana, a Hammer Bar, Electrolytes, Anti-Fatigue Caps, and Fizz electrolytes.
The race started 10 minutes late, due to an accident on the road that slowed the parking process. Little did I realize how much that 10 minutes of cool would have helped, but these things happen. When we started, I resisted the pull of the crowd into the downhill launch, although I definitely did overrun that first mile - about 7:40. Somewhere in mile 2, I thought to myself, "Hm, that sun came out suddenly and hot". I stayed on target, and actually passed the 5-mile sign at exactly 40:00, so I was proud of that. Took a Hammer gel and re-energized for the climb.
The next 5 miles were so brutal, though, and I couldn't get anywhere near my target. Between mile 4.5 and 7, the course went mostly uphill, and I stayed steady, if slowly, between 8:20 and 8:30. Respectable, but I was so disappointed in myself, and began to have a lot of negative self-talk about reevaluating my speed goals. When the 1:50 pace group passed me just after the halfway point, I was crushed. I could have fought to keep ahead of them, but I didn't want the pressure of being tailgated, so I just backed way up and let them pass, hoping I would at least not lose sight of them. 
To add to my mental stress, the race had a relay option, so there were some fresh runners in that 7th and 8th mile. I stole a few glances at their bibs to make sure I wasn't getting dusted by half marathoners. 
At mile 10, I had another gel, and decided that while I may not be good in the heat, I will finish as strong as I could, and rallied for the last 3.1, most of which was gravel road. I was super thirsty and regretting leaving the hydration belt at home, but I stopped at every water station. The last 3 miles, I managed to pass a few people, which felt pretty good. Once we got off the gravel, there was a long road that rolled up and down, but the finish line was visible, so I rallied some more. I managed an 8:00 mile the last mile, and came in at 1:51:09. One of my slowest half marathons ever.
Once I was done running and had a little water, though, I popped right back into my usual self, and I didn't have any muscle soreness that day or the next. I think it was a hydration issue, and a heat issue. Lesson learned. The hydration belt is worth the extra weight on hot days.
I guess all of us 40-somethings suffered, because I ended up with 2nd in my age group (out of 69 finishers) and won a nice bottle of pinot noir. 
They don't have race photos posted yet. I'll add one when they do (unless I look awful. Maybe even then).

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!