Columbia Gorge Marathon

My running goals this year were not many, as we've had a lot of other priorities for 2017. I wanted to run at least 2 marathons, and 3 if necessary, because my main priority was to qualify again for Boston. Next year will be 5 years since my first run of Boston, and I'd like to see it in all its glory this time. Luckily for me, I qualified readily on my first attempt back in May at the Capital City Marathon. This meant I didn't need to try again in July. It also freed me up to do a run that I've had on my list of "someday marathons", the Columbia Gorge Marathon. I've heard for years that it is a beautiful race, but definitely not a PR course because of its elevation and the windiness of the Columbia River Gorge. 
I've been spotty with my training the last 16 weeks because of this and that. Extreme heat didn't stop me from running outside, but it did slow me down. The gorge fires in September made the air quality inhospitable, and I missed a few runs from that. Family obligations had me miss a few. Nothing too aggregious, but for someone who only runs 3 times a week, I felt like I could have been a little better trained. That said, I was really excited about this race. The website cornily brags "You'll get a PR - not for time, but for most pictures taken on course!" I laughed, but in reality, that is true.
I was feeling pretty ready, and not at all sure what to expect for time. My PR is 3:34 (Chicago 2014), and my slowest ever (non-trail) marathon was 4:10ish at the Portland Marathon last year, with the extra .75 miles they accidentally added (that's a whole other story, but when I saw that I was 3 miles behind at the half, I fell apart, only to realize that because of the extra mileage, I'd actually been 2 minutes ahead. Ultimately it was a disaster for me). 
Anyway, suffice it to say, I had no idea what to expect for time on this one. I do run a lot of hills, and somewhat steep ones, too, so I wasn't daunted, but I've never raced a hilly road marathon, so couldn't really nail down an expected time. I told myself that if I came in somewhere between 4:00 and 4:15, I would be satisfied, and if I got a sub-4 hour, I would be delighted. 
My taper went well, and although I would swear I was hungrier during the taper than usual, I'm pretty sure I always think that. The week before the race I was really sore, and I couldn't figure out why, as I hadn't worked out especially hard. By Wednesday night, I had a tight throat and sinuses, so went to bed early. Thursday morning I woke up sick as heck. I was able to cancel all my clients for the day, but had to go in and teach my yoga class. I spent the rest of the day in bed, and Friday, too. Saturday I still felt ill, and noticed that the cold had moved into my chest, which was not a good sign. I'd been taking sudafed to prevent it, but it was clear that I was going to run this race sick. I googled the effects of sudafed on marathoners, and found that in large concentrations it is a banned substance. Not an issue for me, as I stayed below the recommended dosage anyway, and there is no way I was in contention for a win. But it was enough to let me know that I probably wouldn't die if I took one before the race. I know that an antihistamine will make you thirsty, though, so I decided to run with my camelback. I've never raced with it before, because the extra weight and sloshiness of it, but it was a good call on Sunday. I put the full amount of water with 2 Hammer Nutrition Fizz tablets for extra electrolytes. I also packed Hammer's Endurolytes and Anti-Fatigue tabs for the road. I filled my vest with gels and a bag of mini pretzels, as after a few hours of running, salty and crunchy tend to sound a lot better than sweet and gooey. I also had a shot of Fully Charged right before the start for a little kick.
The flash flood warning of the day before was gone, as was the forecast of rain. There were light sprinkles the first few minutes, but we had a lovely rainbow overhead as the gun went off:

It was a small field of marathoners, and among them are a few that I know from the half marathon group I coach at Foot Traffic. Four of them were running their first marathon, so I was glad to have an out-and-back course so I could check on them while still running my own race. I was careful not to overrun the beginning, and was glad to have my Garmin reminding me to stay slow on the initial 5 miles, which were easy rolling hills with a bit more down than up. While I was reminding myself to slow down around mile 3, I fell in step with Brittney, a runner from eastern Oregon with a similar pace and goals, so we chatted and stayed together for several miles. Miles 5-10 were a pretty steady uphill, but that was as expected. What I didn't expect was the pummeling we got with the winds at mile 10. The turnaround was at mile 11 (the finish line was further down than the start), and while I had hoped for a little relief on the downhill miles, they were not as fun as I had hoped, as there was a strong headwind. I consoled myself with the amazing views:

(Brittney and me near the halfway point)

(One of many stunning views of the gorge)

At mile 12ish we hit the peak elevation and I was looking forward to five steady miles of downhill, but the strong headwinds took a little of that natural downhill momentum away. I felt pretty good, though, and thought that possibly I was headed for a sub-4:00 race, which would have been great for that course in my current condition. At around mile 14, though, I started to feel a familiar tremor in my calf, and stopped to take more Endurolytes, hoping it would stave off the cramping that usually hits me around mile 22. By mile 16, I fell behind Brittney, knowing I would have to do a little walk/run to keep my calves from getting destroyed.

By mile 17, I was still pretty happy but had definitely slowed. I was walking one minute every so often, and tried to take it easy on myself knowing that I'd rather finish slower and happy than gun for some unreasonable time and hurt myself. So I stopped a few times and took more pictures and sipped on my fizz and pulled out my headphones to take some musical encouragement. 

At mile 23, my calf went into full spasm, so I stopped and stretched and didn't freak out about it or feel defeated as I had in previous races, and got back to business as soon as I could. At mile 24, I hit my second wind, and just felt great to the end. I think the last 2 miles were my fastest. They were largely downhill, but still. I felt great at the finish, and while I'd have loved to have gotten there 62 seconds faster, I was not disappointed with my 4:01:01 finish time.

I would absolutely do this race again. It was beautiful, and I think that with a little more of a visceral idea of what the course feels like (and without a chest cold) I could pull off a more satisfying finish time.

My stats: 56/186 total finishers, 26/90 women, 6/24 women 40-49

Next race: Holiday Half Marathon 12/10

Capital City Marathon

I entered 2017 with a steely resolve to qualify for Boston again. I ran it in 2013, and while I was lucky and fast enough to finish before the bombing, I really want to return to get the proper experience. 

I chose the Capital City Marathon because it was close to home, looked like a nice course, and I'd never been to Olympia before, except to blow past it on my way to Seattle. The elevation profile gave me pause to wonder if it was a bad idea to try to get my BQ here (not any crazy aggressive hills, but constant rolling hills), but by the time I'd done my research, I was really looking forward to experiencing this race. I made other backup plans for an easier course in July if I needed it. 

For my age and gender, I needed 3:55:00 or under to qualify for Boston. I was hoping for anything under 3:50 to get the 5 minutes of buffer.

Anyway, that's the back story.

My training went really well through this training cycle. I was kind of surprised, because I seemed to be holding on to a few extra pounds from winter that I was having a hard time shaking. I felt slow and heavy, and the back of my knee wouldn't so much hurt as let me know it was there, which is something that happens to me at a slightly higher weight. But, around the halfway point of my 16-week plan, I started to notice that my weight was getting back toward where I like it, and my speed work was coming closer to target. By the time I began my taper 3 weeks out, I had run a satisfying 24-miler, and my speed work was right on. I felt confident. I had been fueling with all my favorite Hammer Nutrition supplements throughout training - Recoverite and Tissue Rejuvenator are two of my go-tos, and added Race Day Boost for the 4 days leading up to the race. I booked my hotel room at the host hotel, and because apparently Olympia is very affordable, I sprang the extra $15 or $20 for a "city view suite". My husband had to work the day of the race, but my daughters both wanted to accompany me, despite warnings that it was going to be a lot of sitting around with my feet up and watching TV. (In retrospect, I guess I see the appeal).

Anyway, the hotel was old and interesting, and the room was very comfortable. At least at first. The girls and I went to packet pickup, and took a short walk around downtown Olympia, which is very cute and rustic. We had a very marginal pasta dinner and walked back to the hotel room to chill. Unfortunately the air conditioning was not working at the hotel, so despite having it on full-blast all night, I managed probably only about 2 hours of hot, fitful sleep. Disappointing, but I got up at 4:00, had breakfast, and hoped I wouldn't crash and burn. While I was getting ready, I peeked outside at our "city view" to find with delight that our room on the 7th floor was literally right in front of the finish line! I told the girls to look for me between 10:40 and 10:50, and headed outside.

I'm hit or miss with carrying fluids on course with me, but due to the predicted heat of the day, I carried my fuel belt with me, and had my flasks loaded with water and Grape Fizz electrolytes. I also had electrolyte capsules in my front pocket. Usually I'm good to take these once or maybe twice, but I resolved to take them on the hour, every hour. I'm not used to running in heat (to the point that the predicted 75-degree temps had me a bit worried), and I knew that Endurolytes would do me some good. As it happens, even though it was quite warm at the finish, I managed to completely avoid my usual mile-24 calf freak-out, and I credit the endurolytes with that success!

Anyway, the race started out downtown, and made a nice little loop through the charming and tourist-friendly locales. Around mile 6, we split from the half-marathon course (although the half'ers didn't start for 45-minutes after us, so we really only encountered them at the end). We headed up into the more rural neighborhoods. I'm pretty sure I can't remember any part of this race that was flat, nor do I remember any brutal hills. It seemed to be a nice, easy up and down the whole time. Even the long hills were under a half mile, or so it seems. My Garmin showed at the end just over 1000' of climb, and only one 9-minute mile on a longer hill.

They had pace groups, which was actually a source of stress for me. I was targeting 3:44 as an ideal finish time, so figured I should be just ahead of the 3:45 pacer. At around mile 2, that group passed me, and were it not for my Portland Marathon experience last year, I probably would have tried to keep up, but I learned my lesson: trust your devices. I kept my 8:30 pace, and watched that group go faster and faster away from me. It was a little unnerving, but I stuck to my plan. At mile 14, I passed the pacer who had been leading the 3:45 group, walking and looking rough. I assume that they swapped leaders at the half - I hope his replacement was ready! Over the next 4 miles, I passed what I believe to be every single person who was running with that group. I felt so bad for them - I've over-run the first half of a race a few times, and I could feel their pain. My friend who also ran the race said she saw that pace group come through roughly on time, so they must have just run a nice, chill second half. All the same, I'm glad I didn't stay with them. 

Because it was a smaller race - just over 300 participants in the full marathon - there was never much jockeying for position, although I never felt alone. The volunteers were great. There were quite a few turns on the course, and I was never left wondering which way to go. The water stations were efficient, and offered Gu and gummy bears, although I brought my own Hammer Gel in my pack. I did hit them up for water, though, in the second half's heat.

We joined up with the half marathon around mile 19, which could be a bad thing, but I found the walkers in the CCM to be very courteous and not tending to walk six-abreast. Everyone shared the road (runners as well, many of whom I'm sure were feeling a bit brusque at this stage), and I heard a lot of supporting words exchanged between all the participants.

As we headed back toward the Capitol and the finish line, there was a nice, long, downhill stretch. I'd been pacing really well throughout the race (almost every single mile was within 4 or 5 seconds of my 8:30 target, save for the one long hill and a mile-16 bathroom stop), so I opened it up a bit at the end. Mile 26 was my fastest at 8:12. As I came up on the finish line, I looked up at the hotel to see my daughters cheering for me, which was the highlight of the run. 

I ended up with a time of 3:47:39, which was just a couple minutes shorter than my 3:44 hopeful target, but well within my more reasonable 3:50-or-less goal, and good enough to give me a pretty good shot of getting into Boston for 2018. It turned out that I got second place for my age group, too. Officially third in my age group, but my fast friend Renee got second overall and first in Masters, so once they pulled out her stats, I fared a little better. LOL.

I would definitely recommend this race. It was a pretty course, well-organized, big enough to be fun and still small enough to be low-stress, and very enjoyable.

Hop Hop Half Marathon

After such a sloppy, cold, wet winter and early spring, what a surprise it was to have a nice day for the Hop Hop Half Marathon on 4/15. There was a nice, cool fog in patches, and a gentle breeze.
Although I've lived in Portland for over 10 years now, I had never been on Marine Drive, so it was quite a pleasant experience running along the Columbia.
But I'll back up. This race is run by Foot Traffic, the company for whom I coach runners and walkers to cover a variety of distances from 5k to full marathon. Although this is not the featured race for the training group, there were several of my athletes out there doing either the 5k or the half marathon. I mingled a bit pre-race, and led a dynamic warmup for my group, although all were welcome and many joined in from the crowd at large. The Easter theme was really fun, and there were people dressed like bunnies, eggs, and carrots, as well as various pastel-splashed springlike outfits. I wore my pink Hammer Nutrition shirt, but decided to opt for aerodynamic rather than bunny-eared.
The course was really flat, with only a few overpasses provided the only real texture to the course. Since I was using this race mostly as a quick tempo run rather than racing to win, I planned to stay at 7:50-8:00 per mile for the first 10 miles, and see what I felt like in the last 5k. Frequent checks of my Garmin found me in the 7:40s, so I kept trying to slow myself down, wondering if I had a gentle wind at my back, and wondering if that would turn into headwind on the return trip. The view was nice - the Columbia River on one side, and PDX Airport on the other. I tried to stay slow and not worry about the runners around me, and just stay consistent as I headed out. Because of an initial neighborhood loop, the turnaround for the largely out-and-back course was at mile 8.5 or thereabouts. When I turned back, I was pleased to see that there was not a headwind, and I was feeling pretty strong. At this point, I started to think about whether I wanted to accelerate into the last miles. 
I was running next to a dude wearing an R2D2 shirt for a moment, and we passed a walker still on her way out to the turnaround. She smiled and said "I like your shirt!" I said "Thank you!" and realized halfway through the word "thank" that she was of course talking to R2D2, and not just a Hammer Nutrition fan. Oh well.
There was a woman in a yellow top with whom I had been tag-teaming. At least that's what I call it. She'd be right behind me for a while, then she'd pass me for a bit, and we'd go back and forth. I wasn't feeling that feisty about beating her, but I did wonder which one of us was inconsistently pacing. My garmin told me it wasn't me, and I hoped that was correct. Anyway, around mile 10, she was about 5 seconds ahead of me, and I thought, "you know, I bet she's between 45 and 49 years old." I kept my eye on her, and considered whether it was going to be a race for our age group in that last mile. Mile 10 was too early to really open up, so I just stayed there with her and maintained my 7:46. I'm pretty sure she was aware of me, too, and wondered if she was planning a strategy.
But then something funny happened. At mile 11 there was a water station right before we crossed over the road. And she stopped for water! I wondered if she was super thirsty or just not competitive, because it would not have occurred to me to stop for water at mile 11 when I was jockeying for position with another runner. Maybe she just wasn't competitive. Anyway, I passed her without accelerating, figuring she would catch up to me and we could race the final .25 or whatever. I wasn't sure how far behind me she was on this flat, straight course. When I got to mile 12, I found I still had quite a bit of energy, and thought maybe I could finish strong, so I kicked it up a bit. Honestly, the best I'd hoped for was a 1:44-something, but I ended up finishing in 1:43:15. Not a PR by several minutes, but the fastest I'd done at this distance since 2014, and good enough for a win in my age group.
A quick check of the results later showed me that the yellow shirt woman, who finished about 30 seconds behind me, was in fact in my age group, which satisfied the competitor in me. Ultimately, however, it gave me a good steady tempo run, and adds to my confidence going into my upcoming marathon.
Foot Traffic knows how to put on a good post-race party, and I heartily enjoyed the egg-croissant sandwich and mimosa that awaited me. I'd definitely run this one again. Fun race.

Coyote Hills 10K Trail Race

It's not often that I run a 10k race. I find it to be an odd distance. Too long to go too fast, and too short to go slowly, and it's not a distance I'm accustomed to racing. When I had the opportunity to do this race, however, I thought that with its mixed surfaces and varied grades that it might be a good test of my pre-season fitness as I begin my training for the Capital City Marathon in Olympia, WA in May. It seemed like a nice, small race in a pretty area, and we happened to be in the Bay Area that weekend.
Anyway, for a small race, it was very well-appointed. The course itself was in a state park, in a marshy area of Fremont, near the Dumbarton Bridge. Because parking was limited, they had us park at a local business park, and bused us to the course on these extremely luxurious commuter buses (not relevant to the race, but an interesting experience for me and my husband). Once we arrived, I was pleased to see a rather grand setup for such a small race - they had coffee, hot chocolate, vendors, bib pickup, music, and covered areas to stand out of the rain. These came in handy - since we came from out of town, I had to pick up my bib that morning, and arrived extra early, so I had a lot of time to literally chill while waiting for race time.
The half marathon was clearly the featured race, and due to recent torrential rains in California (mercifully bringing many counties out of drought), the course was partially flooded and re-routed. Still, they explained the new course and got the half marathoners off on time at 9:00. 15 minutes later, my 10k group got the same spiel, and also took off on time. We were also told that the course was a little long. The race director called it an "Ultra 10k" because of the extra distance, and said we could expect it to be about 6.3 miles. Okay, noted.
My goal was a consistent pace throughout, to the best of my ability. Left to my own devices, I am what I consider an 'emotional runner', and my pace can bop all over the place. However, I was left to my other devices, my Garmin and my Nike+ app. They kept me on target, and for the first three miles, I ran exactly 7:41. Bam! These miles were paved multi-use trail with rolling hills. Very nice, and very pretty. At the 3-mile mark, the course changed to hilly and muddy. Also very pretty and fun, if wetter and sloppier. The second three miles, I ran exactly 8:15. Very happy with that, although I'd have liked to go faster, but it was slippery. At mile six, I figured I'd kick it up a bit, so accelerated. When I hit 6.3 miles on my Garmin (which generally shorts me mileage), a volunteer called out, "Great job! Only a quarter mile left!" I laughed, and groaned, because I'd planned my acceleration to be only .3 miles. Anyway, when I passed the finish, Garmin and Nike both told me 6.56 miles. A bit long for a 5k, but a nice run all the same. My finish time was 51:53, which was definitely not a PR for 10k, but...the extra distance. My devices gave me an average pace of 7:54, which seems about right. The official race results say it's 8:14, because they divided by 6.2. Oh well. 
I feel really good to have even that level of consistency right now at the start of my training for Olympia, and I did quite well in the race, too. I was the 6th woman across the finish line out of 153, 1st in Masters (out of I don't know how many because they didn't award masters), 1st in my age group out of 27, and 22nd across the finish line overall male and female, out of 277. Pretty satisfying for a run that is not my distance used as a barometer of finess. :-)
I'm not sure what the post-race looked like, or if they did any sort of awards. They had a delay getting the results, so after waiting for 30 minutes or so after the finish without any postings, I decided I was more cold than anything, so left. Other than that, though, the race was very well-organized, very well-appointed, friendly, and enjoyable. If I'm back in the Bay next year, I may try the half.

Autumn Leaves 50-50

I ran my first 50K race this weekend. I'm so glad I did it, too.
My friend Maureen posted on Facebook that she was hoping to run this race and asked if any friends wanted to do it, too. I wouldn't have done it otherwise, but I thought, what the heck. I would have the training, since it was 3 weeks after my fall marathon, and I have felt inspired by all of my fellow Hammer Nutrition athletes who run these amazing ultramarathons, so I threw my hat into the ring.
I'd known it was coming, but hadn't paid much attention to the idea, as my fall marathon was my target event. I had been planning to requalify for the Boston Marathon. Well, that didn't happen, and I had been feeling down on myself about it, so in the last few weeks, I began to get excited for the chance to redeem myself.
The Autumn Leaves 50/50 is a 50K and 50-mile race - a 10K loop in Champoeg State Park, a lovely area something like halfway between Salem and Portland. The 50k does 5 loops, and the 50-miler does 8 loops. I'm generally not thrilled with even a double loop course, so I thought there was a chance it would be tedious, but on the other hand, the repetition is comforting for such a long distance, because you're never too far from the aid station, or even a bail-out should it be necessary. The 2 aid stations along the way meant that you were never more than 2 miles from help or a bathroom.
Anyway, I tried not to have much expectation for it, but I thought it might be nice to come in around 5 hours. As race day approached, I got a cold, which bummed me out. I really wanted to redeem myself after my disastrous marathon of 3 weeks ago. I didn't feel great, but decided to do it, and it was AWESOME.
The race had a 6 a.m. start for 50-milers who needed a little extra time, so there were already a handful of runners out when we arrived. It was a bit rainy, so most of us huddled about and organized our stuff in the community tent for us to put our fuel and whatnot under, so it was nice to not have to carry anything.
Action started promptly at 7:00, in the dark and drizzle, and it was so much fun. I've never run with a head lamp before, and I really liked it. By mile 5, it was light enough to see without it as we entered the trail portion. At the end of the first loop I dropped off my jacket and the headlamp, had some Hammer Endurolytes and a gel, and headed back out. I'd kept my goal pace, a 9:15 average. The second lap was a bit of discovery, since I hadn't really seen much of the first lap, and the third lap was also quite comfortable. I maintained my 9:15 with no problem at all. All of the advice I had seen about racing with a chest cold said make sure you eat and drink more than you would have, so I did, and by lap 4, my stomach was a little unsettled, so although I ran well at 9:15, I had to use the facilities a couple of times, slowing my overall lap to about a 10 minute pace. The 5th lap I was feeling a little slower. I ran till mile 27, and between mile 27 and 29, I Jeff Galloway'ed my way with a 3 minute run/1 minute walk interval, and ran the last 2 miles in. I had allowed myself 3 minutes between laps to drink, take supplements and catch my breath, so my finish at 5:20 averaged just over a 10 minute pace. I'm super happy with that time, and also delighted that it earned me a 3rd place win in the Women's Masters division, and the mug pictured with me below.

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).