26.2 Baby!!!

So, I am backtracking here, listing my adventures from last year - and next up, the Portland Marathon!

This was sort of a spur-of-the-moment decision to sign up, as I had not properly trained for the race nor did I have significant time to train from the moment I registered to the day of the race. But, with two months to go, I built up from running 3-4 miles, to running 16! Still a far cry from the 26.2 miles I had to run on race day, but good enough. I normally don't advise running a marathon without proper training beforehand, but this was my second full marathon, and after all the hikes, trail runs, and intense gym sessions, I figured I had the endurance and most importantly the heart to take me those extra 10.2 miles to the finish line :)

So, the saturday before raceday, I picked up my bib number and was pumped and ready to race!! Since I had not really trained, I thought my goal for this race should be just to finish!! My last marathon I posted a time of 4:35 minutes... knowing full well there was no way I could come close to that time this go'around, I just aimed to cross the finish line strong! Maybe my third marathon I'll shoot for a sub-four hour time, but that will take a hell of a lot more training!! But I know I can do that, my last half marathon times were well below the 2-hour marks, and if I've got one thing on my side, it's endurance! I've never been fast or a sprinter, but I've always been strong and consistent! Negative splits and finishing strong when everyone else is slowing has always been my specialty!

Anyway, back to race day! The Portland marathon is truly an amazing course! There were bands of all different types practically every 1/2mile, mile or so! From Korean drums, to reggae covers bands, to marching bands to cheerleaders and AWESOME support from spectators, there was no shortage of motivation to keep a smile on your face while running 26.2 miles. The course was fabulous too! Winding all over downtown, I think I've seen about enough! haha. J/k of course - but I would like to say what a fabulous job race organizers did for executing such a well-done logistical feet (no pun intended). The volunteers at the water stations, to the course itself was very well planned!! Nicely done!!!

Around mile 18... this happened!!! Yikes!!!! But, i figured, the longer I was out on the course, the longer it would hurt!! So, I carried on, pushing through the pain!!

And then... the finish line!!!!! It's an emotional moment completing such a grueling race. I know a lot of folks don't quite understand why you'd put yourself through such a thing, but seeing the finish line after running for 26 miles is one of the most amazing feelings EVER!!!!! I almost broke down! A few tears of happiness streamed down my face, and I held it together enough to sprint those last 0.2 miles to the end!!!!!! Finishing over 5hours, is not the best time... but not too shabby for not really training either :)

After crossing the finish line, I was awarded my finishers medal, Portland marathon jersey, and a rose!! I walked through "finishers row" where I was treated to massages and good food!!! Yum!!!!! And then, it was time to walk back to the car! Well, my car was just 5 blocks up from the finish line, but since race organizers had the streets blocked off, I couldn't cut through! The gate-guards wouldn't let me pass! Tired and sore, I asked one "rent-a-cop" if I could just cut through a gap in the fence since my car was just up the road. He rather curtly said NO! And said I had to walk down 8 more blocks... Well, 8 down, and 8 back is 16!!!!! Not so bad normally, but after just having run for over 5 hours, this did not sound appealing! So I pleaded with him to let me through, and he was like "well, you just ran a marathon, I would venture to guess you could walk an extra couple miles." THAT BASTARD! Tears streaming down my face, I walked down another block, and luckily, that cop let me cut through the gates!!! Bless him!!!! I limped back up to my car where the prospect of sitting down for my drive home sounded oh-so-pleasant!!!

That night, I nursed my blisters, stretched my legs, and got a workout plan for the next week from my step mom who is a physical therapist to speed up my recovery, since just 6 days later, I was to climb the 8,400 volcano - Mt. St. Helens!! Nothing like a one-two punch of a marathon and a mountain climb!!!!! Anyway, bottom line - Portland marathon was a great experience!!! The volunteers made the race!! I would absolutely run this race again, and would recommend this to any runner interested in a marathon! Just watch out for the nice "hill" leading up to the Broadway bridge around mile 16! Damn that burned! But felt oh-so-good ;)