Run Girl Run Half Marathon

Sunday I ran with Moxie. No, it isn't my running partner, rather, Moxie is a word that means “backbone, fortitude and determination,” and was the embodiment of the runners at the inaugural “Run Girl, Run,” organized by Moxie Runners of Portland.

The starting line was at the Sleep Country amphitheater in Richland. There was plenty of room to park, and the volunteers did a great job with directing us. When I got to the starting area, I was greeted by a sea of pink shirts. I met up with my friend Erica, whom I know from Running Chicks in PDX, and her friend Maureen. Prior to the start, We heard from Nancy Fleck, director of Girls on the Run, which is a mentorship program for preteen girls to build self-esteem and healthy living. Then Andrea, the race director, gave a heartfelt thank you to all of the volunteers who made this race possible. It was clear how moved she was by all of the support she received. After singing the National Anthem, we were off!

The race started in some nice residential neighborhoods and was relatively flat for the first couple miles. I was actually going at a fairly fast pace until I encountered the first hill around mile 3. Then there were more rolling hills once the course took us onto some some major roads. There was a steep hill right before mile 5 but then all of us got a little break as we headed down a steep hill into Salmon Creek Park. The shade from the trees was really refreshing, as it was starting to heat up already. This part of the race was an out-and-back; at 7.5 miles, we turned around, which meant having to go back up that steep hill out of the park somewhere after mile 9, followed by another hill ahead. The course took us through another residential area, and then onto more open road. Miles 11 and 12 each had hills before making the turn to the back of the amphitheater. Hearing the music playing and seeing the finish gave me the burst of energy I needed to sprint to the finish. I PR'd with a time of 1:57:23, and when I looked at the results, I saw that I placed 3rd in my age group.

This was my first all women's race. I was so impressed by everything I experienced: the camaraderie, the wonderful volunteers who worked so hard to make this possible, the organizations who sponsored the race and the director, Andrea, who organized all of this. But most of all, I was impressed by the moxie shown by all of the runners who braved the hills and the heat and still finished the race with smiles.

Greater Portland Half Marathon

A Two-fer! A PR and 1st place in my age group! This was an inaugeral event for Forest Grove, and hopefully it will be an annual event. I was a little concerned initially when I picked up my race packet late Friday and found out there was no race expo. Then I noticed there was no timing chip on my bib-I went back tho the sight and saw the race was to be manually timed. No matter, I was looking forward to a great run and lots of scenery. That morning, the race start was well-marked and there was plenty of parking. It started and ended at Lincoln Forest park stadium. There was no bag check, but it wasn't needed, as you didn't have to walk very far, even with street parking. The race started with 1/2 lap around the track and then we headed out into some neighborhoods. The course led us through a park that reminded me a little bit of the Spring Corridor, except more open and much shorter. We ended up on some country highways, then Rt 47 for a little less than a mile. That stretch was a little precarious, as Rt 47 is busy, even at that hour, but there was enough of a berm to run on. We turned Rt onto SW Dilley Rd and passed Montinore Estates-gorgeous winery! We then ran all the way out Stringtown Rd, until shortly after mile 8, where we turned around, there were quite a few hills, but very similar to those of the Helvetia half, so I had no problem. Lots of beautiful farmland, with bison and horses. There was one farm I passed, where the horses were kicking up their hell, enjoying the cool weather. Somewhere after mile 10, we turned onto Ritchey Rd., which led us back through that little park and eventually back to the stadium. There was music playing as well as plenty of pizza, watermelon, bananas, granola bars and gatorade at the finish. The awards ceremony for the half was at 11, so I stayed around for that. I figured that I maybe had a chance to place when I heard some of the times that were close to mine, but was shocked when they called my name for 1st place in my age group. I received a lovely glass plaque with the logo imprinted. The finishers medal was beautiful as well. A well-organized first event-I will definitely be back next year.
Splits were: 8:27, 8:27, 8:32, 9:01, 8:38, 9:08, 9:41, 9:09, 8:53, 8:47, 9:23, 9:14, 8:44, 1:55 (the last tenth of a mile) I maintained a steady pace for the first several miles and throughout, except when there were hills. I felt strong the entire run, and when I realized after mile 12 that I was going to break 2 hours, it bolstered me even more. Official distance: 13.11, time:1:58:01.

The End of an Era

The End of an Era....

Today I lost my Samantha Sweetie after 20 years, 18 of which she spent with me.
Samantha was a stray that I took in May of 1993. My neighbor John had found her at an apartment complex, along with a kitten and brought both home. He said he was going keep the kitten, spay Samantha and make her an outside neighborhood cat. During the next month or so, I fed her and cared for her, but allowed her to roam outside, because she never went very far. I also let her in my house whenever she pleased, and she often rewarded me with “presents.” I was thrilled to see that Samantha was finally filling out, until my mother-in-law pointed out that she was pregnant. So much John having her spayed! I decided then and there that she was now MY cat, and that we were going to keep her kittens as well, because of course, no home would be suitable enough.

Samantha gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens on July 18th 1993 at 6 am (2 of them are still living). She requested my presence that morning by furiously scratching at the door and meowing. I felt honored to be there. She gave birth to Boots and one of his sisters; I thought she was done and went back to bed. Imagine my surprise a couple hours later when I came out to see 2 more kittens nursing! Samantha was a good little mother. She was very attentive to her brood and disciplined them when they misbehaved. When it was time to wean the kittens, she was not happy and would watch them eat solid food disapprovingly, as if she thought they were growing up a little too fast.

Samantha ruled the roost in her own quiet way. She was a petite cat, but a force to be reckoned with if she was crossed. She welcomed each new cat that came into our lives with dignity and grace, as long as they learned their place in the household. She also maintained a special bond with all 4 of her kittens over the years, but it was Dusty to whom she was closest. When Dusty died last year, Samantha was so grief-stricken that I though I was going to lose her then as well.

Samantha took all of life's changes in stride; her kittens maturing, the addition of new cats, moving cross country-all of it was fine with her as long as she and I had each other. In her later years, she developed a charming sort of crankiness that affectionately earned her the title of “Cranky Old Lady.” She also had a loud, sharp meow, partially due to her deafness, that was also part of that charm. Over the last few years, Samantha “adopted” a pillow toy, that she would carry around, meowing as she did so. This would occur at all hours of the night, usually waking me up out of a sound sleep :-) I often wondered if she was reminiscing the days when her kittens were young.

Samantha was lucky to have been blessed with good health (and good genes!) for most of her years. About 3 years ago, she was diagnosed with renal disease which remained stable, and hypertension, which was controlled with medication. This past year, we started treating her for hyperthyroidism. She had grown thinner over the years, but over the past couple months, I noticed a more pronounced weight loss and poor appetite. Samantha also seemed a little senile and forgetful at times, but still wanted to be in the center of activity. Lately, I sensed that something was wrong and when she started circling to the right Monday evening, my intuition was confirmed. By Tuesday morning, Samantha was still circling and seemed disoriented, so I brought her into work with me. She had a seizure while there, so we gave her valium and phenobarbital. Samantha never really regained consciousness, and by this morning, she was comatose. I tried giving her mannitol, in case there was any swelling in her brain, but there was no response. It was like she had already gone to her own place, and there was no choice but to release her from her earthly bonds.

Samantha will forever be my little matriarch. She was one of my very first cats in a long line, and she taught me a lot about living with grace, love, dignity, perseverance and an iron paw.

Helvetia Half 6/11/11

Started the day with a photo with PDX running chicks, some of whom I'll be running Ragnar with next month. Overcast, but perfect running temp. This year, I lined up with the 9 min/mile pacers. It was very exciting to be able to do that and I though about how far I'd come since running Helvetia last year. The gun went off and the race was started! I ran strong the whole way and was able to power up the hills (last year I walked one of them). A great day and an awesome course! I didn't quite break 2 hours like I'd hoped, but was pretty close. Official time: 2:02:48, placed 22/158 (in my age group).

Run for Risa Benefit Marathon

Run for Risa: This is my race report from yesterday. For some reason, my Garmin only registered 24.18 miles, but I ran 26.2. This race was not about time or setting a PR. It was a race to benefit a local girl with cancer. I did not know the family, but one of my co-coworkers did and asked if I would run. How could I say no, and how could I not run the full marathon? I wasn't sure how this race would go. Hagg Lake is hilly to begin with, and I knew I hadn't really trained properly for a full marathon, as my longest runs had been half's. Plus, I developed a nasty cold mid-week that was taking its toll on me mentally and physically. I was worried about not finishing until I took a step back mentally and realized that I've climbed mountains with less physical conditioning, so I knew I could do this-I just needed to focus. I got up at 4 that morning feeling rested, but had sinus congestion and pressure. Running in the cold morning air would help that. I drove up to Hagg Lake and was able to find the area we were meeting with no problem-everything was very well-marked. I was a little early, so after I picked up my race packet, I sat in my car to stay warm until start time. There were only a handful of full marathoners-probably 20, but at least 150 half-marathoners and the rest signed up for the 10 K and fun run-388 participants in all. We were the first to start at 7am; as we were waiting for the official start, Risa's mother came over and thanked all of us for participating. The route was 2 loops around Hagg lake with an out and back to make it a full 26.2 miles (13.1 for the half), since the loop is just over 10 miles. The out and back proved to be a little confusing as far as where to turn around, but it was better that the original plan, that had us going out Sain Creek Road, a steep gravel road with a 6% grade hill-not fun, especially at mile 24! I was grateful that the organizers took time to really evaluate the course. We were off and running in the cool, sunny morning. The loop was beautiful-hilly, but I had no problem with it. As we all started to spread out according to our respective paces, I found myself alone for most of the race-it almost felt like a training run. There were aid stations about every 2 miles, offering water and Ultima. I was glad for the brief company of the volunteers, as there were no spectators on the course like most races. There were volunteers in cars periodically circling the lake in case anyone was injured or needed to drop out, and I would get the occasional honk and wave. I saw my co-worker Susan at the mile 8 aid station and got some encouragement from her to finish the first loop. After crossing the finish the first time amidst applause and encouragement, it was time to go back and run it again. At Mile 15, some fatigue and soreness started setting in. I remember thinking that if I'd signed up for the half only, I'd have been done by now. I pushed that thought out of my mind and continued on, starting to intersperse a little bit of walking in between running. By mile mile 18, My calves were feeling pretty sore and tight, so I started walking more, knowing that this would happen and also knowing that this was about supporting a good cause and finishing. I met up with Susan again at the same aid station (~mile 21)-by that time, my right hip was pretty sore, and I knew that if I pushed too hard, I risked injury. Susan introduced me to one of Risa's sisters, who thanked me for participating-her words were “you don't even know me, and you're doing this.” That gave me the boost I needed, and I continued walking, even though my body had enough. One thing about long-distance running, especially marathoning, is that it is truly a mental game, especially late into the race. This is the time when your body wants to quit and you have to work through the pain, knowing that the finish will be your reward. I have to admit, though, I still wondered what I had been thinking, doing a full, but I knew at this point I was so close to finishing. A few more aid stations and words of encouragement, and finally boat ramp C, with balloons that seemed to be calling to me. I turned and headed toward the finish, amidst cheers and applause-my name was announced and then, to my surprise, they told me I'd won a prize: first woman over 40 to finish! What?! I never win anything! That was the icing on the cake that made the whole race worth it. After talking with Susan, I went to my car to drop some things off and of course post my results on FB. I came back to the picnic area since pizza was on the way. I also heard them call the last few runners. The course was to stay open until 2pm, but the last runner finished at around 12:45pm. I left tired, sore, and happy that I had done something worthwhile.
Risa had unfortunately lost her battle with cancer several weeks ago, but this benefit enabled her family to raise enough money to cover her medical expenses.