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.