Portland Half Marathon

I decided to take my running to the next level this summer and signed up for the Portland Half marathon. OK, it didn't actually happen that way; I'll be honest. Em was running all summer, and I was tagging along on her training runs....call it Quality Time if you will, since she has been so busy with school and work. When one of her teammates for the Hood to Coast race (see earlier blog) got injured weeks before the race, I stepped in as an alternate. After running 16+ miles over the course of 1.5 days during the Hood to Coast relay in August, I decided I might as well run the half marathon during the first week of October. I have a life goal of running a full marathon, but, you know, sometimes you have to lower your expectations. :) Besides, how hard could it be to run 13.1 miles? (I was soon to learn the hard way!) I was quite busy traveling (Israel, St Louis, Chicago - see earlier posts) in the month between the two races so I did not get much training done. On top of that, I had been battling a cold for 2 weeks before the race. But enough about excuses. A week before the Portland half marathon, a friend said she had signed up for the race (which was sold out) but she did not want to run it anymore....so I bought her race bib and ran in her place. The first 10 miles went great and I was running well and keeping on my target pace. Then I hit the proverbial wall that is commonly mentioned by distance runners. I was out of energy and struggling to stay moving. I knew if I started walking I would get cramps in my legs, and it would only get worse from there. I kept going, but my pace slowed to a very slow jog. The last 3 miles were one of the most painful experiences of my life. After the race I could barely walk. I was sore for 2 weeks after the race....the pain is temporary, but the memory will last forever.

Oh yeah, and Em ran the race too.....but it is no big deal for her because she has done several of these before. Case in point, note the differing facial expressions between her and I in these photos.

Em after the race: chipper as always

me after the race: not so chipper and in a world of pain