26.2 in Tracktown, USA...

After a late night flight to Portland on Friday night, we drove down to Eugene on Saturday (April 30). Packet pick-up was held in the soccer fields next to Hayward Field, so we got to take a peek at the hallowed ground of the track where the race would finish the next day.

 

The Expo was a pretty small affair, but with some nice amenities including a beer garden and live music in the afternoon. I was happy to find the actual Expo was shaded by tents from the sun and warming temperatures. Let's save the sun exposure for tomorrow, shall we? After a quick stop at our hotel, we had an early pasta dinner at Sweetwaters on the River on the banks of the Willamette River. While there, I got to preview the bike path that we would be running on in the second half of the marathon the next day because it ran right by the restaurant. We then made a quick stop at Goodwill to get throwaway clothes for the morning before the race and then it was time to get everything ready for the morning and catch some zzzz's.

Up and at'em early on race day (Sunday, May 1)! We opted to drive over to Autzen Stadium, home of the U. of Oregon Ducks, to catch the shuttle to the start rather than deal with the hassle of trying to find a parking spot by the start. We got there around 6am and were surprised by the small number of cars there at that time (the race started at 7am). We jumped on the waiting bus and off we went - super easy!

Neither of us dropped a gear bag at the start, but everything in the start area was pretty well-organized and not crowded. There was an abundance of porta-potties (with no lines), so that was appreciated. Kurt went off to do a short warm-up then I met up with the Oiselle girls for a pre-race photo.

 

 

Then, we all lined up in our corrals which were located alongside Hayward Field. Run Gum chewed, music queued, and it was time to roll! But, I'm getting ahead of myself here. I was standing at the starting line of my third marathon in a little over 5 months (Philly at the end of November, LA in mid-February, and now Eugene on May 1). And, to be honest, there was a point in mid to late March, that I thought I might have to drop down to the half. I had a key quality workout where I called it quits before even finishing the minimum number of sets because my legs just didn't have it that day. It was about a month after LA and a few weeks after the half in New Orleans, and I think my body was still recovering and I had been pushing it too hard too quickly. I really struggled to call that workout early that day, but ultimately it was the right call. I was able to get my scheduled 20 miler done a few days later, so I felt more confident that I could move forward with the marathon. But, then I had some ITB issues pop up the following week, and it honestly just felt like I was dealing with one nagging minor injury after another in the weeks leading up to race day (not to mention that I wasn't doing myself any favors by doing a Ragnar Relay two weeks before race day and a 10k trail race the week before Eugene). I am so, so thankful for my awesome massage therapist who saw me every week during this period and got me back out there on the roads each time. I wouldn't have been at the start line if it hadn't been for her. Big thanks, Ann! 

As has been par for the course lately, how I managed the weather was going to determine a lot of how my race went. The temperature was in the mid 40's to start, which was perfect! But, there was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature rose rapidly throughout the day (high was in the upper 70's-low 80's). I had my salt tablets with me, but I had put them in my back pocket rather than carrying them in my hand during the race because I was apparently being optimistic that maybe - just maybe - I wouldn't need them. HA! I knew by mile 6 that they were going to be mandatory to get through the day. Unfortunately, I missed the upcoming aid station because it was too congested for me to grab water, so I didn't start popping them until mile 8-ish. I started double-fisting water at the aid stations at that point - one cup to drink and one to pour over my head. Pretty soon I added a cup of Gatorade to the mix too, so I was doing what I could to stay hydrated and cool. I also lost any sort of plan to take a salt tablet every 30 minutes or so because I couldn't keep track of when I last took one, so I just ended up popping them like a crazy person whenever I thought about it. 

In terms of pace, I didn't really have a true plan going in. I had intentionally started slow in LA because of the heat, and I ended up having the slowest race of the last few marathons that I have done. So, I figured that probably wasn't the best strategy here either. Once I started running, I ultimately decided to take each mile for what it was - meaning the early miles would be cooler than the later miles so I better take advantage of that (without being reckless, of course!). I also decided to take what the course offered - if there was a slight downhill, then I went with it, and I didn't fight the few hills that there were either. 

The half and full marathon followed the same course until the split at around mile 10. I passed a fellow Oiselle teammate who was running the half at around mile 9, and I saw another bird up ahead. I tried to keep her in sight and slowly caught up to her. It turned out she was running the full, so once the race split as we entered Alton Baker Park, I asked her what kind of pace she was running. She said around 9:00's. I was okay with that, although I knew that wouldn't hold for me over the long-haul. So, I told her that I was going to tuck in behind her for awhile, and I did. I eventually lost her though as I took my time going through the next aid station...but I passed her a couple of miles later when she had stepped off the course to go to the bathroom. I thought she would catch me at some point because I knew my pace was slowing, but I never saw her again. It is such a boost though to see the Oiselle team singlet during a race, so that is one of the many perks I have found on this team. 

Shortly before the half, I stopped to retie my shoelaces, which were loosening because my shoes were getting wet (from sweat and the water I was dumping over myself). I also stopped shortly after the half because I came upon some girls with an impromptu aid station filled with soda. I had been craving a coke (for a caffeine and sugar boost) for the past couple of miles, and I was hoping they had some. They didn't, but I took what they were offering anyway - it turned out to be some sort of flavored Mountain Dew drink with caffeine in it (Kickstart). One of the girls popped open a can for me and poured me a small cup which I drank then asked for another...and another. I told her to cut me off at that point or I would keep drinking - I know how I can get with fluids when it is hot! It seemed to curb my craving and thirst for a bit, so off I went. I had a brief rough patch going over the highway at around mile 15 and walked more than I care to admit because I wasn't going to expend my energy going up even the slightest uphill at that point. 

UO Jam Squad, one of the "Spirit Groups" on the course (the table was full of drinks when I stopped)

The course soon entered the bike path where it generally followed along the river from miles 16 to 25+. This probably turned out to be the saving grace of my race because it offered intermittent patches of shade where it was notably cooler. This is also where things got hard, and I had to push to keep going. I went through mile 19 in about 3:01. Surprise, surprise, I've been there before. My finish time was going to be determined by how well I held it together in the last 7.2 miles. I told myself that even if I slowed my pace to 10 minute miles at that point, I had a 4:12-4:13 within reach which I would be happy with. There was a lot of fartlek running during the last part of the race though - run for a bit then walk for like 5-10 seconds while I mentally got my head together then repeat. Those last miles were purely mental - "Don't give up on yourself," "Keep it together," "Just hold on," "Fight!" And, I managed to hold it together just slightly better than I have in other similar races when the weather has played a factor. Before the race, I had told K that realistically he could expect me to finish in 4:15 +/- ? minutes. The unknown was how many minutes on either side of 4:15 would I be - how good or how bad of a race did I have. As the final miles progressed, especially the last mile, I knew that I could pull 4:15 if I tried and didn't give up. I had to fight and I managed to do just enough to meet that goal. What a moment to enter Hayward Field and finish on that historic track happy with the race that I had run. No, it's still not a PR, but I am so proud of myself for fighting for it in the last few miles when I could have taken the easier route with lengthier walk breaks and cruised in at 4:20+. 

This is happiness.

Shortly after my finish, Kurt found me in the soccer field behind the track like this:

Cooked well-done

I laid around for a bit in my post-race revelry before we headed over to the finish line at the track for one last picture.

Then, it was time for lunch and a visit to Pre's Rock before driving back to Portland (with a slight detour in Salem so that I could shower at the gym) to catch the red-eye flight home.

Sharing our medals with Pre.

Stats:
5k         00:28:39     09:14 min/mi
10k       00:56:32     09:06 min/mi
Half      02:01:32     09:17 min/mi
20mi     03:11:32     09:35 min/mi
Finish   04:15:43     09:46 min/mi

Wineglass Marathon in New York is up next in October (hoping for cooler weather!). But, first, I am taking a few weeks to really recover this time around before gearing back up for the Fall. In reality, that has looked like a humid, windy, hilly 10k race in Dallas a week after Eugene where I couldn't get my pace under 9:00 min/miles (my body was clearly reminding me that I had just run a marathon a few days earlier), lots of yoga, a few weight training sessions, and easy runs of 4-9 miles.