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That time I ran a half marathon without training...

**just a note that I know I haven't posted here in months, sometimes I lack the focus or passion to write things out, but I'll try to be better**

This weekend I ran my second half marathon, the inaugural Portland Rock 'N' Roll . I'd signed up for it months ago (September?) after best friend convinced me to.  Strangely enough she scheduled a trip to Utah for the same weekend so ended up not running it with me.  It worked out okay though, a co-worker was signed up too and it turns out we're well suited to run together pace wise. Another friend found me in the coral before the race and joined us. It was fun to have some running buddies. Also, Kara Goucher ran in this race. I can say I ran a race with Kara Goucher, how rad is that?

I didn't prepare for this race like I did last years Helvetia. In part due to a neck injury and then the flu, but mostly just my own laziness. This resulted in a less than stellar time but I had a great time, felt great throughout and still feel good now, hours later. And honestly, I was only 9 minutes slower than my time last year which I really, really trained for. I think this is a testament to how my body is in better shape overall. This makes me feel super proud of myself and encourages me to go out for my next half in five weeks.

The course was beautiful. There were hills, but that meant we had some awesome downhills. We snaked through SE PDX which is a real treat compared to the usual Portland races. There was a little rain to keep us cool, some awesome bands to listen to, great cheerleaders and one very supportive husband who used his only day off this week to come out and cheer me on at not one, but two different spots. He brought along our friend Josh and the puppy and it meant the world to see them standing there waiting for us. 

Overall it was a fabulous run. I was chipper the whole time and didn't get really drained until the last mile but I was able to push through that. I even found that my breath control was better than normal. I could actually talk while running?!? The event was well staffed and ran very smoothly (except for the three little stops for traffic). I loved how they had every mile marked. The water/aid stations were very well staffed and the post race medal/recovery area was perfect. Seriously great run. 

I'm back in my groove. I'd forgotten that I liked running. 

Funny Race Quote - As we came down Multnomah Blvd I could smell someone cooking breakfast. I was ravenously hungry at this point (mile 11) and it smelled so good. Very loudly I proclaimed "Do you smell that bacon? Oh that bacon smells so good right now" only to see my friend Tina's horrified face as I finished my sentence. Apparently we were also just passing a cop on his motorcycle and there is no way he didn't hear me. Oops! Sorry Mr. Officer, I was really just excited about the food and meant no disrespect!


This medal is awesome. It's heavy and sparkly and it's all mine!

I am so terrified EXCITED about the half marathon I will run in six days. I found myself analyzing the elevation chart today and I happy to say that the last half is downhill. Unfortunately that means the first half is nearly all uphill. I can only hope the good people who live and work on Hawthorne will be generous with the alcohol water they hand out and cheer us crazy people on as we limp run though their pretty neighborhood.