Forty Year Old Trail Running Mom is Crowned Prom Queen

By the time I got home from Silver Falls State Park, I had six hours before my out-of-town guests' arrival and the festivities to commence. I showered, ate a big breakfast, apologized for being a family slacker then retreated to my bedroom for a nap. When I woke up and caffeinated I felt good as new! I would be able to party the night away after all.

I couldn't believe I was forty! I kept telling everyone that I was turning FORTY! Everyone misunderstood. They tried to console and reassure me. "Life begins at forty." "My forties have been my best decade yet."  What they didn't understand was I wasn't mourning! I am proud as a peacock over the fact that I'm stronger, fitter and faster than ever at forty! Forty is such a powerful number. I feel like it should always be proceeded with an exclamation point. I'm a forty! year-old working multi-sporty momma and I would be going to the prom in just a few hours.

Living in the uber casual granola town of Eugene, it is very rare that I have the opportunity to dress up in formal attire, wear high heels and put some glam in my hair, makeup and jewelry.  Here are the before and after shots. I don't even look like the same person!

My sweet husband turned into a blushing teenage boy when he put my corsage on and received his boutonniere.  I love this man, my groom of 19 years!  We left our children in the care of our trusty sitter, threw the booster seats into the back of the Euro van, swiped the Annie's cheddar bunnies off the seats and piled into our "limo" for the night.  Our first stop would be Ambrosia for a pre-prom dinner.  When I arrived I was touched beyond belief to see all family and friends in formal attire seated around an intimate circular table under glowing light. I felt honored and terribly spoiled. These wonderful people had gone out of there way for me, little old me. I couldn't stop smiling and laughing. I was with the people that I love.  I am so thankful to have each and everyone of them in my life.

Sister, childhood friends, husband...

My amazing runner-momma-rock-star-friends. How cute are they?

Sister, witness to 37 of 40 years of my life.

Wait, there's cake too?!

Sweetest man in the world

After dining, drinking and toasting, we made our way to the prom venue, a local dance club.  My super running partner friend Laura had transformed an area of the club into a classic prom scene complete with backdrop for prom photos, balloons, sparkly, mylar stars and glitter. This prom night was grander, more fun and sweeter than any prom I could have ever imagined! My high school prom couldn't have ever measured up to this amazing event.  We danced the night away, visited, laughed, snapped countless photos and were silly.  Nearly a month has passed since this night to remember and I still find myself smiling, feeling warm and fuzzy and sifting through the priceless photos from this event.

Thank you SO much for each and everyone of my family and friends who played a part in my prom-dream.  You mean the world to me.  I am filled with gratitude.  I will never forget this amazing milestone birthday or my first and only prom experience.  I love you all.

Now for the pictures of the night to remember.

Prom night at Cowfish!

Tearing up the dance floor!

80s prom attendees!

Adorable, fun couple with some serious dance moves!

Hey, I ran a half marathon this morning & I'm dancing in heels!

Fellow runner parents of twins. A force to be reckoned with!

How cute are they in their retro prom garb?

I have the coolest friends!

Coordinating purple prom attire

Fun was had by all.

Oldest and dearest friends.

Loved the melding of old and new friends. Everyone had so much fun!

Silver Falls Half Marathon Pre-Prom Race Report

Photograph courtesy of dailymile

My prom just so happened to fall on the same day as Silver Falls Half Marathon.  It would be my first race as a "master" (over 40 year-old). I hadn't raced since I ruptured my PF back in June of 2010.  It had taken me over a year of recovering and gradual build up to be back in the game again. I was chomping at the bit. You know those wild horses with flared nostrils bucking, trying to get out of the rodeo pen and whip the cowboy right of it's steaming back? That's what felt like. Recently stricken by the competitive bug, I was ready to TEAR IT UP!

Race morning was dark, cold and wet. Tanya, Chelsea and I huddled in the picnic shelter at Silver Falls State Park as close to the fire as we could get without spontaneously combusting. Dang, it was COLD! As far as I'm concerned, Chelsea earned the medal of valor for protecting countless children from perishing in the flamage.  Somehow she managed to do so without so much as one nasty glance from a parent who had been caught slacking on the job or a whine, protest or salty tear from a child. I put on as many layers of clothes as possible, borrowed a hat, chatted with fellow Eugene trail runners until it was time to line up at the start line.

Brrrrrrrr...

Since I had turned forty and thus became a master, last Thursday, I had had the song "Master of the House" from Les Miserables in my head. Apparently that is my theme song of my fortieth year. I couldn't get this song out of my head and unfortunately knew only 5% of the words. I mentally sang "Think he's quite a lover but there's not much there" line at least 50 times.  We were off with the lacidasical starts that only trail races offer.  Mercifully it had stopped raining, but it was bitterly cold.  With my aversion to being boxed in, I made a break for it.  I needed some elbow room.  First couple miles were on the roads so we had room to spread out before hitting the single track

Once I got warm and loosened up, I felt awesome. No foot pain whatsoever!  It was going to be a good day on this gorgeous course.  If I was lucky, there might even be a half marathon PR in store for me.  We ran through wetlands, in and out of forests, behind giant waterfalls, along white-peaked streams and up and down huge flights of stairs. It was all scenic single track trail of which I never bored. The smells of cedar and anise were amazing.  Aide stations with water were well-placed and staffed with friendly volunteers.  I chose to use my Nathan hydration pack so I wouldn't have to stop.  The more tired I got, the harder it was to drink out of that thing.  I did opt to drink water from a cup (what a luxury!) at the final aide station.

Fall proved to be the perfect time of year to run these trails.
(Photo courtesy of Pacific Crest Stock Outdoor Adventure Gallery)

My one and only minor complaint was that some of the fellow racers lacked what I consider to be common trail etiquette.  Here's what I wanted to tell them and the rest of trail running newbies:

1. If you hear others on the trail, scoot over to a side so they can pass.
2. Do not have the volume of your MP3 player turned up so high that you can't hear fellow runners on the trail. Better yet, don't listen to music at all. Aren't the sounds of nature and chatting with fellow runners company and entertainment enough?
3. Encourage or at least acknowledge the other runners on the trail. A wave, smile or grunt is plenty but jokes are even more appreciated.
4. If you pass someone, do so politely. Perhaps tell them that you're sure they'll pass you once you get to an uphill section.
5. Runners, walkers, hikers and bikers going downhill have the right of way.

Gorgeous trails. Put this race in your race calendar! I'll be going back next year.

I loved this course! It was like being on the "Rave Run" page of a Runners World magazine. It took extreme restraint not to stop and snap photos along the way. I was trying to keep my pace steady. I had no Garmin. I relied solely on perceived exertion. I was definitely working out there but still feeling good and ridiculously strong.  My training on hilly Ridgeline had been great practice.  The final hill was a doozy and the only section that I power walked.  There was quite a crowd cheering at the finish. I was thrilled to see 2:02:32 on the clock as I passed through the finishing shoot. YES! I managed to run that baby with a 9:21 minute mile pace.

Lovely flights of stairs around mile 11.
(Photograph courtesy of Ski Anything)

There was bread, chili and lots of prize drawings at the finish. I unfortunately didn't earn any but was uber proud of two women that I run with who placed in their age group. Prizes were gorgeous Silver Falls photos in rustic frames.  I have aspirations of one day placing in my age group. Today, though, I'd have to settle for 15th.  It was time to scoot on out before we caught hypothermia out there. The warm van and sweet conversation of my friends made our two and a half hour ride home go by quickly.  I was feeling anything but cute in my sweaty muddy trail running garb.  It would take some serious smoke and mirrors to make myself prom worthy.  Hot shower, food, power nap, coffee and  plenty of eyeshadow were in order. Remaining question was would I be able to don heels with my formal attire or would I have to wear the new trail shoes that I had reserved for the occasion?

Fun day on the trails with friends. Super proud of my fellow trail running mommas!

To Prom or not to Prom, that is the Question

Back in high school I opted out of prom. Why should someone as evolved as I, participate in such a sexist, capitalistic rite of passage? Hardly any of my friends were going, it was expensive and would likely be a spend the night feeling socially awkward. I considered pulling a Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink and going just to prove a point.  She looked super cool in her custom-handmade dress, had the company of the always entertaining Ducky and Andrew McCarthy decided that he wanted to be with her after all. It was possible that I could have a good time, but I wasn't willing to risk it. The years passed.  Entire decades passed and for some mysterious reason, I couldn't get over the fact that I missed prom.  

“You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened... or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on.”Tupac Shakur

I tried to move on. That didn't work. I tried to move the fuck on. That didn't work either. Twenty two years late or not, I needed a prom. I had a milestone birthday coming up in a year. What better way to usher in a new decade than having a prom-themed birthday party? I bashfully mentioned this idea to a few friends.  They thought it was a great idea (or at least were willing to indulge me). I was giddy with excitement and nervous energy! Would anyone show up? Would it be hokey? Would it be the prom of my dreams? Would it fill that prom-less void in my life? Oh my! I'm forty and I'm going to the prom!

 Tupac and I. This photo was taken at the site of my future prom..

Cycling a Century

Follow that pumpkin!

 Could I really do it?  I've only been cycling for a little over a year.  My longest ride to date is only 67 miles.  My feet were so sore this week that I could barely walk, let alone lightly exercise all week.  It had been raining all week.  I hadn't bothered to acquire rain gear.  I just didn't feel like it.  Even on a good day, cycling a century would be a challenge, but adding my lackluster mental state, made this feat seem virtually impossible. As if that wasn't bad enough, Aunt Flo came the eve of the century! Being the loud mouth that I am, I told folks near and far about my century.  I had been talking about it ad nauseum for the last few months.  Folks I hardly knew, hell, strangers knew about it.  There was no chickening out now.

My husband who's seen my pre-race, PMS infused tapering week madness knew exactly what was going on.  When he tried to tell me that everything would be fine.  I was ready.  No need to work my tail end off, I was tapering.  I have pre-event jitters coupled with PMS.  No biggie.  I was ready.  I have the best cheerleader in the whole world but I would hear no word of it.  "This is different!" I insisted.  Don't tell me I'm awesome and ready because I'm not!  In fact, I'm thinking of downgrading to a 75 mile ride!  In hindsight, I recognize how utterly predictable I am and how well this man knows me. 

It turned about to be an amazing experience, beautiful, well-marked course, super fun fellow cyclists, fantastic support and both physically and mentally easier and more fun that I ever anticipated!  I enjoyed each and every mile of this event.  A few of the highlights were:

• Enjoying the sights and sounds of this beautiful course around the quaint little towns that surround my hometown.
• Cycling with my friend Janel, whose been my cycling inspiration.  We met a little over a year ago at surf camp and become fast friends.
• Reaching my maximum cycling speed of 40 MPH cruising fearless down a steep hill.  What a rush!
• Not getting lost or needing to turn around once, thanks to the great pumpkin course markers. 

Here's a brief photographic tour of the Harvest Century, the first of what I hope to be my many, many, many centuries.

My bike "Princess" at the first rest stop, a sweet turn of the century white church complete with steeple and grazing horses across the street.  I enjoyed hard boiled eggs, donut holes, apples, oranges and salted potatoes.

Halfway done at this point.  I could chose the 75 mile or 105 mile route at this point.  100 miles, baby!  Wahoo!  Janel and I had finally connected.  I had had lunch.  I was having the time of my life and felt like a million dollars.

Look at this madwoman!  The bike isn't even carbon and look at that height!

Crossing the river on the Canby Ferry.  So far, so good.  God, this was fun.  Can I do it again next weekend?  Little did I know that all the serious hills were 70 miles into the ride. 

Janel surfacing from behind a ginormous hill with a smile on her face.  Look at that beautiful blue sky!  Janel and I rode with a group of six cyclers, some were quite the characters.  Miles sure pass quickly in the company of chatty bikers.

Beer, BBQ and lots of belly laughs at the finish.

 So, my dear readers.  What lesson does this blog post hold for you?  Find something that seems larger than life and beyond your capabilities and go for it!  YOU CAN DO IT (and so much more)!  Believe in yourself!  Live life big!  Don't make excuses!  Go for it!  You only live once!  Do it with no regrets!  Carpe diem!

Warrior Dash Race Report

Bad Asses reporting for duty!

The Warrior Dash proved to be crazy fun.  Everyone should participate in this event at least once in their lives.  I signed up with a group of fellow momma women warriors.  We plotted, planned, ordered matching Bad Ass socks, painstakingly tied strips of tulle on elastic to create our signature tutus, decorated our vehicles, booked accommodations at a cool funky brew house hotel and arranged for a group photographer to capture our moments of warrior greatness.  What we didn't do much of was train.  I mean, really, it was a mere 5K!  Sure, there were "12 hellish obstacles" between the running but competitors drink beer, eat giant turkey legs on bones and wear fuzzy hats with horns afterwards.  How tough could it be? 

Warrior Dash: Craziest Friggin' Day of Your Life!

We arrived to our battleground.  It was quite the production!  Reminded me of a giant music festival.  We decided to check out some of the obstacles to see what we were up against.  Maybe this wasn't such a joke after all.  You could really get hurt out there! Climbing over slippery cars in a scrapyard, jumping over fire, jumping from shaky platform to shaky platform, swimming through water and up and over unwieldy logs, crawling under barbed wire, flinging yourself up and over cargo nets... Perhaps we should have done a little obstacle training, perhaps some upper body weight training?  Too late now.  Good thing I was just doing this for fun and not to win! 

After much anticipation, our wave finally started.  I believe I heard someone say that there were 300 to 400 people in each wave.  It was so crowded!  One of my race pet peeves is to be locked in and stuck behind people.  I don't like to be slowed down.  My girl, Chelsea and I decided to make a break for it.  She took one side, I took another and we sprinted up the steep hill that forced most participants to hike rather than run.  It was muddy, slippery and rooty.  We were passing people left and right.  It was an awesome feeling but I hoped that we weren't using up all the gas in our limited tanks. 

Before we knew it, we were at our first obstacle "Deadweight Drifter" where we would "wade through waist deep water" and hurl ourselves over logs until we made our way across a little cattle pond.  I stepped in and promptly found myself chin-deep in water.  WTF?  What happened to waist deep water?!  Next thing I knew, I had lost all footing together and was forced to swim with a mob of people.  It was mayhem!  I am a good swimmer, but this shit was scary!  Someone's head was just asking to be clocked by one of those unruly logs!  FUCK!  As if that wasn't bad enough, my cute, custom made sparkly tutu became water logged and sunk to my ankles.  I pulled it up and proceeded to hurl myself over a log that a kind, burly man spun for me.  Darn thing slipped again as I swam towards the next log.  I saw my tall long-legged friend Chelsea, fearlessly make her way across the pond and decided that I'd have to sacrifice my tutu.  Pulled the thing off and let it sink to the bottom of the pond.  Good riddance!  This obstacle was by far the scariest and riskiest of the day.  Was I ever glad to make it to the other side all in one piece.

Next we climbed and leaped our way over a bunch of busted, rusted cars in the makeshift wrecking yard.  It was slippery, some dashboards showed evidence of feet breaking through, there was even  sharp metal from here to there as well.  Maybe I shouldn't have snickered so much at the "hellish obstacles".  Chelsea was an animal out there!  Sheer determination.  She was not a woman to be fucked with.  She took on each obstacle as if it were a personal attack.  I hoped I could keep up with her!  The running portion also proved to be more challenging that I anticipated.  It was a 5K but it went up and down, up and down and up and down steep, uneven, slippery and/or rooty terrain.  It was trail runner heaven.  I  loved the running portion and really challenged myself to run it all rather than succumb to walking like so many of the other participants.  The obstacles turned out to be a nice opportunity to lower my heart rate and catch my breath.

Hellish obstacles that followed Deadweight Drifter and Road Rage:

#3:   Great Warrior Wall:  Climb a very tall vertical wall and slide down the other side.  The knotted rope proved to be ever so helpful on this one but the dismount was scary!  I had to put fear aside and hope that I wouldn't get splinters in my ass as I slid down the wood eight feet back down to the ground. 

#4:  Rubber Ricochet: Ram your way through a sea of tires swinging from ropes.  This was super easy but fun.

#5:  Deadman's Drop:  Another wall but this time there was a wooden ladder for the dismount.  Thank God!

#6:  Chaotic Crossover:  Bear climb over a long horizontal cargo net.  Not as easy as it sounds!

#7:  Barricade Breakdown:  Hurl yourself up and over a barricade, then roll/crawl your way through mud under barbed wire and repeat this five or six times.  This was FUN!

#8:  Satin's Steps:  Initially wasn't worried about these but they were wobbly!  My short little legs had to make great big leaps to get me over.  A fellow competitor jumped on my platform when I was on and nearly flung me overboard!

#9 Assassin's Escape:  Up a ladder and down a fire fighter pole.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!  Geez, this event is awesome!  Chelsea and I were making great time!  I was proud of us!  So much for not being competitive!

#10: Cargo Climb:  Climb up and down a very tall cargo wall.

#11:  Warrior Fires: leap over two rows of thigh high fire

Mothers of Multiples ain't afraid of no fire!

#12:  Muddy Mayhem: Scramble beneath barbed wire in a muddy soup then climb up a slippery slope and slide belly first to the finish line.

Being muddy has never been so much fun!

I finished in 39:46 which comes to a 11:22 minute mile average with the the obstacles.  I was 49th out of 598 in my age group.  Best of all Chelsea and I stuck together the whole time and raced our little hearts out.  It was awesome to be there to cheer on our fellow "Warrior Women" when they crossed the finish line with huge smiles on their faces.

Our post race bath in a muddy pond (tutus proved to be as effective as loofahs!), free beers, live music, fabulous people watching, fuzzy hats, "I Survived the Warrior Dash" t-shirts and turkey drumsticks that tasted like bacon followed.  It was a fantastic day!  We couldn't wait to sign up and participate again the following year.  Fortunately more fun was to be had since we had decided to make a girl's weekend of it.  Real showers, more beer and food and a soaking pool awaited us and the magnificent Grand Lodge.

I still smile every time I think of this crazy event.  It was SO much fun!  I highly recommend that you take the plunge, take a walk on the wild side and be a warrior!

Wahoo! We did it!

Our bath in a giant mud puddle.  Somehow we managed to get cleaner.

Post race festivities

Thanks for an amazing time and a memorable weekend Warrior Women!  Until next year!

Priorities, perfectionism and paring down one's precious time

One of my favorite picture books to read to my students is a book entitled "Fortunately".  It's a patterned book. One page says something like "Unfortunately I fell out of a plane.  Fortunately I landed on a hay stack.  Unfortunately I landed on a pitchfork."  It continues to describe the characters fortunes and misfortunes.  I have my students write their own version of a "Fortunately" book.  It serves as a silly reminder to be thankful for what we've got, as things can easily, quickly and randomly change.

Since starting back to work full-time, I've been feeling overwhelmed, maxed out, a bit grumpy and feeling rather alone and poor-me-ish.  While getting in a time-pinched post-nine hour work day workout, I imagined my own "Fortunately" story. 

Fortunately I was able to keep my teaching job while 110 of my valued colleagues were laid off from the school district.

Unfortunately I had to increase my hours and change my position.

Fortunately I rediscovered my love for being a classroom teacher.

Unfortunately the job requires a ton of extra planning and preparation.

Fortunately I am more mentally and creatively challenged than I have been in years and get oodles of hugs and smiles all day long.

Unfortunately working 50 plus hours a week leaves little time for much else.

Fortunately I have an awesome husband who is willing and capable of picking up the slack and our children are getting to spend more quality time with him.

Unfortunately I still can't do all that I used to or want to.  I feel like I'm missing out!

Fortunately I still have time for my family and fitness.

Unfortunately I have to squeeze it in at odd times and have limited time.

Fortunately exercise lifts my spirits and keeps me fit.  Each and every workout has a purpose and is high quality.

Unfortunately my schedule no longer allows me to share workouts and gab-fests with my running/swimming partner or other momma buddies.

Fortunately I have the discipline to go solo on occasion and have met new folks with similar schedules with whom to work out here and there. 

Unfortunately I don't get as much sleep due to uber-early morning workouts and/or wee-morning/late evening teacher planning and prep.

Fortunately I'm there for my family during their waking hours and am ready with fun thoughtful lessons for my students.

Unfortunately I had to put Friday's at Four, visits with out of town family/friends, blogging and facebook on standby.

Fortunately there's enough of me left for those that are nearest and dearest in my heart.

Questions that I regularly ask myself:  What are my priorities?  Do my daily actions reflect those priorities?  What's important to me and worthy of my time and attention?  What takes up my time and attention that isn't worthy?  What am I going to do about that?

Hood to Coast Race Report

Team Twinados

The Hood to Coast Relay is a "must do" event for every runner.  Outside of parenting twins, it's the most entertaining, exhausting, intriguing event I have ever had the opportunity to be part of.  It is one of the longest major relays in North America.  Over 20,000 runners from all over the country and even world-wide participate in this 200 mile relay that starts at the tallest peak in Oregon, Mt. Hood and ends on the Oregon Coast at Seaside.  My team, the Twinados (rhymes with tornadoes) cut our teeth on Hood to Coast in 2009.  It was quite the learning experience. We love it so much we applied for entry the following year.  Unfortunately, entry for us common folk is by lottery and the odds weren't on our side.  We applied again this year.  Lady Luck was on our side and we got a coveted spot in the "Mother of All Relays.  

This is the one and only running event that my husband and I participate in simultaneously.  We drop our twins with their Auntie and make a weekend of it.  It's hard to believe that running three legs, totaling in mileage ranges of 17 to 20, rushing from location to location in a cramped, sweaty van with four other runners for around 28 hours would be a "vacation", but it is!  Last HTC our motto was "197 miles of peace and quiet".  This year it was "Running 200 miles in 27 hours for our sanity."  Us parents can't be too picky about what we do during our time away from the kids.  Hanging out with my fun, sporty teammates doing the sport I love the most, sounds like a great time to me! 

My husband and I were in the second van again this year.  Next time I HAVE to be in van 1 at the start line!  Van 1 of our team started the race up at Mt. Hood five hours earlier at 2 pm.  When we got the parking lot to meet up with them at 4 pm, the energy and excitement was palatable.  Vans of all shapes, sizes and degrees of decor took over the parking lot.  Runners were everywhere!  They came from all over the country and some were even from outside the country.  It was a jovial atmosphere.  The Hot Tamales, a masters women team, passed out Hot Tamales. A team made up of physical therapists had a yoga mat with a foam roller out for anyone to use.  The Wall of Sound, blasted music from their awesome roof rack sound system.  What a spectacle, three ring circus this event is!  Runners were talking and laughing with one another as if they were long lost friends. 

Not only was I in the later starting van, I was also the last runner in my van.  I had legs 12, 24 and 36.  I had plenty of time to get nervous.  My bum foot, well feet actually had really been acting up lately.  I was nearly crippled after running just a eight mile training run on bark chip.  How was I supposed to run three separate times over 24 hours for a grand total of 17 miles?  I almost bailed out and called in a sub.  Our team has been plagued with injuries this year.  Four runners on our team had to drop out due to injury and/or surgery.  My husband assured me that I could do it and at worst, if I wasn't able to finish, that he could run my legs in addition to his own.  That was the last thing I wanted but it was assuring knowing that if worst case scenario struck, that I had someone in my van strong enough to do something like that if need be. 

My friends in Van 1, rocked it coming down Mt. Hood in the heat of the day.  They ran 35.25 miles in 4:54:58.  This comes to a van pace of 8:22 min/mi!  Their work was done, well, at least for a few hours while Twinado Van 1 took over running duty.  

Van 2 was chomping at the bit by the time our turn finally came around.  It was still plenty hot and our first few runners had some rolling hills to tackle.  Sending runners off, cheering them on before hopping back in the van to zoom to the next exchange was stressful and exciting.  Did we know where we were going?  Would we make it on time?  Would we encounter traffic?  What kind of support could we offer our runners while they ran?  Who would take pictures?  Who would navigate?  Who would operate the Palm Pilot time/mile keeper?  How long would the Honey Bucket line be?  Should we eat now or after our run?  Would we make a smooth connection with Van 1 at the next exchange?  There's a great deal of problem solving out there and it requires a team effort. 

By the time I started my leg it was around 10:30 pm and pitch dark.  I was on a desolate bike path that ran parallel to the Willamette River.  I was the one and only runner out there for the first three miles. I hoped I was in the right place!  Where was everyone?  It was a little lonely out there and as much as I tried to push myself, I couldn't seem to run faster than 9:00 to 9:30 minute miles.  I would be the slowest runner in the van dammit.  Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that might allow my gimpy feet to run all three legs.  After mile three, I started getting passed by other runners.  On one hand, it was nice to know that I was on course, but on the other hand I was being passed. Who likes being passed?!  It is tradition for HTCUrg.

I ran along the Springwater Corridor path, alongside Oaks Park, down Oaks Bottom and was greeted by the lights of Portland as they shone and reflected in the Willamette River.  As one who grew up in the Portland Metro area, it was a welcome sight and the perfect place to end my first leg.  I only collected one road kill.  I was able to finish my longest leg of 6.37 miles with a 9:31 pace.  The great thing was that my feet and legs felt fine!  My fears had been elevated and my confidence boosted.  Van 2 ran 34.16 miles in 4:45:08 which comes to a van pace of 8:21 min/miles! 

My beautiful hometown, Portland, OR

Coming down the homestretch of my first leg of relay

Happy runner

Van 1 was back in business and Van 2 was ready to eat, drive to our next exchange and catch a wink or two in the van before we were back on duty.  Meanwhile Van 1 sported headlamps and reflective vests as they ran away the evening and wee morning hours.  Somewhere around 4:30 am, our sleepy, if not sleeping van was awoken by Van 1.  Rise and shine! Time to get running again!  They had run 33.97 miles in 4:55:01 for a van pace of 8:41 min/mi.  It was our turn again! One thing I regret about this race is the limited interactions between our vans.  Time is of the essence.  If we stand around chatting, we risk missing our runner and the next exchange. 

This year we thought about what worked the first time we ran this race and what needed to be modified to make for a more pleasant experience.  At the top of the list was food.  Each member of the van, brought food and drink to share.  Our foods hit the spot and settled well in our fragile digestive systems.  Some of our staples were boiled potatoes, watermelon, homemade, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, cantaloupe, bagels, bananas, peanut butter and potato chips.  There were places en route that we could buy additional food and drink as needed.

Several of Van 2's second legs took runners up  challenging dusty, gravely hills.  I was super impressed with the grit that each member had.  They all stayed positive, pushed themselves physically and got the job done.  My second leg was rather uneventful.  It was a five mile flat section that I ran at 9:30 min/mi pace.  That is just a tiny bit quicker than my default training pace.  I tried not to get down on myself and reminded myself that I have only been running since my injury and surgery for the last six months.  Being out of town made my training very inconsistent.  I just didn't make it to the start line as fast or as strong as I wanted to be.  The good thing was that I was there!  Not only was I there but I was having fun hanging out with my van mates and being a part of this awesome event with this fantastic team.  Van 2 ran 32.55 miles (on rather stiff fatigued legs) in 4:45:28 for a 8:46 min/mi pace.

Here I am with the Palm Pilot and team spreadsheet. These tools are used to predict at what time exchanges will be made.

My awesome team all helping. One giving water, one collecting water bottle, one driving, one shooting pictures and one cheering.

Van 1 was ready to start their third and final legs!  This would be the section of the race that we would encounter the most race-induced traffic congestion.  It made traveling between exchanges very slow and frustrating.  Van 1 finished their running in mid-afternoon.  They would meet us at the finish line in Seaside. some four to five hours later.  Their work was done!

Steve and I rest a spell by the Bucks. Romance at its best!

Van 2 was ready to "git 'er done!"  Each of us had had varying degrees of sleep ranging from an hour to a maximum of four hours.  We hadn't showered in over 24 hours, were dusty, sweaty and a bit smelly.  As much as we tried to seal up our sweaty clothes in Ziploc bags after our runs, the van had developed a funky smell.  Our legs, butts and other body parts were fatigued at best and sore/cramped at worst.  The fact that no one blew chunks was a huge victory.  Last year many of us got nauseous and a couple even threw up mid-race.  See how much fun this event is?!  The August afternoon sun blazed down on us but we could smell the finish line.  Beer would be plentiful.  Our hotel rooms would be spacious, have beds with sheets and blankets, running water for hands, showers for bodies and flush toilets!  Did I mention the food, beer, live music and fireworks on the beach?

A few runners in my vans had really hot, challenging legs when they were already spent.  Again, they kept a positive attitude and put every ounce of energy and determination into their last legs.  This is where our van collected a ton of road kill.  Other teams were getting tired, but ours was hanging in there, if not getting stronger.  That's parents of multiples for ya!  My last leg was my favorite!  I knew that I didn't need to save energy or hold anything back.  My foot thankfully had held up and wasn't even sore.  My legs were exhausted from running and stiff from sitting in the van for the last four to five hours, but I was going to be able to get my team to the finish line!

My leg started on trails!  It was awesome to be on my preferred running surface.  After a mile and half of rutty, scenic trails, I was on the highway heading down the coastal mountains for the coast.  I love the Oregon Coast!  I had a nice three mile down hill section where I was finally able to get my speed down to sub 9 min/miles.  Energy and breathing wise this was easier to run than my other two legs.  My legs took a pounding though!  I kept praying that they'd continue catching me and supporting my weight.  I ran right past my van when they got in another huge traffic jam.  As I ran through the business sections of Seaside I worried that my van wouldn't be there at the finish when I crossed the line for our team.  I let those worries float away.  There wasn't anything, anyone could do about it.  I was just going to enjoy this experience for as long as I could.  People lined the Seaside Promenade, tents covered the sandy beach, the sky was bright blue, live music blared from the speakers and happy runners celebrated.  Wahoo!  I was done!  I had run my last leg of 5.25 miles in 9:04 min/miles.  Van 2's final leg was 32.65 miles long and took 4:33:37.  That comes to a van pace of 8:34 min/miles! 

Our team completed the 200 mile relay in just under 28-1/2 hours!  Way to go team!  My van got hung up in the aforementioned traffic jam ,but van 1 and my super duper HTC volunteer mother and father-in-law were at the finish.  I waited around for twenty minutes and then ran through the final shoot with my entire team.  We basked in our accomplishment, collected our swag and took photos.  Van 1 took off to return to Portland and then home to Eugene.  I was so glad that my van had opted for a night at the coast.  I couldn't bear the thought of getting back in the van for any extended bit of time.  Besides there was a party with beer, food and fireworks!

Beautiful day at the coast

Coming down the prom

Crossing finish line

My terrific team with medals and fancy custom t-shirts

It takes a village to run Hood to Coast! Special thanks to:

• The thousands of volunteers that staffed this huge event. They were super helpful and friendly.
• My sister for watching her nieces while their mommy and daddy ran the relay and chilled out at the coast the following night and morning.
• My in-laws for driving all the way out from Portland to volunteer on behalf of our team. Three volunteers are required for each team.
• My team captains Scott, Deb and Robyn for being on top of race details, getting us registered, organized, informed, outfitted in team shirts and much more.
• My entire team for their enthusiasm and great attitude out on the course. It was a pleasure running with and getting to know you all a little (well, a lot) better.
• My van mates who stepped up to the plate with arranging hotel accommodations, driving the van, time/record keeping, taking pictures, serving as navigator, supporting one another and being so much fun to hang out with for 28-1/2 hours.

Another HTC in the books!