Thank You!

Wahoo...I received a few more donations yesterday.

Many thanks to Danny and Patsy for the kind donation and for your support. I've heard through the family grapevine that Patsy has run the Portland Marathon, so I'll need to pick her brain for tips, warnings, etc. We hope to see you both soon.

A fellow skier, John, and his wife, Barbara, donated to our great cause yesterday. You guys are wonderful. Thanks so much for your support. I hope you have a great ski day up at the mountain. Crazy weather this year, but we are all very glad to get some snow...even if it is a bit tardy.

Thanks also to Cindy for the surprise donation I found in my mailbox. I loved receiving a donation from someone I haven't actually met myself. One of these times when I am up in Kelso I'll be sure to stop by the school to meet you.

How Is This Possible?

I have heard of this happening. You hear the story of the person that has only (!) run two marathons in their life, years apart and perhaps in different parts of the country (or the world), with finish times that are within a minute of each other. I find that baffling. It almost seems as though our human bodies have an internal clock, a comfortable pace that is difficult to change (eerily similar to that comfortable weight that also seems resistant to change). I know we are able to get faster with training (and slower without), but for whatever reason I am always amazed when my training runs along the same course finish within seconds of each other.

Today I ran my little 5½-mile loop again, working a little harder, trying to run a little faster so I don't get too complacent. I picked up the pace with about two miles to go and tried to maintain that pace for the rest of the way in. I managed to finish a whopping 24 seconds faster than last week.

Two New Donations

Thanks, Carol. Your donation was a wonderful surprise in my mailbox yesterday. I would be most honored to run in memory of your dad.

Thanks also to Jim, Linda, and little Regan. I had such a fun talk with Linda last week. I love that we are such good friends that we can pick up a conversation like we just talked yesterday. I hope you guys can make it out to the Portland Marathon one of these years.

Again, I want to mention how motivating these donations and words of support have been for me. I feel like we are really making a difference here, like we are helping accomplish something truly good. Thank you for that.

Muddy Buddy

We ran for an hour and 40 minutes up on the Wildwood Trail today. It was windy everywhere else, but perfect up in the shelter of all those wonderful trees. Perfect, that is, if you don't mind a little mud.



Next weekend, the Oregon Road Runners Club is holding the March MUDness race on the Wildwood Trail. The race distance options include 50K, 100K, and half marathon. Wow! I am not quite that tough.

We'll Be Cheering For You Sam!

Thanks to Steve, Cindy, and Sam for your donation and well wishes. We had a great time watching Sam run last year, and we'll be over at the track cheering once again this year, even though it makes us feel old.

There is nothing like going to a high school track meet to remind me of the following things:

1. I am far removed from high school. Those days are long gone.
2. I am also slow. The days of running fast with barely any training are gone too.
3. At least I, and my turtle-like pace, can train to run a marathon. No high school kid in their right mind would do that.
4. Lastly, I am way, way out of touch with all things cool.

When Your Usual 5½-Mile Loop Starts Becoming Your "Short Run"...

...you know you are officially training for something longer than a 5K or 10K.

I knew I needed to run yesterday, so I squeezed in a quick round on the loop before meeting some friends for St. Patrick's Day. As I set out I thought, "I'll just run this a little faster. That way I'll get in a solid workout and I'll finish on time too."

Last summer, that same 5½-mile loop was my grueling long run, only occasionally made a little longer with the addition of another mile loop (but never made longer than that). I like this progress...at least today. Ask me again tomorrow just after I finish a 10- or 11-mile long run.

Shamrock 15K

Sunday morning was a little crazy. We had to get up, get downtown, register, and then meet my training partner, Julie, near the starting line. I almost never register for races on the morning of the race, simply because of the inconvenience of waiting in line and filling out paperwork when you'd rather be warming up and stretching (or waiting in another all-to-important line, the one for the beloved port-a-potty). Sunday morning's chaos reinforced that for me.

Number pinned on, running partners found, starting area arrived at just in the nick of time, and quickly we were off. Or, as my brother likes to say, "Off like a herd of turtles."

The race went pretty well. The long gradual hill was different from most of my training runs, but was much better than I'd expected. For some reason I had envisioned this hill in my mind as long and steep. I was pleased to find out that steep wasn't accurate.

We finished the race just behind a guy wearing a "Got Beer?" shirt who actually had some of the beer offered by some bystanders during the last mile or so. The beer smell wasn't exactly wonderful right at that point in the race, but it was the Shamrock Run, what do you expect? I loved that so many folks sat in lawnchairs out along the route just to cheer us all on.

I did have a beer in the beer garden after the race. Not so sure I recommend that either. I am such a lightweight, I think I was feeling pretty tipsy after just one beer. Walking back to car I glanced at my watch. 10:43am and tipsy. Interesting day thus far.

P.S. Since our numbers weren't marked with male, female, age, or anything, Mark may well have been wearing my number for the race and vice versa. We'll see when the results are out whether I was running lightning fast or whether I was really just running my normal, pokey pace.

Thanks, Grandpa

I know you won't get a chance to read this, but we think you are awesome. Thanks for the donation, and I will most certainly be keeping Grandma Ward in my mind as I train for and run this marathon. We miss her very much.

Many Thanks to Reymundo and Pamela!

You guys are great! Thanks so much for the donation. Ignore the rant below. ;-) I am certain tomorrow will be a great day. After all, the long-run days have been the best part of this marathon training.

We had a great time visiting you all in October...hopefully we'll get to see you again soon.

Yesterday I Could've Taught a Clinic on How Not to Do a Training Run

The weather has been stunning and gorgeous all week, which any sane person would just love. Yes, I too love being able to saunter around in capri pants and flip flops (and did just that all day today). It is the running in the sun that takes some adjustment. My favorite running weather is about 55 degrees with a slight drizzle. I notice that on runs that bounce between shaded areas and sunny open stretches, I always seem to have an extra gear in the shade. I get out in the sun and I get a little cranky. It is purely mental, and I am getting better at handling that, just as I am getting better at running hills. But yesterday...

I was in a hurry, and needed to squeeze in a solid run before the events of the day started. I was originally going to run in the late afternoon, but realized I wouldn't have time and decided to run at around noon, right under that bright sun. Not having planned to run at noon, I hadn't really hydrated properly. Coffee is not hydration. I had also taken an ibuprofen for the muscle spasm in my lower back. Yes, I know I should have taken that with water. I so rarely take any kind of medicine that I must confess I'm not too great at it. I was just a poster child for what not to do yesterday.

Anyhow, I started running and felt pretty good, so I picked it up a little. At around the halfway point I felt a twinge of a sideache, so I changed my breathing a little. Somehow, I think I sped up then too. The breathing change worked, and the sideache went away for five whole minutes, but then came back with a vengeance. I made it home dripping sweat, feeling like I was working my hiny off, but really just shuffling along. I was very happy to be home.

In any case, I am running a 15K tomorrow. Wish me luck. I promise to drink actual water.

Thanks, Grandma!

It is always surprising when you pick up your mail and see a letter addressed to you in your own handwriting. Of course, this is normal when you send out self-addressed envelopes for people to return, but the initial, split-second reaction for me is always, "Wow, whoever wrote this has handwriting nearly identical to mine. I wonder who this letter is from." Then of course the blond moment passes and I realize I addressed the envelope myself. Then I think..."THIS IS A DONATION...WAHOO!"

Thanks, Grandma, for both the donation and the good luck note. Both are very appreciated.

This Week Has Consisted of...

...running, skiing, and eating fondue.

The schedule from the last week or so:
Friday—ski
Saturday—run 8-9 miles
Sunday—drive home from Sunriver
Monday—run 5.5 miles, get ready to ski
Tuesday—ski
Wednesday—run 5.5 miles, get ready to ski
Thursday—ski
Friday—try to catch up on everything
Saturday—run 10+ miles, go up to Kelso for a fun birthday party and an evening of HALO. Jeana makes the best fondue. If I ate that much cheese every day I'd be in big trouble. Big being the operative word.
Sunday—so far...not much.

On a side note, the Saturday 10+ mile run went really well. I was surprised I could run for so long. It almost seemed like I got to a point where I could run indefinitely. I'm certain that isn't the case, but it is nice to at least feel that way. I didn't finish the run completely spent, so that gives me a bit of a confidence boost.