Forest Park 50K!

Last Tuesday, I turned 50, a half century of years! So, for my b'day week, I did two big things: I ran over 50 miles for the week, plus did yesterday's Forest Park 50K trail run. And what a trail run!

Leading up to the race, it was rain Friday. Then warm and muggy on Saturday, which led into downpours and lightning and thunder most of the night, leading to misty and drizzle Sunday morning. Forest Park is a huge park in the west hills above Portland, with miles and miles of trails. And yesterday's trails - well, you'll see...

There were 300 people signed up for the different run distances -- 10K, 20K, 30K, and 50K. And two portapotties -- the park bathrooms were locked! So many of the runners looked for bushes and trees to hide behind, and others of us opted to aim for the "little blue house" at the 10K aid station. Talking in the portapotty line, met several runners who had done other 50Ks, but didn't know the trails here. But they recommended taking the course 10K at a time, since that's how the aid stations were placed. Here's the start, from Lower Maclay trailhead park:

With the clouds and the rain and the forest, many of my pics blurred, but here are some from the first 10K section. The first mile plus was along the creek. Beautiful, wet forest. And, I wore Rachel's picture again:

This race had lots of ups and downs, some steep with switchbacks, some straight up the muddy trail, then the first 10K aid station:

First stop for me at the aid station was the portajohn! The aid stations were well supplied with all kinds of foods and water and sports drinks and Coca Cola for the ultra runners. I figured I would just use the aid stations for a place to eat a Gu with water, and use my bottle of Gatorade Endurance for between stations.

The 10K-20K stretch turned out to be more than just 10K! Here's how the trail started, beautiful but muddy, once we got off the firelane where the aid station was:

This 2nd 10K section is where I met Karen and Leslie, from near Eureka, CA. They were both doing their first 50Ks, too. We had been leapfrogging, but I was glad we were together when we followed some trail ribbons that turned out someone had switched trails on us! Karen's shirt is yellow, Leslie was wearing pink:

The trail went up, and up, and up, then down, and down, and down, and ended us up on the firelane that turned out to be part of the loop that the 30K runners were taking!The 30K runners we met coming the other way were very sympathetic with our situaton, and some of them knew the trails well enough to direct us to Koenig Trail, the small one they came down, to go up to meet with our trail again. It was a steep, but really pretty section of trail, and we were so glad at the top to see our set of trail ribbons again! Here are some pics:

Back on 'our' trail again, and on the way to the next aid station. The strawberries are just blossoming here, and finally, the rain is starting to lessen. Not enough to take off the jacket, though.

The 3rd 10K section, 20K-30K, was the hardest of the sections. It had some easy down at first, and where we met runners coming back on the loop, they were warning us about a really dangerous and slippery place on the trail, where lots of people were falling. Other runners were turning around, not wanting to even check out how dangerous it was. We kept going...

My camera was so wet, that when I'd take a picture, it couldn't close the lens when I turned it off. Either Karen's gloved finger or my shirt (didn't want to put fingerprints on the camera lens) had to nudge it shut. So the camera stayed in my pocket most of this section. But I did take it out when we came to a real slick, slick uphill section. The mud was a really sticky clay-feeling mud, and it was the steep section we thought we'd heard about:

After I took the pic, the camera went back in my pocket, for I needed two hands to balance and grab tree branches to hold on to! But the trail went on, and we later found out what THE danger spot was...

The "10" sign marked a gas line at the top of a very steep hill! The camera doesn't show how steep it was. See how muddy the trail is? See how Karen is going down ahead of me in the ferns? Did you know that clumps of sword ferns can support adult weight being clutched by runners trying to stay upright going down that hill?

Whew! The bottom! Flat for awhile, then what does down has to go back up to make the loop!

Next, we came to where the power lines were, but we still weren't back at the top, for that was where the aid station was.

The section just before the aid station, with the couple ahead of us, the woman saw a huge, brown animal move very quickly across the trail in front of us. She was very nervous about it being a bear or mountain lion. I went ahead, talking as I went. Turns out there was one footprint on the trail, and we couldn't find any ahead in the brush. The guys at the aid station thought it must have been a bear. It wasn't hungry for runners, I guess!

Karen's sister, Kate, was great support, meeting her at every aid station. Karen changed socks here. Kate is an expert at ultras, and helped Leslie, who was having a hard day, to finish! 30K is 19 miles or so, more than halfway!

On the trail again, on the way to the first aid station, which would now be the 4th aid station, for 40K. This should've all been the same trail as coming out, but since we 'came out' with the extra miles, it was unknown territory going back. There was a lot of slick and muddy uphill! I timed it from where we met the trail the first time back to where we had lost it, and it was only 40 minutes. So if you call it 15 minutes/mile, we did at LEAST one more mile on the route! It was dry, and occasional sunshine now, and I left my jacket tied around my waist now.

It was like walking up a mud creek for a while! We're talking sloppy!

All right, beautiful out there! And now, we're at the 40K mark -- 10K to go, and new territory for miles after 42K. The last 10K looks different going back -- different light, less rain, whole new perspective. We knew that once we reached the stone house, we had one more mile to go!

Had to sit down and put my feet up for that picture -- that's not a suntan on my legs, it's caked on mud!

We got to the stone house! Found out it was built in the 1930s by WPA, as a trail restroom, beautiful stone work. The water line washed out in Oregon's 1962 Columbus Day storm, and with the building aging and vandalism over the years, they just gutted the building, leaving the stone walls. It's still a good stopping point along the creek!

One mile to go! We were along the creek again, and the last mile went by really fast. I wanted it to keep going on, yet I was glad we were almost done, too...

There's the bridge -- we're at the park. And it feels strange to run on the asphalt path again!

The Karen's are first time 50Kers! :) We enjoyed the finish goodies and sharing stories while we waited for Leslie to finish. Karen's sister, Kate, went out to meet her, and they met a computer running buddy in person out on the trail. Leslie had a hard day, but she had a strong finish! After Leslie came in, we found the real restrooms were open again. I had brought a change of clothes in my Flying Pig plastic bag, and chose to change (and clean up a little, with the help of some baby wipes) and not keep wearing the muddy shoes. I took a picture of my legs in the bathroom...

After getting home and getting a real shower, Reggie took me out to Chevy's in Lake Oswego. Our friend/sister, Sharyl, met us there -- she brought me a really cute penguin for my b'day. We had fresh guacamole that was wonderful!

Happy 50th B'day!

Here's what the elevation chart for the 50K looked like, from pctrailruns.com (serious fun!):

Flying Pig Marathon report! :)

Flying Pig is not just the marathon, it’s the whole weekend!

Friday morning, Tonya and I went to deliver race flyers for the September race that she’s co-race director for. One of the running stores is called Runners Depot, and it’s on the Loveland hike/bike trail – a beautiful location!

Next stop – the Flying Pig Marathon expo. I picked up my race packet (and souvenirs, of course!) and we enjoyed seeing how much was there. This is the 10th year for Flying Pig, so more people and a bigger expo – very fun. There are decorated flying pig sculptures all over the place:
(Notice the flying piggy balloons behind our heads.)

That evening, Tonya and Gerry had a dinner/concert, so I got to have pizza with Tonya’s mom and dad, and then we went bowling. It was pouring down rain when we went in the bowling alley, but it was a bright sunset when we went home. It was not the “red at night, sailor’s delight” sunset, but we were sure hoping the weather forecast for Saturday would at least be less rain!

It wasn’t – it was pouring on Saturday. So my morning devotion/prayer time was for the runners to have good runs no matter what, and for good weather Sunday morning for the marathon. I have run many races and training runs in the rain – I really, really like warm and dry better!

We had friends running the 5K and 10K races, plus we wanted to watch the elementary school-age kids do their final mile. Many of the schools and classes have had their kids running here and there for the last 10 weeks, and this day’s mile would make 26.2 total. They had made special shirts for the kids, they kept track of their miles using a “Hog Log” (and nutrition), there were getting special medals for their marathon. They were running in the pouring rain, and loving it!

When the 10K ended, it was just misty. It started raining hard again for the 5K. Next pic is the 5K winner. It was raining so hard for the kids run that I didn't take the camera out of my pocket!

The spectators got wet, too, but it was all a good kind of wet. It was warmer than Oregon rain! We decided that we were dry enough under the rain jackets to go to the expo (Tonya was looking for Steve Prefontaine memorabilia) and we met Gerry’s sister, Charlotte, and friend, Vicky, there. Turns out Charlotte and I share a b’day! Then it was back to Tonya’s to relax till pasta supper time.

We had pasta at the Runners World forum’s traditional place, Buca di Beppo. We filled several tables – here are some pictures:

Sunday morning, the race was to start at 6:30, and we were doing a RW forum photo shoot at 6:00. So getting up early enough to get ready and get downtown to park at Paul Brown Stadium meant getting up at 3:00am. Eastern time. That’s midnight Pacific time! I was starting to get used to Eastern time, but it was still early, especially with the light sleep that always happens the night before a marathon.

It was chilly at the start, but CLEAR – that’s good! We were in section A in the stadium, with indoor restrooms – and the restrooms were heated. With hot water for washing hands, so nice! Just before 6:00, we walked a long, switchbacked ramp to get to Gate D, for the morning photos. The flash shows all the reflective striping on clothes and shoes.
When we started down to the start area, I was able to share my throw-away gloves with Gloria. I had stuck them back in my jacket pocket after Wenatchee’s snow! We were getting separated in the crowds, but I was able to start with Indra and Antoine (sp?), and we were waiting to start. We couldn’t hear any loudspeaker announcements, starting in the middle/back, but the race start time had gone by. One of the guys next to us joked that we may be waiting for one of the elite runners? Turns out that there was a huge 3-alarm fire late on the marathon course that morning, and several families lost their homes. They were able to work out a detour, instead of delaying the start until mid-morning (and with how warm it turned out that day, the extra .2 miles on the detour was just fine). So we’re talking, and waiting, and talking, and waiting, and the sky is getting lighter. Then BOOM! Sounded like a cannon started us. We cheered, but of course couldn’t start right away with that crowd. Looking ahead, though, they started the race with fireworks!

I took lots of pictures during the race – no, they are not all here! And I wore the pic in memory of Rachel again, too. The first miles go into Kentucky, then back to Ohio before mile 4. The run down Seventh was fun – crowds cheering on both sides of the street, it was like we were the parade. There’s a castle near where the hill starts, it’s a TV/radio/media office.

The hill to Eden Park is a hill, but it’s not that bad of a hill. It’s shady and beautiful going up. At the very top we run along the river overlook, definitely a walk break for pictures. And this is where the men’s choir sings wonderful barbershop acapella, too.

The view at the top is glorious!

Tonya and Gerry had left at the start and gone up to almost mile 9, the beautiful church where the ½ marathoners split off from the full marathon and the relay. Great cheering! Lots of neighborhood running the next few miles. Lots of people out cheering for us, wonderful support at the aid stations, and lots of music. There’s a section where we go out, do a short loop at a place called Mariemount, then back through the neighborhood on the other side of the street (big, green median in the middle). Then, coming out of that neighborhood, we go a short distance on a bike/hike trail.

Soon we’re running along the highway, back towards Cincinnati. I took a picture of what used to be Bob’s Big Boy (different name than Bob now). I remember those restaurants from when I was a kid growing up in OH!

Now, those of us in the middle and back at the start hadn’t heard about a detour, so when they routed us down to the river bike/hike trail in the park area, we thought it was the original route – and it was a lot shadier and prettier than just running down the street!

Lots of meaningful signs on the course!

I had to get a picture at mile 24 – the clock had just turned to 4:44, and so I asked a gentleman to take my picture when the seconds got to 44, too. There were lots of people running with pig ears and tails, but there were some in different costumes, too. The shark runner was sweating up a storm, and the hospital patient runner had a costume suited for the warm day.

Finish line ahead! Tonya and Gerry got my pic when I was almost there. The new finish is on Pete Rose Way, just before the underpass part (where we used to go all the way around then finish in the park). This is nice, for it’s shady at the finish (or dry, if it’s raining) and makes a good finish area for mylar blankets, chip removal, bananas, WATER. J Then the finisher area on the park side had the decorated pigs, and all kinds of goodies, from ice cream cups to fruity rice chips (I saved my peach mango chips for the airplane coming back – that was a treat!). And photos in front of patriotic banners. Then outside the finisher area were more treats and family fun stuff. We walked down the park and back, for after running the marathon, walking helps keep things from stiffening up right away. Yes, you will get stiff and ‘walk like a marathoner’, but walking is how to loosen up after sitting for any length of time.

The FE victory party was fun -- perfect day to run, then relax and enjoy friends and food afterwards!

Next morning, Fran met Tonya and me at the airport for breakfast. Then we were both off on our trips home. What a fun weekend!

Next big run, the 50K!