Beautiful day for a run!

Oregon in the spring can be any kind of weather. So when it's sunny and warm, we take advantage of it! I got to take advantage of Monday with a long run in Portland with runner friend, Lauren. The face behind us is a Starbucks wall mural -- he's not a runner!

Blue skies, popcorn clouds. We headed down to the river, crossed the Steel Bridge, and headed southward along the east side of the Willamette River.

There is a lot of bird watching activity on the east side. There were babies in this nest:

Crossing the river to the west side on the Sellwood Bridge:

The beaver sculpture had a stick -- not sure who thought the beaver liked the nuts!

And Lauren got her longest run yet -- here she is, at the 9 mile mark!

Great day for a run -- we did a cooldown walk for a couple miles, and really enjoyed the time!

Race for the Roses 2007

Race for the Roses ½ Marathon!

This was a fun race – this year, shorts and long sleeves were fine, and I could’ve gone to short sleeves, but once we stopped that wind was a cold one! I went to the race with my friend, Sarah, and got to meet a new running friend, Maggie. Maggie had met the other half of Team Karen in Little Rock, so Karen D hooked her up with me. That was so fun – we ran and chatted the whole race, only a little walking on the steeper hill parts.

This race starts on the east side of the Willamette River. First you cross the Broadway Bridge, then do a long loop to the south, then a long loop to the north, then finish by running across the Steel Bridge to the Convention Center. You get to see a lot of Portland!

When we started, there was almost no wind – which was OK, for the last couple of years have been windy and wet both. The river looked so smooth on the bridge crossing. Going south along the river had some long uphills (that wonderful down on the St. Patrick’s run is up on this one). Lots of old homes, lot of spring flowers, lots of runners. Then back into town, where we realized how important we really were that morning – they stopped the MAX trains for the runners! Then zig-zagging through commercial and industrial road sections, till we were on part of the out-and-back section that the marathon course uses, just going opposite for the out-and-back. Maggie’s already made hotel reservations and will be back in October to run the marathon. Yeah!

One of the hardest mental parts of this race is that you have to go about a mile past the Steel Bridge, then come back to cross it for the finish. And while you are going past, you can see what a hill it is to climb for that last section of the race!

Maggie’s from Dallas, TX – she’s not used to hills. We walked that bridge to the first tower, then ran the rest of the way in. We even got exactly the same chip time: 2:13:33! Sarah was about a mile ahead of us – she did great, too!

The T-shirts are white cotton with the race logo and sponsors (which means I always get a large to sleep in, for the iron in our well water doesn’t keep white white). Finishers all get medals, and ladies get roses! J They had so many roses, they were giving them away several at a time – beautiful! Post-race goodies were oranges, bagels, Tillamook yogurt smoothies (we used to live in Tillamook, I love to support those dairies), Gleucose (that was the course drink – it’s OK, but I think I still like G’ade better). And Chipotles had a Mexican brunch for the runners – smelled really, really good, but I can’t eat like that after running. And my sis-in-law was having supper at her house later in the day, I saved my appetite for that. J

The three of us had a great time yesterday – this is a fun ½ marathon!

Juggling

Juggling, that's what it is! I ought to learn to juggle tennis balls – this month it seems like I’ve mastered juggling my schedule!

It is so nice to have spring really here – the birds, the spring flowers, earlier sunrises, and (usually) warmer temperatures for running. That all helps to make it easier to juggle the running schedule.

Last week and this week, my long runs have had to be run on midweek days. That’s because the choir I sing in had a full weekend of singing last weekend, plus with Easter coming, a full weekend of singing next weekend. Weekends are my usual long runs, but since I love singing with the choir, I’ll juggle the running schedule.

This morning my run was planning Friday’s long run. Last week my long run was on Wednesday, and while it went well, it wasn’t as long as I’d have liked. I’d just given blood, so was being extra cautious out there. The long range weather forecast predicted Friday as the best running day this week. And (juggling again) I knew right off it had to be Monday, Wednesday, or Friday because of my gym and swim lesson schedule (that can’t be juggled).

As pretty as it is in the spring to run up on the ridge, I chose my route instead to be running the 8 miles to town and back, with a few out-and-backs on side roads to get a total of 19 miles. Going all the way to town and back means I can’t let any distractions make it shorter, plus, I’ll have a couple of places for water fountains for Gu breaks. That way, I’ll just carry the Gatorade Endurance with me on the route.

Mind you, I might have to carry the camera with me, for rural Oregon really is beautiful this season, and for sure I’ll carry my cell phone. The other half of Team Karen, in Oklahoma, is always fun for a chat on a long run, and that will help keep my pace under control. The high temperature on Friday is supposed to be low 70s, the warmest yet this spring, and I like running in warm weather! It’ll be 50ish when I start, and that’s OK.

I got this all planned out on my run this morning, and coming home, passed one of the neighbors, Tom, out rototilling his garden space. And that’s a SURE sign of spring!

16.2 misty, almost muggy, miles

Checked the temp before getting dressed -- it was 50F! And medium clouds -- with the high today in the 60s, it was going to be a warm run. I wore shorts and my bright yellow shirt, carried my G'ade, and set out for anywhere from 12-15 miles, planning on the 15.

The birds were singing, make that SINGING, this morning! Many bird voices I recognize, but still a lot that sound good, but I don't know which they are. And the redbud blooming at the end of the driveway has several hummingbirds already. I could hear their wings humming before I got all the way to the bush. :)

And it was misty almost the whole run. Gentle mist usually, with occasional times when it was a heavy mist. For a short while towards the end there was no mist, and the sun was just starting to break through, but that made it definitely muggy. And the mist after that was more like a rain sprinkle.

First part of the run was up on the ridge. I did 4/1s for run/walks today. Near the top of the ridge is a farm where the horses were all out in the pasture beside the gravel road. The horses were grazing, with one lying in the grass, pretending it was sunny. As I passed the first group of horses, the one lying down got up -- it was a little filly, cute little thing, and she trotted over to her mama, who was in the first group of horses that I passed. :) No, I didn't take my camera and I sure wished I had it then!

There's a curving, woodsy section on the ridge where there are many wild cherry trees in bloom. They have such a delicate fragrance that you only get when there are a lot of trees, like here, or when the sun is shining on the blossoms. That's a definite spring treat!

Coming down the ridge, on the part that's on my 'block', I met my two yellow lab buddies. They are usually inside their fence, but today they were out on the road with their masters, who were taking the 4-wheeler to the drive that goes down beside their vineyard. So of course both dogs came running up to greet me, the youngest one almost giving me a black eye when he jumped up to kiss me and I was bending down to him. :)

Lots of cherries blooming now, and apples just starting. On the main road, there are lots of wild daffodils. I know we always plant bulbs, but there must be a way for them to seed, too, for there are scads of daffodils out in fields and alongside the road where no one would've purposely planted them.

Anyway, down to the main road, and around past the little church and then turning at the school corner for the 3.4 mile out-and-back section. Lots of scrap fires today -- prunings from the filbert orchards, and miscellaneous burn piles that have been collected over the winter. Fortunately, the breezes were light so smoke went mostly up, instead of horizontally, so it was a woodsy-smoke smell, not so much a lung-full of smoke!

Back on the main road again, and this out-and-back section would be 15 miles total when I was done. But why stop at 15? It wasn't raining, it was quite comfortable actually, I had on my new shoes...so I decided to go to my next turnaround point, and it would be 16.2 miles total. :)

There was a lot more traffic on the road, but the 4/1s worked and I only had to add a little extra walking for passing cars. Lots of people out working in their yards today, too.

OK, turnng the other direction at the school for the last out-and-back section. I walked most of this section, for there was more smoke on this section (and I didn't want to have to breathe deep in the smoke). Also not as much room to get off the road for traffic past the bridge, so walking this section was safer, too.

Then started running again when I got back to the school. Now just over 1/2 mile uphill, then 1/2 mile walking before I got home. And the last hill is when the sun came out and the mist and sprinkles finally stopped. :) It's a real mix of sun and clouds now, and the wind is changing to WSW (and south means more chance of rain). So today was a good day to run!

Join me on a run!

I love running in my rural neighborhood -- seasons change, lots of new vineyards, fun neighbors (and fun neighbors' dogs), lots to see. Here are some photos from a January run:

It was a sunny day, not really cold -- what a treat! Going down the driveway, looking back at our barn/shop -- roof is almost done, still lots of finish work to do on the rebuild!

Here's the view to the north:

Here's the view looking back towards the house:

Along the ridge, various views:

Pics going down the ridge now, the first ones are from an area logged of Douglas firs, but the oaks are still standing:

It's a beautiful road!

Lots of brown, winter stuff around, and here was a BRIGHT baby fern!

Down the last hill to the valley and the paved road:

Around the block and back up the hill:

This route was 7 miles - a good way to start the day! :)

My first marathon race report!

Here it is -- the Portland 97 race report that I wrote for Runners World Beginners Forum. I found it where someone else had posted it on another site about different marathons. :)

* * * * * *

Karen Maas [Bib # 299], Newberg, OR

My first race report--do you all realize how much I want to say and tell about the Portland Marathon? I know this will be long, so I'll summarize before details ...

I was signed up as a marathon walker, and had been expecting to walk with my friend, Rhonda, that got me to sign up to walk it with her. But Rhonda couldn't come due to major blisters that she got last week, so I was on my own. I finished in under 6:51 (forgot to turn off my chrono right away), and met a new friend at mile 14 who had me jog and walk with her, and I RAN the last half mile! OK, Fernando, I’m ready to rain for LA Marathon next March!

OK, some fun details. First, on Friday I did my ``packet pickup,'' where I took my confirmation card to the basement of the Portland Hilton. Now, I live near Portland, but we rarely go there, so I parked at the first public parking garage I came to and we (my girls and I) walked in the rain to the Hilton. First time the girls got to see Portland city up close in the daytime, so we did a little sightseeing (but not too much, since parking was $3.50 an hour!).

Very crowded at pickup, but SO organized! Got some Power Gels and a shoe pocket for phone money while there. Hectic day, we dashed off for daughter's orthodontist appointment. While at the orthodontist office, was able to look through the packet. I was #299, and there was a separate map for the walkers, where after a certain time, they would be rerouted to finish the course for traffic safety reasons. So I went over the maps pretty carefully, expecting to walk all the way and have to change course. There was also a very good section that described each part of the course and what could be expected for different weather situations (didn't matter--we were blessed with a GLORIOUS day) and some pacing suggestions for the hills (which weren't bad hills to me – but maybe for someone running all the way).

Saturday spent at in-laws in Salem with a foster brother's birthday party. Made mistake of having ice cream--phlegm problem for me, but it was a birthday. Won't do that before LA though.

Walked a slow 4 mile loop Saturday afternoon – couldn’t rest ALL day, praying and trying to find ways to not worry about all the little things that might go wrong ...

Well, Sunday morning finally came--and came too quickly, for I didn’t sleep well (does that happen to everybody?). Got dressed, ate bananas, OJ, and bagel, got the kids and Reg up, finally got out the door and on the road to Portland.

Reg found a great parking space at that early hour, though it was already crowded at 6:00 in the morning! Took my day pack to be checked in (they recommended bringing a change of clothes, but like I said, the glorious weather just made it something extra to carry later). Got my number pinned on, found the walkers start (separate from runners and race walkers, we merged with them later on the road--turned out to be good for getting started with over 5000 people at the start). I was about 30m back from the start line. The runners' start, just one block over, was where the announcer was, but they had up-beat music playing at both starts. It was about 50 degrees, so no way was I taking a sweatshirt. Jogged, rubbed our arms and hands, whatever to warm up while waiting. The national anthem was acapella by a great tenor voice form Portland Opera, but over at the walkers' start, we were giggling at the fact that on our end, they forgot to turn the bouncy music off till middle of the song. Finally, Mayor Vera Katz did the countdown (she did the wheelchair count one minute before the running count), and the cannon went off, and so did we!

OK, now I've learned that you don't expect to set a pace at the start! But no one stepped on my heels, and we all got going. Reg and girls were on federal building steps, but missed me in the crowds and I missed them in their crowds, so we’re even.

We walked through Chinatown (not as big as SF, but great gate to go under – and same, uh, interesting smells as SF) then down to waterfront park (along Willamette River) and west, went up a short hill to next block and continued southwest, then looped around to come back along waterfront park going north on the other side of the road. THAT was fun, to see the runners and wheelchairs and walkers ahead of you. The part that wasn't fun was seeing everybody going by and thinking you were the last ones, till you made the turn and could see how far back the walkers really went!

The next several miles were another out-and-back section along the waterfront past the shipping and industrial areas, with docks on one side, and massive railroad lines on the other. Incredible what we got to see on foot--so much would be missed driving in a car! And that goes for the whole race!

Waved to my new runner friends, Julie and Pauline, who passed me on a long run (long walk for me), then turned out we met the next week when my daughter joined swim team--their kids are already on the team. Walked in the shade of the warehouse buildings as much as I could going NE along the river, for we could see the turnarounds would have us in the sun for several miles going back!

Then we started up gentle slope into residential neighborhoods heading out of the city on the north towards the St. John's Bridge, which was the highest elevation at 149 feet. At around mile 14, my new friend, Joyce, jogged up, and we were kindred spirits immediately. We were talking about life and love and jobs and dreams even before we exchanged names! Joyce was mixing walking and jogging because of a hurt knee, she couldn't do a lot of running. And, even though I had only planned to walk it, I jogged and walked with her, and felt great!

About mile 18, we left behind a man walking form the Loma Linda Lopers, a running club. He was in his early 70s, and he and his wife walk one marathon a month. How's that for a goal?!
Another mile or so later, a 7th grade boy, Greg, walked and jogged with us for a while. He was such a kick! Olympic material there, though I don't think he knows it yet. Joyce and he ducked into a little market and she bought him an ice cream cone. I walked on, since I didn’t dare eat dairy on the road, and they said they'd catch up. Well, Joyce caught up, but Greg wanted to walk and eat his slowly, said he'd meet us at the end.

Those miles in the 20s were a real treat on the east side of Portland. Going through old residential section (with shade trees and people offering to spray you with hoses at gorgeous old houses), the university, being up on the ridge above the Willamette, with the buildings and bridges of the end in sight ...

We were jogging over the Steel Bridge, coming to mile 25, then we walked for awhile (Joyce was desperate for portapotty, but didn’t want to stop). I left her with her blessings and ran the finish.

Can't tell you (but I will, watch me) what a thrill it was to feel so good after walking and running the longest I've ever done in one day! Lots of cheers on the sides of the roads, such excitement hearing my name and where I was from, on the loudspeaker (and they pronounced my last name correctly, which I realized and was so pleased I didn't hear my time!) and the kids at the finish line hanging the medals around my neck (don't know which school they were from, but they were doing a great job!), and being given a rose. Then I remembered to turn off my watch--ha! I finished in better time than I thought, even with the extra seconds and the 20 minutes of portapotty lines (do runners have the same long lines as the walkers?)

The song that kept my walking pace was Tim McGraw's ``I Like It, I Love It'' (figured that was a good one to keep in my ear for when I hit the wall--what wall?) Now I need to get a running pace song ...

OK, enough from me. I'm ready to start training to RUN the marathon in LA!!!! Yes, I’m feeling good (a little stiff, not sore, 1 blister that I didn't know I had till bedtime) but I know I'll sleep better tonight than last night--I think my adrenaline is finally back to normal!
Finish line hugs to anybody that read all of this!

If I can do it, anyone can!

If I can do it, anyone can!

Me? A runner? Never. I could play high school and college tennis for hours – I wasn’t a runner. I could backpack for miles and miles – I wasn’t a runner. I was a mom, a housewife, a teacher.

But I was surfing one rainy day–- web surfing, following links. I’m not sure how, but I ended up at the Los Angeles Marathon website and found myself gazing at all the athletic marathoners running under the California sun.

As I looked closer at the photos, I began to realize these marathoners didn’t all look athletic. Actually, they looked a lot like me.

I was still carrying some of the extra pounds from when I was pregnant with my two girls – and that was 6 years before. I knew exercise was important, and I even had weeks where I’d join different aerobics classes, but nothing really regular. I thought of how I used to be active before I got married, joined the work force and had kids, but now it was just an after thought.

Out of those thoughts came the decision: I was going to run a marathon before I turned 40. Even before telling my husband, Reg, I made an appointment with my doctor for a complete physical. I felt like I needed my doctor’s OK. Nine years earlier, I came out on the bad end of a wreck with a drunk driver who was heading the wrong way on an interstate.

I didn’t remember a thing from two days before the car wreck to two weeks after when my brain start working again. I had been in a coma and to this day, I still see double when I look up and to the right. Plus, I had all sorts of foot and toe damage – broken shin, crushed big toe joint, crushed ankle joint. I’m a walking, talking (now running) miracle.

With two long screws in my ankle, I needed to be sure it was going to be safe to even start to run—much less do a marathon. But the doctor said I’d be fine as long as I took it slowly. The doctor’s office was very supportive – the year before, they had a relay team on Hood to Coast!

So I decided to start running at the high school track because there was playground next to it. That way, I could run while my daughters were occupied on the jungle gym.

Eventually, I worked my way up to running a whole mile. Much to my amazement, I liked it. This was something I could do. I didn’t need any equipment or special skill either.

Next, I went for two miles in a row. I was on my way and began to believe I could go farther and farther.

Finally, I told my husband my dream of running the very marathon which had inspired me to even begin--the Los Angeles Marathon. He looked stunned and had no idea what to think at first. But he was encouraging.

Then came the shin splints. Nobody had ever told me that I needed to wear real running shoes. I had been wearing some old cross-training shoes because I wasn’t a real runner yet. Real runner or not, I came down with those sore shins from wearing cheap shoes. That started my reading and researching and learning about running.

A local running store set me straight about the need for good running shoes. After being properly fitted, they made a huge difference and my shin splints quickly disappeared.

The next important lesson I learned was that I didn’t have to do all my running on the track. Instead of circling and circling the track (boring!)I began to run and walk around our four-mile, rural block in the morning while my supportive husband watched the girls. This was starting to be fun as I ventured out more and more.

I discovered John “The Penguin” Bingham (the guru of the slowpokes) and read everything he wrote. I was never going to be fast and The Penguin let me know in his writing that was just fine. I didn’t have to run fast; it was better to learn to run slow, he advised.

My running lessons came quickly and I began to change as I learned more and grew as a runner. Instead of running every day as I had been doing, I began running four days per week and enjoyed it even more. I learned that walking breaks were just fine. In fact, whatever I did fine was fine as long as I did it. There were no rules to what I could or couldn't do. This was all about me. I was in charge.

Eventually, I became a runner. Not a fast runner, but I completed my dream of running the Los Angeles Marathon before I turned 40. And, it was my second marathon instead of my first – a friend had asked me to walk Portland Marathon 97 with her, while I was learning to run for Los Angeles 98. Walking Portland, with a run/walk middle and running mile to finish, was a wonderful confidence-builder for Los Angeles! It wasn’t easy, but it was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. Now, not only was I a runner; I was a marathoner.

You’ll have to trust me on this one: If I can run a marathon, anyone can. Marathons are habit-forming!