Changes Afoot

Looks like I will be moving to Charleston SC. This will be a good move for me - I will be closer to family and be able to pursue work that makes me happier. I've met a number of people who have made Vegas work for them, but it's not for me, and it's probably best that I close this chapter. I'm excited about getting a new start.

Another change will be more shorter races - and fewer marathons. I did 3 full marathons in 2009 - Phoenix, Myrtle Beach and Portland - and they were all great races, well organized, in nice places, just very positive experiences. Times of 320, 310 and 312 - I qualified for Boston and might do that next year if I can find time for it.

But mostly I'd rather focus on half marathons in the future - I think 13 miles is a better, more manageable distance. Less wear and tear and faster, with less downtime after. It's been almost two weeks and I'm still hurting pretty badly from the portland marathon - my quads and hamstrings have zero pep in them, no bounce and a constant ache - which is to be expected to a certain degree, but not something I'm used to.

Anyway I'm looking forward to running in a place with trees - under trees - in the soft green filtered light of a forest path - something I've missed while doing my time here in Vegas. It really makes a huge difference.

So very excited about searching out the mossy old live oaks of the South and making my acquaintance with them - this will be a good change.

Portland Marathon

I was not sure whether I would be able to handle the full distance of the Portland Marathon as the longest I've run in the last 6 months was a few 15 milers. But I imagine the intense 10 and 12ers I did over the summer turned out to be sufficient to keep me in shape. I had a really nice marathon - the race started on a beautiful fall Pacific northwest day - 50 degrees with a misty fog and no wind - and I felt like I was given a gift as I was able to watch the sun rise and take in the green city of Portland waking - the river, the trees, the bridges - all very picturesque.

I started sort of slow and gradually picked up the pace, easing my body into it, waking up and passing the slower crowd that I had started with. I much prefer a gradual increase in speed over several miles and one of the advantages of this race is you have plenty of time to do that. I'd never run a marathon with a Garmin before and now it's fun to look at the mile splits - I was pretty damn consistent from mile 5 when I hit my stride through 20 doing about a 7:05 throughout so I'm happy with that long stretch of consistency.

At mile 21 I hit the wall that always seems to descend at that point - but I handled it ok and managed to keep the arms moving, drinking some water and pushing forward. At 25 I suffered some real difficulty with cramping calves and hamstrings but I knew that was likely to happen so I just slowed the pace a bit more and kept at it knowing there was only a mile to go. And then I was done.

My time was 3:12 which I'm happy with - it makes me feel that my 3:10 in February at the Myrtle Beach marathon was not a fluke, and that with better distance training that I could hit a 305 fairly easily. 7:17 average pace for the 26. Top 300 out of 8000 runners. It was a great race and a fun time and I really enjoyed it.

Garmin Connect