This year we rented one of the lodges at the Silver Falls Conference Center. It had six rooms, each with two twin beds. There was a big common room with couches and a table and chairs. We filled up all six rooms with fun people that were going to be participating in events or people that were coming to cheer runners on.
Friday we showed up and got to meet Mike Hale. I have been friends with Mike on social media for a few years now. My husband and I connected with Mike through our good friends Josh and Wendie. Mike lives in Arizona so we haven't met before this weekend. He was going to be doing the 50k on Saturday.
It was fun to finally meet Mike in person. He brought his mom along so she could cheer for him for his first 50k. They were both a lot of fun to have in the lodge for the weekend. I love meeting new fun people!!
Kyle and KaLynn were also in the lodge with us and their adorable baby Landon. I personally appreciate them bringing the baby because it was so fun to play with him and watch him hanging out and being busy in the way only a baby can be. He was seriously adorable. His parents were pretty cool too.
KaLynn's mom and dad, Terry and Charlie, came along as well to cheer on Kyle and help out with Landon. Again, really fun people to get to know.
Robin and Searainya were there as well. Robin was signed up for the 7 miler and her awesome wife was there to cheer her on. We had met them both last year and it was fun to get more time to get to know them better this year.
The amazing Josh and Wendie were the ones that helped me fill up all the rooms in the lodge and I appreciate that they have fun people in their lives and that they are willing to share their friends with Joe and I.
Joe and I had the final room. I always like having adventures with my best friend. He's my favorite roommate too!
Josh, Mike, Joe, Tony and Kyle were doing the 50k.
Wendie and Robin were signed up for the 7 miler.
I was doing the 1/2 Marathon on Sunday.
My job on Saturday was to be the support crew for Joe. He had marked out four places he wanted me to be and had a list of what fuel and liquid I needed to have ready. The 50k race started at 7:00 a.m. which was a little dark but not too bad. The racers started out doing a shorter loop and working their way back to the parking lot where we were a little after three miles so we hung out to be able to see the guys early on. While the weather was on the cold side, the rain was holding off which was nice for both runners and spectators!
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| Race Weekend Selfie. He rolls his eyes when I ask but then lets me take it anyway. 😁 |
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| Early morning start for the 50k group! |
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| Had to get a picture with Mike in it!! |
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| Wendie, me and Robin waiting to cheer the guys at mile three. |
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| Josh, Joe and Mike at mile three. |
This time as people passed me and I was cheering they recognized me from the last two times they saw me. lol One guy said, "There you are again! You are everywhere! How did you get here so fast?" I laughed and told him that I ran faster than he did. 😉 Pretty cheeky for someone that hasn't run farther than a 1/2 marathon talking to someone doing a 50k. lol
Missed seeing Tony, aka Sir Speedy. But I did see Kyle, Josh and Mike again. I also got to see my friend Chad who was doing his first marathon go by. He was smiles and thumbs up, and doing well. Joe was a bit farther back but not outside of where he thought he would be by this point of the race. We swapped out the hydration packs again and off he went.
The next meeting would take a bit longer since they had about a 10 mile stretch out in the back country of the Silver Falls park. I was supposed to meet Joe at the North Falls. I had plenty of time to get the hydration pack set up for the next swap and just hang out for a bit.
Wendie had done her 7 miler while I was out and about crewing for Joe. I was bummed to not get to cheer for her because she is ALWAYS an amazing cheering section for everyone else. Unfortunately, crewing for the hubby trumps cheering for a friend. Luckily, she is married to an long distance runner too so she totally gets it.
Robin has been dealing with an injury most of this past spring and summer. She was hoping to be healed enough to do the 7 miler but decided that it would be best to not do it and risk making things worse. I know she was really bummed but it was still awesome to have her and Searainya hanging out in the lodge with us all weekend. I'm glad they came anyway!
I met up with Wendie, Terry, Charlie, KaLynn (with baby Landon) and Kristy at the North Falls. Kristy had come out to cheer for her guy Tony and for everyone else as well. Loved getting to see her and get a big Kristy hug!
Tony had gone by before I got there. I got to see Kyle go by. Not too long after that we saw Chad again, looking solid at about 20 miles in.
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| Chad taking a quick refueling break before heading off for the last leg of his first marathon. |
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| Mike and Josh still smiling at mile 25. |
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| Pretty area while I was walking about waiting for Joe. |
I'm so proud of him! That's a long way to go and not be able to go on and reach the goal you have been working towards for months. I felt bad that he wasn't able to keep going but I was proud of him for being smart and not pushing it to the point where he damaged something seriously. We walked to the car and headed back to the finish line so that we could cheer for the rest of the guys. Poor Joe, he was so cold he was shaking!!
We got back in time to see Kyle finish and not long after we saw Josh and Mike finish. Everyone felt like they had good races and were also bummed for Joe not being able to finish. Chad finished his marathon in solid fashion and his wife was waiting to celebrate with him at the finish line.
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| Chad getting a big hug from his #1 fan! |
We had a big dinner back at the lodge. Everyone had brought things for the dinner. There was baked potatoes, salad and all kinds of yummy things to eat. We had all changed into warm clothes. They guys had taken showers, which we all appreciated! It was so fun to just sit around and talk about the day and how it went. There was a lot of laughter, teasing and just fun. There was a TV in the lodge and no one turned it on the entire weekend. We were too busy just enjoying our time together.
I was the only person racing the next day so I spent some time getting my clothes ready and getting Joe's hydration pack ready for me to use.
It wasn't long before I headed to bed. I was pretty wiped out. Work was a bit nuts the week before with Halloween on Tuesday, the after Halloween ugh with students (if you are a teacher you will know what I'm talking about) and the full moon. The kids were a bit wild and crazy all week so I was a little more tired than usual heading into the weekend. Not a good thing since I operate on a certain level of over tired on a good day. With the time change happening that night I was getting teased that I was actually going to bed at 6:30 p.m. They didn't think I would sleep all night and would wake up super early in the morning. lol Nope! Woke up at about 5:30 a.m. (new time) and I was so glad I had gone to bed early!
My race didn't start until 9:00 a.m. and since we were so close I didn't have to hurry to eat or get ready. I had showered the night before and braided my hair so that I didn't have to deal with that in the morning which was nice.
It wasn't long before it was time to load up. Check out time was 11:00 a.m. so Joe and I had decided to pack up so that he wouldn't have to deal with it while I was running. We said our goodbyes to everyone since most of them were going to be heading for home. Loved making new friends and getting to know other friends even better!!
Joe and I got to the park and bugged Josh, Wendie and Mike since they were volunteering at packet pick-up. Then I got my stuff organized and got ready for my race to start. About 15 minutes before the race, it started to rain hard. Up until then it had only been drizzling so I was hopeful that it would stay that way. No such luck. I had one of those $1 ponchos in my backpack so I got that out and put it over me. I didn't want to be soaked to the skin right off the bat. That would make for a very long, cold run.
Turns out not so much.
At first it went about like I thought it would. I was at the back of the first wave but not at the totally back of the group. It took me a couple of miles to get warmed up and feel like I had a good pace going. I took the rain poncho off once the rain went back to being a drizzle at about Mile 2.
I saw Joe after the first three miles near the South Falls parking lot which I expected since it is so close to the start line.
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| Three miles done. |
And there suddenly was a LOT of people trying to pass me. My plan for being able to stay in between the two waves didn't work out to well. There was so many people in that second wave that were really fast and they were all trying to get past me.
I also think that most of them are not experienced trail runners. There are certain things that are important when running on a trail to keep people safe. You have to tell the person that you are trying to pass that you are coming on the left AND you have wait until they have a safe place to move over. Running on a trail is not about running on one side. There are so many rocks and tree roots that you have to be watching where you are running and taking the steps that are the safest. I had so many people not say anything when they passed me and didn't wait for a safe spot. I got grumped at several times because I got in someones way trying to avoid bad terrain. I had people push on me because they chose to try and pass me somewhere that it wasn't wide enough.
I started getting frustrated.
I started feeling like this wouldn't happen if I wasn't so slow.
I started letting my chimp brain take over.
Why do I think I can do trail runs?
Why did I start with the first wave? That was so stupid.
I should have started at the back of the second wave. Why did I think I was faster?
Maybe I should just quit. Joe might be at the North Falls and I could just call it a day there.
I moved to the side several times and long lines of people would pass me.
I felt stupid.
Then I started smacking myself on the back of the head. I knew what I was doing and it needed to stop.
There are a couple of parking areas along the Rim Trail and I was running up to the first one and I saw my husband standing there waiting for me.
That was a big boost.
So I smiled at my best friend and #1 fan and kept going.
At the next parking lot, there he was again.
I thought I wouldn't see him until I got to the finish but he kept going to the next spot he could park and cheering me on.
I was still struggling with frustration and there were tears a couple of times. But I knew I was getting in my own head when I was actually doing just fine. My professor brain told my chimp brain to shut up. It took awhile, that darn chimp brain is stubborn! (I got the understanding of chimp brain and professor brain from the book "The Brave Athlete". I'm about half way through the book and I am learning a lot and it SO applies to me and how I think of myself as an athlete! I recommend it!)
By the time I got to the North Falls I was doing better with the mental part. Still getting passed, still a little teary but not quitting. Joe was waiting for me at the North Falls and was cheering for me the whole time I was coming down the hill.
The trail starts getting trickier at this point. There is a lot of bigger rocks on the trail, tree roots and more up and down. I walked where I had to but kept up a pretty good pace where it was flat or more downhill (as long as the path wasn't too technical).
I stopped worrying about the people behind me and just ran on the trail where it was safest and moved out of the way when it worked easy. I got back into the mindset of doing MY race and not being so aggravated with comparing myself or getting frustrated with other people and what they were doing.
When I got to the Lower South Falls I had to walk up a lot of stairs. I mean a lot of stairs!! I can testify that I had been doing a good job of engaging my glutes when running because I felt them protesting on every step.
It doesn't take long to get from the Lower South Falls to the South Falls. I came around the corner and there was my friend Josh waiting for me with a big smile. Then I hear shouting and I look up and can see Joe and Wendie at the top of the falls yelling for me. By this time I've got my mental issues under control and am having fun with my race. Having my husband and my good friends cheering me on just solidified that.
Josh was going to trudge up the trail with me to the top of the falls but then a young woman stopped us asking if we had any water and if there was an easier way to get to the top. She hadn't carried any water or fuel on the run and was feeling dizzy and shaky. There is only one way to get back to the parking lot and it's going up the trail. I gave her a Cliff bar and then we started walking with her up the trail. She definitely wasn't steady. Josh told me to go ahead and he would walk with her. I appreciated that. If he hadn't been there I would have stayed with her, she was in no condition to be alone. When I got to the top I had big smiles and high fives from Joe and Wendie. They asked what was going on because they had seen us talking to the girl and that Josh was still with her. I told them what was up and Joe got some water and electrolytes from the aid station and walked down the trail to get them to the young woman.
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| Made it to the top of South Falls. Less than a 5k left to do. |
I got some more water and then headed out again. I still had about 2.5 miles left to go and one big hill right at the end.
The last time I did this race I really struggled to finish. I walked from the time I got to the South Falls until I got to close to the finish line. This time I was able to run all the way from the South Falls to the bottom of Nut Cracker Hill. That was a big win for me and I was pretty happy with myself for that part alone.
I slogged up Nut Cracker Hill. It wasn't too slippery and muddy going up this year. Definitely could tell that all the 50k runners, marathon runners and 7 miler runners all had already been there the day before! Coming down the other side was much harder. It was much steeper and was really, really, really slick. It was all slippery mud and I was walking down sideways, kind of like you do on skis when you don't want to slide down the slope. It took a long time to get down that hill. I had a couple of guys behind me doing the same thing I was doing. We were laughing about how ridiculous this last hill was, especially at the end of the race!
I was worried about falling down and sliding all the way down the hill. I thought of the movie "Romancing the Stone" where the main characters, a man and a woman, are arguing in a rain storm in the jungle when suddenly the side of the road gives way and she goes sliding down the hill. He slides down after her and ends up landing with his face in her lap. lol I really didn't want to go sliding down the hill and I most definitely did not want one of the guys behind me to do the same and land the way the guy in the movie did! Gave me a chuckle at the end of the race. So nice to be able to entertain myself on long runs. 😄
Once I got to the bottom of the hill I had to run across a grassy area, head across the bridge and make my way to the finish line. I was running, partly because I always have finished a race running, no matter how good or bad the day went and also because I didn't want those two guys that had been behind me on the hill to pass me at the very end.
Joe, Josh and Wendie were all there at the finish cheering me on. I know I have said it all through this post but it is so great having people I love cheering for me during events. Seeing their smiling faces and hearing their support makes the day so much better.
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| On the home stretch. |
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| Getting it done. |
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| Another 13.1 race done! |
I got a PR for the 1/2 Marathon. The last time I did this race it was in 2013. I was hoping for a huge PR because I've come a long way with my running and general fitness since then, especially the last two years. In 2013 my time was 3:28:42. My time this year was 3:19:59. That is an improvement of 8 minutes and 33 seconds. I had thought it was more around a 5 minute improvement so this is pretty cool.
At first I was bummed that I didn't get my goal of 3:15 or less. I worked super hard and pushed through in spite of the frustrations and chimp brain activity. But the more I reflected on the day and how I did the better I feel about it. I am my own worst critic! There's a lot to celebrate and I need to give myself a break!
We said goodbye to Josh and Wendie because they needed to head for home. Then Joe and I went to the truck to get my backpack. I had a change of clothes ready because I knew I was going to be cold and wet. I went into the bathroom and got changed. I didn't realize how wet I had gotten because after the initial downpour the first couple of miles it had just been drizzly until the last hill. I had taken off the rain poncho off when it had turned to just drizzle. But 11 miles of drizzle can get you more soaked than you think.
Getting on the warm and dry clothes felt so good!! When I came out of the bathroom Joe was waiting for me and it had started to hail. We dashed out to the truck and just watched the hail come down. The ground looked like it had been snowing. I was really glad I wasn't finishing the race in the hail. Would make for a good story but an experience I could live without.
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| Glad I was done running before this happened! |
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| Done! |
Soon it was time to head for home. I was looking forward to a nap!
I wonder what I was thinking sometimes when I am doing a trail run. Why do I do this to myself? It's hard and I'm not naturally good at it. I worry about falling down so I'm cautious and I won't go full tilt down a hill like a lot of people seem to be able to do. Breathing is hard going up hill. But I keep signing up. I guess it's a weird kind of fun. The motivation to start running revolved around being able to do a six mile trail run. While I'm not the best at them I still get a kick out of being able to say I got it done.
Funny, when my co-workers or friends have mentioned the run nobody asks what my time was or if I was fast. They only say good job and that it was awesome that I ran 13.1 miles!!
Oh ya, I ran 13.1 miles!
In the woods.
With 1,200 feet of elevation.
In the rain.
In November!
Ok, that is pretty cool.
(You should be really proud of me for not downplaying it by saying it isn't a 50k or a marathon. Because I totally wanted to. 😉)
**Photo credit to Joe and Wendie. I was so busy crewing and then running that I did a poor job of picture taking. So glad they were willing to share!
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