My first legit race of 2017 – the Shamrock Run in downtown Portland. In 2014, Farmer John & I ran the 5K. We had a great time, but I haven’t ran it again… until now. And, I upped my game. I ran/walked the hilly 15k.

FLAT JENNIFER

I bought a new shirt from Sparkle Athletic and a skirt from Sweet Spot Skirts for this event. I love them both. The tulle tutu was fun last time, but this outfit was so much better.

THE START

A friend from high school celebrated her 40th birthday the night before the Shamrock Run. I didn’t drink too much or stay up too late, but being downtown early still kinda sucked. The start time was 8:50 and I got there with plenty of time to tend to all the pre race things, like visit the port-a-potty. I forgot just how big the Shamrock Run is. I was surprised to see the crazy amount of people lined up for the 15k.

FIRST COUPLE MILES

The first section of this course was similar to the Portland Marathon I did in October. Start at the waterfront, run south on Naito to Barbur Blvd. This time I knew what to expect for this part of the event. It’s not real steep, but definitely at enough of an incline that you feel it.

I remember looking up on the hill at OHSU thinking that’s where we’re headed. Eek!

THE HILLY MILES

Once on Terwilliger Blvd it was up, up, up. It reminded me of the hill I run at home, except this was longer and not gravel.

The few glimpses of the Willamette River were awesome.

Bagpipes! Somehow that beautiful sound just makes you want to do your best. It’s very encouraging.

It was a welcome sight when I saw the loading dock of the tram at OHSU. I knew the worst of the hills were behind me.

THE END IS NEAR!

Down I ran. Then, through the tunnel I could see the Koin Tower. Woop, woop! Just a little bit further!

DONE!

I crossed the finish line strong and grabbed the water, thermal blanket and medal I was handed. I did it!

I had been training, but I hadn’t gone a 15k distance in a number of months. I was a little concerned about how I would do, especially with the hills. I came in under a 12:00 minute pace. I’m thrilled with that. It’s not fabulous, but it’s right where I should have been. Most importantly, I felt good at the end.

AFTER PARTY

It was a chilly day to be wearing a tank top. So, I was looking forward to the warm potato soup at the end. Not going to lie, I wasn’t impressed by the looks of the soup and was slightly disappointed. But, remember that saying don’t judge a book by it’s cover. This soup was delicious.

A friend of mine and her neighbor finished the 8k right around the time I finished by race. We hit the beer garden together. I’m not a fan of beer. But… it’s an Irish themed run and the sun was out and I enjoyed my run. So, I grabbed the free beer. We listened to the band and had a jolly time.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, friends!

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Yesterday I ran my first 5k event of 2014: The Shamrock Run in Portland.

It is a big event with over 30,000 runners & walkers. As well as the 5k, there is also an 8k, 15k & kid’s run.

I don’t have a constant running partner & sometimes I run solo. But this time I talked my hubby into running with me. This is as close to a date as we get. We’re not great running partners since I am much slower than him. But, he stayed back with me the entire run.

FITNESS FAIR

Picking up our bibs & shirts was an event in itself. This was no ordinary packet pick up. It was a Fitness Fair held at the Oregon Convention Center. I had my kids with me & they thought it was fabulous. There were lots of vendors handing out freebies & plenty of things to purchase.

I got in the women’s XL line to pick up my shirt. The guys handing out the shirts said they ran a little small. And right away when I received the shirt my first thought was no way was it going to fit. I admit I was kind of bummed. Not so much because I couldn’t fit into what they were calling an XL, but because that was their largest female size & if I didn’t get it I’d have to get the men’s unflattering shirt. Not a big deal. But, kind of a bummer. Before trading mine for a men’s shirt, though, I stepped off to the side & pulled the shirt on over the regular shirt I was wearing. It was definitely way tighter than anything I typically wear. I always wear the non-form fitting, unflattering shirts. Mr. T right away said in such a sweet voice, “Mom, you look so skinny.” I have not heard my name in the same sentence as skinny in years. I kept the women’s XL shirt.

WAITING TO START

We waited in line for about an hour. At other races I’ve gotten extremely bored waiting. This time it actually went by fairly quickly. Announcers, music & dancers kept us entertained while waiting for our start time of 9:20am.

Top Left: Photo bombed by a leprechaun
Top Right: Selfie of my bottom half while waiting to start the run.
Bottom: 5Kers waiting to start

WE FINISHED!

I didn’t take many pics along the way because I ran most of it. I get a better time & feel better along the way if I run at a faster pace & walk a bit when I get tired than if I run a slightly slower pace & try to run the entire thing. This run was no different. I walked a little & ran most. I ended up getting a personal record. Woo hoo!

I play such weird mind games with myself. As I was running & breathing hard, I felt tired & wondered how in the world am I ever going to meet my goal of finishing a half marathon. Then when it was over, I thought that wasn’t so bad.

Top Left: I was tired at the end. But, since I was able to smile for this pic just after crossing the finish line tells me I’m getting better at this running thing. There is no way I was smiling at the end of the first few 5k’s I ran.
Top Right: Stanford’s served salmon chowder to the runners/walkers. It was only a tiny cup, but was the perfect amount. It was really good, but I’m not sure I could have eaten much more than that after running. Beer was also served, but we skipped that. Not that I’m against alcohol, I just don’t like beer.
Middle Right: After running & eating the chowder we walked along the waterfront to old town.
Bottom Right: We lucked out with the weather. It was raining at our house when we left & I was afraid we’d have a wet run. But, it only drizzled on us a little.
Left Bottom: Portland has a great Saturday Market with many vendors & lots of food. It was lunch time & we were hungry. I had a Philly cheese steak with onions & peppers. That is not something I ever order. The only other time I’ve had a Philly cheese steak was in Philadelphia at a place called Chubby’s. But, that’s what sounded good & it was delicious.

I’d call the day a success.
There was very little rain. The whole event seemed well organized. I spent time with my hubby – kid free. We both finished the race. I beat my goal of 40:00 & ran a PR at 39:26. Back in August, I ran a 5k in 45:00 & was so happy. 7 months later, I ran it 5 minutes faster! I also felt better after this race than the one in August.

After such a good day, I need to  sign up for a bunch of summer 5k’s while I’m motivated.

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