1. The Color Run
5k (3.2 mile) - September 12, 2015
00:31:17
The race that started it all!
The idea of running actual races had never really occurred to me. At this point, late summer of 2015, I had just started running with Mara in the jogging stroller out of necessity, rather than because I really loved to run. Mara was about 9 months old at the time and was in an anti-nap phase, and sometimes the only way I could get her to take a nap (that she desperately needed) was to put her in a stroller and take her for a walk. I was never guaranteed time to work out, so I thought to myself, if I can walk with her, why not run? We had a jogging stroller so... off we went!
Then one day a friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was going to be doing The Color Run 5K and asked if anyone was interested in running it with her. I decided it sounded like fun and since I'd already been running, I was basically already training for it. I ended up not running it with her as we couldn't find each other in the crowd at the beginning of the race, but it was fun and I was hooked!
2. Run Like Hell
10K (6.4 mile) - October 25, 2015
00:55:00 (ish? I can't remember exactly)
Corky and I ran this one together. It was the first race we ever did as a couple. We wore those one-piece body suits that cover literally ALL of your body, even your face! His was green and mine was black. I remember on the way to the light rail station we were talking about our costumes. He said ours weren't as interesting because "we aren't anything." Meaning we were wearing body suits as opposed to being an actual character or something, like Spongebob or Raggedy Ann. I responded, "Sure we are. I'm a shadow and you're a booger!" He wasn't convinced. LOL! Anyway, this was a 10K so just under six and a half miles. I felt pretty good. It was hard to run with something over my face so I ended up pulling the head part off halfway. I remember being passed by all sorts of weird costumes, the worst of which were these 2 people dressed like bunches of grapes - one purple and one green. They wore some kind of suit with latex balloons stuck to it. The balloons kept dislodging and blowing back towards me. You all know how I feel about balloons......... Let's just say I really wanted to get ahead of them, although I never did.
3. Holiday Half
13.1 mile - December 13, 2015
02:00:08
How well I remember this race! This race began my struggle with gastrointestinal issues during races, although at the time I blamed it on the stomach flu that I was just recovering from. Two miles in I found myself grateful for strategically placed port-a-potties. I can remember hitting a wall right around mile 4 and then getting a second wind, and then hitting a wall again around mile 10 and I never did recover from that one. I dragged across the finish line at two hours exactly and within minutes was shivering violently. It was COLD that day. Someone gave me a mylar space blanket which I immediately donned and huddled there near the finish line waiting for Corky. I felt immensely proud of myself after this race. We went home, I put Mara down for her nap, took a shower and then fell asleep myself for almost two hours. It was great! Unfortunately, that would be the first and only time (thus far) that I'd be able to take a nap post-half marathon and actually enjoy it.
4. Hop Hop Half
13.1 mile - March 26, 2016
01:55:50
This was by far my best half marathon. Not only for time, but for how I felt. I suffered very little gastrointestinal distress during this race. I only felt the need to use the port-a-potty toward the end, which was a far cry from the previous half (two different times) and would be a far cry from the next half (which I'll get to in a while). My knee hurt a little bit toward the end of this race but other than that I felt pretty good. I remember a guy was running it dressed in an Easter Bunny outfit. He must have been SO HOT. This race was fun because the course was right along Marine Drive which runs next to Portland International Airport. So I got some nice plane-spotting in while running the race. It was also my best time for a half marathon, and still is my best time to this day. The shirt is nice, but it is prone to static after coming out of the dryer if I don't remember to use a dryer sheet with it.
5. Cinco de Mayo
10K (6.4 mile) - May 1, 2016
00:51:00 (ish?)
This was the first race I ran with Mara in the jogging stroller. Up to this point we had always had someone to watch her. I can't remember why we didn't this day, but we didn't. As often happens with toddlers, Corky and I were a bit behind schedule that morning. Races always start so ungodly early, which didn't help matters. Anyway, since the start of this race was at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland, we again took the MAX light rail down. As we neared the square, we could see the starting arch and people already running through it. The race was beginning just as the MAX pulled into the station! We hopped off the MAX, ran across the street, through the arch and just started running. Because we started late, we were near the back. I have a decently fast pace, so I had to pass a lot of people. Doing that is awkward in the first place, but it's even worse with a jogging stroller. Some people seemed offended that I passed them, while others commented on how me running with a stroller like that encouraged them. "No excuses," they'd say. Still others just ignored me. I ended up being the fastest stroller-pushing runner that day, which was nice. Definitely would have been easier to run if I didn't have to sing Wheels On The Bus the whole way to keep Mara entertained! Oh well. The things we do for our kids.
6. Hood to Hood River Relay
Relay (56 miles total) - June 12, 2016
Time unknown
I actually wrote a whole blog post about this race, you can find it HERE. But basically two other people (Joe and Teresa) and I formed a three-person relay team and faced down many other teams (all of whom had more people than we did) and came in 2nd in this test-run of a new course. The course was so damn beautiful and very challenging. I was completely exhausted by my last leg. It was my first relay experience and I loved it. I hope to do this race again one day! Also, this is one of my very favorite t-shirts. I wear it all the time.
7. Foot Traffic Flat
13.1 mile - July 4, 2016
02:20:??
Ugh. I've been dreading writing about this race for this entire post. This race..... I have a bone to pick with this race. I will be damned if I'll let this race get the best of me again. This one was an all around disaster. Almost from the moment I started running I could feel the familiar and dreaded cramping in my stomach. All told I spent about half an hour in various port-a-potties along the route and actually walked a good portion of the race - something I almost never do. I was sick for a week after this race. I could barely get out of bed the rest of the day. I have almost never been in so much pain in my life. This race nearly put me off racing for good. But I did finish.. as one of my Zumba ladies who also runs races said to me one day, "Better to be DFL than DNF." Truer word were never spoken.
8. The Color Run
5K (3.2 mile) - September 17, 2016
00:27:04
My 2nd year doing The Color Run. This time it was pouring rain! My shirt is actually stained faintly from the color powder mixing with the rain water, but that's kind of the point. This race was actually kind of boring. I run 5Ks on the treadmill almost every day. But the vibe is fun and I do enjoy the excitement of race day. Plus a friend of mine was there doing a Zumba demo so it was cool to see him. All in all not a very eventful race but enjoyable nonetheless. My boogers are crazy colored for days after this race. It's hilarious!
9. Spartan Sprint
4+ miles, 21 obstacles - October 22, 2016
Time unknown
Corky, Mara and I road-tripped to Seattle for me to the Spartan Sprint up there. It was my first obstacle race and I loved it! HERE is a blog post I wrote about that weekend. It was very challenging, both physically and mentally. This was the race that taught me just how hard 30 burpees are when you're already tired! But it also taught me that I'm capable of way more than I thought I was. Still one of my greatest accomplishments in the realm of races. It wasn't fast or pretty, but I got it done and I'm proud of that!
I'm excited to see what 2017 has in store for me with fitness and racing. Stay tuned for next years t-shirt tour! xoxox :)
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