MY THIRD (AND FINAL?) TWENTY MILE RUN

My pace group rolling into the 20 mile finish. Notice me back right looking miserable.

Last Saturday morning I awoke at 6:15am in order to get to Willamette Park by 7:30am so I could join the Portland Marathon Clinic for one of their weekly free training runs. This was a special run they have each year where they bus you to a mystery location and then you run back twenty miles to the park and they have brunch ready for you.

I kind of feel like an idiot for not joining these people sooner. My complaint is their starting times (usually 8:00am, meaning wake up 7:15am), which don't jive well with me not being a morning person. However, not being able to sleep in is a small price to pay for what ended up being a really fun run. Now, I wouldn't do all my runs with them (they run every April to October), but in the summer when sleeping in just means a hotter, more painful run, they are certainly a good option.

70% of the 3:30 pace group after the run.

Three school buses were waiting for us and we left at 7:30am sharp. They ended up bringing us all the way to another Willamette Park, this one in West Linn. After allowing everyone to use the restroom if we needed, they broke us into pace groups and we started on our way. I think they had a pace group for just about every 10 minutes (certainly in the 3:XX hour marathon groups, maybe 15 minute intervals for the slower groups). Alejandro and I joined the 3:40 group and off we went.

Since the route was hilly and they are big fans of doing 'slow' long runs anyway, we were running about a 10:20/mile pace. It felt a little slow. I understand the point is to just get miles in, but Alejandro and I were both getting a little itchy to run faster. There was an aid station about 3.75 miles in where we caught the 3:30 group briefly and we decided to join them instead. They ended up running about 9:50/mile which was perfect.

A pace group enjoying the last aid station at mile 16.

The aid stations! These were awesome! There were four along the course and each was stocked with water, electrolyte drink (the brand and flavor they will be using in the Portland Marathon, so you can make sure it's okay on your tummy), candy, pretzels, etc. Absolutely amazing to run into these. At the first aid station I ate so many Mike and Ike I got a little sick to my stomach. I might have burned 2600 calories on the run, but ate 1000 back in the aid stations. Regardless, they really helped keep me motivated and were amazing to have.

Oh, the run itself? It went pretty well. The 3:30 group was full of really fun people and most the way there were interesting conversations going. Kind of kept your mind off the run. The course was a little hilly, but not too bad. We were going real easy so I was feeling pretty good until the final little part there. We ran all the way from West Linn to almost downtown Portland, then looped back along the waterfront to Willamette Park. Awesome to think we covered that entire way!

I was feeling pretty good until about mile 18 or so, when we were running along the waterfront, exposed in the direct sun, slogging our way back. Those last two miles did suck, BUT, they were the best last two miles of any 18+ mile run I've had. In terms of 20 mile runs, this one sucked the least, and each one has gotten less sucky. So I am improving! Overall the company and easy pace made this twenty mile run pretty manageable. I even almost set a 10K PR the next day, so that should tell you I didn't completely ruin my body. The brunch after was great too.

The PMC group has another free run next weekend I will be going to. This one is a choice between 16 or 20 miles. I am almost tempted to try 20 again in order to be as prepared as possible, but I think I'll play it by ear Saturday morning. I certainly wouldn't attempt it if I were running alone, but with the company and aid stations I might give it a try. We'll see. If not, I still did three 20 mile runs before my first marathon, which is more than many first timers.

20.19 miles in 3:21:38. 9:59/mile.