JACKASS MOTIVATION

Recently I've been in somewhat of a funk due to the weather. It seems to went straight from summer to winter. Really, the weather isn't too cold yet, still mostly in the high 50s, it has been the rain and darkness that has bothered me most.

Run group really helps keep me accountable. It's the runs by myself that I really dread. Like last week, when I chickened out and ran inside for no good reason (although, it did result in a good tempo run). I was struggling again this week with my Thursday run. At different times I put off the entire thing to Friday, would just do three Thursday and then three Friday, run during work Friday instead, not run at all, etc.

Eventually I decided that was all stupid and I would just run Thursday after work like I was supposed to. Friday was Halloween and I didn't watch to dodge children and get smart ass "are you dressed like a runner?" jokes I got last year after taking off for a run after I ran out of candy to pass out at my house. So I ended up getting out there like I should have. Don't know what it always has to be such a battle in my mind.

Anyways, long story short, I was just going to run easy the day after the rollercoaster, but right before I left work I talked to an client on the phone who was just a giant asshole. That rarely happens, I can't even remember the last time something at work left me fired up, I'm normally a mellow guy and my job just doesn't usually have that quality to it. But that motherfucker really pissed me off! Gah! What a jackass!

Ended up using that as fuel to pound out a tempo run on my hilly "home course." It was sprinkling rain and 58 and the run was actually really therapeutic. I basically swore at him for fifty minutes as I ran around the dark and wet. When I was done I felt really good and I got a quality run in. I was over the work thing and the tough run actually left me feeling energized and motivated.

Fuck that guy, but maybe he should call more often?

WELL, THAT HAPPENED FAST!

With this, I never have a legitimate excuse.

Seems like just yesterday it was sunny outside and I was worried about hydration and overheating. Honestly, the weather in Portland stays really warm through September, so all the way to the Portland Marathon I was enjoying, for the most part, the nice weather and it was even a little too hot on marathon day. I took about a week off after the marathon to recharge and all of a sudden it's like winter outside!

Really hard to be motivated to get back into it when you are now facing down cold, wet, and dark compared to sunny, warm, and bright when you last left off. I'm going to have to get used to it though... I suppose I almost made it to November, so now I'll only be suffering until Daylight Saving Time starts again on March 9th. Just a touch over four months away. I can do that!

Last Wednesday was a good example. I ended up having a work event that caused me to miss my group run. It was raining buckets all day and pretty windy to boot. By the time I was ready to run the rain had died down and I was facing a run by myself in the windy dark with a chance of sprinkles. I was being a baby about it, so I ended up paying $4.50 to go run laps at the indoor track for the first time this season. Apparently 42 laps around the gym was more appealing!

I got it done though. And that will be the important part. I always have the indoor track, so I honestly have no excuse. At some times it'll just be a cost/benefit analysis of running outside or shelling out $4.50 to run circles inside. I know I hate running at night, but are the darkened streets really less appetizing than the inside of the gym? I think I'll mostly just save the gym for nights with bad weather and no run group (mostly Thursdays).

Saturday I arranged a group run with Alejandro and Matt. After last weekend's 10 miler seemed to take forever, I didn't want to have to run alone again (man, I am turning into a total baby) so I wrangled those two to run with me. We did the Sellwood Bridge to Steel Bridge loop around the Portland waterfront and then added an out and back along the Springwater Trail to hit 14 miles total. Matt only wanted to run 10.5 so we set him free once we hit the cars before heading off for the final out and back.

Overall it was a great run at 9:12/mile. I want to start running my long runs around that pace (as opposed to 9:40) in an effort to get faster in marathons. Saturday's run felt pretty good at that speed, the last mile I was a little worn down, but that might have been mental more than physical. The last mile is always the toughest for me. Anyways, off to run group tonight in the dark... probably will do the rollercoaster, but as long as I have company, I actually kind of like it!

Splits from Saturday's 14 mile run. Slower first three miles and a faster final three miles. Steady 9:12ish pace in between.

RIDING THE ROLLERCOASTER

The so called rollercoaster.

After taking most of the week off after the marathon I'm back on the running bandwagon. Last Saturday was my first long run since the Portland Marathon and I originally planned to do twelve miles. Long story short, I ended up sleeping in until 1pm (solid 12 hours of sleep) and needed to abbreviate the run a little in order to get to the Portland State football game with my dad in time.

Originally I plotted a course on gmap-pedometer that was 12 miles and all on city streets since I was concerned that Fanno Creek may have flooded with recent rains. When I woke up my computer had restarted itself to install updates (just left the route open in a tab) so that coupled with the time crunch led me to my normal home to Fanno Creek route for ten miles. Luckily Fanno wasn't too bad and my feet were able to stay dry. Those ten miles seemed so long, but I managed to get them done at about 9:15/mile.

One reason why the long run seemed harder than it should have was my legs, hamstrings in particular, were still tired from running what we affectionately call the "rollercoaster" at my run group. Last week was the first week switching to the winter route, and thus, the rollercoaster (only if you go seven miles... the five mile route is hilly but nothing like the seven). Anyways, I don't want to slack off so I opted for the seven mile route both times and even gunned it a little bit on one of the runs.

It is one of those routes that seems hilly just for the sake of being hilly. And we call it the rollercoaster because, while it has definite "up" and "down" portions, it is going up and down all the time. Even after reaching the "top of the hill" halfway through you still have multiple uphills on the way back. Needless to say, I did it again last night and my hamstrings have been sore all day today. If I do it again tomorrow I'll have to take it really easy... I might just switch to the five mile route instead.

All told, I am happy to do the rollercoaster though. Running hills makes you a stronger and faster runner and it is great prep for the Zena Road Runs and Shamrock 15k I'll be doing in February/March.

UPCOMING RACE SCHEDULE, OCTOBER 2014 EDITION

So, literally hours after I posted about the Eugene Marathon they announced the date. It will take place on May 10th next year. Meaning it will be the week after the trip to Indianapolis for the Mini Marathon. I also signed up for the Rock'n'Roll Portland Half Marathon way back in the day that takes place on May 24th. Meaning in three weekends I'll have a half, a full, then a half again.

That means I'll need to run the two half marathons easier than normal. I'd love to pace one of my Solemates during the Mini Marathon, so that'll work out perfectly the weekend before Eugene. Then the weekend after Eugene I'll just have to take Rock'n'Roll easier. I'll just have to shoot for PRs at another time, as I originally thought I'd shoot for that at RnR, but obviously that won't be happening.

November 9th, 2014 - Rivalry Clash Portland 10k
I did this race last year as a 5k and will be doing it as a 10k this year. I had been waiting for it to hit the discount sites like last year, and sure enough, it was on Groupon for nearly half price. $29 for a 10k isn't that bad, so I signed up. Should be a flat course at the Portland International Raceway (different than last year) so maybe a PR chance.

November 27th, 2014 - ORRC Turkey Trot at the Zoo 4M
Was thinking about doing the Give N' Gobble again this year but I also like to try out new races and I already have a 10k a few weeks before with the Rivalry Clash. So, onto another popular Thanksgiving Day race in the area, the ORRC Turkey Trot at the Oregon Zoo. It's a 4 miler, which I haven't done yet, so that will be fun. It's a very hilly course so I'll just try to enjoy myself as much as possible and burn off a piece of pie for later.

December 7th, 2014 - HoHo 5k
Haven't officially signed up yet, but it looks like it will be year three of this event. There aren't a ton of events in December, the only other one I'd consider is the Holiday Half Marathon, but it is pricey and the weather can be absolutely miserable. For only $15, this race is a steal and it's local, fun, and low-key. Probably won't have Brandon again this year, although we had fun, I don't know if he'd be too keen on it again... but I'm going to run it by him before I sign up.

January 25th, 2015 - Miami Half Marathon
Year two of the Miami Marathon. Got in for $50 by signing up the week after the race last year and my friend seems a little more serious about his training this year. So I'm actually kind of excited about the possibility to pacing him this race... he won't be much faster than 2:45 or so, but I don't want to run this race "hard" again, so a leisurely stroll would be nice!

February 2nd, 2015 - Zena Road Runs 15k
This conflicted with Miami last year, but Miami seemingly bumped up a week so I think I'll do Zena again. I did it in 2012 and it was a great warmup for the Shamrock Run. A hilly course and a nicely done local event. I think I'll recruit some of my buddies from PRC to run this with me... burn off some calories before the Super Bowl parties later.

March 15th, 2015 - Shamrock Run 15k
Year four of the Shamrock Run. Can't wait to run this again. I'll hopefully be shooting to set a PR and possibly beat my Dad's time from back in the day (if not this year, then in 2016 for sure!). Katie from Runs for Cookies is coming into town for this one, so I'll be hosting her. If don't happen to have a good race it'll be because we stayed up drinking or something and will be totally worth it.

April 12th, 2015 - Corvallis Half Marathon
I think I may target this race as my spring half marathon where I shoot for a PR. Since Indy and RnR will be affected by my spring marathon, this seems to be the perfect weekend to hit a half marathon hard. I did this race back in 2013 and really liked it. If I don't end up doing this race, I'll likely do the Vernonia Half Marathon on the same day.

May 2nd, 2015 - Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon
Traveling to Indianapolis to meet my Ragnar SoCal teammates for a reunion and to run this half marathon. Initially I planned to run this race for a PR, but with the Eugene Marathon looming the next weekend I'll have to take it easy. Instead, I look to pace one of my teammates and just soak in all the largest half marathon in the United State has to offer!

May 10th, 2015 - Eugene Marathon
My target marathon for the spring training cycle. Will I be able to get the elusive sub 3:30 marathon? Looks like Alejandro will be running this marathon too so I should have company. While I have a ton of stuff to look forward to, this race will be motivating me all throughout those crappy, wet winter months.

May 17th, 2015 - Rock'n'Roll Portland Half Marathon
I signed up for this race way back the week before the RnR in 2014. They were running some special to sign up for 2015 for $50, which for an RnR event is ridiculous, so I signed up. Since then the weekends surrounding this date have filled up, so it looks like I'll just have to take this one easier and it enjoy all the bands and atmosphere.

WHAT'S NEXT? 2014 EDITION

The state of the Eugene Marathon in one image.

Now that I've reflected back on the Portland Marathon it is time to look forward. I'd like to do another spring marathon and I think I may just have the race picked out. What race, you say? The Eugene Marathon down in Eugene, Oregon. Despite being the hometown of a very shitty college, they are also a big running town and have a reputation for putting on a good marathon. Plus, it is only two hours away, so my desire to stay somewhat local will hold.

I had always had Eugene as a target and was initially planning to do it in spring 2014 (this was back before I even ran my first marathon). Unfortunately, they changed the date in 2014 from the traditional last week of April to the last week of July. The dead heat of summer. They moved it to coincide with the U.S. Track and Field Nationals, making the weekend one big "celebration of running."

Needless to say, the move was not popular at all and participation dropped in half. For a race that had steadily built a great reputation and had 7,300 participants across all events in 2013 a drop in 2014 to 3,700 total was devastating. They really pissed off a lot of people and broke a lot of trust (despite continual rosy predictions, "it's gonna be great," "you'll love it even more this weekend," blah blah blah). Nobody wanted to run a late July marathon in Oregon!

Anyways, all that is background to the fact they have been "set to announce" the 2015 date for about two months now. Their Facebook page is almost laughable at this point, any post about any topic just results in dozens of "2015 date?" comments and things like "You should really stop posting until you announce the date." Rumor is pretty strong on a return to a spring date and a date close to the old "end of April" slot. So we'll see.

Assuming they move it back to spring that will be my marathon. The only potential conflict is with the Indianapolis Mini Marathon (half) that I'll be doing with my From Strangers to Solemates team from Ragnar SoCal. That is on May 2nd, which traditionally would be the week after Eugene. So the only way I wouldn't do Eugene is if they happen to settle on this weekend as a new date. My Solemates win in that case.

Should the marathon take place the week before/after Indianapolis I'll just take it easier and not go PR speed. Maybe run with one of my teammates. I originally planned to shoot for a PR in Indy, but they'll be plenty of other chances for a half marathon PR next year. I'll have a post soon with my upcoming races through that Mini Marathon. I don't think I have many, but whenever I start to list them I tend to be surprised.

2014 PORTLAND MARATHON REFLECTIONS

Another Portland Marathon is in the books. While I wish I would have ran it differently, mostly not following that "3:25" pace group, what's done is done, and what's done is something to be proud of! A 3:33 marathon is pretty dang good and in the top 10% of finishers. I finished in 821st place last year and 520th place this year. So up 300 places in overall finish! All that despite being only 3.5 minutes quicker, telling me it was a much rougher year for most everyone due to the warmer weather.

I was really nervous before this race and was almost kind of dreading it. I want to write to future Thomas so he can look back and calm himself before future marathons... it's not that bad and nothing to be afraid of. Yes, it is a long ways and takes a while, but you can totally do it and even if the shit hits the fan, you will persevere and finish and it will all be worth it. Honestly, marathons are nothing to fear. The pain yesterday during the race wasn't much worse, if any, than the tail end of most twenty mile runs.

Haha, oops.

Given some time to ponder the race, I didn't fall apart as much as I thought on race day. Aside from an extended stroll through a mile 21 aid station (right after my first cramp) I didn't walk at all until the bottom of the hill at mile 23. I walked twice during that mile, but by mile 24 I was running and didn't stop again. So all told I think I walked maybe 90 seconds. That's pretty fucking good. Now, toward the end I wasn't running very fast, but in marathon breakdown terms, that was very minor.

Most my time was given back on those final three miles. They were each almost two minutes slower than they needed to be, meaning I gave back six minutes at the end. Had I held it together at 8:10s like I was during the "early 20s" I would have finished around 3:28, 3:29. I think with the right race and my current fitness that is probably about the best I could achieve, maybe a minute or two less on the perfect course on the perfect day.

It's over! At last!

Overall, I am pretty proud of the race I ran. The only thing that sucks is that I trained pretty well this summer and all that got me was a 2 second PR. However, you have to take the long view... I became a much better runner in that period. I just set a new 5k PR and I am a faster runner than last year. Had I ran the Vancouver course with the same weather as in May last Sunday I think I would have achieved a sub 3:30. So just gotta keep on chugging along to the next one.

If there were another local marathon happening in the next few weeks I think I would sign up. I even checked today, but the only marathon is the Columbia Gorge Marathon and that has some sizable hills... not something I am going to PR on. Anything else would require a long car ride and hotel, and I'm not that eager to go run another one. While I wasn't sure during/right after Portland that I wanted to do another spring marathon, I think I will for sure now. It'll keep me motivated during the winter and I'll take another crack at that sub 3:30 sooner rather than later.

2014 PORTLAND MARATHON RACE REPORT

Glenn and I minutes before the start of the 2014 Portland Marathon.

Third time is the charm? Well, for marathons, it looks like the first time was the charm for me. While I was three and a half minutes faster than last year and one second faster* than in Vancouver (yes, one second) I didn't run a great race and left some time out on the course. Had I have ran a better race I could have possibly ran a sub 3:30... however, I am not entirely sure of that due to the weather.

Year two of Portland started at 5:10am with a really unwelcome alarm clock. I had some trouble getting to sleep the night before and probably ended up getting 4.5 hours of sleep. Same as last year, and honestly not an issue because I got 9 the night before. After eating a bagel with cream cheese (same as last year) I met Alejandro, Glenn, and Jon to carpool into Portland.

The nerves were out in full force and I kind of felt like throwing up or just not racing. Normal pre-marathon feelings I guess! Anyways, I was in the B corral again, so I settled right behind the 3:25 pacer and waited for the race to start. Glenn was by my side but Alejandro moved up as he was shooting for a sub 3:20. Soon enough the anthem was sung and the race started shortly after 7am. The weather was a pleasant 58F at the time.

MILES 1-6: JUST HOW FAST ARE WE GOING? (7:33, 7:52, 7:52, 7:17, 7:26, 7:42)

This is about mile six. Lookin' good!

Once the race started I settled down and was calm pretty quickly. I hit what I thought my pace should be but the 3:25 group was starting to get lost in the distance, so I sped up to match. Some people say the marathon can be won/lost in those first few miles and if I had a chance to redo them I would certainly do things different.

The 3:25 pace group was absolutely, ridiculously fast. I don't know what the fuck they were doing. Normally the Red Lizards, the local group who paces, does a great job. The 3:25 group this year was way too fast. My friend Alejandro finished in 3:22 and they passed him during the final few miles. Seriously? I don't expect perfection, but I expect better than that. The pace groups also have different leaders for the first and second half of the race, so I think that first half group must have been at least five minutes ahead and maybe the second half group actually hit the correct pace.

Needless to say, my race plan was to follow that pace group, it's what my whole plan revolved around. They were supposed to average 7:49/mile. My plan was to follow them though, so I followed. Look at my mile times. Those two 7:52 miles are miles that each have 100 feet of elevation gain. I'm sure their target mile time on those was over eight minutes.

They were fast and I had a suspicion they were fast. The problem was the mile markers were jacked up. Apparently this happened last year too, the Portland Marathon slightly tweaked the course for 2013 but still used the same placement for the mile marker signs in previous years. So my watch said .91 at their "1" marker and pretty soon was consistently two tenths of a mile off.

Between the mile marker confusion and odd pace I thought maybe, just maybe, the pace group knew something I didn't. Anyways, at this point the miles were still coming easy so it wasn't a big deal. Had I a chance to do this again I would pace the entire race by my watch as the 3:25ers were worthless, but you live you learn. The sun was barely up at this point and the weather was still very comfortable.

MILES 7-13: ARE WE THERE YET? (7:34, 7:39, 7:36, 7:44, 7:47, 7:59, 7:46)

Random photo from mile 12. Notice the sun?

This is the boring part of the Portland Marathon course. I was still sticking with the 3:25 pace group at the front end of this section. This area of the course is completely flat, and considering their target pace is 7:49 on flat terrain, the 7:35/mile average was a bit fast. Enough bitching about them though. It was my stupid ass that followed them.

Running was still pretty comfortable though, although it did suck when we hit the turnaround and then had to run two miles back directly into the sunlight. Basically you just had to put your head down and grind along. I think the slipping times here were a result of that sun right in my face. Even though it was probably only 60 degrees, with the sun right in your face it was hot!

By the time I escaped the industrial sun hell portion of the course I had fallen back of the 3:25 pace group by about 30 seconds. I finally made the call that they didn't know what the fuck they were doing and I was going to burn out trying to follow them. That 7:59 mile was a re-adjustment phase in my race that also included some minor uphills in Northwest. If I could hit 7:50-7:55 from here on out I would definitely get my sub 3:30.

MILES 14-18: GRINDING ALONG, UP THE HILL (7:55, 7:52, 8:00, 8:57, 8:12)

Crossing the St. John's Bridge.

I hit the half marathon mark at about 1:40:30. According to their split I hit it in 1:39:06, which would be my 2nd fastest half marathon time ever. I believe my watch, because again, the mile signs were about two tenths of a mile off. Bravo, Portland Marathon. Anyways, this means the 3:25 pace group hit that same mark at probably 1:39:45 or so, which is a 7:36/mile. Want to know the marathon time of someone running 7:36/mile? 3:19:26. Yeah.

Anyways, by then I had finally dropped them and watched them fade into the distance. I was hitting the mark I needed now and just hoped I didn't burn myself out trying to follow their ill-advised pace for 11 miles. Honestly, in this section I was still feeling pretty good. I didn't know if I would be able to maintain it as it was starting to get warm, but I figured if I could make it up the hill to the St. John's Bridge and still have my legs I'd have a good shot.

I took the hill a lot slower this year because I was very conscious of my too-fast first half and the need not to kill myself up the hill. I ran it in 8:57 (8:34 last year). I remember last year still feeling pretty spry at the top of the hill (didn't last long) but this year I didn't feel that way. I just felt kind of worn down. I still had juice in the legs, but I could feel the race wearing on me. My parents, sister, and aunt were all waiting for me at the end of the bridge. It was awesome to see them and put a pep in my step for a little bit.

MILES 19-24: CRAMPING MY STYLE (8:02, 8:12, 8:24, 8:10, 8:43, 10:01)

It's a little sunny.

After the bridge I couldn't quite regain my 7:55/mile target pace, but I managed to settle into about 8:10/mile for a few miles. It felt just as hard as a 7:50 mile so I knew I was tiring. I couldn't believe my watch that I was going that slow when I felt like I was pushing it. Anyways, I knew I had a cushion so if I could maintain this pace, I would still hit my goal.

Well, needless to say, when you keep slipping into a new "target pace" every few miles that is getting progressively slower, that is not a good sign. I took a slightly extended walking break through one water station (the 8:24 mile) but otherwise I kept the wheels on the bus going around. Around mile 21 or so I had my first cramp in my left calf. I let out some choice words and slowed down for a bit to make sure it wasn't going to continue.

Another factor in all of this was the heat. This part of the course is very exposed and by this point in the day the sun was up and it was getting hot. By the time I finished it was 70F and at this point it was probably 68F, in my face, and when you are running a marathon that is not comfortable. I would have taken the 55 and drizzly of Vancouver earlier this year because the heat was certainly not helping with my energy level or the cramping.

More exposure evidence.

From that point on my calves were threatening to cramp the entire rest of the marathon. They began to a couple times, but I was able to slow down and adjust my gait to avoid them completely stopping me. I am pretty proud of myself for running through those and not walking. My body was screaming at me to walk but I fought it as long as I could. I just wanted to hit the downhill portion, let gravity take me down that, then assess the situation.

Once I hit the bottom of the downhill my legs were basically done. It was amazing how heavy they felt... as soon as the downhill stopped I felt like I weighed 300 pounds! So I was a bit of a shit show for about a mile or so. That 10:01 mile included two different walking breaks and a lot of ugly facial expressions. At one water station I stopped and stretched for a few seconds. Honestly, the fact that mile was only ten minutes is pretty good considering the shape I was in! By the time I hit the mile 24 marker I was running again and wouldn't stop until I crossed the finish.

MILES 25-26.2: SPRINT TO THE FINISH! (9:36, 9:24)

Mile 25!

I didn't say I was running fast though. Once I started running again I basically switched into my usual long run shuffle pace. I honestly don't think I could go much faster if I tried. Energy wise I felt okay, I didn't have the overwhelming sense of fatigue I had last year, but this year my legs were just not there. I was frankly lucky to be running at all given the shit-show the proceeded these miles.

Anyways, I was content with my pace and basically told myself that I was going to run this MFer in. By then I had conceded my sub 3:30 was out the window but knew I could still PR. It would be close, but I could PR. If no PR, then a course PR was all but certain. Shuffle along. This part didn't seem as long as it did last year, don't know why, but once I crossed the bridge that last section wasn't too bad. Not that I was enjoying myself, but I think I was content to just shuffle in and finish and knew my body could hold up.

When I got to the "chute" for the final quarter mile or so I was fairly content to just continue to shuffle it in. However, when I turned the final corner and looked at my watch, I noticed it read 3:33:02. I knew my current PR was 3:33:16. I didn't know I had it in me, but I sprinted the final thirty yards or so. I stopped my watch at 3:33:17. Fuck, really? I am pretty conservative with the start/stop so I was hoping for some "official time" relief.

THE AFTERMATH

Finish! A chin for each hour I was running.

Once again, I was kind of a mess in the chute. Limping around, just stopping and bending over to stretch, making noises, etc. That finisher's chute was so frickin' long! Eventually I had to stop and just plopped down on the pavement next to others. After a five minute rest there, I limped through the rest of the chute and met my family on the other side.

It was great to see them and I also met up with Alejandro, Jon, and Glenn. Alejandro and Jon both slipped off pace during the second half and missed their goals. So while I want to blame my failure on the early 3:25 group pacers, even had I paced myself who knows what would have happened. Here are two very in shape marathoners who both slipped off as well. Glenn, meanwhile, had an awesome race. He slowed a bit toward the end but had a pretty strong race. 3:34 this year after 4:15 last year.

I went out for lunch with my parents and sister. Strangely enough, I wasn't super hungry and really wouldn't be all day. It was nice just to be with them though and I appreciated them all coming out so much. Eventually we limped back to the parking garage and I went home and did absolutely nothing the rest of the day.

I'll have a post with more reflections next. But for now, I'll take the "official time rellief" and the ONE SECOND PR* thank you very much!

Official Chip Time: 3:33:14, 8:08/mile. 520/6258 overall, 402/3050 male, 77/357 M25-29.
* (edit) official time was revised downward one second, meaning it was a 2 second PR.

ONE DAY - 2014 PORTLAND MARATHON PREVIEW

Course is the same as last year.

This preview will be a little less extensive than the one I wrote last year. If you're looking for a more detailed breakdown of the course and whatnot, take a look at my preview last year. The course this year hasn't changed at all and every assumption I made about the course in that basically proved itself to be true on race day.

Instead, I'll focus more on my strategy. Last year I started with the 3:40 pace group, got antsy a few miles in, then ran past the 3:35 pace group and almost caught up to the 3:30 group. I ended up fading a bit toward the end, not too bad, but I had the 3:35 group re-pass me and finished in 3:36.

The strategy this year will be to stick near the 3:25 pacer. I don't expect or even want to try to get a sub 3:25, so honestly that is not even a secret goal. I just want to bank a few minutes over the course of 22 miles or so for the last few miles. I don't trust myself to maintain a steady pace for the entire 26.2 miles so the plan is to keep the 3:25 pace group close as long as I can. I think I'll let them be 20 feet ahead of me or so, that way I can pace appropriately. If I get in front of them I might speed up without realizing it.

If I can get to the downhill on Greeley around mile 22 with them still within reach, then my main goal of sub 3:30 is very possible. At that point I just have to survive the downhill until mile 24 and then buck up for 2.2 more miles. Assuming my legs and body feel the same as last year, that is doable. I just have to avoid the Vancouver-like mile 22 crash. During that race I was pretty much doing a 3:25 marathon until I fell apart... I am in better shape now, so hopefully I can keep it together.

Nutrition and hydration plan remains the same. Two packs of Shot Bloks will be consumed over the course of the race. I think I'll eat two at miles 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18. I'll briskly walk through every aid station and alternate electrolyte drink and water. They also pass out gummy bears and pretzels at some stations, so I'll eat those too. Basically just keep eating and drinking even if I don't want to... I'll need it. Hopefully the pace groups will slow down for the aid stations... I don't remember what the protocol was with that last year.

So yeah, that's pretty much it! I'll grab a pace band at the expo for a 3:30 marathon and obviously I'll have my watch on me as well. I'd like to just zone out and follow a pace group, but if I need to start pacing myself I'll be able to do so. My parents and aunt will be in the same place as last year around mile 17.5, so that will be fun to see them again. A co-worker also wants to show up and cheer around mile 23, so we'll see if that happens and if he is able to spot me.

Kind of just want the race to be here already so I don't have to have it looming in the background anymore. It will be nice to get to a point one day where they aren't this big of a deal. That day is not here yet.

GOALS:

"A" Goal: Sub 3:30. That is the focus for this marathon. I'm not going to get caught up in sub 3:30 or bust, but I feel like my training and current level of fitness make this an attainable, yet challenging, goal.

"B" Goal: New PR. That would mean I am still getting faster. Current PR is 3:33:16. Would be a little disappointed to miss my A goal by only a few minutes, but hey, a PR in a marathon is nothing to sneeze at. You never know how race day is going to go.

"C" Goal: Sub 4:00 finish. Honestly, finishing a marathon in under 4 hours is pretty good. So even if the wheels fall off and it's just not my day, I can be proud of this. Hell, I could be proud of a sub 5 hour marathon. As long as I move my ass 26.2 miles I have nothing to be ashamed of.

TWO DAYS

I'll keep this post brief as I'll have a large post previewing the race tomorrow. The weather is trending in the wrong direction, the forecast ticked up another degree today. The good news is we are now within the 48 hours range for hourly projections (yikes!) and the temperature at race start is predicted to be 58, which will be great. No need for warm up gear or anything, it was a bit colder last year and I was fine in my shorts and singlet.

The temperature at 10am is expected to be 65 and at 11am 69. So it will only be in the high 60s when I finish. Now, that will still feel hot, especially towards the end along Willamette, but that I can manage. I feel bad for those who are going to be out there 5, 6 hours with the temperatures creeping into the mid 70s.

Starting to focus on proper hydration today. It will likely result in me needing to pee during the race again, but that is 30 seconds I can afford. With the weather being what it will, better safe than sorry. Anyways, off to drink another glass of water!

THREE DAYS - TRAINING RECAP

Well, the forecast got a little hotter for Saturday... only one degree, but certainly seeing marathon day start with an "8" isn't the most reassuring. At least the predicted low also went down 1 degree as well? Honestly I've been training all summer in much hotter temperatures, so I'm hoping it won't get too hot by 10:30am and I'll be able to ride through it.

My training this cycle went really well. The feeling that I am out of shape or not ready for the marathon are completely without merit. This training cycle included more miles than my previous two marathon cycles. The twenty mile runs were easier, although still not easy. I did a shit-ton more speedwork this time around, even if it tapered off a little toward the end. I just ran a 20:28 5k... 11 months ago my 5k PR was 21:08.

The last thirteen weeks of training I ran 465 miles (35.8 per week). That compares to 428 miles for Vancouver and 422 miles last year for Portland. In the last six weeks I averaged 36.5 miles per week... that is over three more miles than for Vancouver (33.3) and more than five per week than Portland last year (31.2)!

I really think I'm ready to go! I did my last taper run last night and I was very serious about making it easy. 3.11 miles at 10:15/mile. Total shuffle but that is exactly what I wanted. Really funny because at 3.10 miles I tried to roll my left ankle. No harm done, but I was honestly kind of close to screwing something up 0.01 miles from the marathon start line! Anyways, my legs already feel kind of refreshed and I still have a few days before the race. I should be good to go!

FOUR DAYS

The Portland Marathon is in FOUR DAYS. Yikes! I am feeling a little better about it than I was a few days ago, but it still freaks me out. Depends on the mood you catch me in whether I am excited or really nervous and dreading it. I think race morning once I am awake and feel the energy of the event... I'll be excited.

One thing that is a little unnerving is the weather forecast. Predicted high of 79 and sunny on marathon day.  I think it was about 70 and sunny last year, so this will be a little warmer. There were a couple of times last year towards the end of the race when I was in the sun where it was a little too hot, so I would expect that again, especially since it'll likely be 6-8 degrees warmer at that point than last year (plus, I'll be running faster).

Beats the rain though! Should be around 58 at race start and hopefully won't crack 70 when I am actually running. We'll see. I don't see it being a major problem, but I will definitely feel it when I am 20 something miles in and on the exposed areas along the bluff on Willamette.

Did 5.5 easy miles with run group on Monday. Will try to get one more run in, likely three super easy miles, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow. That'll be it until race day. I love tapering... I just hate the anticipation. Just writing out this post is giving me sweaty palms.