2015 PORTLAND ROCK N' ROLL HALF MARATHON RACE RECAP

The start of the half marathon.

My alarm went off at 6:45am Sunday morning after a solid six hours of sleep. I decided to join Alejandro and Katie to catch the MAX from the Sunset Transit Center at 7:15am. Originally I planned to take the train that was a half hour later, but decided to just nut up and get there a little earlier to be with my friends. We got there with about 45 minutes to spare, which was fine, as we had plenty of time to use the bathroom, go to bag check, take pictures, etc. Felt a lot like the Shamrock run just because of the amount of people and the fact it was along the waterfront.

The start line was a little chaotic. They had plenty of corrals, something like 1-20, but no way of monitoring who was going in what corral. I don't think my corral was even printed on my bib. In addition, even if everyone was in the right corral I don't think they would have fit. They seemed much too small to hold the amount of people they needed, which led to a bunch of people clumping outside the entrance gates waiting for the race to start so they could slip in. Luckily I was one of the last people to squeeze in before the corral could take no more people.

I ended up between corrals 2 and 3, which was probably about right. I signed up 50 weeks ago and put a predicted time of 1:35, which put me in corral 1. I wasn't going to run that, so I was fine with being back a little. Turns out I was surrounded by people running the right pace so it just kind of naturally worked out. I was dreading the start, as usual, but one the gun went off it was all business. It again felt way too easy, despite trying to start slower this time I looked at my watch about two tenths in and saw I was doing a 7:05/pace. Dammit! I eased back on the throttle a little bit.

Pre-race goofing off (7:45am... ugh!)

Amazing how easy those first few miles can feel! Because of my experience in Indy I tried to reign myself in a little to save something for the finish. The race sorted itself out very quickly, I was done dodging a half mile into the race and it was never again a problem. So that aspect was much better than the Indy Mini. First three miles were 7:33, 7:31, and 7:24. I was trying to target about 7:35, so not bad. That 7:24 mile had some downhill I decided to take advantage of, so I wasn't quite speeding up like it seems.

Those first few miles were pretty unique, weaving around Union Station and then across the Broadway Bridge. I was prepared for the hill at mile 3.5 so that didn't take me by surprise. It was a little steeper than I was imagining, but I just took it easier and reminded myself there was a lot of race to go and it didn't make sense to charge up it. My mile time on that uphill was 8:02 which isn't bad at all! It was a good challenge but not overwhelming... once I hit the top I was able to catch my breath and resume race pace pretty quickly.

From there it was a pretty uneventful few miles. Just locked into a groove and felt pretty good. The course was interesting and a lot of people came out to cheer. The route was mostly on residential streets so it was nice to see families out there cheering for us and handing out water and oranges and stuff. Miles 5-8 were 7:26, 7:28, 7:33, 7:34. Still hitting my "A" goal and taking the small rolling hills in stride. I was starting to tire though, I could feel my legs start to ache and whine and I just kept reminding myself I had a nice downhill coming up.

Just over nine miles in!

Mile nine I was a bit concerned the wheels were starting to come off. I had a 7:49 mile and I was thinking it would be another slowdown the last few miles of a half marathon. I was also noticing my watch fall farther and farther behind the mile markers so mentally I already knew I wouldn't get as rewarded with my pace as I could be. That mile was followed by a 7:43. I forget exactly where or why but I seemed to get a second wind of motivation. I just told myself I wasn't going to go quite so easily. Really just focused in on my breathing and locking to a groove. My legs hurt but I could ignore them for a few more miles.

Finally my "relief" came in form of the mile long downhill I was waiting all race for. It was a great break and I was still able to clock a 7:25 mile without working too hard. They kind of teased you by getting you really close to the Hawthorne Bridge (which you cross) but then sent you south to fuck around for a mile before you finally got to cross. I was slightly worried that once the downhill ended my legs would be dead, but to my surprise they responded really well and I followed up with a 7:38 mile on flat ground. Not too shabby!

After what seemed like forever we finally crossed the bridge and were headed toward the finish line. This final mile was 7:45, so a little slower than I would have liked, but that included the bridge climb and was mile 13 of a half marathon. So not bad at all! The bridge normally has a metal grate as a surface, but they covered it with carpeting for us. It was an interesting surface to run on, I could have moved to the sidewalk, but the prospect of raising my leg twelve inches into the air pretty much squashed that idea. Plus, just the novelty of the surface was enough to distract me from my body screaming at me.

What a great looking bunch!

Once off the bridge you did an interesting loop to get you back on Naito and headed toward the finish. I could see the finish line about a quarter mile ahead. My watch said 1:39:10... now, I had race brain, so I thought I had 50 seconds to meet my "A" goal, so I started to sprint. As I was sprinting I realized there was no way I could make it, I would have to be doing a 4:00/mile to even come close. So I pulled back on the throttle a little and accepted I'd miss my goal by a little bit. I didn't even realize I was under 1:41 until I stopped my watch at the finish. For some reason I thought after 1:39 was 1:41. So that was kind of an "aha!" moment and a happy realization that I had indeed met all my goals.

My time ended up being 1:40:37, which is 7:41/mile. However, my watch had me at 7:35/mile, which I'd believe. Why the difference? I ended up running almost 13.3 miles according to my Garmin. I hate to be one of those "the course was long" people, but everyone I talked to had it at least at 13.3. Whether the course was actually long or just all the turns really added up, who knows, but most races my watch is much closer. Anyways, had I ran a more precise course I was on pace for a low 1:39, which is awesome considering where I am at the moment.

Trying out a new celebration.

Needless to say, I am thrilled with my time and race. It wasn't the perfect day, my legs were screaming from mile eight on, but I gave it 100% effort and was rewarded with a time I wasn't quite sure I was in the shape to get. The weather was perfect (mid 50s and overcast) and the course really kept things interesting. I didn't like all the turns, but no race in Portland gives you a better tour of Portland than this race. You got to see downtown, Mississippi, some really nice neighborhoods, some more working class ones, commercial patches, cross two bridges, etc. It was great and kept me distracted enough not to be constantly focusing on any pain I was feeling.

For "Rock 'n Roll" though I was pretty disappointed. There were maybe four bands along the course. The Portland Marathon has at least double, if not triple or quadruple, the amount of bands per mile. So that was a major disappointment. I didn't really care too much because the course was cool, but with this series I expected a little more entertainment. I would never pay full price for this race, but would sign up again for $60. Overall I'd give it a solid "B."

After the race I met up with Alejandro and Katie and we had a couple of beers (Michelob Ultra... yuck) and listened to the band. It was too loud and we were tired. So we only lasted maybe twenty minutes before limping back toward the MAX. Mission complete.

Official Chip Time: 1:40:37, 7:41/mile. 277/5844 overall, 233/2215 male, 35/230 M25-29.
Mile times: 7:33, 7:31, 7:24, 8:02, 7:26, 7:28, 7:33, 7:34, 7:49, 7:43, 7:25, 7:38, 7:45, 6:47 (final .27 pace).