Road Trip

Our first road trip! Cool that it was in Portland, my hometown. It's been over 20 years since I lived in the "City of Roses". Much has changed since then. From a sports perspective, I've transitioned from a soccer player to a bodybuilder to a runner during that time. I've had my fair share of failures and victories in each of those venues. I learned from both - often more from the failures than the wins. Luck has also been my sidekick. In all of my endeavors I have been lucky enough to have people help me succeed. Ray played soccer in England for Manchester United, Tom a long time bodybuilder, and today I have Albert and Sharon giving their time and expertise to help forge me into the best runner I can be. All of them gave without asking for anything in return. I guess they did all ask for one thing, the same thing - for me to give the best I was possible of giving. With their help it has always been more than I thought I was capable of giving. To each of them I say thank you for never giving up on me.

The trip was all about Albert running the Portland Marathon. This was planned to be his Boston qualifier. An injury sucker punched him late in his training. While it never seems fair, it's always a risk when you push yourself to a new level. Albert is always looking to improve, to peel off another second - he doesn't give up. I admire that. He rebounded and was able to race. His brother Jerry and Susan (Jerry's girlfriend) were also running the marathon. Sharon was sidelined with injury but came to provide support and race day coaching. I was gearing up for the Portland 5 Miler.

The drive down was a blast. Our trail was marked with stops at Starbucks, Subway, and frequent potty breaks - we are all getting older after all. We would have shaved hours (maybe minutes) off the drive if we could have simply all gone at the same time....It was like trips when I was young except none of us expected the other to pull the car over and pee along the side of the road (yes mom, I know you remember those stops).

The Marathon Expo was pretty cool. Lots of vendors selling almost anything related to running that you can imagine. Loved the free samples....I bought Superfeet insoles (cause all the fast cool hip runners use them - that's what the salesmen told me....) and a very firm roller to painfully work out the kinks in my muscles after a hard run. I actually paid money for that experience - it does hurt but aids in ones recovery.

The Portland Marathon brings in over $20 million to the local economy - with over 12,000 runners and 2-3 times that in spectators, you can easily see how. Our first bump in the trip was that one of our reservations went MIA. Of course there was no rooms available - in that hotel or any others close to the race. So we all stayed in one room, not a large room but big enough that all five of us didn't have to sleep in the same bed. I kept thinking, geez, I should have remembered to pack pajamas....We dined at the original Spaghetti Factory and the place was packed. The food was good and the laughter took care of some of the pre-race nerves.

Sunday morning came fast and as we prepared for our races, the potential problem associated with 5 adults and one tiny bathroom never materialized. I admit it was difficult to take your time if you know what I mean....We walked about a half mile from the hotel to the starting area. The weather was cool, crisp, with clear skies - perfect! Keep in mind that I mainly run 5K's. A large race is 1500. The starting area had thousands, close to 10,000. It was a zoo...organized but a zoo. The sea of marathoners was amazing. Blocks and blocks of runners. Confident, nervous, and likely many wondering what in the world they had got themselves into. The gun sounded and off they went. Each would soon have their own story to share.

The gun also meant that I had 45 minutes until my race started. The 5 Miler was a new distance to race. I knew I could cover the distance but the goal time was another thing. I received my pre-race reprimand from Sharon for even setting a goal. Sorry but I have too. I can't explain why. It's what I do, I always have...always will. In reality she is right of course. The first time you run any distance, the smart move is to just run. Take that result and build a plan for the next one. Humm, maybe I'm learning afterall....Sometimes I just learn S L O W L Y....I pushed up towards the front of the starting line and looked back at the 900+....start slow....pace yourself....enjoy the race...quotes from Sharon. They float around in my head with other thoughts....hope the hills are easy....that guy looks fast....it's only 5 miles....I should have peed one more time....

The gun sounded and I started slow. Maybe too slow I thought as a lot of runners flew by me. Lot's of runners....I stayed the course and kept to my planned pace. Midway through the mile 3 hill I was passing runners. Lot's of runners....oh this is fun I thought to myself. Look at me, cruising by you and you and you and....you get the point. Feeling cocky and strong I am hearing cheer after cheer from the volunteers as I run by. Sweet, I love Portland! I even heard "He's so cute". Did I mention that I love Portland? Then reality stepped in. A couple yards behind me was a husband/wife team and he was pushing a stroller. So "cute" was the kid in the stroller and the cheers were for the family running together. Now they are right next to me and the kid has a little race jersey on. Ok, he was a little cute and now slightly ahead of me. The final mile marker was just ahead and it's that now or never time that comes in every race. Time to push the final mile with everything you have left, even if you don't know what that is. It's a little scary but it's also what defines that race. My final mile was 7:00 and I passed a few more runners on my way to the finish line. I finished out of gas, out of air, and my trusty legs were much like the spaghetti I ate the night before. My goal was 39:00 and I came in at 38:53. 12th in my age group and 102th out of 912.

Jerry was the first of our group to finish. Freakin fast. Over 9,000 runners and he was 25th....25th. His average pace per mile was 6:16. He'll be at Boston next year. He seems built for running. Susan finished in just over 4 hours and tossed us the rappers gesture (the good one) and flashed a huge smile as she rounded the final corner. While some runners were struggling, she seemed to glide through the end of the race.

Albert. This race has been in his plans for some time. It was to be his qualifying race for Boston. The sucker punch injury I mentioned was at the worse possible time - about 6 weeks before the marathon. His training had to take a sharp u-turn. No running. He was on the bike, rowing machine and running in the pool. This training isn't fun but he pushed through it. On top of that he had to mentally deal with his goal possibly slipping away. I know it was hard for him. But I have to tell you, he has the ability to drive beyond the pain, beyond the impossible. He worked hard and found a way to make it happen. Marathon day also brought concerns of the injury creeping back in during the long race. Having run with him and knowing what he put in to his training for this race made it that much more special to see him on the homestretch. It's hard to explain the feeling but you somehow are running the final stretch with him. Nervous for the finish and proud of the accomplishment. He had some tough moments during the race but his determination won out. He finished in 3:37 and set a PR. Maybe not what he was looking for but in my eyes, it was a world record. Way to go Albert!

The trip was a blast and I got to know Jerry and Susan more than I had before. They are good people and I look forward to getting to know them better. Albert and Sharon, what can I say? We laughed down and back. It was a good time with good friends and I'm glad I went. We decided that we'd take a road trip once a year. Me, I'm all in. Time to check the map and see where the slow people live...

Next stop is the Seattle Half Marathon (November 29th). Albert is running with me and that takes some of the nervousness out of it. I've already set a time goal and Sharon slipped me the stink eye. Her training plan is building my distance and with 6 weeks to go and I'm feeling good. Need to push my mileage and continue to hit my training goals but so far so good. I wish I had something witty to say to close this blog out but I'm empty. I also have completely orange fingers from the Cheetos I've been snacking on...