A Silver Strider

Week 12 - Phase I - Build up - Core Workout: Hills
 07/16/12 - 07/22/12
 Week Total: 48.5

It was an honor for me to be selected as the "covergirl” for a Washington State running magazine in its July-August 2012 edition. Jerry and Betty Dietrich are the publisher/editor of this magazine which conveys the voice of runners and walkers above 50.

And some youngsters would say... "Fifty+? That's old."

Maybe.

Nowadays, runners older than 50 are running amazing distances, amazing mileage, and amazing times. As a fact of life, we are born, we age, and we die. As we age, our health deteriorates. This deterioration, depending on many variables, can be fast or slow.  There are variables that we can’t control, but this community of runners knows that for the variables that we can control, we control them with grace, discipline and perseverance... and a few running gadgets.

In many cases speed and level of fitness are not lost because of aging, but for lack of training, and for many of us old runners, racing long distances, running high mileage and/or running fast is not impossible, but a time-after-time accomplishment.

I am more than impressed and proud for what we "old" people are able to do, whether we run fast or slow, whether we have a 20-min or a 2-hour run, whether we run a 5K, a marathon, a 24-endurance run, or a 100-mile race. 

Running keeps us alive, gives us fuel, mental health, physical fitness, courage, satisfaction, and pride. The pride of being nothing but A Silver Strider. 

The Silver Strider - July-Aug 2012

Betty Dietrich (Left), The Silver Strider Editor - Judy Fisher (Center) - Lizzie Lee (Right)

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Week 12 - Phase I - Build up - Core Workout: Hills
 07/16/12 - 07/22/12
 Week Total: 48.5

Week Races:

Wed 07/18/12 - IRC Summer Series

5K Personal Record by 52 seconds. 23:08 - 7:27 min/mile. That puts me 35 seconds away of National Level. I went tonight to race the race with all my heart and I did. I got 1st place in the division and 3rd female overall. I was on the toes of a High School girl for the whole 2nd mile. She knew I was breathing on her neck. At mile 2.6 she sped up, I couldn't get her. At the finish line we shook hands and she said: You pushed me. I told her: You pulled me!

Mile 1 - 7:10 min/mile - HR 96%
Mile 2 - 7:41 min/mile - HR 97%
Mile 3.1 - 7:31 min/mile - HR 99%

Interurban Running Club Summer 5K - Age group winners

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Sat 07/21/12 Lakefair Olympia Half Marathon

I went for a PR, and I got it (not by much), 14 seconds for a 1:52:23 (8:35 pace). I ran hard. Perfect strategy, perfect course, decent weather (a bit warm/muggy – 59F). Great negative splits (next time 1st mile won't be 79%). Won the division, a nice beer mug.

Strategy Mile 1 – 80% / 2-6 - 80% – 85% / 7-10 – 86% – 90% / 11-12 – 90%-95% / Mile 13.1 – All out
1- 79% - 9:10
2- 85% - 8:56
3- 84% - 9:02
4- 85% - 8:59
5- 86% - 8:55
6- 86% - 8:40
7- 91% - 8:30
8- 92% - 8:30
9- 93% - 8:25
10- 91% - 8:37
11- 95% - 8:01
12- 95% - 8:00
13- 98% - 7:47
13.1- 99% - 0.47 (7:49)

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Sun 07/22/12 SummeRun 5K

My third race of the week. 5K SummeRun benefiting Marsha Rivkin Foundation for Ovarian Cancer. Race founded 18 years ago by my Doctor Saul Rivkin, the best oncologist and the most amazing doctor in Washington State, in memory of his wife Marsha and to fund-raise for the cause.

I ran strong, 23:32 - 7:35 min/mile pace. The race is run on one of Seattle's hills: First Hill. I got 2nd place in the division.

Mile 1- 93% - 7:39
Mile 2 - 95% - 7:40
Mile 3 -96% - 7:29
3.1 - 97% - 0:44 (7:29)

Dr. Saul Rivkin. The best oncologist in Washington State

Half Of The Fury

I threatened last week to come back with fury because it promised to be a fantastic week. Six fun runs nicely planned. But one thing is what the mule thinks and another what the rider does (A Spanish saying BTW).

I very seldom get sick. And when one of the small signs of cold shows up (e.g. sore throat, itchy ear) I do everything under the sun to avoid that the cold develops further. Reason being, cold combined with my chronic asthma are synonym of high probabilities of complications, including pneumonia. Zicam is immediately introduced to my system to stop the cold development. It always works, and in 2-3 days the enemy is gone without having caused any disruption.  But last Monday either I didn’t recognize (never ignored) any indication of getting sick or I didn’t have any. On Tuesday I had more than cold symptoms. I definitely got a cold. My loyal Z came to me but the cold has advanced more than I wanted. As I had too much work and I am taking vacations next week, I couldn’t afford to call in sick. I sneezed all day, my eyes were watery and I felt really bad. However, chest was not affected, so I was still planning on going to my favorite workout, Tuesday’s speed work at the track, 12 x 400.

When I got home, hubby had me a nice bowl of chicken soup and told me: you should stay home. I recognized some wisdom on those words, and decided to stay and take a nap, but after the nap, to go to a closer track as I would miss my coach’s workout time.  Then I started shivering, but still thought: after the nap, and the fever gone, I can run my intervals on my treadmill. Later, knowing that I was not going to be the Hero of the Week, I took a Theraflu  PM, went to bed, and not precisely for a nap. At 7pm I was knocked down and slept like a rock.

On Wed I felt still sick but needed to be present at work for a couple of important meetings. As the day passed-by, and the magic Z, aspirins, and tons of water made its way through my system, I started to feel not only better but also able to run a planned summer 5K. When I got home, hubby repeated the same words he said the day before: you should stay home. Nah… I feel better. As I got ready I didn’t let my brain to provide an opinion, because it would say: no way. My son was going to join me there, and he also asked: Are you going to run being sick? In a total dictatorial matter, brain, hubby and son’s opinions were not heard. I went to run the race, but once there, I knew it was going to be hard. I didn’t have any chest difficulty, but because of all the sinus congestion, my breathing was not easy. Ah, and this is nothing but a 5K, by definition, a fast race. If I were somehow smart (I still think I am), I would at least jog it to avoid compromising my respiratory system, but me? A 5K? My brain can’t process that. So, there I go, after sharing some time with son, and a 10-min warm up. I forgot my heart rate, so I went by perceived effort, which was simply extreme effort. I hyperventilated during the whole run because, of course, it’s a 5K and I only know how to run it at max, but because I was breathing more deeply I was for sure running over my VO2 Max… But it paid: I PRd. 26:19 for an 8:29 pace. Nevertheless, the prize came back to haunt me when during the night, I got worse. At 4 am I had fever and in this cold Summer in Seattle I had to turn my electric blanket on. I knew I could not even go to the office so I would work from home. The Adventure Run with my friend Marie on Thursday night had to be cancelled.

Thursday went by very similar to Tuesday; hence I was at square zero: sneezing all the time, watery eyes, fever… Dumb girl (but I got a PR)… Though I was planning to go back to my routine on Friday, I couldn’t. I had a headache for most of the night, and the best for me was to cancel everything, from work to my Friday 5K in Redmond. Also I considered bailing on my two 10Ks on the weekend, but the decision would be made on Saturday morning, depending on how my Friday night went, and... it went well, so Snoqualmie was on.

Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K is my favorite 10K of the region for the very reason that is the Pacific Northwest Track & Field  (PNTF) 10K championships and gathers the fastest runners of the PNW. So, it’s very fun to watch the competition that close, and as the course is out and back it’s possible to see the neck-to-neck race. Lots of orange shirts are present: Club Northwest with the monopoly of all these runners.

I felt without much energy as I had not eaten well during the week, had been taken a lot of medicines and in three words, I was sick, but I was definitely in recoup mode, so wanted to test what the body could do. I set up my watch in HR mode, as I don’t run by pace any more but by effort. I have found out that this is a very appealing way to run because I can tell why my body is behaving in one way or another. Also, all my runs done this way are organized and efficient. I set up my standard 10K rates: 85% for the first two miles, 90% for 3 & 4, 95% for mile 5, and 98% for last mile.

So how did my body adapt to run at these efforts after a week being sick? Slowing the pace. And this is the beauty of heart rate strategy. If I would’ve gone by pace, I would’ve hyperventilated as I did on Wed, and being a longer race I would’ve crashed very soon because my body would’ve needed higher efforts to maintain my 10K pace. But, to keep the HR for a 10K, the body just slowed down to the point that I ran closer to my half marathon pace than to my 10K’s. Still, it was such good run because my body systematically adapted to increasing the effort to the point that my last mile was the fastest with 98% effort (178 BPM). The last 0.2 were done at 99%, however the paces were not even close to my 10K pace; they were 30 sec per mile slower. I finished in 58:56 and got 4th in the division (and there were trophies in this championship, of course, 3 deep... darn!!!)

Though I pretty much know how to race every distance I continue learning about my body, pace, heart rate, effort, running. And this learning is wonderful for being a better runner. After this experience, I decided not to run Lake Union on Sunday. Not because I ran slower, but because the body told me, “hey, I am recovering from a cold. I need probably a couple of additional days to fully recover”. So, I heard the running machine, which was not broken but getting amended, and Sunday was a placid day to sleep IN, and to take now care of hubby, who is, guess what: SICK! Contagious? Ya think?  

In summary, six planned runs, only 3 were done. 4 planned races, only 2 were done. I came back this week only with Half Of The Fury. 

Snoqualmie Railroad Days

Snoqualmie Railroad Days

Sizzler 5K, Auburn

Another One Bites The Dust

3:45 am was the time to wake up to drive to Tacoma for one of my favorite half marathons in the area: The Tacoma Narrows. Curiously, last year the Tacoma Narrows was my race #50. Today, a year later it would be #103 for a logic deduction of having run 53 races in the last 52 weeks. Nice.

The drive was uneventful, with the usual good number of Staters on the side of the road after having pulled over those that tried to be too smart. Parked by the finish line at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center, and went to the line for the shuttles. The buses would take us across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to drop us at the Tacoma airport where the point-to-point race would start. The ride went fast after having a delightful conversation with Andy, a very agreeable Maniac.

Got my packet, saw Tony, Sharon and her husband, pix were taken, porta-potties and bushes were visited and we were all ready to go. But before the start, all Maniacs were called for a photo shoot, which happened to be an amusing moment. Three of our Maniacs were wearing straitjackets for the picture. It was the epitome of our madness.

My strategy for the race was going to be again a heart rate strategy. It’s working so great, that no need to fix what is not broken. The goal was uncertain. I felt rested for running at a good pace, but I really had not figured out what I was expecting from the race, so I decided to let the heart lead the way.

My heart rate was adjusted from the start at 80% (148) and I was able to keep it there for the first 3 miles. Interestingly, even though I was running at a low effort, the pace for these 3 miles was 9:30. Have I gotten to that place where you run faster with less effort? I was more than surprised and pleased. This led me to believe that if the trend continued I would PR (current PR: 2:09:13 – 2 weeks ago); but because this course has an important hill before mile 4 and it would take a while to bring my rate back to normal, I decided not to be too attached to this thought. The hill came and the heart rate was elevated to 166 (90%) with an of course, slower pace. It took me a while to regulate it back to where I needed to have it for mile 5 (155). At mile 6 I had caught up with my pace and knew that I was going to feel stronger at the end of the race. I was now at ~90%, and kept it there for a couple of miles. The pace was getting faster and at this point I sent the brain the order for a PR of 2:08.

At mile 8 I saw the 2:10 pacer, and authorized myself to pass her. I needed to do that, as the psychological effect of having her in front of me would distract me as I would be above the PR. Instead of waiting calmly to pass her, which I knew would happen in less than one mile, I decided to do it right away. When I passed her I told her: You are right on the money. She was perfectly pacing the people that were running with her for a 2:10.

Passing her so fast came with a price. My HR went to 94% when should've been around 90%. My pace slowed down in the sub-sequent miles. At mile 10 I was in that point of the course where I met Angie to pace her when she ran her first marathon back in May. I pictured myself pacing her with the same strength. The last two miles were fabulous, as this Half ends downhill. I put my HR at 175 (96%) and got 9:13 min/mile for mile 12, and 8:48 min/mile for mile 13. The last tenth of a mile were all out at 100% and I clocked a 2:07:21 a PR of almost 2 minutes.

After the race I joined Sole Sisters Maryanne and Ginger, and Miguel and Tony. Maryanne and Ginger ran a fantastic race. Maryanne with a 1:43 for first in her age group and Ginger ran a 1:33 for 1^st in her age group, 2^nd female masters, and 7^th overall. Miguel ran a 1:12 for 2^nd overall, and 1^st in his age group. As seen, the race was a total success for everybody.

I doubt I would run again by pace as the heart rate is working so good for me. With this, another half marathon PR has been crushed. Another One Bites The Dust. 

With Sharon

With Ginger

Sole Sisters Ginger, Maryanne, and Lizzie

Miguel Galeana, 2nd Male Overall

Ginger, 7th Female Overall, 2nd Female Masters, 1st in her age group

The bling: a glass!!!

So Hilly, That You Could See The Curves Of The Earth

After being in hell for 5 days (i.e. St. Louis, MO with temperature of 97F/36C), I was so happy to be back home where a lovely soft rain, overcast skies and the most delicious temperature of 54F/12C welcomed me.

As you can imagine I didn’t even try to run in St. Louis. Outside was impossible, and the gym was at 70 degrees, so the AC doesn't do anything and you feel like running at 90. In top of that, I was in a conference, and I had to catch up with work until late at night, ending my days absolutely tired.

But, the weekend ahead promised to be awesome with back to back races: A 12K on Saturday, and a 10K on Sunday. 

Saturday’s race was a fantastic and big race where I had the opportunity to meet some of my sole sisters (i.e. Ragnar Relay Team). The course was very hilly but beautiful, most of it through Point Defiance Park with the gorgeous sound at our sight. The temperature was not too bad, high 50’s, but to prevent Seattleites burned with “those high temperatures” the fire hydrants were open. Also some neighbors had their hoses with sprinklers for runners to run underneath. This must sound weird for people from out of town, but yes, it seems we can’t handle the heat caused by that temp !!!! Despite the hills, I did very good, clocking 1:11:35 for a 9:36 min/mile pace. We had a post-race lunch party with Narrows Bridge Running Club and we definitely had a great time.  Prizes drawn, socks, hats, and bib numbers for several Half Marathons. I won none…

On Sunday the race was a 10K along spectacular Lake Washington. There is nothing more beautiful than Seattle’s blue skies and lakes in a sunny day. So, 6.2 miles seeing plain beauty is worth the effort. I had no plans for the race due to being tired from the 12K, but the no-plan changed when the race started and I switched to a go-with-all. The first 2 miles were done at 9 min/mile. At mile 3, I was in 9:15 and my legs were feeling it. Then at mile 4 & 5 we had a couple of not-too-bad hills and I dropped the pace to 9:30, but when I ran by the mile 5 mark, I pushed it to 8:54 min/mile, to finish my race in 56:22 minutes, a PR by 1:41 minutes, for a pace of 9:05. Oh, this time I won a prize... A Coleman outdoor volleyball set!!!

I can’t believe that I could run a 10K PR a day after running a 12K on a hilly course. As the start line announcer said: So Hilly, That You Could See The Curves Of The Earth. 

Sole Sisters and Captain Tony Seabolt

Members of Sole Sisters - Ragnar Team

Our medals: A loaf of bread

Narrows Bridge Running Club

With Jess and Miguel Galeana

Tony Seabolt and M. Galeana drawing a number for a Race For A Soldier Bib #

I won a volleyball set !!! If you see me playing volleyball, you'll do nothing but laugh. I jump like a grasshopper all over the court

With my oncologist Dr. Rivkin... He is one of the reasons why I am alive!!!

With Judy and Owen

Running By Heart... Rate!

I will run my 6^th marathon in one week in the state of Idaho. I definitely should PR because I am in good shape, but, I am very nervous. After breaking the big goal of 5 hrs in Arizona, I was clueless in regards of what the next goal would be.

I hired a coach in February, who has helped me improve big time. He wasn’t too happy with me racing every weekend, but either he understood my driving force or he just gave in. Every single race result foretold a good pace for my upcoming marathon, but what pace that would be? Coach doesn’t put too much emphasis about pace; his emphasis is in quality Tuesday’s workouts and the long runs to be run as the body feels. The rest should come along. I think it’s a great tactic but for a fixated old dog like me, who only has worked with pace, it was a tough issue to understand. Though I followed suit, my evil twin was still asking every day, at what pace should Coeur D’Alene be run?

This weekend, my last before the marathon, I had scheduled 8-10 miles. I have never run a race the week before a marathon because what is normally available are Half Marathons, which are too far, or 10K, which are too fast. 10K the week before is a recipe for disaster knowing my idiotic need of wanting to continue PRing this distance. But, Seattle gave me a gift this weekend. Believe it or not, the running calendar had a 15K!!! 9.37 miles… Wow, wasn’t that amazingly convenient? I doubted on registering because my lack of judgment controlling pace and sprinting, but I thought this was a long enough race to not run it at 10K pace, and short enough to press a bit without getting into trouble. So, could I control myself for a change? I clicked the register button.

The race promised to be beautiful. One, the course, starting and ending in beautiful Gas Works Park, and going around Lake Union. What else can you ask to the Emerald City? Two, for three days in a row, we had sunny clear days and low 60’s. But, if you are trying to guess, you are guessing right. The weather on Saturday was rain, overcast and low 50s; but, as I put it a couple of years ago, “a rainy day is better than no day at all”.

My friend Benny went to cheer me on, and helped me to distract well enough that I was seeded back in the pack. This was good because it kept me on the leash at the start of the race. My mandate:  “run by feel”, and “do not sprint”. I removed pace from my brain and set up a heart rate strategy. Though I have tried to use this strategy in the past, it has never materialized. I broke the race in four segments and set my HR accordingly. The first 6K were run at about 155. It felt really easy. At 7K I cranked it up a notch and ran avg 162 until the 10K mark. It felt easy and good. Then, I raised it to 165 till 13K, but went higher at a slower pace as there was a trio of consecutive steep hills, short though. At 14K I raised it to 173, and kept it there. It felt good. For the last 2K I was easily passing people without running too fast. One, two, three… ten, eleven… many!!! and it was when FINALLY, FINALLY after four years, dawned on me what is to run with negative splits. The power was absolute and the body felt in good shape. 100 meters before the finish line, a guy sprinted and passed me, I was ready to chew him, when I saw a sign on my thighs: DO NOT SPRINT… You have only one week to recover!!! I didn't

I ran amazingly well and got second place in the division without looking for it or paying attention to the pace. I ran a very comfortable run, and finished with the absolute confidence that my marathon strategy now is well understood. This run gave me the response that I have been looking for weeks. And I am pretty sure that this will be my strategy from now on… Running By Heart... Rate! 

My splits with a second half faster than first by 3 minutes:

Mile 1: 10:21 – HR: 153

Mile 2: 10:03 – HR: 155

Mile 3: 10:04 – HR: 154

Mile 4: 10:15 – HR: 156

Mile 5: 9:56 – HR: 159

Mile 6: 9:47 – HR: 165

Mile 7: 9:21 – HR: 165

Mile 8: 10:28 – HR: 166 (3 very short & steep hills)

Mile 9: 9:18 – HR: 173

Time 1:31:11 for a 9:47 min/mile pace.

@ Beautiful Gas Works Park

With friend Benny who made this T-shirt for me. After my surgery last January I asked my Dr. when I could run again. Doctor said: Use common sense, though I know runners don't have any. Thank you very much Benny, I really treasure the gesture, the shirt and the phrase !!!!

Got 2nd place in the division

DO NOT SPRINT ding dong!!!

 

From Wenatchee To Boston

I got a PR by 4 minutes in the half distance this weekend, but for some reason, I was not totally happy about it. The race was in beautiful Wenatchee, my first US home, on a very familiar course - I have run part of it in my earlier US runs. After driving around Wenatchee, Apple Capital of the World, and around memory lane, hubby and I had a nice dinner, and retire early to our hotel.



At the onset of the race we had a sunny day in the high 40's, with no wind. Perfect. Chuck told me to run 9ish, and I expected to do so: to run this Half as a test race, and see where could I go and for how long. First mile was at 9:11, and increased to 9:30s from mile 1 to 4. At mile 5 got a climb to a viaduct that cost me the pace for a couple of miles. Then got the pace down and ran good after the turn around, but at mile 11 I started to get tired. My legs and cardio didn't feel bad, but I was running out of gas. However, I wasn't spent. I compared this "out of gas" with the same I had in AZ marathon after having run half of the race, to get a second wind and a good recovery at mile 17 that led me to a strong finish.

On Sunday I rested the whole day while my head asked a million questions about the results. I am not sure I learned something. I don't think the 9ish is out of question nor that I went too fast at the beginning, nor that I was really spent, but I didn't find any answer. I'll talk with Chuck and ask for advice.

Today, Patriot's Day, I ran with US and world elite men and women, as I have done in the past. Bought Boston Marathon live coverage and set up my laptop in front of my treadmill. I ran with them side by side... half of the distance, though. A very interesting race, with a heart attach finish for the women field. Desiree Davila: Hats off, what a race!!!

First than anything, congrats to my good friend Petra, from the UK, who finished her Boston Marathon in 3:47. She qualified to run it in 2010, but a volcano was in her way. Her entry was deferred to 2011 and, with a dormant volcano, she crossed the pond safely.

Congrats also to all Chuckit Runners that ran Boston....my special congrats to Jason (The Intimidator, intimidator in a good way) who achieved his goal, an awesome sub-3 - 2:54.

A definitely excited weekend, all the way From Wenatchee to Boston.

Ready to run Boston with US and World elite field !!!

Running Boston.... virtually!!!!!!

Didn't I Nail It?

I have been clueless about what my next marathon pace (MP) would be and really haven’t cared much. Rational: I am very happy with my current training. My goal is to run better without getting concerned on the measure of “better”, and I know that in just 7 weeks, I am running way better!!!

But being 8 weeks from Coeur D’Alene Marathon, I felt the need to have some idea on what my MP would be. My current plan calls for similar long runs than Furman’s, which establishes the paces a run should be done. I decided to use my great Mercer Island results from last week to do the reverse calculations. For the same week than Mercer, Furman called for a 13-miler at MP  + 15 seconds. As I did that race in 10:21, my MP, according to the formula, is 10:06.  Though it seemed a really ambitious MP, I decided to stick to that number.

Plan for this weekend was Birch Bay 30K race (18.6 miles). Furman has an 18-miler at MP + 30. According to MP of 10:06, I should run the 30K race at 10:36, for a finish of 3:17:30. Though I had this number as a not-to-exceed finish time, my primary goal was to run freely at the pace my body dictated. And I ran that way. I had a good idea of how I was running as I passed every K mark and had a watch to tell me how long I have been running for that distance, but other than that I never really knew what pace I was running.

With a course divided in Ks, my race segments where one K at a time. And because they are shorter than segments of one mile, the time flew faster. I had a solid run, I was strong all the way, never felt bad, and nothing went wrong.

I crossed the finish line in 3:16:05 for a 10:32 pace. A 15-min PR. Didn't I Nail It? 

I Ran In The Footsteps Of Legends

Marathon Plan - Regressive Countdown - THE WEEK
04/26/10 - 05/02/10 - Week Total: 26.2

On December while planning my 2010 running goals, I decided to have another suitcase in another hall. Training with a different plan, in a different season, in a different state. The only two marathons I’d done at the time were in Seattle, in the fall, with a 16-week Furman plan.

Portland was a convenient one, but happens to be also in the fall. Eugene looked more attractive just by the fact that I have family there that I have wanted to visit for years. It was scheduled in May with a great catch for 2010: finishing at Hayward Field. Without thinking I registered in a spring marathon, in a different state, with a different plan (after one month I ended with Furman … that’s me!!!).

The training season went well, though I got overtrained by week ten, six weeks before the marathon. I did something totally out of Furman plan, and paid the consequences. Fortunately, I recovered pretty good backing off for two weeks, not running but the long runs on the weekend.

I did a lot of “motivational” training, renting once a week a running movie or documentary that kept me on the hook and with a high level of mojo. Spirit of the Marathon (Chicago marathon); Ultramarathon man (Dean Karnazes); Prefontaine; Saint Ralph; Marathon Challenge; Running on the Sun (Badwater 135 miles); Run For Your Life (NY Marathon Story); The Long Run (Comrades Marathon) were among the great movies that continued inspiring me week after week. (All HIGHLY recommended).

Then I got injured three weeks prior the marathon by a stupid action of yours truly, but was lucky enough to recover during the 3 weeks. This recovery consisted on not running at all, forcing me to an extreme tapering. The only serious run I had in three weeks was a 9-miler to test if the knee pain was present and if I was able to make it to the marathon. I passed the test.

On Friday before the marathon my son, his wife and me hit the road to Eugene. I had many fears, as I didn’t know how I would perform after three weeks sitting on the bench.

My cousins Gladys & Alvaro and their two daughters Mariale and Camila were waiting for us in Elmira (1/2 hr from Eugene) with an enthusiasm and love that was worth the trip. We arrived at 10 pm and talked till 1 am. As my husband told me before departing from Seattle: “If you can’t run because the knee, you still will have a wonderful weekend with your family”. And that was true.

Eugene as any American college town is full of energy. You could feel it, and with the race the following day the vibes were all over town. My plans were simple for Saturday: Go to the expo for packet pick-up, see and touch Hayward Field, and visit Pre’s Memorial at the place of his accident. My cousin also took us to Nike where a lot of Pre’s memorabilia is displayed. His log with details of his runs, a letter that he received from the Amateur Athletic Union, documents, and his first Nike shoe. Also a waffle-maker similar to the one Bill Bowerman used to make shoes for his athletes.

We went back home, ready for a carboload dinner. Menu? My adorable husband’s lasagna and pecan pie.

After dinner I organized all my gear and went to bed. I needed to leave at 5:30 am as the race was at 7. I slept pretty good, and woke up at 5 am. My son took me to Eugene, and stayed with me until we started the race. It was wonderful having him with me as he has a great sense of humor, jokes all the time which helped me to calm prerace jitters. When the gun went off Diego looked at me with his gorgeous smile, and with that, he told me everything. This reminded me how blessed I am. I crossed the mat after 3 minutes and went on that exhilarating marathon path so much sought to challenge ourselves, a path full of anxiety, sometimes fear, but a path I decided was going to be fun.

I don’t have recollection of the marathon mile by mile, not sure if is because I don’t know the city, or because I couldn’t believe I was running the marathon after almost calling it off due to the injury. The first miles were wonderful. Thousands of people running for different reasons but with the same goal, to cross the finish line, sooner, later, but to cross it.

I didn’t have a particular running strategy as I was not sure how my body would react after the extreme tapering. At mile 3 I started feeling my legs, and thought it was not good, but I felt better at mile 4, and concerns were gone. 10 K mark registered 1:08:03. At mile 7 I felt with power to do intervals of a mile and that was my strategy for the rest of the race. At mile 9 we were passing by Hayward Field, and the bananas were welcome, though I thought it was dangerous as the center of the street was covered with banana peels. After mile 10 the half and the full split, and some of the fun was gone. Running a race with a lot of people is something I really like, and as in most of the races that offer the full and the half, 75% went to the left, when the other 25%, the marathoners, went to the right.

We ran around the Willamette river, and at mile 13.1 my time was 2:25:08. To make 5 hrs I would have to push it really hard. We entered in an area that was not very pretty to run, but it lasted less than a couple of miles, I believe it was Springfield. Then back to residential area, and at mile 16 I did a pit stop (first time ever I do that in a race) but I was getting a little bit tired, and thought this might count as a recovery “stationary” jog after the interval. At mile 17 my knee started to bother, not pain, but just a bother, stopped and icy-hot in big quantities, and then, I saw Todd for first time, the 5:00 hr pacer. I knew at that moment my chances for five hours were gone as he was running steady and I was not going to be able to keep that pace. I was slowing down, but I was enjoying the race a lot. We entered in a park, and we stayed in park and recreational areas running along the Willamette river until mile 25.5. This was simply beautiful. In every corner there were people cheering for us and people playing all sort of music. The aid stations and volunteers were top notch. Amazing.

I passed the 30K at 3:40:20 and told myself: Wow, what about a 12K in 1h 20min? My best 12K today is 1:13 fresh. Ok, keep on trying… (later I learned the 30K mark was misplaced)...I ran through parks, and trails, and by the river, and everything was wonderful. People were tailgating in the park just to watch us running. Hot dogs, hamburgers, nice smell, but no thank you.

20 miles, the race is reduced to a 10K race, then to a 4-miler, the miles were flying by me, slow but flying, and the finish line was getting closer and closer. By mile 23 there was a samba band, and I started to dance moving my shoulders and one of the players came towards me to run just a little stretch with me.

There was a girl that was running close to me since mile 20, and after passing mile 24 she saw me looking at my watch and asked me the time, I told her "4:44 and we will have to fly if we want to make it in 5 hours", and then she asked me: Will they stop the race after 5 hours? And with that question I realize, AGAIN, how dumb I can be. I told her, no sweetheart, of course not. And she goes: I just want to finish, this is my first marathon... And if she wanted to finish I just wanted to disappear with my stupid comment. I told her she was going to finish great. From there, I said to me: Lizzie, finish your race forget about the stupid 5 hours, and keep an eye because your adorable son Diego must be waiting for you before entering in the track.

And there he was, at mile 26, ready to run with me the last 0.2 miles inside Hayward Field. I broke into tears, he put his arm by my waist, and said come on. As soon as I step on the track I couldn’t breathe, like the little kids that cry in a way that you think they will stop breathing. I ran with him till the finish line, we sprinted at 8 min/mile, he held me tight after crossing the finish line and then on my knees I kissed the ground. I Ran In The Footsteps Of The Legends.

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Time 5:06:14 a PR by 11 minutes. Time means nothing. My son Diego taking me to Eugene (5-hour road trip), getting up at 5 am just for his desire of being with me and providing me such support on race day, running the last stretch with me, and offering his arms to my weak and tired body are beyond blessings.

Thank you My Diego. (A lady after him crossing the finish line with me told him: Hey, you ran the marathon in jeans!!!)