Celebrating One Year

15K Shamrock Run & 1K Leprechaun Lap
Portland, OR
Overall Time: 1:27:50 (Gun: TBD)
Placement: TBD

Happy Runniversary to me! It was one year ago today that I stepped on the treadmill for Day 1 of C25K. Not because I wanted to be a runner but because I wanted to do triathlons. I always figured that I'd forever have a so-so relationship with running, that I'd do OK enough to get through 1/3 of my target events. Well one year, two sprint triathlons, two 5Ks, and an 8K later, something changed. I LOVE RUNNING. What better way to celebrate than with a race? Not just any race. Portland's classic race, the 15K Shamrock Run, a chance to win my weight in beer (yeah, right). Long considered to be one of the more challenging in the area due to the constant uphill grade from miles 2 to 5 followed by 4 miles of quad-burning downhill. I could have tried for PRs in the 5K or 8K distances but I wanted to start my season with a bang. I've participated in the Shamrock festivities before, walking the 3.5 mile Stride with Nathan while Chad ran the 8K or 15K. This year, Chad is in the meat of his Spring marathon training and opted to skip this race in favor of a 20 mile run and a romp in the 1K Leprechaun Lap with Nathan. So it was with some trepidation that I signed up for the 15K. I've driven up Terwilliger. It's a big hill. Some people call this a Death March. This is the longest distance I've attempted. Bring it on!

Ugh, Daylight Savings Time begins today. The alarm goes off unbearably early. Bleary-eyed, we nosh on bagels, peanut butter, and coffee as we stumble out into the darkness to go downtown. At least it's not raining. Forecasters got it wrong again. Race day conditions are 60F, overcast, slight breeze, and maybe some mist. It's a good day for a run!


We get down to Waterfront Park just as the 5K started. First stop, the Port-o-Potties. I pin Nathan's race number on his shirt, give my boys a good luck kiss, and send them off to the start line for the Leprechaun Lap. I see the kids start off and according to Chad, Nathan clocked in at 20-ish minutes after running 600 m, walking 150 m, taking a rock & stick toddler break, and running the rest of the way. Not bad for a three-year-old.

With Chad & Nathan duly sent off, I run a few strides, use the port-o-potties again, and run a few more strides before lining up somewhere in the middle. The plan is to go out relatively slow to finish my warm-up, keep a steady pace up the grinding hill miles, then turn it up and try to negative split the downhill miles. I wanted to average a target pace of 9-9:30 miles for the whole race. That's the horn. It takes me about one minute to cross the starting banners and the mass shuffles off towards the Pearl District...

Mile 1: 09:49 - OK. Warm-up's done. Steeling myself for the hills that are coming.
Mile 2: 06:48 - Huh? There's no way. Mile 2 must be marked short since I don't think that I physically can run a sub-8:00 mile. Gentle climb up Broadway. Feeling strong. Moving towards the big ones. Skip the water. Start switchbacking.
Mile 3: 13:48 - Another huh? I don't feel that my pace has dropped that much even though the tough part has started. Confirms my thought that Mile 2 was marked short or I threw my plan out the window and left too much on Broadway. Split the difference and call it 10 and change. Cherry blossoms are pretty. Bit too cloudy to see Mt. Hood but the course itself is beautiful. I spy my first rabbit, a woman with funky cool red shoes which I admire as I reel her in.
Mile 4: 10:02 - Ah, that's more like it. Averaging 10-ish per uphill mile. About on target though a bit slower than I would have liked. Big hill summit at the Chart House. Time for most of the downhill to begin. Don't go too crazy since there's still one more hill to crest. Dropped my first rabbit without catching the brand on her shoes. Oh well. Time to find another bunny or two or four or eight. Overall pace of the group seems to be slowing but I'm still plodding steadily along.
Mile 5: 9:10 - First negative split. Yay but there's still that last uphill which starts, um, now. Stealthy hill. Not that big but it comes up and bites you. Thirty more meters and I'm done climbing for the day. A nice flat stretch to wake my downhill muscles up.
Mile 6: 9:28 - Yeah. That hill got me but it's all good now. Flats & downhill. Time to turn on the afterburners. Forget the rabbits. We're pretty spread out.
Mile 7: 8:55 - Yes! Dig deep. Push harder. 1:25:00 is still a stretch but I feel like I'm going to be close. Oops. Dodge the 8K racers. Weave in, weave out, Keep pushing.
Mile 8: 8:37 - Another negative split! This is starting to hurt. I can almost taste the stretch goal. Almost. 8K finally splits off. Cadence is still high. Digging as deep as I can. Focus, focus...
Mile 9: 8:27 (New Max HR = 195) - Woohoo! A PB mile time and a new max HR! I'm almost tapped out. My quads are burning. 1:24:?? with 1/3 mile to go. No stretch goal today but keep up this pace, girl. I can see the chute. Almost there...one....more....push....YES! I did it. Tired, exhilarated, hungry. Now which way to the beer tent?