I registered for the Portland Rock N Roll as soon as it was announced. I'd already decided to do the 50 states, I didn't have Oregon, I was working on my Rock Idol medal for 2011 so I figured why not do a RNR race in 2012 for a different state. Then I patiently waited nearly a year for the race to arrive. With just a few months left work commitments started threatening the race and for several months I was worried I was going to have to skip it. I finally resigned myself to having to run it another year when the work schedule slipped and I was able to go. I'd already booked a room and shot off a message to a running friend, Denise, to see if she wanted to share the room as I knew George was staying with a friend. I didn't really know Denise well, though we'd hung out at several RNR races the previous year because her 16 year old son swept the series. She agreed and it seemed as though Portland would be a bit more fun with company.
The week before the race I had to go to Panama for work. I spent the week on boats and the last day there my knee got injured. I still don't really know what happened, there was no "ah ha" moment of pain. After we came in from the boat and went to lunch as I was putting my napkin in my lap and my hand brushed my knee fire shot through it. I rolled up my pant leg and discovered a quite nasty bruise.
Thankfully it happened on our last day there so it didn't interfere with work (or send me to an OCONUS medical facility). I got back home and as the weekend wore on it was more painful. I figured it was just a bad bruise but without knowing what I'd actually done I was concerned that it could be more serious and with only a week until the race I headed in for x-rays just to be sure. I was told it was likely a bad bruise but there was a spot on the x-ray that concerned them about a potential hairline fracture. I was told to consider it a bruise unless I heard from them the next day after the radiologist took a look and was sent home with 800mg Ibuprofen. With just a few days left until the race I resigned myself to just running for fun and not worrying about finishing time.
Friday rolled around and I headed to Portland. I got in before Denise and headed to the hotel. After checking in, I wandered around the area for a bit, then headed back for dinner. After eating (an amazing dinner I might add), I headed upstairs and did something TOTALLY out of character...I watched TV for a few hours! I usually can't sit still long enough for television and really don't enjoy trying, but I actually laid in bed for a few hours watching 'Say Yes to the Dress' before Denise got there. It was already nearly 1AM my time, but we started chatting and before we knew it, it was 1AM local time...but we'd discovered we had A LOT in common and it was going to be a great weekend.
Saturday morning we showered, got ready, and decided to walk the mile and a half to the expo. We set out and on the way discovered the Saturday market...and some amazing fresh fruit cups!
After a quick stop for some fruit for breakfast we finished the walk to the expo. We met up with George for a bit at the expo.
Then we grabbed our packets, surfed the booths, and stopped by to say our hellos to all of the usual suspects (from Competitor Group employees, to vendors, to runners - all wonderful friends thanks to the RNR series). On the walk back to the hotel we stopped for another fruit cup and then just took in the sites along the waterfront. We still had a bit of time until dinner so we dropped our stuff at the hotel and walked a little further. We came across a little floating restaurant with a patio area and decided to check it out.
Once there, this is where I spun even more out of character than watching TV...we decided to have a drink. I rarely drink and definitely never before a race! (Not within a week of a race usually!) But, I figured my knee was shot and I wasn't worried about performance so why not! We then decided to get the waiter to snap a picture of us...and I prompted spilled my drink just as he clicked....
Of course that led to quite a bit of conversation and laughter with the other two tables and before we knew it we'd had a couple of drinks, were invited to go out on the boat with strangers, had accepted, and cancelled on the person we were meeting for dinner. ALL totally out of character. BUT always safety conscious, we didn't leave the restaurant until we had someone from the other group we met take a group picture of us (to prove we were with them if we never returned) and a picture of their licenses, tell them where we were going (some place called the Island Cafe followed by a big boat), exchange phone numbers and a promise that if they didn't hear from us by a certain time they'd call the police, and sent them a picture of the boat numbers. (OK so us safety gals weren't TOTALLY out of character!)
We spent the next hour or so just putzing along the river, getting a tour, and laughing.
Then we pulled up to the Island Cafe, grabbed a table, and ordered a couple more drinks. We did take the time to think about the fact that we needed to eat as we hadn't fueled for the race yet. Another totally out of character move...I had fried fish and french fries for a pre-race dinner...but hey, I was already drinking and knew we'd be up late...what could I hurt now!
We tried the Island Punch and Confusion...both were good, but we both preferred the Island Punch. Our time at the Island Cafe was a lot of fun, meeting new friends, and MANY, MANY laughs...so much so that we realized the waitress was "warning" tables about us being so loud as they sat nearby! So, we called her out on it...and everyone laughed some more.
Eventually we got back underway and headed to the big boat with a few new folks in tow (not literally). Perhaps Denise and I are just too direct, but we call it like we see it and the new girls weren't all that crazy about that. We didn't really mind though. Once we got back to the boat we all just chilled for a while and much more laughter ensued.
We had another drink (yep...those that know me know I'm a lightweight so 5 drinks on any given night is a decent amount for me...let alone on a race night)...and just goofed off.
Eventually we called it, realizing we needed to get some sleep before the race and our new friend, Paul, drove us back to the hotel. All in all we had a great night and didn't really care about our race times as we fell into bed.
Sunday dawned and we headed to the VIP tent for a bit...
...then to meet up with the Half Fantanics for a group shot.
After the picture and a few brief conversations with friends... including Louie and Joe, both of whom we hadn't seen for a bit...
...we headed to the starting corrals.
I was surprised to find I actually felt pretty good despite the evening out, lack of proper fueling, alcohol, and lack of sleep. I got to chill with George in the corral for a few before the start.
Also out of character for this race (though since a staple) was the braids and headband. I was tired of a ratty ponytail after 13.1 miles so decided to try braids to keep the hair for getting as ick. It worked quite well.
As the race got underway I found the course to be fun and the crowd support to be spot on.
The course was diverse and kept your interest and the organizers had done their due diligence to ensure safety...including putting carpet over the steel grates on the bridge to make it easier to run on. I have to admit that felt very strange, but it definitely was better than running on the bare grate. As the race progressed my knee felt fine as did the rest of me so I kept pushing.
The course was challenging but not killer, the support stayed high throughout, and as we came down the bridge and into the home stretch I was spent but not dead. It had begun raining - but hey, it is the pacific northwest! and the organizers were busy bringing large mats up to lay down the final bridge to ensure no one slipped, as I round the final corner and descended.
I cranked it out and finished strong in 2:14:35.
All things considered I had no complaints - Portland may have been WAY out of character for me, but it was definitely a great experience and a lot of fun! This will likely be a repeat state for me...it's definitely a race I'll do again...but maybe after training, fueling, and resting properly. :)
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