2009 Portland Marathon

So close.  3:01:26.  But on a positive note it was a new PR by 3.5+ min.  Actually I knew at 21 miles it wasn't to be on this particular day, but it was a fun race nonetheless.  Weather was ideal, temps in the low 50s, mostly cloudy, but dry.  I stayed right with the 3 hr pace team from the start gun to mile 20 or 21 at which point leg fatigue set in and really started to erode my pace.  In retrospect I'm happy to have only lost a minute and a half over the last 5 miles because I felt like I was just creeping along on aching legs.  This was the first race that I ran behind an official pacer and I found that it allowed me to get in a zone where I wasn't thinking as much about pace or distance.  I hardly recall glancing at my GPS; just keep that red "3:00" sign in sight is what I told myself.  Kudos to the Red Lizard Running Club for their pacesetting, they did a great job of keeping it dialed in. 

Fan support was great, particularly through downtown Portland.  I got a big rush hearing my name shouted in the final stretch to the finish line.  Although the sheer number of fans was obviously smaller than Boston, I felt like I got more personalized cheers which, as I'm sure most marathoners will attest, are immensely appreciated.  I also finally spotted my wife Darlene near the finish.  On more than one other race occasion I've completely missed my family despite their cheers due to a singular focus on getting across that line.  Overall I found that Portland lived up to its reputation for hosting a well organized marathon with a relatively fast course and nice scenery, particularly over the St. Johns Bridge and along the river in the latter stages.

A big thanks to our friends Natalie and Jason for providing us with a place to stay and showing us around town.  They were even so kind as to wake up long before sunrise on race day to make breakfast and drop us off at the start.  The gourmet pancakes really hit the spot and provided some good running fuel.

I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment because I decided, somewhat on a whim, to sign up for the California International Marathon in Sacramento on December 6th.  This course has a reputation for being really fast, so if I'm ever to break 3 hours, this is probably the place to do it.  I wasn't planning on running another one so soon, but I figure I might as well take advantage of the training base I have built up now.  I'll report back in 7 weeks or so.