Shamrock 2014

The 36th Annual Shamrock Run Portland has come and gone. My last Shamrock for a year or so as I would like to focus on training for the Spring Classic Duathlon in 2015. I may consider going back to the Shamrock in 2016 - we'll just have to see how things go with multisport first ;)

This year the Shamrock people decided to put photographers all along the route - in years past I don't believe that there were any. The photos were published on Facebook today and I decided to see how awful err, wonderful the photos were.

As it turns out...no one really looks good in running photos - although there is one of me from 3 or 4 years ago that was pretty good, but no more! Of the half dozen or so pics that they took of me I would say that the following one was the best. I don't look overly tired, I appear to be moving and I don't look like I want to die. Seriously, not flattering...not even a little...

Heading up Broadway - more than 2 miles into the 9.3 mile route

So, I searched for photos of Tom and Drew and man, those two looked GOOD! Check it out...

Check out the half clothed dude - that's not right!

Look at Drew...show off! He obviously did not get the memo that says no smiling during an event! Drew is awesome...love hanging out with him! Except during races because he is just too happy - haha. It's good that he runs with Tom, that way they can run a decent race and do well. Something that wouldn't be possible if they stuck with me.

I don't have much of a race report - just race photos to share. Running events are the same in one way or another - we train, we go, we conquer. The fun is being with our people!

We got to hang out with these cool people which we haven't really done in the past - we are very much go and run and then go home people - BUT afterwards Drew, Andy, Tom and I made a pit stop for a little food and coffee at Starbucks.

front row - Drew Swanson, Me, Alisha Smith, Alayna Salvato
back row - Andy Schultz, Mike Graves, Nate Smith

(photo was taken by Tom)

Welcome to the Family

Running Shoe Photo Shoot :)

My Running Shoe Collection is well on its way...there are worse things right?

New Shoes Baby!

New Balance 860 V3

This week has been so frustrating that getting these delivered to work really is a pick-me-up. Of course...they ARE running shoes and I do love me a running shoe!

Tired Old Shoes

Introducing the last new pair to the others

If I never buy another pair of regular non athletic shoes, I'll be okay with that. In fact when my running shoe collection surpasses my everyday shoe inventory that will be a milestone!

Fort Vancouver Run 10k - DONE

There isn't a lot to say other than:

It was WET. 

It was COLD. 

It was MISERABLE.

BUT...We did it and I posted a decent time according to the actual distance of 6.4 instead of a 10k distance of 6.2 - final time 1:20:41 or 12:37 pace. That's a decent time for me in the crummy weather. After I had a chance to think about it I decided I was pretty happy with that result. It is the time that I will now gauge the rest of my races against!

Tom went all out to see how he would do and actually did quite well with a final time of 59:33 around 9:19 pace for him. Now - Tom's goal was to see if he could get top 3 in his age division. He would have been 3rd in his division IF there wasn't a morning of registration in his group WHO happened to finish first.

Oh well...there's always next year!

Needed to post a picture...not terribly flattering, but I made it over the timing strip!

Shamrock is coming up fast...but first I need a couple of days to rest - or at least one day. We'll see how I feel when I get up tomorrow morning.

Get out and run people!

February Goal Reached

At the end of January I decided that I would see if I could log at least a couple of miles a day during the month of February. It was a doable goal as the 2 milers would occur on the days that I wasn't doing a training run and in doing so, should have been easy running days for sure. I managed to stay on track, kind of. Well, I reach my goal AND exceeded it by just over 5 miles. I'm not a better runner by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have a bit of an obsessive tendency it seems.

Case and point...

The gap that is so loud and clear - those were the snow days we had. I could stand it on the 6th. I was pretty much pacing around the house and looking out the window just to see what the snowfall situation was like. I even made some cookies because I just didn't know what to do with myself - oh I had also had taken the day off. I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I probably would not be running...then it happened...I was playing around on facebook and a friend of mine had JUST posted that she had gone out for a run and it was EXHILARATING. Are you kidding me?! Exhilarating?! I gotta get me some of that! So I gathered up my running clothes and declared to Tom that I would be going for a run and asked if he would want to join me. YUP!

I can't say that it was that great, but it wasn't bad either. I had really never run in the snow, not that there has been the kind of snow that would be good to run in around here. This year was really different, real powdery dry snow - perfect! The "run" was brief  and I wasn't sure where I wanted to run so I chose where the snow had been driven over. Not necessarily the best choice, but I also didn't feel like running/jumping into the untainted snow. I probably would end up hurting myself! We did just over a mile - got back home and I felt SO MUCH BETTER! Also, I got the running bug out of my system for a few more days. It felt like it took a while to make up the miles...so the obsession started up again. By the 26th I had reached my goal and had a couple of extra days to exceed that amount!

I do like me a goal! Especially if there is a gadget that is on running ahead that tells you that you are behind!!!!

Good times!!!

Just did the Fort Vancouver Run 10k - report to come.

Next up...Shamrock Run Portland!