Cascade Half Marathon

Watching the weather forecast for Western Oregon in January is typical if not down right predictable.  This week was no exception as the weatherman proclaimed....  "showers this week with a chance of heavy rain at times. Sunday looks to be the wettest day of the weekend".  You don't say Mr. Meterologist!

After living in Oregon for the last 12 years I have grown accustomed to the rain.  It's become a fact life in the winter months.  I don't let it stop me from being active outside and a little rain wasn't going to dampen my spirit today on my second running of the Cascade Half marathon.

I didn't have any pre-race expectations for time other than a loose goal of trying to finish around 2 hours.  When I ran this race last year I used it as a training race for the Hagg Lake 25k trail run in February.  I planned on that being the case again this year.  The longest I had run prior to this race was about 7 miles and I surely wasn't following a regimented half marathon training program to prepare for Cascade.  I just intended to go out for a long winter run in which proceeds from the event supported the local high school cross country team.  My fastest half marathon time to date was a 1:53:24 recorded on the Cascade course in 2009.

I arrived at the school just in time to watch the early start runners take off in the rain at 8am.  The rest of us would be starting an hour after them at 9am.  I went into the gym to pick up my race packet and was astonished by the turn out.  I stood in line among 400+ other runners eager to get our race numbers and get out on the course.  It was great to see this many people come out on a deary Sunday morning to run 13.1 miles in the rain.  I met up with Mike and Sean and we completed the packet pick up together.  Soon enough we would be lined up and ready to hit the rural roads for an out and back run.

After some brief last minute instructions from the race director and a quick count down, I hit the start button on my Garmin 310XT and away we went.  The one thing about this event is they also have a 2 mile and a 10K and everyone starts at the same time.  Needless to say the 2 mile and 10k folks set a pretty fast pace from the get go.  It's up the half marathon folks to remember not everyone is running 13.1 together; folks will be running back towards the finish line in no time.

Mike took off at a pretty good clip and I let him go.  It takes me 5K to warm up and settle into my pace and this race was no different.  My first 3 mile splits were 8:22, 8:22 and 8:28 - too fast for me - but I was sustaining it with moderate effort so I let it go.  Just after mile 3,  the headwinds began to blow directly at us once we ran out from the tree lined wind block.  Looking ahead I saw Mike about 100 yards in front of me.  I knew I could catch up to him.  It was just around mile 5 when I finally reeled him in.  "We're running too fast"! Mike said as I reminded him it was me who had to catch up to him.  Our second aid station appeared and Mike told me he would see me at the finish.  I was carrying my Amphi-pod water bottle so I skipped the aid stations.

Miles 4, 5 and 6,  I posted splits of 8:17, 8:10 and 8:17 - still too fast but I rolled with it.  I was carrying my I-Pod with me but up to this point hadn't turned it on.  I figured I would crank it up so the music could distract me from the nasty little nagging whinner in my mind telling me I was sore and tired.  It worked.  I got a real jolt from Limp Bizkit, Metallica, REd Hot Chilli Peppers, et al.  I picked up the pace and motored on after the turn around.  The next three miles posted splits of 8:02, 8:11 and 8:04 - I was feeling strong!  I was looking at my time and thinking I was going to PR on this race if I kept up the pace.  Time to put the face of determination on brother!

I was at mile 9 - only 4 to go but 4 of the hardest yet to come.  It was at this exact mile marker that I learned something about myself on this very course last year.  I reflected inward on that moment and cranked up my mantra and thought about true pain and suffering.  A half marathon is a walk in the park compared to the conditions our soldiers face in Iraq.  Move it!  I rolled off 8:10, 8:12 and 8:25.  This was it, I was within a mile of home.  What did I have left?  8:19 and the finish line was in sight.  One last push and I could hit stop.

I crossed the finish line in 1:49:15.  The savor of this Sunday would be setting a new personal record for the half marathon.

My thanks to God for the gift of my great life.